Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Q. Is Tom Brady still as invested as he was in his first 22 NFL seasons?
A. Because of his 40-day retirement and his 11-day absence during Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp, the question arises. But we’re talking about Brady… The legendary setter chose to hang up his cleats for just over a month because he wanted to spend more time with his family. When he returned to camp with the Bucs last week, Brady explained his absence by recalling that he is now 45 years old and so there is a lot going on in his life. When the season begins, do you really think that Brady’s teammates will have doubts about his thirst for victory? And do you really believe that Brady won’t do everything he can to win every Sunday? No and no.
Q. Do the Buccaneers have the tools to go all the way?
A. Rob Gronkowski retired for the second time and the Bucs lost some good starters like guard Ali Marpet (retired) and safety Jordan Whitehead (Jets). Brady will still have enough targets around him to do his job (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Julio Jones, Cameron Brate) and Leonard Fournette will be the main running back. The question in attack is the line. In addition to the departure of Marpet, center Ryan Jensen will miss a good part of the season with a knee injury. Blockers Tristan Wirfs and Donovan Smith are solid and guard Shaq Mason was signed from the New England Patriots, but depth will be tested. In defence, the unit has no weaknesses on paper, but it remains to be seen if they can play more like they did in 2020 rather than 2021.
Q. Will the departure of Sean Payton have a major impact on the New Orleans Saints?
A. A year after Drew Brees, the other main figure of the Saints left the organization. The two men had arrived in Louisiana in 2006, a year after the ravages of Katrina, and were the driving force behind what was the organization’s finest era for the next 15 years. We can surely expect the Saints to be less creative without Payton, but Alvin Kamara is still there, Michael Thomas is back, Jarvis Landry has been hired and receiver Chris Olave has been added in the first round of the draft. . If quarterback Jameis Winston plays like he did before his injury last year, lucky enough to be protected by a top line, the offense will be productive enough to win. Payton’s successor, Dennis Allen, was the club’s defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2021 and had been with the Saints in an assistant role from 2006 to 2010, so he knows the organization very well. Thanks to a core of Marshon Lattimore, Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu, the defense should be among the good in the NFC. If there is a team capable of heating up the Bucs in this division, it is this one.
Q. Will Matt Rhule become the next example of a successful NCAA head coach going broke in the NFL?
PHOTO JIM DEDMON, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers head coach
A. It started off very well. The Carolina Panthers are 10-23 since signing a seven-year, $62 million contract with Rhule, who had only one year of experience (2012) in the NFL as an offensive line assistant… There are good players in Carolina (Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Brian Burns and Jeremy Chinn, among others), but the results will not change if the problems at quarterback continue. Newcomer Baker Mayfield will start the season as a starter; he will face his former team, the Cleveland Browns, in his first game. If the Panthers don’t make significant progress, owner David Tepper will most likely make a coaching change.
Q. Will Marcus Mariota restart his career with the Atlanta Falcons?
A. After unsuccessfully flirting with Deshaun Watson, the Falcons had no choice but to trade Matt Ryan. They then signed Mariota, the second-rounder selected in the 2015 draft. Mariota was the backup quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 and 2021. His mobility should serve him well behind a suspect line. He’ll get the chance to throw the ball to Kyle Pitts and Drake London, the club’s most recent first picks, but the Falcons are in the midst of rebuilding.