THURSDAY COMMENTARY – KEEP SMILING

(Talking NFL on Wednesday’s COACHELLA VALLEY LIVE)

WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY:

THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE LAST WEEK. NOW, HERE IT IS.

SUNDAY NIGHT’S PRIME TIME NFL GAME BETWEEN TOM BRADY’S TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AND BILL BELICHICK’S NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS IN FOXBOROUGH IS BEING BILLED AS THE “BIGGEST REGULAR SEASON NFL GAME EVER”.

AT FIRST I SCOFFED, THINKING WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHICH IS FAR TOO QUICK TO BILL “THE BIGGEST THING EVER” BUT UPON FURTHER REVIEW, MAYBE THIS IS.

AND THAT’S WHY, HERE IN FOOTBALL-MAD SOUTH FLORIDA, THE LOCALS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS GAME EVEN SINCE LAST WEEK’S WEEK 3, WHEN THE BUCS STILL HAD TO GO INTO L.A. AND FACE THE RAMS (THEY LOST 34-24 BY THE WAY).

IF I DIDN’T KNOW TOM BETTER, I’D SAY HE GOT CAUGHT LOOKING AHEAD TO THE PATRIOTS MATCH-UP AND OVERLOOKED THE RAMS. HOWEVER HE HASN’T WON SEVEN SUPER BOWLS BY TAKING HIS EYE OFF THE BALL. EVER.

BUT SUNDAY NIGHT’S PRIME TIME GAME IS WORTHY OF ALL THE PREGAME HYPE IT’S GOING TO GET.

THIS WAS ONCE A GREAT MARRIAGE – BELICHICK & BRADY – BUT LIKE OVER HALF, IT’S ENDED IN DIVORCE AND HAS TURNED NASTY.

TOM’S SMILING OF COURSE, AS THE DEFENDING SUPER BOWL CHAMPION WHO’S RELOCATED TO FLORIDA AND MOVED ON. BUT DON’T THINK FOR A SECOND HE DOESN’T WANT TO GO INTO GILLETTE STADIUM AND RUB IT IN BILL’S FACE. THE BUCS ARE FAVOURED BY 7-POINTS BY THE WAY.

BELICHICK, MEANWHILE, IS DESPERATE TO PROVE HE’S NOT “JUST ANOTHER COACH” WITHOUT BRADY AND THAT HE BUILT “TOM TERRIFIC”. HOWEVER HE’S NOT OFF TO A GREAT START. BILL’S 8-11 SINCE TOM LEFT, AND 63-75 ALL-TIME WITHOUT BRADY AT QB.

DO YOU RECALL A YEAR AGO WHEN WE EXAMINED THIS STORY IN THIS SPOT? I COMMENTED THAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE AWHILE TO SEE WHO COMES OUT ON TOP AFTER THIS BREAK-UP. NOW HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER, AND BRADY’S LEADING BY A COUNTRY MILE.

THEY SAY SUNDAY NIGHT WILL PROVE IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.

BUT TB12 ONLY WANTS TO PROVE ONE THING: HE’S NOT SAYING HE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SIX SUPER BOWLS AND THAT WITHOUT HIM, NEW ENGLAND WOULD STILL BE THE 80’S AND 90’S PATRIOTS.

HE’D JUST LIKE A LITTLE CREDIT RATHER THAN HAVE THE BELICHICK DEFENDERS SAY TOM’S THE PRODUCT OF A SYSTEM.

SADLY HE’LL LIKELY NEVER CONVINCE THEM, SO TOM’S BEST TO JUST KEEP HIS HEAD UP, AND KEEP SMILING.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY