The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into their first training camp since the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady with a focus on continuing their success of three straight playoff appearances.
The question now becomes, what affect from the Brady era stays intact, and what if anything does the team look to change from the Brady era?
Look no further than Bucs’ stud linebacker Lavonte David. On a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, David was asked about this, his answer might surprise you.
From SiriusXM NFL Radio via JoeBucsFan.com,
“I just feel like this year I already see a change of just, you know, having a more togetherness, more of a continuity of the football team where everybody is just sticking together and depending on one another to take this thing to another level”
David continued,
“And obviously we’re already doubted, especially after losing Tom. So we already got a chip on our shoulder, and Bowles is the right guy to lead us to be able to go out there week in and week out and be properly prepared and play our butts off.”
Obviously going from Brady to either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask is a step down in most cases. But last year, did the Buccaneers really get the real “Tom Brady”? The answer is no. When Brady first arrived in Tampa he was holding workouts with players on the side, and was more or less a coach on the field during all the offseason programs. In 2022, Brady held no private workouts, missed 11 days of camp and was noticeably less engaged with players and staff.
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To be fair to Brady he was going through a lot of personal issues outside of football. But still.
Look for the Buccaneers to rally behind whichever quarterback wins the starting job. We’ll see if that and that alone translates into wins and ultimately a playoff appearance.