by Ryan Mercier
What a beautiful game. This is what football is all about. Tom Brady back in Foxborough as the enemy, Bill Belichick scheming against him. Pure drama.
Not to mention a rookie quarterback, fumbles, heavy rain, Steve Belichick’s tongue-wagging and face-making, and it all ended with a DOINK.
Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the 19-17 win but Belichick and the New England Patriots clearly had a superb game plan and almost came out on top with a lesser roster. Above all, it was evident and odd to see how the emotions of this game really affected the GOAT. Not only did the Belichick family mix up the defense but No. 12 was missing open targets for much of the rainy night.
The fired up, yelling Tom Brady never showed up. He almost always, in a big game, gets in an opponent’s face or celebrates like he’s about to pop a blood vessel. Or, on the flip side, rips a teammate’s head off for running the wrong route or missing a protection.
Instead, he looked tightly wound all night. This game wasn’t revenge, it was a chore.
Mac Jones threw for more yards, more touchdowns, had a higher yards per attempt average, and a much higher passer rating than Brady. He was beating the blitz all night, side-stepping to avoid the rush and making quick decisions. It was a really great showing for a rookie. Jones was loose and often had a smile on his face, quite the dichotomy from his counterpart.
It’s hard to blame Brady if he was indeed affected. The funny thing is the typical Patriots formula (especially of the early 2000s) was completely unfolding. Belichick had coached up an underdog New England team against a powerhouse franchise with a chance to go ahead on the final drive of the game. Curiously, he elected to attempt a 56-yard field goal instead of going for it on 4th and three. Nick Folk missed the kick and everyone was robbed of seeing what Brady might have done needing to score with under a minute left against the Patriots.
Super Bowls, championship games, and controversies never rattled the best QB to ever play the game. A return trip to his football home filled with too many memories, did. And he still won.
Struggling Actor Sports 