Before you even though you're not going against the other
quarterback right here. Preparing for the Green Bay
defense. Is there still something about playing one of
the best in the game? Yeah for sure he's amazing player
has been for a long time so I love watching him play and
nice from California to. So I feel like we always have
a little bit of a connection. He's an older guy. Now
he's been a great player in the same place for a long time so
there definitely has some challenges with that and
but he's navigated and pretty well and It's done, a great job
leads a team, and they've got a lot of games
since he's been there, you know, and I knew Brett pretty well.
Those two guys are pretty
two. Great quarterbacks for a long period of time won't Place
feeling. Nostalgic at all,
not really
have a lot of respect for the history of the game and my part
in it,
and the game will keep going long after Tommy, and
I wouldn't play.
I will say this Peter King as we continue on this Friday
edition to PFC live presented by Google. I am no fashion
expert but
I will say
the backward hat with the tuft of hair carefully. Manicured
through the hole
at age, 45.
That's a bold Choice by Tom Brady ha ha ha.
It's a beautiful thing.
Yeah.
Like well what hit me
I'll tell you what hit me about this game and this rivalry when
I was thinking about it the other day and I wrote a little
bit about this in my column
is that
I find it fairly impressive of all the oh my God Brady still
doing it 45 blah blah blah
since Tom Brady turned 41,
he's faced Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, three
times. He's 30
and he's put up 3138 and 31 points. In those three games.
And and, and look,
obviously he's not playing against Aaron Rodgers, but when
you play the Green Bay Packers, you know,
that you have to
put points up, just the same way when you're Aaron Rodgers
and you're playing Tom. Brady, you got to put points up
and he has consistently done that,
you know, against Rogers and against the Packers
and that impresses me now.
It will really impress me
this week
if he puts up 30
because his number-one receiver, just might be cold
Beasley in this game who he met ten minutes ago and so this is
It's a home opener, the emotion blah blah, blah blah blah.
But I have a feeling that
the Bucks are going to have to wear name tags in this game
for all the people who are going to be new
and people really don't know.
Yeah, you've got Mike Evans, suspended that was upheld
earlier this week. He won't play Chris Godwin hamstring
injury, coming off of the torn ACL. It doesn't look good for
him Julio Jones. Who the hell knows when he's going to be
able to practice her Play? Scotty Miller's on the injury
report now with
a calf. Yeah, incomes Cole Beasley people wonder why Tom
Brady practiced on Wednesday when he supposedly got every
Wednesday off for the rest of his life.
Got to get to know Cole Beasley somehow. Someway got to get on
the same page with the guy that you've never played football
with before in your life and it is Is going to be a challenge,
but the Buccaneers have pivoted Peter
toward this, Todd Bowles mindset of run the ball,
play defense, run the ball, play defense and yes they still
have Tom Brady and
yes they throw the ball
sometimes but it's not no risk at no biscuit anymore
and that that pivot to more of the old school approach.
They're there to and all
they got it out the win
against the Saints when it just felt like it wasn't their day.
There are going to be times throughout the course of
a 17-game season for a given team when it doesn't feel like their
day and when you can find a way to reverse that in the moment
and take a game that felt like, well, we're just going to lose
and turn it into a win. That's the kind of team that's going
to be hanging around when
week 18 rolls around and it's time to figure out where you
are on the playoff tree and I think the Bucks are going to be
there and
You know Todd. Yeah, regardless of the questions about Tom
Brady, and he does look skinnier than he ever has
to the point where it's concerning
but he still Tom Brady
and that's not going to change and we saw the Tom Brady fire
on Sunday. He still loves football, he still loves to
win. He's still going to do what he has to do to help his
team Prevail and I'd be surprised if they don't find
a way to beat the Packers.
Boy, this is a tough one.
I probably would pick Tampa
in part because you know, I don't know that I trust the the
Green Bay offense yet. Either
I think each offense is really trying to find itself
and what they do best
and I totally agree with you. I think we could see
in, maybe the last Aaron Rodgers, Tom, Brady game ever.
We could see a game where
of all the times they have.
