MVP Brady?
June 23rd, 2020
“No matter what, you are my MVP, Tom.”
So could park-violating, home-invading Bucs quarterback Tom Brady win the NFL MVP Award this year? A guy with a pair of Super Bowl rings seems to think that’s entirely possible.
Without saying so, Mark Schlereth of FOX Sports implied the Bucs were one good quarterback away from being a winning team last year.
It’s not that Schlereth thought Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston was horrible. It’s that Schlereth believed Jameis playing Santa Claus so much held the Bucs back.
Enter Brady.
Schlereth, in a recent appearance on “Undisputed” with Marcellus Wiley and LaVar Arrington, said if Brady can just be the same ol’ Brady who is averse to turnovers, him winning the MVP is not crazy talk. When Wiley asked if Brady can be an MVP this season, Schlereth didn’t hold back.
“I do, I do,” Schlereth said. “One, simply because of the weapons surround[ing Brady] by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When you look at their team in totality, they have arguably the tandem, the two best wide receivers in football as a tandem. When you talk about Chris Godwin and you talk about Mike Evans. They are incredible.
“They have three tight ends that can flat out play in Cameron Brate, obviously they have Gronk there and the kid from Alabama [O.J. Howard] as well. They have got unbelievable talent in Tampa Bay.
“And the other thing that people don’t really realize. About the last six or seven weeks of the season last year, that defense, under Todd Bowles, their defensive coordinator, you are talking about young first-, second- and third-year players. An aggressive blitzing style under Todd Bowles. They were one of the top defenses in football the last six, seven weeks. And they are young. …
“They were 7-9 team. You don’t think 22 less interceptions is going to lead to another four or five more wins? I do. I think so.”
So if the Bucs win at least 11 games, what Schlereth thinks is realistic, the difference would be the quarterback, Brady.
That, Schlereth thinks, is the very definition of an MVP.
Look, the Bucs have stunk for over a decade. If Brady leads the Bucs to the playoffs, or beyond, and he doesn’t play like a 43-year old and puts up strong numbers. Well, sure, Brady should be and likely will be up for MVP consideration.
June 23rd, 2020 at 8:12 am
Brady will always be in the running for MVP simply because his name is Brady
But I don’t think he’ll get it….Pat Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers are my picks for MVP this year…
June 23rd, 2020 at 8:32 am
Aside from the MVP aspect of this, I’ve been saying since Brady was signed, that fewer turnovers will equal more wins. You couple that, hopefully, with a more consistent kicking game, and the Bucs are in the playoffs!
June 23rd, 2020 at 8:35 am
@ PSL Bob
I agree
Imagine all the games the bucs could’ve won without all of them boneheaded turnovers from Jameis Winston over the past 5 years…………ughhh!!!!!
June 23rd, 2020 at 10:04 am
The ‘weapons for Winston’ program has left a treasure chest of ‘baubles for Brady’. Just imagine what he’ll be able to do with the athletic jewels he has to play with. I think that 5 extra wins is going to prove to be a low estimate.
June 23rd, 2020 at 10:13 am
The Bucs Anthem. Disagree! If Brady is in the MVP voting is because he’s a winner. Let’s see if he can help turn that team around.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:12 pm
Way to go for the low hanging fruit Schlereth.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:56 pm
If you have a heavyweight boxer who is the best puncher in the history of the fight game but has a glass jaw…he’s not a champion.
Yeah JW put up far more offense than we SHOULD have needed. Sadly it took a ton of ints to come up with a ton of TD’s a net wash. 7-9..8-8..and in an outstanding year maybe win ten.
We don’t need the best puncher…they are indeed exciting but Ali wasn’t the best puncher…just the GOAT.
Brady has enough tools left in his kit to get the job done. All the talk is about his targets for obvious reasons…they are all proven…but I’m excited about seeing how the OL performs this year. They may be the hidden weapon.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:35 pm
I rewatched the the Lions game last night. JW had 1 pic under stress toward the start then 4 TDs with over 450 yards for the second week in a row for part of what was a 4 game win streak, playing with a broken hand.
I saw lots of dumb penalties. I saw a dumb Byron Leftwich, BS move of trying to throw from near our own 20 with under a minute left. I saw Bs throw the dumbest challenge flag you could imagine. I saw Perriman score three times who is gone, I saw OJ missing blocks and dropping balls, I saw a missed FG bounce of the upright.
The most glaring thing to me was that both Scotty Miller, who scored a nice first career TD, and Godwin left the game with hamstring injuries to join Mike Evans with a hamstring injury.
My point-
I saw plenty of blame to go around that we won in spite of. Much of it had nothihg to do with “Americas Scapegoat”
My question which also leads to my point?
Did anyone ever consider that there is a serious issue of negligence among our training staff or perhaps with the practice regimen of our receiving corps?
Why do 3 receivers all have hamstring issues? Could it be in the training regimen?
Anyone else wonder about this? Is ther any blame behind the scenes?
Different season result with healthy receivers?
June 23rd, 2020 at 6:15 pm
“Ali wasn’t the best puncher…just the GOAT.”
.
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Excellent analogy.
Our team has a lot of talent now. And most of our starters will be returning starters, so there shouldn’t be much in the way of chemistry disruption. If the team is successful, Brady will be a candidate for team MVP, if only based on being the piece which pushed us over the edge.
If a team MVP moves the team deep into the playoffs? Automatic candidate for league MVP. It only stands to reason.
June 23rd, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Clean House Says:
“I rewatched the the Lions game last night… I saw plenty of blame to go around that we won in spite of. Much of it had nothihg to do with “Americas Scapegoat.”
Jameis had a number of games such as this, which is why he was given the pricey 5th year option. It’s unfortunate that consistency didn’t follow.
===============
“Why do 3 receivers all have hamstring issues? Could it be in the training regimen?”
I am 100% behind you on this point. Hydration is something that, in my mind, professional athletes shouldn’t have to be reminded to do. But your professional training staff should always be on point, anyway. If you have to line your team up before every practice and game and visually observe water consumption in order to make sure that it happens, then that’s what you should do. Again at every break or halftime. Just like boot camp.
It’s too important, especially given how long it takes to come back from muscle pulls–especially hamstrings.