Tom Brady’s Challenge
August 23rd, 2020
High standards. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
In a way, Joe sort of feels sorry for park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Bucs quarterback Tom Brady.
It is impossible for Joe to sympathize with Tom Brady the person. The guy is worth untold millions, is married to a supermodel and rents what is perhaps the best mansion in the Tampa Bay area (the only thing missing from Matt Geiger’s old place is that it isn’t a waterfront home).
Additionally, Brady launched a Hollywood production company this past year. So to feel sorry for Brady and his six Super Bowl rings is about like feeling sorry for Tim Cook if iPhone sales take a dip.
But think of the weight on his shoulders as he agreed to come to the Bucs. In the post-Chucky era, the team has only had two winning seasons (one of which former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik likes to crow is the last time the franchise won 10 games).
Additionally, the Bucs haven’t had a winning record at home since Chucky was coaching. That’s horrendous.
Think about it: Brady was signed, basically, to end the Bucs’ too-long playoff drought of 12 seasons. For many, unless he guides the Bucs to the Super Bowl, Brady will have failed.
Seriously. If you don’t play in a Super Bowl, you failed. Those are unreal standards. Welcome to Tampa Bay, Tom. That’s nearly unthinkable for a team that was 7-9 last season.
And when Brady agreed to come to the Bucs, who would or could have guessed how the world turned upside down thanks to a pandemic. That alone has changed the NFL, at least for this year, with no offseason.
Not the best of times to flip to a new team. Brady admits this makes a tough situation moving to a new town and a new team even tougher as he told hot-dog-eating-contest-protesting, mock-draft-scowling, L.L. Bean-wearing, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams-following, social activist NFL insider Peter King of NBC Sports for his podcast recently
“In a really condensed format that we have, we are trying to get on the same page,” Brady said. “Myself, Bryon [Leftwich] and, you know, BA [Bruce Arians], trying to understand each other.
“They obviously understand how I have done things. I am trying to understand how they do things so it can be as efficient as possible. … It has been a lot of work and it has been enjoyable and I am motivated to go out there and do a great job. I want to go have a great season.”
Brady added that this is a big challenge for him, which makes it fun. He also admitted he wanted to prove those who claim he has a dead arm after watching him fade down the stretch last year with New England dead wrong.
“My opinion is probably the only one that matters to me,” Brady said. “I have a belief and confidence in myself but I still have to go out there and prove it to myself too. … I don’t give a sh!t about what happened yesterday or the day before. Today is the day.”
That is what likely is rubbing off on his teammates, that type of standard and attention to detail.
Joe confesses to getting a good laugh out of Brady saying on his list of weighted factors in choosing where to play this year was an organization being “committed to winning.”
Teams committed to winning would slam the brakes on a coach trying to throw away a Hall of Fame corner, and not toss one of the decade’s best pass rushers in a ditch for no good reason like a stray cat.
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:14 am
Tom Brady has NOTHING to prove.
But he’s going to do it anyways.
The talent pool here in Tampa gives him an opportunity to do something truly great.
I’ll take it!
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:15 am
You can be as committed as you like… but as Ron White says.. you can’t fix stupid (or incompetence).
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:22 am
LOL
ManzielMadness Says:
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:15 am
You can be as committed as you like… but as Ron White says.. you can’t fix stupid (or incompetence).
Kinda makes me think of some of the posters here!
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:37 am
Meh… it’s going to be an odd season anyways with no fans in the stands and what not.
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:11 am
Gp let’s be honest. Brady has lots to prove.
As an NFL QB? Heck no.
But as a Buc? Yeah he has done nothing at all. He is a legend. We all expect him to do great…….but results are a different matter.
You need to beat New Orleans in 2 weeks. Bottom Line. And even if they find a way to beat you, you need to come back and win the next 3 In a row. Brady is here now and it is fun. He brings with him the standard of winning. A lots of it. Losing is unacceptable so long as Brady is under C.
The first thing Beady has to prove is that he makes us better then the Saints!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!!
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:18 am
87 so what no more fans in the stands? I been to manyBucs games where the tailgate was the best part.
Sure the tailgate will be weaker this year…..you might not be able to get in but there will be plenty of Bucs fans enjoying the game while keeping the proper social distance at the loc as l sports clubs. I promise you it’ll be fun. Sports guy knows how ta party.