Met
against each other. We could see more rushing attempts than
there ever has been because I won't be surprised if Matt
LaFleur says,
our best way in this game, is to keep the ball away from
Brady. So let's run it, 42 times if we can
and, and that's not going to be easy against that defense,
either, you know, Vita, vases, going to have something to say
about that. But I would also make this point as you look at
the offensive line.
I would also make the point
ain't that, you know, every smart offensive coach
does what he feels that, his offense can do best and in this
game right now,
I think what Green Bay does best until
Rogers gets up to speed with his receivers,
they really have a reliable running game
like they haven't had in some time, you know, this reliable,
I'll say one other thing about Brady.
You know, earlier this week I was just looking at their games
and looking at his numbers and the fact that man, it is so
weird.
Brady starting, two games in a row. I know they've had a bunch
of injuries, but
39 points in two games is just so odd for Brady, you know,
and, and I looked at it and he's averaging 6.6 yards per
attempt,
and of all the stats, and all the new wave
new age.
Stats that you hear, dvo a and and wins above replacement,
which used to be a baseball stat, but now they've turned it
into a football stat to, and I respect all these stats, I do
because they all
say something, one of the stats that is an old-time stat that
guys still look at a lot is yards per attempt
and Brady's yards, per attempt is usually in the High 70, 80
K. And now he's six point five or six point six
And that really has to change
for that offense to become a more prolific offense. Mike,
when Kevin gilbride was one of the contributors to our old
afternoon show pro football talk, he said that one of
the statistics that coaching staffs look at more than any other is
yards per attempt, and if you are
above 7, your offense is clicking. And now it's kind of
a given. You're going to be at 7,
it's more like eight or nine. Yes, yards per attempt so 6.6.
Layering, especially for a guy. Like, Brady also Peter, we need
to point this out.
He's got an issue with his ring finger on his throwing hand and
Rick, Stroud. Our friend, from the Tampa Bay Times reported
that yesterday during the portion of practice, the media
could see, he was clearly bothered by it's shaking it
they sprayed something on it at some point. And of course, when
he's asked about it,
he says he's fine. And when the injury report comes out
for the Buccaneers Wednesday and Thursday, there's no
mention of any finger injury for Tom Brady, this is the team
that concealed a fully torn MCL Well, for all of the 2020
season for Tom Brady. So don't expect the injury report to
tell us anything,
but we know there's something up with the finger
because one of the reporters covering the team saw it and
shared it
with anyone who may be interested in, whether or not
the 45 year-old Tom, Brady is truly 100% right now.
Here's the other aspect of it and I
agree that that is something very much worth watching for
those who don't really understand or who don't know
all that much about yards for 10 yards per attempt.
Essentially,
is it shows whether you're getting the ball down field at all,
you know, if you have a very low yards per attempt, you're
basically dinking and dunking and you're not being efficient,
throwing the football and just as an example
Mike in Tom Brady's last year in New England. Okay,
where everybody said well boy, he's going downhill and where
Bill Belichick much to Robert Kraft. Chagrin said we're will
be fine without Brady and let's let him go and let's start to
move on,
you know, maybe he's in Decline and I'm not, I'm,
I'm putting words in Bill Belichick swells, I don't know
what he said, you know, but
I do know that his action said, we can let Brady go in.
Auntie 19 he had six point six yards per attempt and by
the end of that year Bill Belichick was ready
to let him go. So then he goes and gets reborn in Tampa and
he's then in the mid 70s over the last two years.
And now he's back down to 6.6. And again,
small sample size beat up receiver core,
okay. I want to wait until they get
all their receivers back or at least you know.
Godwin. He needs Chris Godwin
period, that is his guy. That is his new age Edelman.
And so he needs to get him back and he needs to get Julio Jones
to do something.
Okay? So
I understand why it's at 6.6 right now and I don't think
Brady is falling off a cliff. You have to look at this in
perspective but
let's wait and see what happens, but he but that number
Just has to go up.
And I agree with you completely and we'll see, we'll see what
they can do against the Green Bay. Packers, he could be
a grounded out old-school low-scoring game and it could
be another game of 20 or under for the Tampa Bay. Buccaneers
one thing Chris Simms has said all week those we talked about
Rogers and Brady. This is a far cry from Mahomes and Alan at
this point. Those two are on a higher plane, they are arguably
number one. And number two,
take your pick as to who you want, his number one in the NFL.
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