Before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their huge push that landed Tom Brady, head coach Bruce Arians and general manager had to evaluate the future Hall of Famer. When they finished, both reportedly concluded that the New England Patriots’ lack of weapons held Tom Brady back.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Arians’ scouting report on Brady determined that a lack of speed and explosiveness on the Patriots’ offense hurt Brady the most. Because the future Hall of Famer didn’t have guys that could easily create separation, Brady often held the ball too long.
It’s an issue that certainly occurred in 2019, when the Patriots had to cut Antonio Brown due to off-field issues and then gave up a second-round pick for Mohamed Sanu. Receivers struggling to get open won’t be a problem in Tampa Bay, where Brady will have stars Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.
Of course, Brady’s issues go beyond holding onto the ball too long. He posted the third-worst rate of bad throws (20.6%) and ranked 22nd in on-target throws per attempt (73.1%), per Pro Football Reference.
Entering his age-43 season, Brady does need more help to play at his best and consistently win games. However, he’ll have far more support with the Buccaneers than he had with New England’s offense this past season.
While some might question the fit with Brady in Arians’ offense that loves to throw deep, the coaching staff clearly believes the future Hall of Famer can adapt and be a big upgrade over Jameis Winston.