The “Awe” Factor
July 30th, 2020
(Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
On the Buccaneers’ official website, you can view a bunch of boring photos of Tom Brady working out with rookies at One Buc Palace.
But the team cameras aren’t capturing everything.
This was a topic on BSPN TV yesterday, as well as for Bucco Bruce Arians during his media session this week.
Former NFL defensive back and personnel executive Louis Riddick told the TV audience that awe factor Bucs players will experience being around Brady will take time to wear off. Riddick recalled that even though he played against Hall of Fame receiver Tim Brown in college, and even though Riddick was a veteran player when he was signed by the Raiders, he was starstruck landing in Oakland and becoming a teammate of Brown.
“Man, that’s Tim freakin’ Brown right there,” Riddick said, noting that type of feeling will be more intense around Brady.
Arians said some players saw Brady’s intensity level in private workouts and they know it will intensify.
He also said there will be an adjustment period, especially for intimidated young players.
“You would have hoped we’d have spring practice so all of them could get over the ‘awe’ — especially the young players — of Tom Brady walking into the locker room, and Gronk,” Arians said. “But, you know, we’ll get through that I think in a week and maybe each guy will have enough balls to go talk to him.”
Joe suspects Brady, if he’s as advertised as a leader, already is well versed on how to erase the awe factor of teammates quickly. He’s been a living legend since winning his third Super Bowl 16 seasons ago.
Joe’s eager to see how Brady interacts with defensive leaders with big voices, like Jason Pierre-Paul and Devin White.
July 30th, 2020 at 9:45 am
Yep and he is know to walk up to new teammates and introduce himself like no one knew he is. He most likely has learned a couple tidbits of information on his new teammates to show that he is engaged and not a only me diva.
July 30th, 2020 at 9:55 am
This is so ridiculous.
July 30th, 2020 at 9:58 am
You have to love BA’s bluntness.
July 30th, 2020 at 10:34 am
It is only ridiculous Ndog to those who are not Bucs fans. SMH
July 30th, 2020 at 10:37 am
I suspect Brady won’t be motivating teammates by eating “W’s”…
July 30th, 2020 at 10:45 am
Theres a new video of practice on buccaneers.com with Brady doing just that. You can see the precision of his throwing mechanics being the same way on every throw. So much different than JW. He’s also coaching up the players its freakin awesome.
July 30th, 2020 at 10:57 am
Pure stupidity honestly.
Yes you knowledge the greatness of the player but being in “Awe or star struck” of a teammate is totally ridiculous.
July 30th, 2020 at 11:01 am
So now you have to agree with everything that organization does to be a fan well that’s interesting. I didn’t know that was a prerequisite and if that’s the case, 90% of the people shouldn’t be here because they were pissed when Jameis got drafted. So how many fans does this team even have?
July 30th, 2020 at 11:02 am
Ndog Says:
July 30th, 2020 at 9:55 am
This is so ridiculous.
…………
Soo glad you are back! Stick around. Making fun of you is gonna get even better soon.
July 30th, 2020 at 11:17 am
Quick (true) story:
When the WFL folded in 1975, I got picked up by the Jets mid-season, mid-October. I arrived at the Hofstra facility, took the physical, got assigned a locker and practice gear. It was 7pm by the time we finished, a very long day, so I went to take a shower before heading to the Hofstra dorms where the team had a block of dorm rooms and a canteen.
So I’m in the showers…alone…and in walks a totally nekkid Joe Willie, then a mega-star of the league. I continue showering, trying to mind me own business, when he walks over, shampoo on his head, puts out his hand, and says, “Hi. I’m Joe Namath. Glad you’re here.”
No star arrogance. No “keep clear, ‘cuz I’m cool.” Just a regular one-of-the-guys. I suspect Brady has the same M.O.
(I may be the only person on earth to first meet Joe Namath while we were both nekkid. š )
July 30th, 2020 at 11:36 am
Ndog Says:
Completely absurd and assinine statement, even for you. There is a difference in disagreeing with team decisions, and butthurt nit-picking over every little thing because your guy got jettisoned.
I was 55/45, Mariota over Winston on draft day, the difference being I found JC’s national championship meltdown disgusting and immature. I had overlooked his poor off-field decisions and behaviors, even though I saw some red flags.
And when the Bucs drafted JC I was totally OK with that.
