The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team with championship expectations in 2020 now that Tom Brady is the man under the center.
The 43-year-old quarterback is still looking to fight off Father Time as he takes over one of the league’s best offenses. The addition of tight end Rob Gronkowski only further adds to the excitement surrounding this team, with many people believing Brady has a legitimate shot at getting ring number seven.
Already the greatest quarterback ever, Brady has drawn comparisons to other sports greats, most notably NBA legend Michael Jordan, who, like Brady, won six titles. (If you haven’t watched The Last Dance yet go to Netflix and binge it now.)
But while Brady may be like Mike when it comes to championships won, Scott Spratt over at ESPN says the six-time Super Bowl champ made more of a LeBron James-type move this offseason.
Per Spratt:
“Ironically, Tom Brady’s free-agent move to Tampa Bay mirrors LeBron James’ departure from Florida and return home to Cleveland in 2014. The narratives were totally different, but both decisions made sports sense thanks to their new teams’ young, blue-chip players — something Brady was missing on his the Patriots (ranked 31st in under-25 talent) as much because of bad drafting and forfeited picks in recent seasons as Bill Belichick’s preference for veteran players.
“The direct, obvious draws are wide receiver Chris Godwin and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, the 12th overall pick this season. Godwin led his veteran teammate Mike Evans (18.0%) and every other heavily targeted receiver in the NFL with a 32.8% DVOA in 2019. And Wirfs should fill the only obvious hole on a Buccaneers’ offensive line whose 22nd-ranked adjusted sack rate (7.6%) likely suffered from former quarterback Jameis Winston’s poor decision-making. Their 29.0% allowed pressure rate was 13th best and should improve with Wirfs starting and with Brady’s tremendous pocket presence.”
*Quick note: Wirfs was the 13th pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
It’s nice to see that Spratt’s optimistic about the offensive line, which is still a question mark. While the addition of Wirfs is a huge win for Tampa Bay, the loss of preseason games doesn’t do them any favors. Asking a rookie, even one as talented as Wirfs, to be NFL-ready in Week 1 without any preseason experience is a big ask. Then again, having to protect Tom Brady certainly provides a sense of motivation and pride.
We’ll see what Week 1 brings.
[lawrence-related id=37286,37278,37269,37251]