Getty Tom Brady reiterated his stance on the Buccaneers lacking effort on Friday.
In the wake of Tom Brady’s strong criticism of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers effort, head coach Todd Bowles clarified his position on Friday, November 11.
Brady first called the Bucs’ effort “the most embarrassing part of our team” amid a 2-5 stretch when he visited with Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go!” podcast on Monday, November 7. Brady’s comments came on the heels of a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, November 6, where the offense looked inept until the final 35 seconds. The Bucs face a significant challenge in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks (6-3) in Munich, Germany.
“I agree with it, but it’s not the effort I’m referring to [previously]…the effort is in the execution, so to speak — not in people loafing or doing anything like that. Doing the right things and executing the right way is the effort that we’re talking about,” Bowles told the media.
Touching down in Germany 🇩🇪👋
Bowles previously “praised his team effort” in an interview with the Buccaneers Radio Network on Tuesday, November 8, according to JoeBucsFan.com. Bowles notably didn’t asked about the Bucs’ effort or Brady’s remarks, per JoeBucsFan.com.
Brady Doubles Down on Effort Issues
Brady, who also talked with the media on Friday, didn’t back down from his position, and he distinguished effort and execution in his comments. He arguably took it a step a further on Friday than his podcast comments where he at least acknowledged “there’s definitely some things we do well, but there’s a lot of things we don’t do well” in talking with Gray.
“What can we control? We can certainly control our attitude, our effort. I think everything has been below the line this year — we’re 4-5…I don’t think there’s any reason to be happy about anything we’ve done,” Brady told reporters. “Obviously, we’re not playing to our standards — we’re not there from an effort standpoint, execution standpoint, emotional standpoint. We’ve got to figure it out — this is a good place to do it.”
Byron Leftwich Shares Brady’s Concern
Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich notably concurred more closely with Brady’s point form the podcast. Leftwich told the media on Thursday, November 10, that he does see a lack of effort from the team at times, but he didn’t distinguish if it related to execution of plays versus overall intensity.
“Well, it hasn’t been every down – we’ve had downs where we could be better from an effort standpoint,” Leftwich said. “It’s been addressed. I think we can get better and that’s what I mean about what we can fix — I think we can fix all the things that [have] been in our way throughout the year.”
Honestly what a call by Leftwich with the game on the line. These guys know it’s the last dance.
Regardless of specific effort issues, the Bucs haven’t produced results that match the success of the previous two seasons with Brady. The offense averages 18 points per game, and the running attack musters a league-worst 60.7 yards per contest. The defense owns a unimpressive franchise record of five-consecutive games with no turnovers. Multiple fumbles on kick returns has costs the Bucs momentum if not games this season.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough beginning of the year — a lot of things have been going on,” Leftwich said. “I think as we’re beginning to settle down, we’re getting more into football mode — more aware of what we need to do. We can’t be talking effort. We can’t be talking effort from anybody, especially at this time of year. We understand that, and that’s why we’re excited to get the opportunity to go out here and play this week.”