Good Morning Football's Kyle Brandt: "Belichick looked so bad without Brady [against 49ers], and Brady looked like he was about 25 years old! This is a really meaningful thing, with the two teams going completely the opposite way"
Tuesday 27 October 2020 17:10, UK
Tom Brady's move from the New England Patriots - a team with which he had won a record six Super Bowls - to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the offseason, and the two teams could not have had more contrasting starts to the 2020 season.
Through seven weeks, Brady's Bucs boast a healthy 5-2 record, while the Patriots have lost three straight to fall to 2-4.
Brady, at 43 years old, looked better than ever as he threw for 369 yards and four TDs in 45-20 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, while his replacement in New England, former league MVP Cam Newton, had only 98 yards passing and was picked off three times in their 33-6 home hammering at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
Kyle Brandt labelled the two teams' contrasting fortunes as "shocking, staggering" as the Good Morning Football team (Sky Sports NFL, weekdays, 11am) discussed their starts to the season - watch by clicking on the video above.
"The worst thing for the Patriots, in terms of optics, is that these games were on at the same time," said Brandt.
"You would go from the Bucs game, watching Brady having one of his best games literally in years, and then you would go to the Patriots game and watch Cam, it was such a sharp contrast, so jarringly bad.
"Belichick looked so bad without Brady, and Brady looked like he was about 25 years old!
"It was shocking, staggering. This is a really meaningful thing, with the two teams going completely the opposite way.
"Cam has not looked like the same person since he got Covid. It's the worst he's looked in his career - and it's not close. He can barely throw the ball; it's almost yip-like.
"Physically there's nothing wrong with him. I think there's something in his head where he is somehow psychologically disenchanted. I honestly wonder, and fear it has something to do with him getting Covid-19."
Peter Schrager chimed in on the debate, preferring to focus though on Brady's assortment of weapons in Tampa Bay - particularly with recent free agent addition, All Pro receiver Antonio Brown, added to the mix.
"Brady looked awesome; it was not the Brady we've seen in recent years," said Schrager. "I look at these two teams right now: Cam is not a great player at the moment, Julian Edelman is throwing his helmet down on the sidelines; who on the Patriots is good?
"Meanwhile, Tampa, it's Brady, [Rob] Gronkowski looks great, it's [Chris] Godwin, [Mike] Evans when he's finally healthy, they're getting Antonio Brown and they've got [Leonard] Fournette. The difference in talent between these two teams is glaring.
"A brutal one for New England; Brady and Gronk are having a party out in Vegas, while the Patriots just can't get it going.
"They were overpowered by a 49ers team that ran all over them. For three quarters it was not even a contest, I've never seen that before from a [Bill] Belichick coached team. It might be a wrap this year for this team."
Free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown has officially signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after agreeing a one-year deal with the team.
The 32-year-old, who is suspended through Week Eight, could be on the field for Tampa Bay when they host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, November 8 in a matchup of two leading NFC contenders.
Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady and Brown were briefly team-mates last season in New England, the Patriots keeping Brown for just one game after his short tenure with the then-Oakland Raiders.
Brown has been a free agent since September 2019, when the Patriots released him after one game following allegations of sexual assault and sending intimidating text messages to an accuser. Those allegations led to an NFL investigation.
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on another wild weekend in the NFL, picking out his five major takeaways, his player of the week and what is on his radar from Week Seven...
Week Seven in the NFL was crazy, especially in the final 30 minutes of the early games when touchdowns were flying in left, right and centre.
Due to a storm in Nashville, we also lost the sound of our main game for a few minutes which sent myself, Shaun Gayle and Rob Ryan into commentary mode for the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over the Tennessee Titans.
It all added to the wackiness of one of the most entertaining Sundays of the season to date; here's my five major takeaways...
Week Eight in the NFL gets underway with Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 12.20am, Friday.
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