London Pats-Bucs Game Sells Out: Belichick Jumps For Joy!

The first 70,000 tickets to next year's NFL game at Wembley Stadium have already been sold.

20,000 of them were sold in the first seven minutes of availability.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will "host" the New England Patriots on October 25 in London.

This new tradition was started in 2007 and in both years that a game in London has been played, the results were very positive.

New England was announced as one of the teams that will be playing overseas in the 2009 season, and uber-owner Bob Craft was elated at the prospect of showcasing his team to millions of foreigners.  This gives him the potential for a brand new fan base after alienating most of the American population of football fans outside of New England.

It was rumored that Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick called Craft and various NFL offices repeatedly, trying to ensure his team a chance to play in London.

Yeah, right. And goldfish live in trees?

In typical Belichick-ism, he deflected questions surrounding the 2009 game in London with the usual comments: "I want to focus on the players we have here," or "I'm worried about the 2008 season right now."

The NFL has its share of problems.

From disruptive players, to feeling the pinch of a stagnant economy, to addressing the matter that the average life of an NFL head coach seems to be about six quarters long, the NFL needs a good and productive endeavor. And, according at least to commissioner Roger Goodell, they have found one in the annual game in London.

But, seriously, who had to sell this game to Bill Belichick?

I, for one would like to see the extensive physical mutilation that would have been endured if anybody but Craft or Goodell had to break the news to him.

Belichick is so anti-everything-that-has-to-with-football-besides-practice-and-calling-plays that few would put it past him to try to "Bill Belichick" the New England Patriots.

We will wake up the day after the October 25th game (if we can figure out the time-zone exchange by then) to read blaring headlines such as "Belichick Goes Bananas in London: Starts Brady at Linebacker."

Until then, I guess "It is what it is."