Heath Evans, like so many other football fans, is eager to see how the divorce in Foxboro plays out.
Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer after spending the first 20 seasons of his NFL career in New England. Bill Belichick now will be tasked with leading the Patriots without having the luxury of arguably the greatest quarterback of all time being under center.
There likely will be some level of a learning curve for both Brady and Belichick in the upcoming season, but Evans believes the two future Hall of Famers will answer the ball.
“People might have questions, but I have no doubt Tommy is going to be brilliant without Bill,” Evans told the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “Will it be like it was for him in New England? I don’t know. But Tommy is a freakin’ machine. His brain didn’t go anywhere. His game-planning strategies didn’t go anywhere. He’s going to be great for the Bucs.”
And Belichick?
“Bill is Bill,” Evans said. “He’s going to have his team locked and loaded. He’s going to know what they’re capable of, and what they’re not capable of, he’ll keep them in the box. He’ll have them grow every week. He’ll take (Jarrett) Stidham, and develop a game plan that puts them in the best position to win, and we’ll see if there’s still enough defensive talent on the roster to play the complementary style of football that will be demanded. It’s having a bend-but-don’t break defense, a ball-control offense, and win games when it matters in the fourth.”
As far as team expectations are concerned, the Patriots might need a masterclass in coaching from Belichick just to reach the playoffs. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are being viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender now with Brady under center.
