Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- I'm certainly on board with Bill Belichick being a genius and all. Why, if he was any smarter, he might have figured out how to get more than 17 points against the world's worst (and injured) secondary.
2. I mean, the Patriots spent $310 million in the off-season. Shouldn't Robert Kraft have some change coming?
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
3. The way I look at it, the Bucs are three injuries away from asking Rod "Toast" Jones what he is doing on Sunday afternoon.
4.They haven't played well yet. Based on their play, I still say the Bucs are the most-underachieving winning team in the NFL.
5. If they keep it up, penalties will cost the Bucs at least one game this season.
5 Comments
(From Bruce Arians' Monday Press Conference)
(On the offense inside of the New England 30): "We didn't execute. We didn't execute at all. Our routes weren't [good], our spacing wasn't very good, we didn't throw the ball very well down there. A couple things that we thought we were going to have they had mixed up and doubled the guys we thought we'd have. We never thought we'd put Codey McElroy in a game, and all of a sudden he was double-covered. So, yeah, some things like that happened and Tom [Brady] was real smart with the ball. He was extremely careful; he wasn't going to throw a pick down there. It's a disappointing part of the game to watch us play in the red zone that game."
(On Richard Sherman playing all but one play): "It's amazing. He played really, really well. He had the one penalty but, no, I was really, really pleased with ‘Sherm’ and Pierre [Desir]. I thought they both went out there and played really, really good. The bright side is, it's just going to get better, too, the more they learn what the hell they're doing. I think this week, again, fortunately we had Mike Edwards to step in there for Antoine, and we'll see who's going to back up those guys this week."
(On the play of rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka): "He is fun to watch. He's got a ton of talent and he plays really, really hard – hard and fast. He's one of those guys, too, he's just going to get better and better the more he understands the pro game and that speed isn't always the rush. Power sometimes helps more. He's got both those things. I think he's just going to get better and better."
(On the Bucs not playing their best football yet): "There's no doubt. I think offensively, especially. I thought defensively we made some nice improvements but offensively it's still not clicking on all cylinders like it should be. We looked really good for a series or two and then we still keep shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties or missed assignments. They've got to be corrected, and it's on the players. We've talked about it enough, it's on the players."
(On his team being denied a fumble recovery in the first quarter): "I've always thought running towards the goal line was a football move. They said he had two steps, total control, but there had to be a third element. I don't know what the hell that is. I caught the ball and I'm running to the goal line – that's a football move. The person I talked to in the league office agreed with me today, but he wasn't on that game. It's very confusing."
Game Balls
Offense: In a rare instance, Tom Brady was not the most important player on the field Sunday night. Leonard Fournette was. Fournette ran for 91, caught passes for 47 and drew a 31-yard pass interference penalty.
Defense: Mac Jones seemed to be aiming at him at times, but Richard Sherman led the team in tackles and played all but one play only days after being signed.
Special team: Yeah, he missed a kick. But Ryan Succop nailed a 48=yard field goal with 1:57 left for the winner. That's good enough.
Grades
Quarterback: The game will be memorable for Tom Brady, but not because of his play. Brady was average Sunday night. Grade: C.
Running backs: The Patriots kept daring the Bucs to run, and eventually, they did. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones combined for 111 yards on the ground. Grade: A-.
Offensive line: Donovan Smith struggled mightily, but the team did give up just one sack: Grade: B.
Wide receivers: There were a few drops and a few bad routes. Grade: D.
Defensive line: The pressure was better, and the Patriots were quickly convinced they couldn't run. Grade: A.
Linebackers: Devin White and Lavonte David are great tacklers, but they give up some in the passing game. Grade: C.
Secondary: They let a rookie shred them apart. True, they were injured. But quarterbacks love going against this bunch. Grade: D.
NFL All-time Passing Yardage Leaders
1. Tom Brady (2000-Present) 80,560
2. Drew Brees (2001-2020) 80,358
3. Peyton Manning (1998-2015) 71,940
4. Brett Favre (1991-2010) 71,838
5. Philip Rivers (2004-20) 63,440
This Season's Passing Yardage Leaders
1. Tom Brady (TB) 1,356
2. Kyler Murray (ARI) 1,273
3. Matthew Stafford (LAR) 1,222
4. Patrick Mahomes (KC) 1,218
5. Derek Carr (LV) 1,203