Getty Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots lwith former Patriot Tedy Bruschi.
Well, after 20 years in the New England dynasty, Tom Brady is hitting the road to warmer weather. Brady’s new home is now in Tampa Bay where he will suit up in a Bucs uniform on game days.
Tampa will get a taste of what it’s like to have a real QB, however, there is one thing that the Buccaneers cannot do when it comes to being around their new star quarterback.
During a recent interview with ESPN.com, Brady’s former teammate and linebacker Tedy Bruschi unveiled that “one thing.”
“They need to get over Brady-watching,” Bruschi said. “Because they get to the sideline and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘It’s OK, Tom will bail us out.’ That’s what I call Brady-watching.”
Caught in the Trap
Bruschi cautioned the Bucs not to fall into the trap of relying solely on Brady when things are going down the drain early on or even in the fourth quarter.
“I’ll be watching that early on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, if they’re Brady-watching or if they feel themselves as a team that everything is important, and not just when that guy right there is under center and everything is gonna magically happen,” Bruschi said.
There’s no magic in football, ok, noted.
Wait, He’s Not the ‘GOAT’?
Bruschi brutally laid it out for the current Bucs and incoming rookies. He was basically like, yes, Tom Brady is an incredible quarterback but he doesn’t need to be put on a pedestal for doing his job.
“I’ll say this right now,” Bruschi said, “if those players see him as that four-letter word, they better get over it. The four-letter word is a word I will not use to describe him. It’s that farm animal, it starts with G. I don’t do that. Because that’s almost like putting him on a pedestal. It’s like, dude, you’re still the same guy I intercepted in practice and took 20 bucks from. Come on, now.
“That’s my one advice to his teammates right now. He is on a level plane as you, because he’s gonna make mistakes, but he’s also gonna make you better. And it can’t be done without you. Don’t look to him to do it. Our teams never did.”
Bruschi played a total of nine seasons with Brady in New England, so he’s definitely one of a few to listen to when he says to not look at Tom Brady like he’s Tom Brady.
Brady’s New Home Ranked Top 5
Brady will join a new offensive line with one thing not so new, Rob Gronkowski who came out of his short retirement just to play with Brady in Tampa—cute. Well, it’s not so cute to the other teams now that NFL.com has the Bucs’ offense ranked in the top 5.
NFL reporter Chris Wesseling has this to say about the Bucs ranking No. 2 in the league:
“The Bucs aren’t going to score 48 points every week, but their offensive explosion versus the Saints wasn’t a fluke. Tampa Bay finished fifth in Football Outsiders’ Drive Success Rate last season, placing higher than powerhouses such as the Eagles, Rams and Chiefs. As referenced above, Tampa Bay’s depth and variety stand with those of any collection in the league.”
Brady has an elite receiving corps with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and then you throw Gronkowski into the mix and it’s nearly game over.
Of, course we won’t know until September rolls around, for now, let’s hope the Bucs are taking notes from Bruschi and don’t make Brady cry by “Brady-watching.”
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