Ahead of their Sunday’s clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their quarterback Tom Brady, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh heaped praises on the seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller during his Thursday’s press conference. Saleh called Brady “phenomenal”, saying he’s in absolute awe of his pocket presence, his footwork and decision-making. “He’s an absolute stud and no question the greatest that’s ever played the position,” said Saleh, adding that anyone who questions Brady’s status should look at the amount of rings he has. Brady won six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers on his first year after he signed a two-year deal worth $50 million last offseason.
Bucs trying to improve playoff seeding
After clinching the NFC South title for the first time since 2007, the Buccaneers (11-4) are trying to improve their seeding for the playoffs. The Jets, for their part, are out of the playoff race with a 4-11 mark in the AFC East. While they are not fighting for anything else, Saleh said the Jets will cherish the chance of playing against Brady, maybe for the last time in his Hall-of-Fame bound career. Based on the Buccaneers’ schedule for next season, the Jets are not on the list of their opponents. “If you ever wanted to see what a coach would look like if he still had the ability to play, well, there he is. Tom,” Saleh said of their forthcoming clash against the 44-year-old Brady.
Brady has a 29-7 record against the Jets in his 20-year stay with the Patriots, per Stat Muse. In 36 games against the Jets, Brady completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,246 yards and 57 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions.
Interesting matchups for Bucs in 2022
Buccaneers fans have some interesting matchups to look forward to in 2022, the last year of Brady’s contract with the team.
The Buccaneers will take on the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks at home. On the road, they will have Arizona Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers as opponents.
Among those games, one of the most interesting clashes is the showdown between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs. The Chiefs defeated the Buccaneers last season, but the Buccaneers exacted revenge with a 31-9 win in Super Bowl LV, giving Tampa Bay its first Lombardi Trophy since 2002. Brady will also get a chance to face his former Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott and young quarterbacks Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow.
