The New York Giants expect to have a hard time when they take on quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football at Raymond James Stadium. Even though the Buccaneers are on a two-game losing streak, Giants head coach Joe Judge expect Brady and Tampa Bay to play their best football as they aim to get back on the winning track. For Judge, stopping the 44-year-old Brady would be their key to victory, but it won’t come easy for the Giants, based on his experience when they were together with the New England Patriots for several years.
“You’re not going to trick the guy," Judge said, referring to Brady’s ability to read the opponent’s defensive scheme against him. “Everyone tries to trick him every week right? He’s seen it. He’s been successful throughout that duration of time,” added Judge, saying that the key to stopping Brady is execution. When it comes to Brady’s excellent performance this season despite his age, Judge said he wasn’t surprised by it at all. “Does it seem crazy that he’s still having an extreme amount of success? No," Judge said, saying Brady has put himself in a position to succeed for a long time.
Judge impressed with Brady’s preparation
Judge joined the Patriots as a special teams assistant in 2012 when Brady was already a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Brady added two more Super Bowl rings during Judge’s tenure with the Patriots and eventually had six before he joined the Buccaneers last offseason on a two-year deal worth $50 million. According to Judge, what impressed him the most about Brady is his preparation for his every opponent every week. "To me, it’s almost the way he prepares kinda gets him ready for each unique opponent," Judge said, adding Brady is very committed to execute the game plan.
“You've gotta play 60 minutes, because that's how he's going to play the game,” Judge said. Brady has a 5-1 career record against the Giants in the regular season but he’s 0-2 against them in the playoffs, both Super Bowl losses. The Buccaneers are coming off losses to the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Football Team, but they still lead the NFC South with a 6-3 mark.
Bucs long snapper returns to practice
According to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Tampa Bay’s long snapper Zach Triner has been designated by the team to return to practice after being sidelined for seven moths due to a torn tendon in a finger on his left hand. Triner played in the Buccaneers’ season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys with the said injury. But it was discovered that the injury needed surgery so he landed on injured reserve. After he was designated to return to practice, Triner has a 21-day window where he can work out with the team without counting against the 53-man roster. During that time, the Buccaneers can activate him from injured reserve.
