Getty Tom Brady runs for a first down at Carolina on Sunday, Dec. 26.
Neither Bruce Arians nor Tom Brady said anything about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback’s latest run following a 32-6 win at Carolina on Sunday, Dec. 26.
Brady, 44, scampered for an 11-yard run against the Panthers. That’s the sort of play Arians has shown his displeasure for, and Brady has admitted he should avoid.
Tom Brady just too fast! #GoBucs
Brady celebrated his latest run on social media after the game anyway.
“Dog’s off the leash again,” Brady wrote with a snorting emoji.
Brady has 81 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries this season. He hadn’t rushed for more than 64 yards since 2011 when he tallied 109. With this season’s running success, he has 1,124 career regular season rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.
Brady Clapped Back at Former Star Quarterbacks
While Brady makes fun of himself not being the world’s fastest quarterback, he won’t miss the opportunity for comebacks from naysayers he knows.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo joked about Brady’s running ability during the Bucs’ 33-27 win over Buffalo on Dec. 12.
“He’s slow, right?” Romo said during the broadcast “He can’t actually make someone miss.”
That came within a week of new Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning poking fun at Brady as a new “Madden 22” ratings adjuster. Manning jokingly gave Brady a rating of 44 — the Bucs quarterback’s age.
“I did especially think that Brady’s accuracy rating was just a bit high,” Manning said in the video. “That will probably be one of the first things that I address.”
Brady humorously retorted both of their statements via Twitter on Dec. 13.
“Tony and Peyton hating from the booth! Come one guys,” Brady wrote.
Tony and Peyton hating from the booth! Come on guys… @EAMaddenNFL
Brady Will Keep Playing
While Brady may run less down the stretch, he will play for certain against the New York Jets on Jan. 2 and possibly the finale against Carolina.
“Yeah, now the last game, maybe, if nothing would change then we’d have to make a decision and see,” Arians said in a Dec. 26 press conference. “But I’ve always felt like if you rest, you lose something.”
Tampa Bay (11-4) locked up the NFC South Division title on Sunday, Dec. 26. The Bucs sit in the No. 4 seed behind the Green Bay Packers (12-3), Dallas Cowboys (11-4), and Los Angeles Rams (11-4). At least the Rams and the Cowboys will need to lose games in order for the Bucs to ascend to a higher seed — presuming the Bucs win out.
Unless everything falls the Bucs’ way, a No. 1 seed and bye is highly unlikely. The Week 18 finale will likely be the only chance for the Bucs to rest starters before a playoff game.
Brady Trolls Bill Belichick
Amid the league-wide playoff shuffle, a Bucs versus New England Patriots showdown looks more challenging as both teams likely need to go on the road twice to reach the Super Bowl.
Brady for now at least had a little fun with his former head coach, Bill Belichick, after the Patriots’ 33-21 loss to the Bills on Dec. 26. A reporter in the press conference afterward asked Belichick what his New Year’s Resolution will be.
This is the single-most courageous journalist I’ve ever seen in my life.
Brady lauded the reporter’s bravery during his “Let’s Go!” podcast on Monday, Dec. 27.
“I want to be as brave and courageous as she was, asking that question to Coach Belichick after a loss,” Brady told host Jim Gray. “That’s what I want for the New Year.”