Skip Bayless Declares Tom Brady and Bucs 0-1 Following Schedule Leak

Tonight, the NFL will put on a three-hour special announcing the schedule for 2020. While there won't be a lot of surprises, given the league told teams they could release their individual schedules on their own social media prior to the main event, it is still some kind of sports content, so we rejoice.

Now that the day has come, leaks of the upcoming schedule are coming fast and heavy. We won't know how legitimate they are until tonight, but it's fun to speculate anyway. Skip Bayless agrees, it would seem, and angrily tweeted about the NFL's reported plan to start Tom Brady's first season as a Buc in New Orleans.

I suppose it is a bit "unfair" that Brady's first game will be in one of the most hostile environments in the NFL against a division rival, but life ain't fair. Saints/Buccaneers will be a massive draw both times the teams meet, and it's a natural fit for Week 1, especially if no other sports can be played until the NFL kicks off. Imagine the obscene numbers for kickoff weekend if it's the first dose of live sports we all get. But even if it's not, Brady vs. Brees is automatically a ratings win, and they weren't going to make us all wait until Week 8 or whatever for the two to meet.

Bayless has been yelling for all to hear about his confidence in Brady's ability to take Tampa Bay to their second-ever Super Bowl all offseason, but this suggests that confidence isn't so overwhelming that he can march in and beat Brees in his first game in a different uniform. Not entirely sure what the second half of the tweet is supposed to imply, though. Does he think starting the season 0-1 would give Brady more motivation than he already has? He isn't a stranger to tough Week 1 games. The Patriots were regularly in prime time against a very tough opponent over the last decade. In fact, they got whooped by the Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs on opening night only three years ago. Even with less preparation time, Brady will be ready. Declaring them 0-1 in May is the fuel for his competitiveness, not the fact that the NFL didn't do him a favor to kick off the year.

I would also argue that maybe, just maybe, the Bucs having to play the defending champion Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes is a tougher game than playing the Saints in New Orleans. It will certainly be tough, though.