Tom Brady Is The Driver Of The Bucs’ Bus
September 9th, 2022
Strong take on Tom Brady.
Jeff Saturday doesn’t want to hear it.
The former Pro Bowl center for the Colts who now hollers on TV for a living doesn’t want to hear that Bruce Arians is running the Bucs’ team. Or Todd Bowles. Or Jason Licht.
One guy is the lead dog in the Bucs’ organization, Saturday said. His name is “Tom Brady.”
Appearing on “First Dump,” Saturday said there isn’t one iota of a chance that whatever is going on with Brady off the field will hold Brady back with the Bucs.
Saturday said that no one is able to lock in and focus on the matter at hand like Brady. So all the noise, Saturday said, is for those outside the Bucs locker room. Inside, Brady will make damn sure everyone is dialed in on football and the task at hand.
“Zero, zilch. No concern, not even a little bit,” Saturday said when asked if Brady’s off-field life will end up hurting the Bucs. “Look, I understand he is going through some things personally, and he will continue to work those out. From a football perspective to your point, when you walk out on that football field, there is not a guy better in the NFL at blocking out the noise.
“When he hits between the lines, when he gets in that locker room and is with the guys, he will be laser-focused. He is the driver of this organization. We talked about Bruce Arians when they first joined and now Todd Bowles. It’s not the head coach. It’s not the general manager. It is no one else.
“It is Tom Brady [who] is the driver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So as he walks in that building, everybody else takes their cues from him. He will be spot on. He will continue to tell guys where they should be, how they should be, this is the best opportunity for us to win. [The noise] will have no impact on their football season.”
Strong words Thursday from Saturday about Sunday, when the Bucs open the season against Dallas.
Joe found it interesting and amusing when Saturday suggested it is Brady, not Licht, Arians or Bowles, running the show at One Buc Palace. LOL
The Bucs are in good hands with Brady, that’s for sure.
September 9th, 2022 at 9:19 am
So, it’s Brady making the decision to run up the gut on almost every 1st down! I was blaming Leftwich for that super creative plan….my bad!
September 9th, 2022 at 10:02 am
Joe’s. It’s game week where the heck is the Ira podcast??? Hungry to listen to bucs talk and have already had to listen to all the other big bucs podcasts
September 9th, 2022 at 10:06 am
It’s coming. It is in the can.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:08 am
Wonder who’s driving the bus next year oh sorry thats thinking or planning ahead not part of this organizations way of thinking.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:12 am
Saturday … ‘He (Brady) is the driver of this organization. It’s not the head coach. It’s not the general manager. It is no one else’.
Seems to me that some folks are giving Tom Brady too much credit for the Bucs’ performances and not giving our coaches enough credit. No question that Brady’s our ‘field general’ … on the offensive side of the ball. But there’s a LOT more to football than just that.
Bucs offense averaged 30 PPG last season, with a comparatively easy schedule & a strong OLine. This season we’ll be fortunate to average in the neighborhood of 25-27 PPG given our much tougher schedule & ‘refurbished’ OLine. Defense will play a much bigger role this season IMO than they did last year in terms of being the determining factor of whether we win or lose. Tom Brady doesn’t drive THAT train, nor does he drive the Special Teams train. It still takes a village.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Thanks DR.
I have no problem giving Brady a huge amount of credit. Just never understood the crew of people that act like the coaching staff should not get any credit.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:54 am
Good One Joe,. On Thursday from Saturday about Sunday…funny but true.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:57 am
I think that is the case in most organizations that have a future HOF QB… except in New England. Rodgers drives the Packer bus. Heck, the organization even covers for him, and pays him to a point that they can’t keep good players or improve their roster enough to put them in a position to make a strong drive to the Super Bowl. I think The Bucs have more integrity that the Packers organization does. But who wouldn’t bend over to a degree for a player like Brady…. except for the Patriots.
September 9th, 2022 at 11:04 am
Absolutely he is. BA tried to take over last season, we all know the results of that debacle. All I know is BA has plenty of time now a days to polish his golf cart. Who did you think is recruiting all these vets? DR, I think you’re giving the laughable coaching staff too much credit. You WILL see next season for sure.
September 9th, 2022 at 11:05 am
Defense… I agree with you about 99% of the time. I do think the number of points this team will put up is a tale to yet be told. And I wouldn’t be too surprised to see them score as many average points as they did last year. I think our receiver corp and running back group is definitely improved. Id take Jones over Brown. And Gage will add an element. Otten will be key as well as the revamped O line. Brady is older, granted, and is dealing with other issues. But I expect more opportunities for the Offense, with an improved defense. I think we will see many more three and outs from our defense and more turnovers. And Succop is really healthy this year. So I’m optimistic.
September 9th, 2022 at 11:11 am
It would appear that the Bucs’ plan for the future is Trask, so they at least think they are planning ahead.
September 9th, 2022 at 11:17 am
BA tried to take over? WT heck? He was the HC. Did he kiss AB’s backside? No. But AB was trying to take over the team. BA and TB have always gotten along well, and BA has deferred to Tom on in game play calling. This coaching staff was one of the reasons Brady came here. It wasn’t because Tom thought Jameis was such a Aclown that he would be easy to replaced, and we would win a SB almost for certain. Though I could be wrong about that.
September 9th, 2022 at 12:05 pm
Listnfrmafar … ‘I think you’re giving the laughable coaching staff too much credit. You WILL see next season for sure’.
I won’t disagree with you about NEXT season; that’ll be a real challenge in more ways than one. But in terms of our coaching staff, I think Todd Bowles was the perfect HC to replace BA, and the supporting staff that BA put in-place has performed very well for over 3 years now. Not perfect, but no staff is.
