The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have continued to dominate the NFL’s news cycle this offseason. Recently, Buccaneer wide receiver Mike Evans called newly signed quarterback Tom Brady a franchise changer.
Mike Evans on Jameis leaving & getting to play with Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/WBGIjBNHh3
— OVO Mars 🦉 (@Excuse_TheDawg) May 10, 2020
That seems to be a fair statement as Brady comes to the Buccaneers with six championships in tow. That isn’t how Buccaneer legend and Hall of Fame inductee Derrick Brooks sees it.
HOFamer @DBrooks55 disagrees with Mike Evans saying Tom Brady can be a franchise changer for the Bucs
"In terms of turning around an entire franchise, I don’t think one player has the capability to do that." pic.twitter.com/BfpTbvwmPx
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) May 12, 2020
A fair point by Mr. Brooks, one man shouldn’t be able to turn a franchise around. But this isn’t just one man, this is THE Man! This is one man with six rings. The same man with four Super Bowl MVP’s and three league MVP’s to boot. Yes, it’s hard for one man to turn a franchise around, but we’re not talking about just a man. We’re talking about the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady.
Today’s NFL Is Different
In today’s NFL the quarterback position IS the key to everything. The NFL has put rules in place to protect them when they have the ball. They’ve even added rules to help the quarterback once the ball leaves his hands. All these rules weren’t around when Mr. Brooks played. That definitely needs to be pointed out.
Lets get back to what I think Brooks was trying to say. One man shouldn’t be able to turn the tide in the ultimate team sport. Lets not confuse this current Buccaneers roster with that of the one Brooks walked into when he was drafted. The talent level difference is night and day. This current roster has arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league. It boasts one of the greatest tight ends to play the game in Rob Gronkowski. Add in the selection of offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and a defense that boasts the league sack leader with a young and upcoming secondary. This roster is stacked.
The Buccaneers offensive roster when Brooks came into the league featured Trent Dilfer, a young Mike Alstott and the “greatness” of wide receiver Courtney Hawkins. Not exactly a fair comparison right? But ask yourself, could Brady have made a difference with that roster? The answer is yes.
What we have here is both Evans and Brooks being right, to an extent. What one player CAN do is set the tone in the locker room, hold players accountable, and instill the drive for success. Tom Brady CAN and WILL do that.
