Tom Brady won't waste any time reminiscing when he returns to Foxboro on Sunday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback is treating this week like any other business trip, even though he won't be able to fully ignore the emotions of playing against the New England Patriots in primetime.
The buildup to Brady's reunion is unparalleled -- he won six Super Bowl titles with New England in two decades, and Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of his first career start. But Brady didn't win those rings on his own. He played for head coach Bill Belichick, who's now facing odd pressure in a new era.
"It's tough for [Belichick] right now, this has got to be an awful time," longtime Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy told The DA Show on Wednesday. "There's glee around the country to see this. Locally, he's definitely behind the eight-ball more than he's been since 2000... I believe he was the primary architect of all the good things that went on here. It was great to have a great QB, but they had a big advantage in the coaching booth the whole time.
"But, what have you done lately? And lately, it's not been good -- the drafting, the free agent signings, and the execution... It's really closing in on him in a big way. And I'm sure he sees this week as a distraction, when he just wants to get his football team back. And generally, they get better as the year goes on, and that's the challenge for them to do this year, because they weren't supposed to be a bottom-feeder."
New England isn't off to a flying start with rookie quarterback Mac Jones under center. The team is 1-2, tied for second place in the AFC East, and they currently rank 22nd in the league in average yards and 26th in average points. In fairness to Jones, he hasn't looked overwhelmed. Through three games, the 23-year-old owns a 67.5 completion percentage with 737 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Belichick isn't preparing for some lesser version of Brady -- he's completed 68.8-percent of his passes for 1,087 yards with 10 touchdowns and two picks in three games. Brady will also have a chance to make history up in Foxboro, as he's 68 yards away from breaking the NFL's all-time passing yards record, held by future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees (80,358).
New England (1-2) and Tampa Bay (2-1) are scheduled to kick off at 8:25 ET on Sunday night. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Patriots currently have a 29-percent chance to reach the playoffs and an 11-percent chance to win the AFC East.
The entire Boston sports conversation between Shaughnessy and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.