The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ditched Jameis Winston this past offseason and replaced him with legendary quarterback Tom Brady. One of his new teammates, star tight end Cameron Brate, believes Brady will take the offense to new heights.
Buccaneers star: Tom Brady ‘unquestionably’ the ‘greatest quarterback of all time’
Speaking with Pewter Report, Brate expressed supreme confidence in Brady. When asked if Brady will elevate everyone around him, he did not hesitate to confirm that belief.
“I think that is 100 percent the case. Someone with his pedigree and his caliber of quarterback – when you look at it, he is pretty much the greatest quarterback of all time – unquestionably. That kind of raises expectations even before he walks into the room. When you know you have that quarterback that can come back from three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, who has won six Super Bowls, has been the league MVP a bunch of times, when you have that guy in change of your offense and the leader of your team, it gives you a sense of belief that, ‘Hey, if we keep this game close, as long as I am doing my job then we are going to have a chance to win at the end of the game.’ Really, just that sense of belief is huge. And just getting to know Tom, he is a great teammate and has an ability to relate to all of us. I think is going to elevate the camaraderie and the locker room and the whole team.”
Given what Brady accomplished in his two decades with the New England Patriots, these comments should not come as a surprise.
Tom Brady led Buccaneers workouts this offseason
This offseason, the Buccaneers got a first-hand look at Brady’s famous work ethic on multiple occasions. He led team workouts away from Tampa Bay’s official facilities as the NFL locked down amid the COVID-19 pandemic — sometimes even against the NFLPA’s wishes.
Brate had previously shared what it was like working with Brady for the first time, and he spoke about that experience in glowing terms. Speaking with Pewter Report, he expounded on what the workouts were like this offseason.
“We were able to get a lot of work in this offseason – obviously led by Tom. It has honestly been great. And while we aren’t getting the live reps we would get in during OTAs, we are still able to get the full-speed routes on air with Tom. And that has been huge for us. Figuring out what he likes, what he sees on the field versus what we are seeing kind of just figuring each other out that way. Honestly, the amount of reps we got in the spring are just about what we would be getting in OTAs. Physically, in that aspect it was really good.”
It sure sounds like Brady set the bar high this offseason, even without any coaches being involved. And again, this isn’t surprising. He’s been dominating the NFL for 20 years despite coming into the league without any defining athletic traits. It’s all about work ethic and determination, and it appears that is starting to rub off on his teammates.
The Buccaneers have the potential to challenge the best in the NFC for a championship this year if everything goes right. Watching this team attempt to put it all together in training camp is among the biggest storylines around the league this year.