And for three and a half seasons, I was happy JC was at QB, even though he threw a lot of picks and dropped a lot of footballs. I began to quuestion JC in more depth when he did that “eat W’s” foolishness. I’m not the only one. His teammates rolled their eyes over that one, too.
I kept thinking “He’s young, he’ll grow out of poor play and questionable leadership.”
It wasn’t until last season, specifically the last 1/3 of the season, when the Bucs had a shot at a winning season and the playoffs when I thoiugh JC showed us who he truly was. He choked, and hen made is what-were-you-thinking baloney look-at-me “Check the sheets, I’m ballin'” statement. I hope to God his agent didn’t tell him to say that, because that would be advisory malpractice.
JC lost me, lost the coaches, lost his teammates, lost the vast majority of the Buc fan base, and lost 31 other NFL teams based on the last part of last season and his clueless lack of self-awareness.
He had it all, then choked it away.
And it cost him $MILLIONS$.
There are few tears shed by Buc fans with JC no longer on the roster, issued—as we used to say—“an apple and a roadmap.”. And pure genius management to bring in the GOAT to direct those incredible weapons.
Real, die-hard Buc fans who stick with the team no matter what? A whole bunch. They show up in droves offering love and support through thick and thin.
Butthurt casual fans who follow one player, and when he’s gone do nothing but go all Karen on every little thing the team does, including pulling the race card because the team didn’t see things the way casual fans of one guy did? Probably 3-5 less. You’re in good company.
July 30th, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Cobra
We obviously disagree about Covid but we’re pretty much aligned football wise.
And if you played at all…even got to show up in camp…then I’ll defer to you experience…just as I’m sure you’ll defer to my twenty years of journalism. LMAO
Seriously…some dislike long posts…I’m sure I bore many here at times…but when they are well written they are well worth the read.
That was WELL WORTH THE READ. IMO at least that was very well written and kept me interested to the end.
And of course as you can guess you were speaking for me and dozens of others here.
July 30th, 2020 at 12:08 pm
It is a good day in Tampa Bay when the most decorated QB in the history of the NFL is calling signals for your team. MIC DROP!!! Go Bucs!!!
July 30th, 2020 at 12:51 pm
stpetebucsfan Says:
I played. Had a couple of solid years then got hurt in TC, took a long time to rehab, that didn’t work, the team wanted surgery and I did not. Got released.
Took two physicals, one with the Bucs, and failed them both. Done as a player. My trail is a lot more common that most realize.
Took two years to become a “human” again, got a call by the Falcons inquiring about my shape, went on a month-long conditioning binge…and then knew for sure I had lost that 2% edge and it was never coming back. Done-done. Went to grad school and got recruited by a Div. I school as a grad assistant to do what today is called “quality control” (film cut-ups, literally gluing 16mm cellulose together, no digital files) and coach kicking specialists.
Did that for three seasons, had a blast being around young guys. Got two Master’s. Had a couple of offers to go into coaching F/T but didn’t like the hours, recruiting and (at the time) the pay and insecurity. I also didn’t like the games athletic departments played with player’s academics. (I read Meat on the Hoof and Out of Their League> in college, both made an impression. I was a bit of a radical.) Never wanted to coach HS, and when asked by a former college teammate to become a volunteer asst. in a Tampa HS in my 40’s, the teacher’s union raised holy hell. Screw them.
I love the technical aspects of football, the mental game. I love interior line play. I just didn’t want football to dominate my life. And that was a good decision.
That experience did make me more than a “casual” fan. I often see things differently than most.
That’s my trail. More than 99.99% of players (8,000,000 H.S. players, 2800 make it to a T.C.), not as much as I wanted but it all ended well. I curse familial weak connective tissue.
July 30th, 2020 at 1:11 pm
Rayjay1122 Says: July 30th, 2020 at 10:34 am
It is only ridiculous Ndog to those who are not Bucs fans. SMH
_______
Ndog, you really ought to blow off the negativity and jump aboard the bandwagon. Part of being a sports fan is being obsessively supportive of your team. Fan is short for fanatic after all. There is plenty of room for argument and differences among staunch Buccaneer followers.
Being a hard nosed realist all of the time is no fun! Leave that to the so called pundits. š¤©
July 30th, 2020 at 1:12 pm
@Cobraboy:
I ditto SPBF’s comments on BOTH of your posts.
tickrdr
July 30th, 2020 at 1:15 pm
Cobra
Wow. OK I definitely defer. Doubt we have many here who have studied or produced cutups and know the technical side as well as you.
