The Man Tom Brady May Miss Most
September 26th, 2022
Who does Tom Brady miss?
Joe has maintained since the season began it is clear that Tom Brady terribly misses foot-rubbing tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Look how much (little?) production has come from the tight end position in three games.
But Bobby Kownack of NFL.com seems to think the guys Brady misses the most are still on the roster. Well, in theory.
Tom Brady misses his top targets. We spent the week talking about broken Microsoft Surface tablets, but in hindsight, we should’ve been talking more about missing weapons and general frustration that seems to be pervasive throughout Tampa Bay’s offense. Brady was forced to play Sunday without Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, leaving him with a cast headlined by Breshad Perriman, Russell Gage, Cameron Brate and Jaelon Darden. He nearly made it work, completing 31 of 42 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, but the absences were impossible to overlook when Brady needed a go-to target for the potential game-tying two-point conversion in the game’s final seconds. Instead, he targeted Gage, and the pass was broken up by De’Vondre Campbell. Tampa Bay is 2-1, but will attract enough negative attention to make folks believe it is 0-3. That WR trio can’t come back soon enough.
Kownack makes a compelling point that the cavalry is coming. But if you think about it, are the guys Brady had to throw to yesterday collectively any worse than what he had to throw to in his last year playing for the Belicheats? Probably not.
The more Joe thinks about this, yes, Brady misses Gronk, no question.
But the man Brady may be missing the most is Bucco Bruce Arians.
September 26th, 2022 at 4:14 am
Brady misses Josh McDaniels and Charlie Weis. Not BA. If he wants to win his final season, he had better take control.
September 26th, 2022 at 4:23 am
Gimme Godwin, Smith and Evans on the field together with that young O line and lets see what we got. Now about Lenny’s backup…..
September 26th, 2022 at 5:21 am
Even if the throw wasn’t tipped on that 2-point try, Gage looked like he was very well covered in the end zone.
September 26th, 2022 at 5:31 am
His wife.
September 26th, 2022 at 6:00 am
Misses McDaniels and Weiss?! Give me a break!
What he missed were WRs and TEs that could get open, catch the ball, and not turn it over. Yesterday was a prime example of the lack of WR depth on this team.
And Gronk? Oh yeah, that might be one of the biggest production vacuums we’ve seen through three games.
September 26th, 2022 at 6:43 am
JAMEIS WATCH: 2 more INTs.
September 26th, 2022 at 6:46 am
Byron should be taking heat for trying to run and end-around/flea-flicker with 3 green OL in the game and the likes of the 3 blind mice playing WR. I mean, that was an abhorrent play call. Facts are facts. This O stinks. The running game has zero creativity behind it. The passing game is worse. As for the injuries, someone convince me that 10 + 1 are better than 18+15? Darden and Miller can’t hold their own physically against NFL CBs. They just can’t.
12 has to take some heat too. His fingerprints are all over this thing.
September 26th, 2022 at 6:59 am
I think Miller and Darden should resign immediately and go get a real job.
September 26th, 2022 at 7:02 am
He misses gronk of course. He’s a cheat code
September 26th, 2022 at 7:11 am
Hes missing a play caller with a little imagination im guessing
September 26th, 2022 at 7:32 am
Burnt timeout, double reverse, run on 1st & 20 plus fumbles. Do we really believe Lenny can carry the load himself for 14 more games? The way the D stepped up that should have been an easy W.
Sitting Jones was the most idiotic call of the day, the potential tie breaker game? I can see why the Jets fired him and why neither Bowles or BL got jobs. I doubt Brady misses BA, who was he going to chuck the ball downfield to?? Remember BA caused the whole Latimore debacle (watch the film).
Brady had a better line and receivers in 2019, he at least had Edelman, Jacobi Myers and Ben Watson. I don’t count Sanu, he stinks. Plus a ST returner that wasn’t afraid to get hit and help with field position. BIG HOLES on this team.
September 26th, 2022 at 7:33 am
Cut Darden and Miller TODAY.
September 26th, 2022 at 7:52 am
Obviously he misses a HOF TE. What I miss is a HC that treats his timeouts like they are gold in case you need them at the end when the game is on the line , no reason whatsoever Bucs should not have had a TO available-NONE.
September 26th, 2022 at 8:08 am
Imagine a world where Evans, Godwin, Jones, Gage and Beasley are on the field together. This team will be good in due time. I’d like to see Vaughn get some touches. I’d also prefer not to see runs up the gut for no gain. One thing is for sure, the oline needs help. Smith can’t come back fast enough!
September 26th, 2022 at 8:19 am
It’s not time to panic yet!! Only 2 teams are 3 and 0 right now! 14 more games to go, then playoffs!! ME will be back this week and hopefully some others too!!
September 26th, 2022 at 8:41 am
Show me any team with a banged up OL, missing 3 top WRs with Old Man River Lenny having to carry the running load (White and Sneak need to step up big time) and I will show you a team that may have a problem scoring consistently.
The Bucs are doing a helluva good job with what they have to work with at the moment.
September 26th, 2022 at 8:41 am
BA needs to get in the same room with Tom, Todd and Boron and tell them some truths, from his perspective. That’s why he’s still there. His specialty is passing offense, so let the man weigh in and then listen to him.
Boron? Boron? BORON???
September 26th, 2022 at 8:45 am
I thought Darden did ok? 3 punt returns, averaged 8.7. 1 target, 1 catch for 25 yards
September 26th, 2022 at 8:46 am
I have faith that something will happen because you just cant justify this low scoring games with the best QB in history. I think the truth really starts to show its face as to why Leftwitch is not a head coach in the NFL. PLUS HE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 26th, 2022 at 8:51 am
Licht did not do his job and get more lineman.
