Earlier this offseason, quarterback Tom Brady announced he was leaving the New England Patriots. When that news hit social media, it started the rumor mill. Where will Brady go? What will he want for a salary? What kind of control will he ask for? The rumors were everywhere you looked.
Reports of Brady wanting input on player personnel decisions and even control over play calling were everywhere! Typically, demands like that from a free agent are scoffed at, but this is Tom Brady, the six-time Super Bowl winning Tom Brady!
Then the unthinkable happened. Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn’t long after that the Buccaneers traded for Brady’s sidekick and arguably the best tight end in the game, Rob Gronkowski. Holy stacked offense Batman! The Buccaneers now boast arguably the best wide receiver tandem and a tight end depth chart that looks like it was pulled straight out of the Pro Bowl. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, all at Brady’s disposal. Talk about stacked!
Doubters And Naysayers
After the dust settled on arguably the most significant month in Buccaneers’ offseason history, only one question remained; How will Brady’s skill-set fit into head coach Bruce Arians’ offense? Bob Kravitz of The Athletic spoke to Buccaneers quarterback coach Clyde Christensen about that very subject.
Christensen:
“I think what we’ll see here (in Tampa) is Bruce’s offense with a Brady influence. Bruce wants to keep the offense the same. We did some good things last year. Tom has been terrific as far as saying, ‘Just tell me what you want to do.’ And honestly, there’s a lot of carry-over from all these offenses; it’s just what you call certain things. We’re looking forward to seeing how he can influence the offense. He’ll make it better. That’s what the great ones do. He’ll have some great ideas, so we’re anxious to get his take on things.”
While Arians’ offense is known for it’s “over the top” style, Brady loves his tight ends and check downs. What I think we’ll see is a marriage of both styles. With weapons like Evans, Godwin, and speedsters Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson, the shots down field will be there for the Buccaneers offense to take advantage of.