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:26 am
JimmyJack
Please don’t get me wrong.
I’m of the opinion that Tom Tom wants to set/break some records this year.
“HE” has something to prove, and I expect he will.
Because of Brady, The hall will be asking for Evans’ gloves by game ten(my guess) for being the first to break 1000 in first 7 seasons.
That’s just one easy prediction, There will be others….
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:39 am
Gp exactly. And what Tom Brady can prove is destroying the Saints. They are a good team , it wont be easy, but Tom could win that game and give us T as MPAA fans a big shot adrenaline. Adrenaline I’ve been holding in for nearly 2 decades now.
If we cant get that win in week 1 then follow it up with a solid six wins in a row!!! Thats my expectation!!!
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:49 am
And if we dont figure out how to beat the Saints this year then it probably means Tom is not all that great anymore.
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:58 am
I am expecting a shoot-out in the superdome with a lopsided score in our favor.
IOW A statement game
A statement of… Come and get us if you think you can!
August 23rd, 2020 at 4:30 am
Bucs at Saints= shootout at the OK Corral, least turnovers wins. Go Bucs!!
August 23rd, 2020 at 5:44 am
I’m certain Thomas Brady knew he was coming to Cleveland South.
August 23rd, 2020 at 7:51 am
BA came in last year to bring back a winning culture. Think about the attitude of the players during Lovie n Koetters tenure. Coaches didn’t know how to guide this team with a winning culture. Score 7 points n play defense n we win. That’s ancient football,or Koetter allowed players to belittle teammates then get in argument with teammates after jumping offsides. No discipline. They had no strategy. 2018 our defense was the laughing stock of the nfl on pre game day, during the game, n with Dion Sanders n crew as they made us the comedy show on NFL Network post game. In one season look at what Bowles n BA did with the defense n offense, respectfully. BAs strategy was to put systems n processes in place to get to the big dance. It was a brilliant idea to bring in Brady, a field general with a zero tolerance for slacking. The team is disciplined and they all believe in their leader with evidence base that he can n will take the team to the promise land. We’re baaaack!
August 23rd, 2020 at 7:54 am
By any “general” standard – going from 7-9 (with 3 complete giveaways) to a superbowl is not some unprecedented expectation. 2-3 win improvement puts you in race for division, anything can happen in playoffs as we’ve seen plenty of 9-7ish teams make it to divisional round or championship game. It’s not like the Bucs were 2-14 last year with a trash roster. Tom Brady literally came here with his own expectations of going to Super Bowl. The Bucs were hand picked. Want to be a champion? Then it’s time to think like one. I see too many loser mentalities on boards that don’t want to carry that weight even as fans. This is what leads to a mediocre job, a mediocre looking girlfriend, and living in apartments your whole life
August 23rd, 2020 at 8:04 am
Teams committed to winning would slam the brakes on a coach trying to throw away a Hall of Fame corner, and not toss one of the decade’s best pass rushers in a ditch for no good reason like a stray cat.
And just who did that? Joe’s Rock Star…that’s who.
August 23rd, 2020 at 8:17 am
I don’t understand posters that expect it to be Brady’s fault automatically if we lose to N.O., or to others. Brady has nothing to prove as far as his skill. What we have to worry about is our players “losing mentality” and hope that it will turn into a winning mentality this year. What we have to hope for is our defensive backfield picks up where they ended last season, or our O.L. is strong enough to make holes or to protect Brady. And last but not least is that Leftwich is up to the task this year, because he was very predictable last year. So there are many more factors to worry about winning than Brady. And some of the posters on here should be a little less negative, and not try to blame a proven winner if others cause the loss of a game.
August 23rd, 2020 at 8:47 am
Last year in New Orleans, Bucs didn’t have JPP, White , Gronk, Brady, McCoy, Wirfs, Dean.
I expect Bucs to kick ass.
August 23rd, 2020 at 9:57 am
@Alanbucsfan:
Exactly, +1!
Plus they don’t have one other player this year. Actually, I guess he will be there. Never mind.
tickrdr
August 23rd, 2020 at 10:59 am
Super Bowl or Bust is a weak mantra from some butt hurt fans. Like we had realistic super bowl aspirations with the last guy🙄. But with that being I expect us to be right in the mix for it. Every team is trying to make the super bowl some know they have realistic chances some not so much. I can honestly say that now I feel we have a realistic chance.
