Very little went right in the public eye for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during 2022.
It began with star wide receiver Antonio Brown quitting the team and a disappointing playoff loss by Brady’s brief retirement. Things didn’t improve after Brady unretired amid losses from the Bucs’ roster, his off-field challenges, a struggling Bucs squad all season long in 2022.
Brady’s struggles begged the question by millions if he made the right decision to keep playing at age 45. Even “Let’s Go!” podcast host Jim Gray asked Brady, “did the doubt ever creep in” about unretirement during the Monday, January 2, edition of the podcast. At least Brady had a recent NFC South-winning 30-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers under his belt before answering. The Bucs looked poised to make a run in January instead of fade amid the recent spark.
“I don’t do that, and I think that I learned this a while ago, you know, there’s a lot of things that were said outside,” Brady told Gray. “What you tell yourself between your ears is the most important thing.”
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“And I think people said earlier this year, ‘oh, you know, it doesn’t look like he’s having fun, he doesn’t want to be out there, and he doesn’t want to play,'” Brady added. “What’s between my ears is more important than that, and I think that’s a good lesson for everybody.”
“You’re always going to face critics, you’re going to face people that are, you know, that have their own opinions,” Brady continued. “And the opinion you have of yourself is the one that matters most, and I keep this saying, ‘The Man in the Glass’ around me all the time, and I read it all the time, and it’s just a good reminder for me about what this is all about — looking at the person in the mirror doing your best.”
Brady, Mike Evans Turn Things Around
Brady looked his best all season against the Panthers on Sunday, January 1 with a 75.6% completion rate for 432 yards and three touchdowns. He posted a 127.3 quarterback rating, his highest of the season.
Everything clicked between Brady and star wide receiver Mike Evans for the first time since Week 5. Brady threw two touchdowns to Evans against the Kansas City Chiefs in the only other game where the Bucs hit the 30-point mark this season, a 41-31 defeat.
Mike Evans Calls Brady’s Performance ‘Unbelievable’
Evans, who hadn’t caught a touchdown since Week 4, called Brady’s performance against the Panthers “unbelievable” after the game.
“Tom was just dropping dimes. Those were some really, really good balls. This was one of the best games I’ve seen Tom play since he’s been here. They were like falling right in my… in the bread basket every time. He had an unbelievable game,” Evans told reporters on Sunday.
Brady and Evans re-connecting has the Bucs back in NFC title contention in the opinion of USA Today columnist Jarrett Bell. Likewise, NFL.com columnist Jim Trotter wrote the Bucs have let the NFC know “they should not be overlooked” in the playoffs.
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Tom Brady Sounds off on Latest Doubters