NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
The Brady era in New England is officially over. Tom Brady signed a two-year, fully guaranteed contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Analysts and reporters are throwing their opinions around on whether or not Brady will be able to find success in a Buccaneer uniform.
Here are three reasons why Tom Brady will find success with his new team.
He Finally Has Weapons
Brady is notorious for playing at a high level despite having a lack of talent surrounding him. This past season may have been the worst. Edelman was his go-to target but was playing through a separated AC joint, a rib, and knee injury. Belichick traded for Mohamed Sanu at the trade deadline. He produced next to nothing posting only 14 catches for 91 yards and 0 TDs in the last six games of the year. Ben Watson, at the age of 38, was the starting TE and played through a torn Achilles for most of the season. N’Keal Harry was a rookie who spent the first half of the season on IR and struggled to separate from DBs when he was on the field.
Tampa Bay has a plethora of weapons. Mike Evans has never had a season with less than 1,000 yards in his six years. Chris Godwin was one of the best WRs last year, putting up over 1,300 yards and 9 TDs. They also have two reliable TEs in OJ Howard and Cameron Brate.
It is night and day compared to what Brady had in New England to what he has in Tampa Bay. The last time he had a great receiving core was with Wes Welker and Randy Moss. I am not saying he is throwing for 50 TDs again, but I fully expect him to have good numbers.
A Great Coaching Staff
Bruce Arians is a respected coach in this league. He has worked with Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Andrew Luck, and Ben Roethlisberger. To say the least, he knows how to work with an elite QB.
Byron Leftwich is the offensive coordinator and is known as an up and coming coach in the NFL. If he and Brady can find success, do not be surprised if he ends up being a top candidate for a head coaching position.
For the first time, Brady has an offensive-minded head coach along with a bright young-minded offensive coordinator. They will need to change up their scheme a bit to fit Brady’s playstyle, but I am sure Arians will do just that.
He Has Something to Prove
As a Patriots fan, one thing I know is not to piss off Brady. When he feels he has something to prove and his back is against the wall, he is at his best. Just look back at 2017 when Rodger Goodell suspended Brady for four games due to deflate-gate.
In his first game back from suspension, Brady threw for 404 yards and 3 TDs with 0 INTs. He ended the season with a 94.1-grade from Pro Football Focus. He also finished the season with the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history against the Falcons and had the same man that suspended him, hand him the Lombardi Trophy.
Bill Belichick tried to trade Brady in 2018. I don’t know a player of Brady’s magnitude that would be too happy with that. Reports have said that Brady and Belichick’s relationship has never been the same since then. Now Brady will get his chance to make Bill regret that decision.
