Todd Bowles: Tom Brady Really Only Missed Three Practices
August 25th, 2022
Tom Brady
A lot of folks are freaking out that Tom Brady was away from One Buc Palace for 11 days as he vacationed in the Bahamas.
While watching practice with the naked eye, Brady looks sharp as ever, but he did have to take a couple of breathers today in the Bucs’ walk-in meat locker located adjacent to the practice fields.
Joe can’t see any way in which the days off somehow have made Brady a lesser quarterback.
After practice today, Bucs coach Todd Bowles minimized Brady’s time off saying 11 days away does not mean he missed 11 practices. Not even close, Bowles said.
The first-year Bucs leader said when you factor in Brady’s normally scheduled vet days with the days off the team has surrounding preseason games, Brady really only missed three practices.
“He is fine with everything,” Bowles said of Brady’s return. “We know his conditioning is fine.
“We’re good.”
Bowles makes a compelling case. If Brady missed three practices because he had a hangnail or a toothache, not one person would be sweating about it. Hardly anyone would say a word. However, Brady’s presence isn’t just about being on the field, it’s meetings and influencing other players in many ways.
Joe thinks the main reason this Brady vacation has received so much run, aside from the potential dark cloud hovering over One Buc Palace, is that Brady may have just said, “The hell with it, I’m done” (remember, he already retired once).
Another reason the Brady vaycay received so much coverage is that Brady taking a vacation in the middle of training camp blows away all the decades-old narratives that training camp needs to be a Marines boot camp that is absolutely critical for team cohesion, and yes, winning.
In a span of 68 years, we have gone from Junction Boys to skipping out to go to the Bahamas.
If the Bucs win the division and make a run at a Super Bowl (or better), the concept that training camp is some sort of football sacred cow is blown to bits. And this triggers the football establishment, from the NFL down to high schools.
And look at what Brady started: Just last week (while Brady was likely applying SPF 50 sunscreen to Gisele at a secluded Bahamian enclave) future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina asked the Cardinals for a weekend off for “business” — in the middle of a pennant chase! It turned out Molina owns a Puerto Rican professional basketball team and that team was in its league’s championship. Molina went there to watch his team.
If the Bucs have a successful season, Brady will have struck a blow for all football players (and athletes in general?) and fully rattled the cages of the old-school football establishment.
August 25th, 2022 at 1:36 pm
We should not be accepting or condoning this behavior. Whatever you want to call it, he skipped 11 days from the grind, with his teammates, to go on vacation in a private tropical island.
Tom is about Tom. Tom is not about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
August 25th, 2022 at 1:37 pm
I trust Brady with his training and conditioning more than any player in the league.The guy is still playing at a high level at 45. I think the whole team should adopt the TB 12 method. Matter of fact, get Julio on the program STAT. I’m glad the team had those cool rooms installed. I saw a pic of all the QBs going into the cool room. I think Brady has looked very thin. I still have questions about that. Am I the only one who thinks he lost weight?
August 25th, 2022 at 1:51 pm
If the Bucs win the division and make a run at a Super Bowl (or better), the concept that training camp is some sort of football sacred cow is blown to bits. And this triggers the football establishment, from the NFL down to high schools.
geno711 Says:
August 23rd, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Most of the information really suggests that the Bucs and Brady negotiated this time off.
My biggest speculation at this point is that the NFL brass did not want the details of the negotiated time off from training camp out there. That is why there was no formal announcement of the issue.
The NFL’s fear has to be in a few years that every decent starting quarterback and diva receiver in their newly negotiated contracts ask for the same deal. Furthering to the NFL that preseason games mean absolutely nothing for all of us idiots (myself included) who watched some of them.
August 25th, 2022 at 1:52 pm
Tampa Bay Tom is on his farewell Tour
Let’s not run him out of town until AFTER the Super Bowl Victory Parade.
August 25th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
@joe ..or any commenter for that matter, any idea why Bucs are practically only team to not release their uniform schedule like they usually do every year?
August 25th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
Anonymous of course Tom is about Tom and not the Bucs. I think he’s proven that and then some. Apparently every other option was blown up for him and he had to settle with our Buccaneers. Dolphins. 49ers. Raiders. And then us.
And I thought sloppy seconds were bad.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:03 pm
You guys are right. Kick the bum off the team.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:08 pm
Brady fans: ” He is ok. He’s does what he wants. He’s the goat. No story. Don’t worry”
Bucs fans: ” Cut’ um. Trade him”
August 25th, 2022 at 2:09 pm
They could all just say, “Well he’s Tom Brady. It’s different”
August 25th, 2022 at 2:13 pm
Joe, Brady being gone has received such run because media types like yourself ran with it. Always gloom, and doom from people covering, and following the NFL. I never thought it was a big deal he skipped a couple of weeks of training camp, you did. Such a shock Brady looks good in practice again. Practice? We still talking about practice? On to the next big non story.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:20 pm
So I can take 2 weeks off and tell my boss it was only 3 days? Bwahahaha.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:21 pm
The only way Brady’s Vaca will matter, is if the offense gets off to a slow start. God forbid they go 1-3. If that happens, every outlet in the country will blame the time off. If they go 3-1, the story will die. In the grand scheme, I don’t think 10 days matters much. I just don’t like the look of it. My guess is Brady would’ve stayed away longer, but realized it was becoming a problem. his teammates and coaches were being asked about it daily. From Bowles comments, I don’t think he really knew when Brady would return. If he did, than why not simply say, he’ll be back in 10 days.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
The fans mad at him for this deserve the inevitable perennial losing seasons, “suckaneers” moniker, and complete and utter irrelevance that will return to the franchise when Tom inevitably leaves. He’s 45, what he’s doing is unprecedented, so yes, there will be unprecedented accommodations for him. No to mention that if he had to tell his family that this planned vacation had to be cancelled, he may not have come back at all. So all you geniuses are basically saying “we would be happier if Tom wasn’t on the team. We prefer being irrelevant losers over a 45 year old having 3 days off”
Geniuses all around
August 25th, 2022 at 2:33 pm
Meh, I’d choose being full-time dad for a few days to celebrate my kids bday and letting the media speculate over being an absentee dad and possibly provoking the wrath of my baby mama. Think Jim Carey in “LiarLiar” or Tim Allen in “The Santa Clause”.
