It is a lot of fun to root for a good team. It’s even more fun to root for a great team! It flat out special to root for a team full of extremely affable personalities. The Bucs are just plain likable.
Bucs On Parade
The Buccaneers have been on parade to the media over the last few days of camp. Personalities have been front and center as each of these players has been asked good questions, not-so-good questions and everything in between. There are two main takeaways from these media exercises.
The first is that this team has an excited energy with a singular focus: a championship. There is no wavering on that fact. Everyone seems to love Tom Brady and follow him to the ultimate singular goal of a Lombardi Trophy.
My second takeaway is that this team is stacked with not just talent. It is overflowing with down right nice guys. They aren’t just easy to root for because of their jerseys. They are easy to support because it’s fun to see the good guys win (with apologies to Dirk Koetter) and these are flat out good folks.
So, What’s It Like?
The same question has been asked incessantly. “What’s it like to work with Tom Brady?” The answer seems to always be exactly the same. The players face lights up with a seriously genuine and heart-felt smile and they ALL say, “He is such a great guy. He is really nice.”
They don’t gush about Brady’s championships and they don’t cower in fear of merely discussing his greatness. They talk about him and their other teammates with glowing looks of pride and friendship. “We have such a great (insert position) room this season” is a rhythmic drum beat at the pressers.
These players know that there is something special happening in Tampa. There is a feeling of “team” that goes beyond the norm and it’s almost palpable. This is a team, a family and a group of warriors ready to do battle together at all costs.
Character and Talent
Something special is happening in Tampa and so far there aren’t any darker personalities to ignore or brush off. There are no Warren Sapp’s to deal with. These are humble, powerful and talented men that seem to genuinely really like each other. It’s not hard to see since they all seemingly mention it over and over. There are no divas. The coaching staff even notices this and has repeatedly mentioned that fact especially about Brady and the wide receiver room in particular.
This is a fun team to root for. Whether it is the grizzled veterans like Brady or the young players like Scotty Miller, you are left feeling like you want these guys to win. You want to see them do well, because it is easy root for a team that doesn’t act arrogant or entitled. They don’t present themselves as malcontents or primadonnas and they are the kind of guys you would want to hang out with. These players are funny. They love football and they genuinely want to win. The thing is that they don’t just want to win for themselves. They want to see each other win. They care about each other.
Dream Team
The Bucs are stacked at pretty much every position this season. This is like a dream team for a fan. What might just be the best part of all of it is that they aren’t just talented players. They are likable people. They are a team you can be proud of, not just because of how they play. You can like who they are, and that is special. It makes me want to shout it just a little louder this season here in the Cheap Seats.
