Tom Brady playing well with the Bucs while the Patriots struggle makes his tenure in Tampa a success already.
In a sense, Tom Brady’s tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has already been a success. Because he’s shown he’s not a system quarterback and the system sure looks like it's missing something.
It’s hard to separate Brady from Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots even after their separation, but at the moment, they are certainly headed in separate directions. Brady has the Buccaneers looking like a legitimate threat, while Cam Newton had to be sent to the bench.
What really stands out the most to me is that if Brady had failed with the Bucs it could have been simply time catching up to Tom, but he’s not only continuing to excel with a different team, he’s doing it at age 43.
While the Patriots, who mind you went 12-4 in his disappointing final season there, are two games under .500 for the first time since 2001. (New England wound up winning the Super Bowl that season, their first of six with Brady at the helm.) We’ll see if Belichick can turn things around now, but we’ve already seen enough from Brady to show us that his GOAT status is a result of far more than just coaching.
Brady currently has 15 more touchdown passes and 7 fewer interceptions than this year’s Patriots QBs after all. I apologize for ever doubting the guy, as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing TDs is showing no signs of slowing down.
TB-12 is looking like a system in and of himself.