August 25th, 2022 at 2:41 pm
Coran and Dooley totally agree. Family is important. It must be a lot of lonely single guys on this message board. They have no idea of the intricacies of a marriage. I can only imagine it’s worse for a guy like Brady with his profession. Brady’s addicted to football like a drug addict. His family finally had an intervention and put their feet down. Brady values his privacy over speculation. He’s totally unbothered about divorce rumors.
August 25th, 2022 at 3:12 pm
And the teet is officially milked dry.
August 25th, 2022 at 3:22 pm
Is it confirmed he went to the Bahamas?
August 25th, 2022 at 3:46 pm
Tom finally found a coach who has his back. Only took 22 years.
August 25th, 2022 at 3:47 pm
20+ yr super bowl vet missing training is not notjing to stress…
Other guys needed the snap
August 25th, 2022 at 3:49 pm
Hodad has it right. Besides, Brady is an anomaly. You can’t judge others by him. He gets special treatment from a smart coach. He also knows what he must do–maybe better than they do. I hated all the hype about where he was and IF he was coming back (thereby breaking a contract, geeze). He deserves more smiles than belligerent questions and thoughts. Guess he’s finding out how fickle Bucs fans can be.
August 25th, 2022 at 4:05 pm
I think the time off will have been good for TB12!! MLB Pitchers follow pitch counts!! Why should a QB be that different. TB12 may have a bit more zip on the ball going into game 17 and the playoffs when it really matters. Time will tell!!
August 25th, 2022 at 4:11 pm
Lamarcus
Again , you promised to never comment here and you are back on your word.
Lamarcus is a gladiator and likes his qb to throw for a lot of yards and lots of picks. Winning doesnt matter. 50 / 50 ball is great
Born in largo in the 70s…a real buc fan…brady coming here is one of the best moves in our history. Who cares if we were first option or not. We were the losingest franchise in all of sports. You think lebron would
Have doubts about going to the bad news bears?
He came here and so did everyone else because of him. Not because of your
Guy ..the former guy and won the whole thing in first year
Dude get an Brain MRI. We need proof of life up there.
We truly have the worst fans
August 25th, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Pabucsfan – Good question. It seems like they wear white a majority of the time anyway.
August 25th, 2022 at 4:31 pm
It’s that simple. Brady is the exception to every rule and belief that most people have had about football. People in NFL circles and outside of NFL circles have really odd sacred cows that they cling to. They do dumb and unsafe things simply because “that’s how we do things around here because that’s how it’s always been.”
I recall years ago Alex Guerrero was denied access to the Patriots facility because some of the players stopped doing squats in the gym. This was five years ago. Brady probably hasn’t done squats in years and he’s still playing.
Years ago Guerrero and Brady believed the TB12 method would extend his career. They were right. If Brady wants or needs to forego the dog days of training camp then he should, he’s exceptional.
August 25th, 2022 at 4:57 pm
TB elevated this franchise to a higher level of competitiveness and professionalism than any of us “real” diehards have ever witnessed. When you find yourself complaining about Brady stop for a second and think back to Schiano and Josh Freeman, Lovie and Josh Mckown, Sean King, Dilfer and those wasted years with arguably one of the greatest defenses ever. Think further back to Bruce Gradkowski, Chris Simms (with a really good D), Craig Erickson, Richard Williamson trying to coach Vinny, etc. Anyway you get the picture.
August 25th, 2022 at 4:59 pm
Sorry my chronology was slightly off^^^
August 25th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
Now….about htose preseason “games”. Don’t even get me started on that farce that is the Pro Bowl.
August 25th, 2022 at 5:36 pm
Who cares???
August 25th, 2022 at 5:37 pm
The number of missed practices is not the point. The handling of the absence on all sides was clumsy, mysterious and unnecessary.
August 25th, 2022 at 6:27 pm
“In a span of 68 years, we have gone from Junction Boys to skipping out to go to the Bahamas.”
Nice reference to Bear’s ‘Junction Boys’ Joe. Of course, they were green as could be & Tom Brady does have 22 years under his belt, so it’s kinda hard to compare the NEED for being at training camp. Hard to believe that the heaviest Junction Boy only weighed 225 lbs (the tackle); how times have changed. Knew that Gene Stallings had been one of the Boys, but not Jack Pardee. Very cool.
August 25th, 2022 at 7:16 pm
In the 11 days Brady was out who was he going to throw to if he had not left. Let me think, Mike Evens no out with a hamstring. Russell Gage no out with a hamstring. Chris Godwin no not full go ACL. Julio Jones so new needs to learn the system. So Brady missed working out with a bunch of 2nd string WR lol
August 26th, 2022 at 9:14 am
We don’t know about Tom Brady’s deal with the Bucs. The top secret deal is that of Tom Brady and Gisele. This is the deal. I think the compromise between Gisele and Brady is that the Family comes first. I believe Brady’s return to playing football has one condition, family comes first. Vacation with kids and wife comes first.