8. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As someone who grew up a New England Patriots fan, and then became lucky enough to cover them professionally, I thought a bright spot of Tom Brady’s departure for the NFC South was that I could avoid the inevitable “Tom Brady Battles” that pop up from time to time on the Twitter timeline. “Won’t be my problem anymore,” I would think to myself while dabbing the salty discharge around my eyes with the front of my #12 jersey. But enough about how I spend my Tuesday nights…
Unfortunately, this assignment was dropped on my desk so I’m wading back in.
Part of ranking Brady over Rodgers right now at this point in their respective Hall of Fame careers are these twin pillars of opinion: First, Brady is going to be playing with some of the best weapons he’s had at his disposal in years. A pair of the game’s best wideouts in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Two tremendous tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. Along with of course his old buddy in Rob Gronkowski. Second is this, and this fact cannot be understated: Brady is out to prove the world wrong.
Think about it. In addition to changing teams this offseason Brady started his own film production company. His choice of name? “199 Productions,” in homage to his draft slot back in 1999. To this day, with his status on the Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks solidified, Brady is still that sixth-round pick, forced to prove everyone wrong about him. This past season in New England was a tough one for the quarterback, as the speculation about his future and the endless questions, coupled with the team’s poor offensive performances, wore on him. Now in Tampa Bay, people might get a chance to decide who really was responsible for the run in New England: Brady or his head coach. Brady wants to make that answer known to the world.
As someone who has watched him for decades, I would not bet against him.