Panthers LB Shaq Thompson welcomes Tom Brady challenge: ‘Iron sharpens iron’

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson welcomes Tom Brady challenge in NFC South.

Tom Brady’s arrival in Tampa Bay has the potential to shift the balance of power in the NFC South. The Saints have dominated the division over the last three years, but the Buccaneers are in an excellent position to catch up given their salary cap situation this year.

Even with Brady taking up a reported $30 million a year, the Bucs will still rank among the most cap-rich teams of 2020. At the moment, only the Dolphins and Browns have more room to spend.

The Panthers will likely have a tougher time competing against Tampa than they have in the past. Carolina has won 10 of the last 14 matchups. Obviously, Brady changes the math and gives the Bucs a better chance of winning those two games a year than Jameis Winston.

Speaking of which, Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson seems excited that Brady is now a division rival. He welcomed Brady to the NFC South in a tweet today, saying iron sharpens iron.

Thompson in particular will be affected by this development.

Now that Luke Kuechly has retired and the team is switching back to a 4-3 defense, Thompson is in line to become Carolina’s new middle linebacker and defensive captain. Most likely, he’ll be the one relaying Phil Snow’s instructions via headset to the rest of the unit while they’re on the field.

That means twice a year Thompson will have to match wits with Brady before the snap, which is quite a challenge. Brady’s arm is not what it used to be and he’s never been a particularly amazing athlete. However, what’s made Brady perhaps the greatest QB of all time is his ability to read a defense. Brady excels at exploiting the faults in different schemes and picking on weak links.

The chess match between these two should prove fascinating to watch.

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