“I Think He’s Had As Much Of An Effect On Our Defense As He’s Had On Our Offense”
January 29th, 2021
When Tom Brady was signed, Bucs officials talked about how he would make everyone in the organization better, from coaches to players to executives and office workers.
The rhetoric made one feel like Brady would save sea turtles on Clearwater Beach, get the Tampa Bay Rays a new stadium and thin traffic on the Howard Frankland.
Joe gets it, but Joe was talking to a cranky casual Bucs fan this week about the subject.
Oh, this fan loves the Bucs and is jacked up for the Super Bowl, but the fan is more casual than most readers here, only watching games and maybe reading about the team every other week.
So what got the fan cranky? All the credit Brady is getting for moving the Bucs to the top of the mountain in the ultimate team sport.
Does Brady get too much credit? Joe doesn’t think so, but it is a thought-provoking discussion.
Consider what Bucco Bruce Arians said of Brady this week on his radio show. “I think he’s had as much effect on our defense as he’s had on our offense.”
Hmmm, think about Arians saying that calmly without the pressure of a news conference or in the midst of postgame ecstasy.
Brady himself has admitted that virus protocols have kept him from circulating among the team and getting to know players like he normally would. Joe doesn’t recall defensive players training with Brady in the spring and summer.
Still, Arians said it, and it’s quite a take worth thinking about.
January 29th, 2021 at 9:28 am
the bradyeffect!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 29th, 2021 at 9:38 am
Amazing what happens to both morale and performance on the defensive side of the ball when the turnovers go down by 2/3…
January 29th, 2021 at 9:41 am
Attitude is contagious, both winning and losing. Based on anecdotal and observational evidence, Brady’s “winning” attitude is a stronger influence than the “funk” that has infected this team for oh so many years!
January 29th, 2021 at 9:49 am
The 2 morning douche’s (620), think the Buccaneers need a new stadium. No one is preventing them from contributing as much as they want to pay for it.
January 29th, 2021 at 9:50 am
the wayeveryone says he’s a humble leader, but demands perfection, but still knows everyone by name, etc. just shows how great at what he does this man is. its truly remarkable. im so thankful he chose us
January 29th, 2021 at 9:52 am
He also helped to get rid of most of the negative posters……..for now
But somehow, is powerless to get rid of his bad monikers…..
January 29th, 2021 at 9:52 am
For his 45th birthday, Brady should be offered a newly created coaching position to be filled when he decides to retire as a player. The new position could be called “attitude” coach(or something like that) and be totally separate from the “fluid” coaching staff so it doesn’t disappear with the next coaching regime.
Sure would be nice to have a “dynasty” right here in Tampa Bay!
Just a thought.
January 29th, 2021 at 9:53 am
Who is the player running onto the field without a helmet? The number looks to be #28 but looks nothing like Fournette.
January 29th, 2021 at 9:56 am
Besides the “Brady” effect, defenses and offenses are more related than one would think. A good offence will keep the defense off the field and give them time to rest, which in turns result is better defensive effort and giving the ball back to the offence sooner which in turn reinforces the cycle. In team practice good offenses make defenses better and vice versa, etc.
January 29th, 2021 at 10:00 am
It’s not just BA saying good things. I don’t know how many of the players have indicated the type of positive influence Brady has had on the team. Sure, he’s surrounded by a lot of talent, but as Joe asked in a recent post, do you think the Bucs would be in this year’s Super Bowl with Jameis Winston or any other QB at the helm. Doubtful! So, you certainly have to give the lion’s share of credit for the Bucs turn-around to TB12.
January 29th, 2021 at 10:12 am
No other FA QB would have transformed the Bucs to achieve the results of this year. The D not only had to deal with 1/2 the turnovers, but were instilled with confidence that their offense would score enough to win if they did their job.
Having a reliable FG kicker helped too.
January 29th, 2021 at 10:32 am
Not going to swear to this but I believe there was some dbs out there with them this summer.
January 29th, 2021 at 11:05 am
Normally saying wait until next year is a sign of a horrible season. While this year it’s premature! What a change. Still with another week to fill with pre SB chatter and just the one final most important game…it’s fun to dream of next year.
