Is shouldn’t come as any surprise but Tom Brady has already impressed and taken a leadership role among his new Buccaneers teammates. All before stepping foot on a football field. Officially, that is.
According to Mike Giardi of the NFL Network, the six-time Super Bowl champion is already establishing himself as the leader of this team.
The @Buccaneers found their pied piper. @nflnetwork @NFLMedia #Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/CXokSHcLh8
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) June 5, 2020
“Brady is the Pied Piper for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Giardi said on Friday. “This isn’t to disparage what Jameis Winston did there, but Brady is drawing all kinds of attention from his teammates for the energy that he is bringing not only in these workouts that he has organized. But also, I was told, he is lighting up the Zoom meetings … intelligent questions, personality, engaging with teammates. This is exactly what they need.”
A couple of weeks ago, Brady took to the field at a Tampa area high school with some of his new teammates according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Those who participated were Ryan Jensen, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard, and Blaine Gabbert. It was our first glimpse of Brady in a Tampa uniform. Kind of. He sported the orange practice jersey and his new Bucs helmet.
Latest Buccaneers News
- Tom Brady’s Knee Rehab Is Progressing Well
- Bucs Add Gio Bernard; Re-Sign Steve McLendon
- Pioli: The Moment Patriots Knew They Were On To “Something” In Tom Brady
- Quarterback Upheaval Continues In NFC South
- What Does a 17th Game Mean For The Buccaneers?
Head coach Bruce Arians also raved about Brady’s leadership and eagerness during team meetings. Despite them being on Zoom, his impact on the team is already quite clear.
“We got a great locker room, but to now get a guy that’s been there, done it, six times, he’s the GOAT?” said Arians earlier this week on former Angels Manager John Maddon’s YouTube Show. “When he talks, they listen. It’s so different than a coach. I think for us as coaches, there has to be a bond between the coach and those guys so that you give them ownership. You ask them questions. How do you want to do things? So if they think they have a big hand in it, they send a message to the rest of the guys. They send your message to the rest of the guys. With Tom, it’s been fantastic.”
Anyone who has followed Brady throughout his career is not surprised. This is similar to his approach in New England for the last 20 years. The approach that led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships.
Even in a normal offseason, building chemistry with an entirely new offense is something Brady hasn’t done in a long time. Now, given the absence of things such as OTAs, mini camps, and daily interaction with your teammates and coaches, the job to get on the same page is a bit more difficult.
Despite these complications, expectations are sky-high and rightfully so. In 18 seasons as a starter, the Brady-led Patriots went to nine Super Bowls. Now, in Tampa, surrounded by the Bucs talent, the expectations will not change. Bucs fans won’t get nine chances in the Super Bowl but they very well could get two.
Buccaneers Leaders – 2019
Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Player | Age | Pos | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds ▼ |
TD |
12 | Chris Godwin* | 23 | WR | 14 | 14 | 121 | 86 | 1333 | 9 |
13 | Mike Evans* | 26 | WR | 13 | 13 | 118 | 67 | 1157 | 8 |
19 | Breshad Perriman | 26 | 14 | 4 | 69 | 36 | 645 | 6 | |
80 | O.J. Howard | 25 | TE | 14 | 14 | 53 | 34 | 459 | 1 |
84 | Cameron Brate | 28 | TE | 16 | 6 | 55 | 36 | 311 | 4 |
27 | Ronald Jones | 22 | RB | 16 | 9 | 40 | 31 | 309 | 0 |
44 | Dare Ogunbowale | 25 | 16 | 0 | 46 | 35 | 286 | 0 | |
10 | Scott Miller | 22 | 10 | 2 | 26 | 13 | 200 | 1 | |
17 | Justin Watson | 24 | 16 | 2 | 26 | 15 | 159 | 2 | |
25 | Peyton Barber | 25 | rb | 16 | 7 | 24 | 16 | 115 | 1 |
Team Total | 25.7 | 16 | 607 | 382 | 5127 | 33 | |||
Opp Total | 16 | 408 | 4322 | 30 |