Tampa Bay Buccaneer Insider Breaks Down The Tom Brady Acquisition
Tom Brady — New England Patriot. Brady in a Patriot uniform is one of the most recognizable images in the NFL but next year, he'll be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Fans are going nuts, expectations are high and Brady is in Tampa because he wants to be. Luke Easterling of AllBucs.com broke down the entire situation and gave everyone outside of Tampa Bay a taste of what Brady Mania is like down in The Sunshine State.
What’s the overall vibe down there with Tampa Bay landing Brady?
The vast majority of fans seem to be over the moon about it. There are a few doubters, and a handful of die-hard Jameis Winston fans who still aren't thrilled, but I'm betting they'll come around if this move pays off in the win column. Overall, there's already a buzz this team hasn't seen in nearly two decades.
How did this all come about? What were the factors that appealed to Brady?
I think this was about Tom doing what Tom wanted to do. At this point in his career, he's earned that. The stars aligned for Tampa Bay to be his destination. A coach like Bruce Arians, weapons like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, a promising defense with a perfect blend of veterans and young talent. It also seems this may have been a very personal move for Tom in terms of staying close to his family on the east coast. A lot of factors, but they all led him to Tampa Bay.
Is there any talk about Brady’s days at Michigan at all?
I think the biggest thing here will be, does he go back to the No. 10 like at Michigan? Chris Godwin is one of the NFL's best receivers, and No. 12 means a great deal to him, as well. He's likely going to get a huge extension soon. Smart money says Brady gets his way, obviously, but this won't be as simple as paying some rookie ten grand for his number.
What are the expectations for next season? Coming off of a 7-9 year, with Jameis Winston turning it over a ton, what’s a success/failure for Brady and the Bucs?
Playoffs are a must, for starters. That may sound ridiculous for a team that hasn't won a playoff game in 18 years, but as you said, this team was only a couple of games away from the postseason last year. Seven of those nine losses were by single-digits. Now you replace Winston's turnovers with Brady, who may not throw for 5,000 yards, but he also won't throw 30 interceptions and have seven of them go the other way for touchdowns. This instantly raises the national profile for the Bucs, but also the expectations.
Brady is going to be 43 and struggled to push the ball down the field last year. Is there a concern that his arm strength doesn’t vibe well with Evans’ and Godwin’s skill set?
Honestly, both Evans and Godwin are best running more intermediate stuff and using their physicality to beat defensive backs at the catch point. They are both receivers who don't need to create separation to be open. Bruce Arians is also smart enough to work with Brady and tailor the scheme to what Brady does well. Tom's arm is plenty strong enough to be successful in this offense.
Could this thing fail and what does a failure look like?
It can always fail. There are always a million variables that can go wrong when any player changes teams, and even more when it's a quarterback. At the very least, the Bucs will gain some much-needed national attention in the near future, something the franchise desperately needs.
Give me your quick projects for Tampa Bay's W/L record and Brady's production in terms of yards, touchdowns and interceptions.
I'll say Tampa goes 11-5 and Brady throws for 3,800 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
What do you think of the move? How do you think Brady will do? What's a success and what's a failure in this situations? Comment below!!!
