Newly signed Patriots safety John Lynch, pursuing Dolphins running back Ricky Williams while he was with the Buccaneers in 2002, says he would “love” to play tonight at Tampa Bay.

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AP / CHRIS O’MEARA

It’s only the second exhibition game , but Bill Belichick said this week that he was looking forward to his New England Patriots playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs play a different style of football than the Patriots, particularly on defense, and also beneficial for New England, their 4-3, Tampa-2 style defense is the same as that played by the rival Indianapolis Colts and the Pats’ Week One opponent, Kansas City.

Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards both coached under Colts coach Tony Dungy.

“We are excited about playing this team,” Belichick said. “The challenges they present, (as well as) going down there and dealing with the elements of the heat in Tampa. I think this is a really good opportunity for our team.”

Asked to expand on how playing the Bucs now helps against the Chiefs on Sept. 7, Belichick said: “I think it gives our players the opportunity to match up against different schemes and different types of players. Like with Baltimore [which plays a 3-4 defense], we faced some guys that were 330 or 340 (pounds) on the defensive line. This week we will face some guys that are a lot smaller than that but faster, quicker, more athletic, that stunt more. It is a whole different type of player that you are blocking.”

Here are some things to look for during tonight’s game:

The backup battle – It will be interesting to see if Matt Cassel can wipe his performance of the last week from his mind. The fourth-year quarterback threw one interception against the Ravens in the preseason opener and several more during training camp practices.

While he is the most experienced in New England’s system, at the moment he’s not giving observers much confidence that he could step in capably were Tom Brady to miss a couple of games.

Matt Gutierrez had a pick against Baltimore, but put points on the board, which Cassel could not. And rookie Kevin O’Connell, playing against players who are largely unlikely to be on an NFL roster Aug. 30, led the Pats’ only touchdown drive.

The secondary – New England’s secondary is a hurting unit right now, with Rodney Harrison, rookie Jonathan Wilhite, Lewis Sanders and Mike Richardson missing practice this week, and potential starter Fernando Bryant suffering a left arm injury in practice Friday that took him off the field.

James Sanders and Antwain Spann recently returned to the field. Of course, Tampa Bay’s offense may not be a well-oiled machine: there are five quarterbacks on the roster, and presumed starter Jeff Garcia is out with a calf injury. Brian Griese is slated to start tonight, with Luke McCown, Chris Simms and Josh Johnson lining up under center at one point.

John Lynch – Will he play? Lynch has only one practice under his belt with his new team and hasn’t had much time to get in the playbook, but spent the first 11 years of his career with the Buccaneers and said Friday he’d “love to be out there.”

Chad Jackson – The third-year former second-round draft pick’s training camp started with such promise, but now Jackson is starting to look like Bethel Johnson version 2.0 – blessed with physical gifts that can’t translate on the field.

Despite Cassel looking in his direction on multiple occasions against the Ravens, Jackson had one catch for zero yards, and after Cassel’s pick the two engaged in a heated discussion over who’s fault it was. Getting into body language is tricky, but to see Jackson on the field this week, it looks like he’s lacking confidence.

The offensive line – This unit also has a fair share of injuries, as Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light hasn’t practiced since July 27, and top reserves Ryan O’Callaghan and Russ Hochstein have missed more than a week of practice.

Last year’s starting right guard, Stephen Neal, remains on PUP. The top line at practice has been LT Wesley Britt, LG Logan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RG Billy Yates and RT Nick Kaczur. Veteran John Welbourn was signed Aug. 4 to add depth on the right side.

smanza@projo.com