August 23rd, 2020 at 11:31 am
For those of you remembering the SB season…we could lose the first game. And still win it all. It all depends how the team grows and responds during the season. I would love to see us win the first game…but the most important thing is that the young players develop, the team grows together, and the knowledge of everyone grows regarding the playbook, and we are playing our best football going into the playoffs.
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:07 pm
sweep the dirty taints, hell wonder if they will be up to playing the bucs after getting potentially slapped upside the head by 2 hurricanes in 2-3 days, sucks to live in the big easy right now, but it could give us a tad bit of an edge
August 23rd, 2020 at 12:27 pm
Playoffs or it’s a wasted season. “Out of sight, out of mind”, could have easily led us to another losing or non-playoff season. Brady was brought here to win now and that’s what I expect and honestly believe will happen. The Superbowl can wait until next year. I just want our players and fans to get a taste of the damn playoffs already.
August 23rd, 2020 at 1:47 pm
Joe
“Seriously. If you don’t play in a Super Bowl, you failed. Those are unreal standards. Welcome to Tampa Bay, Tom. That’s nearly unthinkable……”
That’s been the standard that Tom’s been operating under his entire time in the league with Belicheat. Nothing new for him.
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:11 pm
I’m thinking that if you told Tom to his face that “it’s not so important to get to the super bowl”, or even that “it’s OK to lose a game or two”, He would tell you “BEGONE!” Get thee behind me! I have no time for you!
He didn’t come here to have a winning season.
He came here to kick some a$$ and set records!
What better record than to be the first team to play the super bowl in their own stadium!
August 23rd, 2020 at 6:37 pm
Boston fan here – laughing reading some of the comments here. Tom Brady had Bill Belichick coaching the teams that won 6 SuperBowls. And they also played seasons that they made it to the Super Bowl and lost. And there were seasons that they didn’t make it to the SuperBowl. There were years they started slow and lost the first 4 games.
So, I think, some of you might want to adjust your expectations. It’s already exciting there. Tom is already having an impact. You will have an exciting year, as long as most key players stay healthy. I think it is a reasonable expectation that the Buccaneers will improve this year over past seasons. No one is predicting a Super Bowl appearance, let alone a Super Bowl win. And beating the Saints in the first game…? I would be surprised if that happened.
So, how did they end up last year? 7 and 9? I would expect you’d at least get to 10. But that doesn’t have to include the Saints in the first game. You may make the playoffs and that would be a great outcome. If you make it to the playoffs, there is a good chance you might win one. I’d start trying to be happy with that outcome. Your team is working hard and no one is putting pressure on them to win a Super Bowl except maybe a few fans on the boards. They’ll do their best and it will be a great ride and they will come away with something special that will continue to move them forward. If the season actually happens, if the key players actually stay healthy, etc. etc.
August 23rd, 2020 at 9:41 pm
Formerlybuc I disagree with you bro because Jamies was blame for every loss that this team had . Jamies came to a losing team with a loser mentally as well . He was a winner before he came here he only lost 1 game in college . And I know you are going to say that college doesn’t mean nothing but it does . To me the problem has been with the coaching and play calling . Our defense has been bad as well but Jamies got all the blame so why can’t we blame Brady ? Brady played on complete teams that were able to run the ball and play defense and make game wining kicks . Jamies came to a team that’s been bad on all those phases of the game . Jamies didn’t get that pass and Brady won’t either . No excuses remember last year he didn’t have the recivers but now he does . No excuses superbowl or bust !!
August 23rd, 2020 at 9:42 pm
A loser team that had a loser mentality .
August 23rd, 2020 at 9:44 pm
And remember this team been losing before Jamies got here as well .
August 23rd, 2020 at 10:27 pm
Christopher Schiefen Says:
August 23rd, 2020 at 8:01 pm
Paul, thank you. The Joes have to realize they won the war, but are definitely losing some battles. No more Tribune, Times limping along, other sites pretty good, so JBF is the place to go for core Bucs news (and today’s reporting was great). But the scrappy/upstart mentality of JBF of old HAS to mature a little now that they’re the #1 game in town (and, ahem, Joes…the entire nation is now watching us and you, and Tampa/Florida already has a goofy reputation as is). Please, stop with the childish tics in the writing.