If you haven’t heard, there is a big game taking place Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. The man who fueled the New England Patriots offensive attack for two decades is returning to Foxborough as a defending Super Bowl champion in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ uniform.
As strange as it will be to see No. 12 in a different uniform in the house he basically built, watching the Patriots defense go against the great Tom Brady will be weird to say the least. But the Patriots are entering the game at 1-2 and need a victory.
New England Patriots have to get the pressure on Tom Brady
To get that victory, they will have to do to Brady what other teams have done against him during his time with the Patriots. To slow down a high-powered offense, the key is getting in Brady’s face and knocking him off his spot.
Whether the Patriots have the personnel to be successful in making Brady uncomfortable is one of the big questions entering the showdown, but if there is a coach that knows the Tampa Bay quarterback, it is Bill Belichick, who knows exactly what makes his former gunslinger uncomfortable in the pocket.
There are also some veteran players who have practiced against Brady like Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise.
Each of those players can get to Brady, but will emotion get in the way? There are some new players who also have the capability of getting some pressure on Brady. So, which 3 players are fueled to sack the G.O.A.T?
Let’s start with a former teammate who got to know Brady quite well during their one season as teammates.
New England Patriots linebacker Chase Winovich super excited to play against Tom Brady
Third-year linebacker Chase Winovich has something in common with Tom Brady. They are both products of the University of Michigan.
But what is also interesting about their relationship is that Brady spent sone 1-on-1 time with Winovich during his rookie season helping the then Patriots quarterback work avoiding sacks.
Ironically, Winovich will have an opportunity to use that 1-on-1 time to his advantage this Sunday in getting some pressure on Brady. Unless Belichick does some stunting to get some pressure up the middle, Winovich will likely bring the heat off the edge on obvious passing downs.
In sniffing out his first sack of the season, the Patriots linebacker is super excited to go against his former teammate and the Buccaneers in general.
"“It’s definitely super cool to have the opportunity to play against Tom Brady,” Winovich said during his video conference on Monday. “I’ve thought about it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. …I’m just super thankful for the opportunity to have the chance to play against somebody like Tom, and to do it in this setting is truly a blessing. So it’s definitely something I’m not taking for granted.”"
In averaging 5 sacks in this first two NFL seasons, Chase Winovich is due to record a sack or two in a game, and what better game to get those sacks than a game in which a quarterback he admires so much is returning to a place he used to call home.
Expect the golden locks to fly around the field on Sunday night. Will it result in sacking Tom Brady? There’s a good chance of it.
New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower due for a dominate game
When it comes to big games, there has been no defensive player more clutch than Dont’a Hightower.
Also due for a big game, Hightower can put some pressure on Tom Brady both off the edge and up the middle. He is also key to the Patriots stopping the Buccaneers’ run game, which could end up being the key for the Patriots defense overall.
By stopping the run, the Patriots could force Brady to throw more. Yes, throw more, because the more he drops back, the greater chance Patriots defenders like Hightower will have to create some pressure and move Brady off his spot. That is where frustration could set in for Brady and mistakes.
Let’s remember, Brady is human and is capable of a bad game just as Hightower is capable of a dominate game. Oh, and what would be a better time for that dominance to shine than against a quarterback and former teammate he has spent so many seasons practicing against.
"“It’s going to be good to see 12 again,” Hightower said back in June, via Boston.com. “I’ve been going against him in practice for so long, I’m looking forward to playing against him.”"
Sound like Week 4 is when New England Patriots fans will see the real Hightower out there on the field. Will that motivation fuel a sack on Mr. Tom Brady? If there is any player on the defense more fitting to come up big against the GOAT, it is the Boomtower.
New England Patriots sack leader Matt Judon has no fear vs Tom Brady
Perhaps Matt Judon was given the big contract exactly for this game.
A former Baltimore Ravens player trained not to fear Tom Brady, Judon not only enters the game as the team’s leader in sacks with 3.5, but as a player who does not plan to back down from Brady and the Buccaneers.
"“Bro,” Judon said when asked about Tom Brady this week, via Masslive.com. “He’s the next quarterback we’ve gotta play. They’ve also got two other quarterbacks on the roster. I know he was in this building for a long time, and what he’s done can never be taken away from the game of football. “But it’s not like we’re afraid of what Tom Brady can do. We have to stop their whole offense…Tom Brady is a great quarterback, and nobody can take away what he did, but we’re not here to talk about that right now. We have to play the game. We have to stop him from winning a football game.”"
That is exactly the kind of attitude the New England Patriots defense will have to have in this game. They have to stop other offensive players like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown and the best way to do that is to get in the face of Tom Brady.
The player who is most likely to do that is the player who is not playing the game pumped up with nostalgia. Judon only has played against Brady in his career and has no fear. Young players like Josh Uche and Christian Barmore are also players capable of making an impact in that defensive front seven who have not played with Brady.
But the main man in this conversation is Matt Judon who can leave his imprint on this game by being that player who makes Brady uncomfortable every time he steps back to throw a pass.