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Days before the team’s playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Tom Brady made one thing clear to his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates: save the trips to the movies for the offseason. Brady was asked about his ability to have consistent success at the end of the season throughout his career and the franchise quarterback cited his commitment “lock in on football” as a key reason for his resume.
“I think for all of us it’s repeating good processes is the important part,” Brady explained during his January 20 press conference, per Buccaneers.com. “Getting to this time of year, you don’t do much different. You just do more of what got you here. The things that work, we do more of. You try to eliminate all of the other distractions. I even told (Vice President of Communications) Nelson [Luis], ‘I don’t want to do anything extra this week. I just want to do football.’ That’s all I want to do to prepare and get ready.
“That’s how we should all approach it. This isn’t the time for the trips to the movie theaters. This is the time to lock in on football. All we have is three days left and we have to earn more. You just look at it like that [as far as] anything you can kind of put off until the end of the year. We just certainly hope the end of the year is not Sunday night. We have to go earn it. You’ve got to go win and move on.”
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Ramsey on Brady: ‘I’m Sure He’s Gonna Bring It’
Brady’s comments about the Buccaneers needing to “go earn” another postseason opportunity is telling. The legendary quarterback has seven Super Bowl rings but Brady still admitted that the Bucs need to earn the right for another playoff game by beating the Rams.
Brady is also clearly setting the tone for his teammates as well just in case there was any doubt about the preparation needed for the Divisional Round. Rams star corner Jalen Ramsey discussed what he expects to see from the Brady-led Bucs.
“I’m sure he’s gonna bring it,” Ramsey explained during a January 20 press conference. “I’m sure his team is gonna be ready. He’s a great leader. The way he’s able to get his team to rally around him. The way he’s able to get his team to all believe that they’re great and able to make all the plays possible.
“I’m sure we’ll get their best effort, and we got to be ready. We got to go give our best effort as well.”
Wirfs & Jensen Both Practiced on Friday, January 21
The Buccaneers are dealing with a number of injuries including to 40% of the team’s offensive line as both Tristan Wirfs and Ryan Jensen sustained injuries against the Eagles. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians described both players as “progressing nicely” but stopped short of confirming their playing status against the Rams. Both players practiced on Friday, January 21 leading up to the showdown against the Rams.
“Bucs tackle Tristan Wirfs walked out to practice with a group of offensive linemen,” The Athletic’s Greg Auman said on January 21 in a series of tweets. “No obvious limp as he tests his injured ankle, trying to see if he can go Sunday against Rams. …Ryan Jensen also working with the offensive line in practice. Lining up in stance, testing his ankle. He played every snap last week, so I’d think he’s able to push through and play Sunday.”
