Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 45, already declared he won’t abandon ship in the middle of a turbulent season.
Now, he says that he doesn’t regret the decision to return this year after a 41-day retirement in the offseason despite the turbulence of the first nine weeks of the regular season. Brady hasn’t looked like himself much of the season with just 10 touchdown passes, 6.4 yards per completion, a losing record, and off-field challenges.
“Zero, no. Definitely not. I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete and I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back,” Brady told the media on Friday, November 11. “I don’t really regret those types of things — I think when I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best and try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity. I think the frustrating part is we just haven’t played to the way we’re capable of playing — that’s for a number of different reasons.”
100,000 passing yards for the 🐐 @TomBrady
Frustration has been visible for Brady all season, which arguably reached its climax after the team’s third-straight loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Brady found a way out of that funk — for at least one game — in the final 35 seconds with a game-winning touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9. Now, Brady and the Bucs can get to a better spot against the Seattle Seahawks on November 13 in Munich, Germany.
“This is a very important game for us — we have a bye week after this,” Brady said. “It gives you a chance to kind of evaluate where you’re at and I’d much rather evaluate being 5-5 than being 4-6. We’ve got to just win this game and it’ll take care of that.”
Seahawks Pose Big Challenge for Bucs
Getting to .500 will take beating a team with the best record the Bucs have seen since Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens notably came into their Week 8 with Tampa Bay game at 4-3. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has surprised the league with a big season, and the defense has been opportune with 16 forced fumbles this year.
“Seattle is going to challenge us — they have very talented players, good skill players, they’re good on defense…they’re creating a lot of sacks and turnovers,” Brady said. “It’s a very good team — it’s going to be a very tough, hard-nosed game.”
Brady: ‘I’m Definitely Coming Back’
Brady isn’t a stranger to international games. He played in three of them with the New England Patriots before his time with the Bucs, and he won all three games. Though he expressed excitement about another international game, he dodged the question about whether the Germany game played a role in his decision to return for another season. He wants to visit again, however.
Back in Tampa, we never give Tom Brady lederhosen in the middle of a press conference. Germany takes it to another level.
“It’s amazing. I told all my teammates that — you’re not going to necessarily remember every game you play in your whole career, but these ones, you do remember,” Brady said. “They’re very special. Just to go to another place and have an experience like this…When I’m older, I’ll be thinking about practicing in that stadium right there and then going to play in Allianz Arena, which is amazing.”
“Your whole life is made of memories and experiences – to do it with the teammates and with the game that I love…football has brought me a lot of places in life and it’s brought me to Germany now — I’ve never been here before,” Brady added. “I’m definitely coming back.”
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Tom Brady Doubles Down on Major Decision