Brandon Spikes, who has already placed himself in the news cycle this off-season with his candid commentary on the Ray Rice situation (commentary I agreed with, by the way), has now proclaimed that the Bills will beat the Patriots in both of their meetings this year.
On his Twitter account, Spikes writes, "Great games on the schedule for 2014, but it's going to be like Christmas to hand the #Patriots #PatriotsNation a L...twice!" He then goes on to say "it's icing on my cake to hand the #Patriots two big L's this year" and "4 years a slave".
The outspoken linebacker's departure from New England was contentious to say the least. The Patriots placed Spikes on injured reserve before the playoffs with a reported knee injury. Spikes later claimed he was not injured, telling a local radio station, "that's just how things go there." The Patriots told reporters it was a joint decision, which Spikes also denied.
I can't help but wonder if Brandon's new teammates are cringing just a tad today, though. The Patriots are 22-2 against the Bills in the Tom Brady era, and there really is no "rivalry" to speak of. These are the sort of foolhardy endeavors into trash talk that many Bills fans feared when Spikes' signing was announced. Doug Marrone has to be less than amused that a player who hasn't even suited up yet is predicting victories over a team that has thrashed the Bills like a pinata for over a decade now.
In recent years, excluding the comeback victory in the 2011 season, the Bills find more and more inventive ways to lose to New England. In the 2011 grudge match, the Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead, only to let the Patriots score the next 49 points and win handily. In 2012, the Bills squandered a 21-7 3rd quarter lead, allowing the Patriots to score 45 of the next 52 points and win 52-28. In last season's home opener, the Bills held a 21-20 lead late in the 4th quarter, only to allow Tom Brady to march right down the field for the winning field goal.
Message to Brandon Spikes: It's understandable you would want to show up your former team. My advice to you is to do it between the lines. No game has ever been won in April, so zip the lip and get it done on the field.
