For Bills, new Brady Bunch Presents Formidable Obstacle
His team has changed, but he has not.
Actually, he has. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, at age 44 and in his 22nd NFL season, has improved dramatically since last season, which was a dramatic improvement from the year before.
The former New England Patriot is getting younger as he gets older, leading the league this season in passing attempts (347), completions (508), passing yards (3,771) and touchdown passes (34) while having the lowest sack percentage (2.7).
This Sunday, he'll put his 32-3 record against the Buffalo Bills, which includes a 6-0 record over coach Sean McDermott, on the line against them once again in a game that's crucial to both teams' playoff hopes.
Although Tampa Bay (9-3) is a virtual lock to make the postseason with five games remaining, it is fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, not that it should really matter. The only home game the Bucs had in the playoffs last season was the Super Bowl, which they won.
At 7-5, the Bills are much less of a lock after coming off a loss to the New England Patriots (9-4) in a battle for control of the AFC East.
Now they're up against probably the most balanced offense they'll see all season in the Bucs, who complement Brady's passing ability with the extraordinary running and receiving abilities of Leonard Fournette (152 carries, 665 yards, seven rushing TDs, 58 receptions, 402 yards, two TD catches).
They also have deadly and dependable wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and a tight end in former New England teammate Rob Gronkowski who is considered by many to still be the finest in the game today at age 32.
An offensive line that's also arguably the finest in the league has played a major role. The group clears wide holes for runners and has allowed just 14 sacks of Brady and 15 overall.
The above picture has been painted to portray just what the Bills will be up against on Sunday and how this new Brady Bunch may be better than any of the 35 they faced over the previous two decades.
"I think the work that he's put in this year speaks for itself," Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. "You know, the things that he's been able to do offensively and how he's able to lead that football team to still be one of the top teams in the league. I mean, I think it speaks for itself. Obviously, you've got to give credit. He's going to go down as, if not the best, one of the best players that ever played this game.
"And he's still playing at a high level, he's still making big-time plays and we're still seeing the things that I saw when I came into the league four years ago. So he's still a big-time player and ... a guy that has obviously been in the league a long, long time. He's seen a lot of different looks, if not every look that's out there."
Added safety Jordan Poyer: "He's seen everything, from body language to eyes, leverage, depth. It's always a fun challenge when you're going up against Tom Brady, so we've got to be ready to play this week.
"... It's definitely one of those games where it's a chess match, not just between him and the safeties. It's the corners, the nickels, the linebackers. Like I said, it's going to be a fun matchup."
The main challenge for the back end of the Bills defense, according to Poyer, will be to plaster receivers to help the pass rush.
"He understands rushes, he knows how to step up," Poyer said. "Like I said, he's seen every single coverage there is. So it's difficult. He gets the ball out of his hands quick when he needs to, he doesn't take a lot of hits.
"We've got to to what we do and find ways to maybe have him hold the ball an extra second to let our D-line go up there and eat."
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