Brady and Gronk will be back. Either ROJO or Fournette or both will be back
AB is probably gone but we didn’t get much use out of him anyway. Meanwhile we sign CG14..keep ME13…and Scottie and Tyler Johnson completing the best overall group in the NFL.
Our OL is in their prime and returns in tact…ditto our LB’s.
Vita Vea will anchor the DL…two terrific safeties…Winfield may be the best in the league by next year and Whitehead brings the lumber and Mike Edwards is a more than adequate sub.
The team next year should be better than this team. With all the vaccines coming online…J&J is a game changer world wide…just one shot…normal storage for up to two years…Things should be under control in time to have an actual training camp in August.
Fans should be able to go to games next fall…although we might be required to produce vaccination records and go through those quick wrist temp guides.
This is a GREAT TIME to be a Buc’s fan…unless your Realist or NDOG..or and I’ll separate these letters to avoid moderation..which usually happens if I simply type in his name…T m a x.
January 29th, 2021 at 11:10 am
Brady’s influence throughout the entire team is astounding. Unpredictable but real. Hard to quantify – but it is everywhere. Credit to him and his style.
January 29th, 2021 at 11:14 am
Tom Brady added that dimension of FIELD LEADERSHIP that our offense had been missing for years & years. But I don’t think it’s just his presence that made a difference. It’s his PERFORMANCE on the field THIS YEAR (not the past 20 yrs) in THIS SYSTEM (not in the Pats’ system) that inspires CONFIDENCE (in BOTH offensive AND defensive players).
Brady’s numbers haven’t been earth-shattering this year, but they’ve been very, very good … and MUCH better than what we’ve been used to seeing. His 65.5% completion rate is quite good, especially considering that he’s been operating (at age 43) in a new ‘attack’ system with new receivers & a new OC. It took awhile (hey, we were 7-5 at one point), but the bugs got worked out & this offense is now as good as any in the NFL.
With Tom Brady at the helm, I’m sure that everyone on the team feels that they’ve got a chance of winning every game … yes, INCLUDING the Super Bowl. Nothing inspires confidence like WINNING far as I’m concerned, and a 7-game win streak is nothing to sneeze at. We’re on a roll … we got this.
January 29th, 2021 at 11:14 am
TB gets constant credit for the turn around of the Bucs! No one can argue that he didn’t bring a winning attitude to this team!! TB IS A WINNER!!! He has proof..count his rings!!! Winning is contagious!! This team has been, and even more so this season, loaded with talented players on both sides of the ball!! Great coaches were brought in last year!! The team was just missing that winning attitude!! The belief that they can beat the best teams in the NFL!! Add TB and hello SUPER BOWL!!! This TEAM NOW BELIEVES!! THEY BEAT 3 NFC DIVISION CHAMPS over the past 3 weeks!! The BUCS ARE ON A MISSION !!!! ONE MORE WIN TO GO!!!! GO BUCS!!!
January 29th, 2021 at 11:27 am
Joe it’s really not that hard when you think about it. Brady hasn’t sabotaged our defense as much as previous years it’s that simple it helps.
January 29th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
I think the main thing is belief.
Defense knows they can win ANY game with 6 Time.
Now I believe they KNOW they are gonna win if they DO THEIR DAMN JOB.
January 29th, 2021 at 12:18 pm
As a supporting argument, I don’t think that you could put ANY other QB in this same situation, and see this type of success.
Take Aaron Rogers, the closest active comparison to Brady. Despite how good Aaron is, I don’t think he could come in and single handedly change the culture of the Bucs in one season.
That’s why so much credit is given to Brady
January 29th, 2021 at 12:27 pm
Joe you never posted a pic of Mike Edwards wearing his Toe Drag Swag shirt from GMFB. Loved the angry runs pics of Devin White and Vita Vea
January 29th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
The “effect” Brady has on the defense is that they have the peace of mind that their QB will not put them in bad positions all the time, like our previous QB.
I mean, it’s the GOAT behind center! How do you not get pumped up?!
January 29th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
Exactly how is Brady NOT the league MVP?
Not even Rodgers means as much to the Packers as Brady means to the Bucs…
January 29th, 2021 at 4:42 pm
These guys are young, Brady is an icon. No difference if playing basketball with Jordan or in the same group as Tiger. Check out the on filed NFC celebration, there were Buc players taking selfies with Brady. It’s called respect.