But as you suggested your tale is more common than folks realize. The absolute extreme of what you went through are our Olympians. There is a great doc coming up with Michael Phelps and other medal winning Olympians talking about how their entire lives….starting in many cases before their even ten…if focused on ONE thing and ONE thing only. If they fail or when it’s gone it’s a major adjustment…basically their entire lives are over and they have to start from scratch.
Sounds like you went through much of the same. Your coaching experience should give you bragging rights here…doubt that it will LMAO…from me at least. My background is as a TV Sports Director at an NBC affiliate in bumfk.
I was a big fish in a very very small pond. Nothing to brag about.
But I only “covered” sports. Met a lot of coaches and athletes along the way…lots of administrators…but I wasn’t on the field like you! I tip my hat to you Cobra.
The old saying…those who can do…those who can’t teach….or report on those who do.
All those graduate degrees as well. Then you get my ultimate compliment you are a Renaissance Man. Brains and athletic ability and the smarts to develop them both.
And so Cobra I’ll close my compliment with words from a far better writer than me…Teddy Roosevelt. Perhaps his most famous words and fitting here…
“It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
July 30th, 2020 at 1:49 pm
True story; years and years ago the Patriots had to ask Brady to take the initiative and introduce himself to rookies and UDFA’s because many were too intimidated to approach him.
July 30th, 2020 at 3:10 pm
Jeez the cobra just ate the PUP!!! nice one!
July 30th, 2020 at 3:26 pm
The most decorated QB in the history of the NFL…that’s what he used to be!! The scheme played in the 2020 season will be geared toward establishing the run game first and foremost, this will allow NE12 to use his perfect play action pin point passing to as someone said to slice and dice the opposing DEFENCES, it is my contention that he will have is NE trained brain looking for GRONK before looking down field, let’s all agree he is trained this way, I do believe GRONK will have a surprising season!! ME, CG will have subpar seasons and S Miller will not grow this season!! I go back to making the run game work which will be made much harder if DS opts out!!!
July 30th, 2020 at 3:41 pm
BigHog I donāt care who heās throwing to. As long as their wearing a bucs Jersey š
July 30th, 2020 at 4:14 pm
BigHog Says:
Incorrect.
He still is the most decorated QB in NFL history, and he is STILL playing.
Those who say he lost his fastball because of last season, I ask you: was he still not an effective QB given the situation? The answer: yes.
I’m not big on hypotheticals, but would the Bucs 2019 season been better if Tom Terrific was at QB instead of Mr. I’m Ballin’?
It’s a rhetorical question: We both know the answer.
July 30th, 2020 at 4:19 pm
cobra
yeah but 5k yards!!!
remember, that’s what mattered last yr!
July 30th, 2020 at 4:29 pm
@bucsfan951, yeah, I know, “I’m Ballin’ā¢” is the quintessential criteria of a QB…
July 30th, 2020 at 5:21 pm
Cobra
Geez I had the thought of jw in the mirror eating his āWā hand while saying āIām ballinā
Donāt talk with your mouth full!!!!
July 30th, 2020 at 9:14 pm
Bucsfan951 Says:
July 30th, 2020 at 5:21 pm
Cobra
Geez I had the thought of jw in the mirror eating his āWā hand while saying āIām ballinā
Donāt talk with your mouth full!!!!
Bad picture man! bad picture
July 30th, 2020 at 10:16 pm
Gosh damn, reading this stuff just gets me even more excited for the season. It’s going to be a welcome distraction.
July 30th, 2020 at 11:15 pm
Damn Fellas!!! This is by far…the best set of posts I have ever read. I Thank all of you for your contributions.
Even the one-trick-trolls for bringing out some seriously good writing.
YOWZA – School is in session!
I BA I Trust!
July 31st, 2020 at 12:04 pm
Great Banter! Thanks Cobra and StPete. You both are DO read post for me. Well written words deserve to be read. Always Great to read any Theodore Roosevelt quote. One of my favorite orator ever!
Brady is FAMOUS for sure, and yet he is a hard working, self driven, leader. He should have these *star struck* introductions down pat, just like his favorite plays. Excited to see how Brady’s work ethic, and expectations of his teams play, help educate the Bucs these valuable months he is in Tampa.
Go! Bucs!