September 26th, 2022 at 8:53 am
Bowles sounds and looks pissed at the press conferance. Im sure he is like (Im not gong to let anybody screw up my second chance as a head coach.)
September 26th, 2022 at 9:07 am
Beej@ Darden, REALLY? The guy makes one catch and now he’s good? That man can’t find the sidelines fast enough. He runs east to west not north & south. He does nothing for positive field position. I will admit one thing he is sure handed. White should be the returner.
LVMYBUCS@ maybe if Bowles started Jones instead of saving him for the long run in a sport where injuries are commonplace, he wouldn’t be so pissed.
September 26th, 2022 at 9:07 am
You guys are wrong. The real person Brady misses is a center that a center that can count! watch the video on the 2 point conversion.
September 26th, 2022 at 9:12 am
I was thinking yesterday that BA needs to be there.
September 26th, 2022 at 11:01 am
We have some cap money that we haven’t spent……didn’t bring in Suh….I think we are saving it for Gronk…..
I think Brady misses Gronk the most…..not just as a target….but as a friend on the field…..
September 26th, 2022 at 11:03 am
Per Jay Glazer’s (Bleacher Report also confirms this) reporting Julio Jones is dealing with a partially torn PCL. It would be unwise to rush him back to the field where he can make this injury worse or suffer a related injury for over-compensating a la Chris Godwin’s hamstring injury after recovering from his ACL tear. Case in point David Bakhtiari initially tore his ACL and other knee ligament damage at the end of 2020, came back to play 27 snaps in a play-off tune up game against the Lions in 2021, but his knee didn’t respond well and shut it down for the rest of the season and hadn’t played up until yesterday. The offense will get better with Mike Evans and Donovan Smith back. Let Julio and Chris get healthy and they will give the offense a bigger boost when it matters.
September 26th, 2022 at 11:38 am
Someone please try and reconcile how the Patriots managed to incorporate a Hamstring Injury Prevention Program TWO DECADES AGO which gave the Pats a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE in reduced hamstring injuries yet Alex Guerrero and the Bucs have had a Competitive Disadvantage with these injuries for three straight seasons??!!
September 26th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
Well, just guessing here, but on the 2-pt try, even a “washed-up” Gronk on the field would’ve drawn most of the attention, leaving at least somebody else open, like Gage.
No doubt Brady misses someone as clutch as Gronk. There is hope though – once we get all 3 top WR’s back. Heck, if we also had ME and JJ playing yesterday, I’m sure we could’ve managed to score at least 1 more TD.
We’ll be better in the coming weeks, my fellow fine-feathered fans. Better – yes! Elite/dominant? We shall soon see.
September 26th, 2022 at 12:06 pm
It seems that everyone gets overhyped about certain players and then do not give them a chance. First it is Scotty Miller, which seems to definitely be having trouble right now and may be done. Then it was Darden, which is in his second year and is servicable as a returner since he has someone on him right as he catches the ball. No time to make a move, but still above average in yards per return this year across the league. Now it is Devin Thompson.
Scotty Miller has been given ample opportunity and sometimes make some crucial plays. I have heard people say he is not NFL quality, but he obviously is.
Darden hasn’t seen the field enough on offense to say he is not NFL quality. They throw it to him once when they are missing ALL of their WRs and the WRs they have are not producing and he gets 25 yards.
Devin Thompson looked good this offseason and we all hope he develops into something special, but as soon as he hits the field and they do not throw to him, or he has no space on returns, everyone will be criticizing him and saying he should be cut.
None of these new recievers will get much of a chance to shine with Chris Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones! Wow! What a starting lineup! Go Bucs!
September 26th, 2022 at 12:09 pm
Mike Evans…I mean. Obviously. Mistype.
September 26th, 2022 at 12:36 pm
He cant be missing Arians because he went out of his way to get him promoted. This is all currently on Brady. He has the offense he wanted, and the say in the playcalling. He doesnt have many of the horses he chose on both the blocking front and the receiving corps. He chose not to spend the extra time getting acclimated to the new receivers, and who knows if that would have helped or not. ME13 will be back next week, and the passing game should improve. We let a close one get away this week, but the attrition caught up to this team. I still see an upside.
September 26th, 2022 at 12:59 pm
This all begs the question. Would Brady have returned had he known it would look like this? He probably expected Gronk to play. He probably didn’t expect his wife would move out. His line can’t run block, and he’s getting hit. It should get better once they get some guys back, but for how long. The season now rests on the surgically repaired knee of Godwin, and old oft injured Julio Jones. Evans and Gage are not enough. The tight ends have been non-existent. No the sky is not falling, but they have little margin for error.
September 26th, 2022 at 1:21 pm
After his official retirement party, how does Gronk unretire and save face?
September 26th, 2022 at 1:23 pm
You’d have to have rocks in your head to think that he doesn’t miss his hof coach Arians, but I really think that he misses Mike and Chris one hell of a lot more though. Good players are far more important than good coaches.
September 26th, 2022 at 2:46 pm
Why do they keep forcing Brate down our throats, why not show us what Rudolph has?
September 26th, 2022 at 2:49 pm
Because Rudolph has shown the Bucs what he has, which ain’t much.
September 26th, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Duane, did Brady fumble the ball twice on scoring drives?
September 26th, 2022 at 6:21 pm
Definitely missing Evans in the red zone.
Possibly even more than Gronk, TBH
September 26th, 2022 at 9:57 pm
Cobraboy Says:
“After his official retirement party, how does Gronk unretire and save face?”
.
.
Apparently, he got paid to appear at his own “retirement” party, so I don’t think that saving face is a big concern of his.