Shannon Sharpe has drawn a line in the sand.
Sharpe is confident in the Patriots’ ability to remain competitive after Tom Brady’s departure, whereas Skip Bayless believes New England is destined to struggle in its first season without the legendary quarterback. As such, Sharpe and Bayless made a friendly “bet” Tuesday on FS1’s “Undisputed.”
Sharpe, who thinks the Patriots will go 10-6 in 2020, declared New England will finish with a better record than Brady’s new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bayless accepted his colleague’s wager, as he doesn’t expect the Patriots to finish any better than 8-8 despite Bill Belichick still calling the shots.
“I’ve got a bet for you. How about we do this one — the Patriots will have a better record than the Bucs,” Sharpe proposed. “Let’s do that one.”
Bayless replied: “I’ll do that, because I cannot see Belichick’s team right here, right now being better than 8-8. I’m being nice to the GOAT coach to say 8-8, because I can’t see where they’re headed.”
.@ShannonSharpe: Skip, I got a bet for you! The Patriots will have a better record than the Bucs. Mr. 12-4. @RealSkipBayless: Done. Because I can't see Belichick's team being better than 8-8.
RT for Pats better record than Bucs
LIKE for Bucs better record than Pats pic.twitter.com/rY57sQBMNu— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 31, 2020
The Patriots went 12-4 last season before losing to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. It wasn’t Brady’s finest campaign, by any measure, although much of the blame could be placed on his lackluster supporting cast on offense.
It’ll be interesting to see how Brady fares at age 43 now that he’s in a new system surrounded by a plethora of weapons. Likewise, it’ll be fascinating to see whether Tampa Bay can take the next step after moving on from turnover-prone Jameis Winston.
The Patriots appear poised to hand the offensive keys to second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham, with Brian Hoyer and Cody Kessler also on the depth chart. It’s nearly impossible to predict how the 2019 fourth-round pick will perform upon replacing the greatest QB in NFL history, but it’s clear the Patriots will be navigating new waters in 2020.