When I look back to what BA & his coaches had to start with when they arrived on-scene in 2019, I’m amazed it all came together so quickly. 2019 was a rough year in some ways, but it did get a lot of key players some much-needed experience working with this staff. Bucs went from the wannabees of the NFC South to Super Bowl champion in 2020, and then came within 1 play of advancing to the NFC Championship game in 2021. Personally I think that this coaching staff deserves a huge chunk of the credit for those accomplishments. But hey, everybody’s got an opinion, and according to my wife mine’s wrong 90% of the time, so what the heck do I know.
September 9th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Mark2001 … You make some great points about our roster; I’m just not sold on this OLine (and especially our OLine DEPTH). We play 4 very tough opponents to start the season, and we’ll have to do it with a relatively new OLine that’s learning on-the-job. Bucs have the weapons, but how effective they are will depend on how fast our OLine can come up-to-speed (we’re not there yet).
What I’m more concerned about (beyond the learning curve) is that the Bucs’ offense … even with TB12 at the helm … has had trouble with quality defenses (like Saints & Rams?). This year’s tougher schedule will see us playing MORE quality defenses, and that’s a large part of why I don’t think we’ll be scoring 30 PPG average (which BTW is almost 1 PPG shy of what we averaged in 2020). I took away 3-5 PPG just as a guess admittedly (that’s where that opinion-thingie comes in?). Just a gut feel though; only time will tell.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Did you all see Josh Allen destroy Matthew Stafford and the Rams last night? Allen looked every bit the hyped MVP. But that can’t be, because he went to Wyoming, which has never produced an NFL quarterback, and we know from Goathumper that schools that have never produced an NFL quarterback, well, can’t produce one. LMAO.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:22 pm
Suffering Since76 has long as its not Gabbert in their planning.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:24 pm
This is why Bucs fans don’t like Brady. He gets all the credit and nobody else does.
We would have won a ring with 15 other QB’s because it’s a stacked superteam.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:26 pm
One thing, at least for the start of Sunday Night Football – the Bucs defense is 100% healthy. If they can stay that way, and if Vita doesn’t get gassed walking from the sideline to the huddle, the D should be more than solid.
Gholston, Vea and Hicks up the middle. Shaq and Nelson on the perimeter. LVD and DW cleaning up the first level. Nice DB depth with Davis, Dean, SMB, AW2, Ryan and Neal.
LFG. Let’s see a pass rush. Watching the Bills destroy the Rams and Stafford made me hungry..
September 9th, 2022 at 1:32 pm
Joe is willing to bet less than 10 percent of Bucs fans want Tom Brady run out of town.
September 9th, 2022 at 1:58 pm
This whole idea of Brady “running the team” is a bunch of nonsense talk by uninformed people. That includes Saturday.
September 9th, 2022 at 2:07 pm
If the Bucs don’t look sharp in the first quarter get ready for Father Dungy to get on his soap box (again) and complain about the lack of preseason reps for players. That will be followed with a “back in my day” story.
September 9th, 2022 at 3:03 pm
Anyone else see the news that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens couldn’t get a deal done? If Brady decides to go back to the Geezahag after the season, looks like Lamar will be a free agent….
Now he’s very likely asking for a Deshaun Watson type of deal and isn’t worth that. Neither is Watson. But, if Licht, Bowles, BA, Evans, Godwin and Lenny could put the sweet sales pitch on him and convince him to come to the Bucs for a Broncos / Russell Wilson type of deal…..I don’t know man, that would be worth a look. Probably would need to lose too many good players to come out ahead, but then again….worth a look.
Or somehow draft Anthony Richardson, who looks like a real Gator-produced NFL prospect.
September 9th, 2022 at 3:34 pm
?
September 9th, 2022 at 3:38 pm
Goatfarmer, if the Ravens don’t get a deal done with Lamar, it could very well come down to Tampa, and Miami. He’s a Florida kid, and both teams are loaded. Ultimately I think Baltimore pays him, but it’s definitely something to pay attention to. If he does come available, break the bank and make him the highest paid QB.
September 9th, 2022 at 3:51 pm
Goatfarmer
This team is not designed for Lamar Jackson. We are not a run centric team. He passes for only about 200 yards a game. That would waste ME, Godwin and Gage.
Would he be better than who we have on the team currently other than Tom Brady? Sure.
I tend to think that 4 of Lamar Jacksons best 6 seasons have already happened. If he is looking for a 6-year deal, no way. 3-year deal, then fine.
September 9th, 2022 at 5:13 pm
All good points Geno….
I think he’s a better passer than folks realize, though. Yes he’s athletic and makes plays with his feet, but some of that is scheme also. Quite possible that Leftwich gets a head coaching gig elsewhere. Bowles might want to run more. Something to monitor in any case. Unless it’s Brady, the 2023 Bucs starter is not currently on the roster.
September 9th, 2022 at 6:40 pm
Guys like Jackson, Allen and other running QB’s don’t normally last too long. Allen was great last night but taking on Dlinemen and LB’s make for a short career. Mahomes is slowly getting away from running a lot, he gets it, same for Wilson.
September 9th, 2022 at 6:45 pm
Oh DR, your wife is right. Anonymous, who do you think stacked the team. I would like you to name the 15 QB’s that would of changed the team culture, bring Gronk, AB, Lenny to the team. If the coaching staff is SOOOO good, why couldn’t they get other jobs? They just won a SB?
September 9th, 2022 at 9:10 pm
Listnfrmafar, if someone taught Jackson to throw a football, he could be Steve Young on steroids. Allen is different than Mahomes. He’s about four inches taller, and 25-30 pounds heavier. Go ask the Rams defender, who Allen stiff armed like a child. Allen isn’t a prototypical running QB. I will admit that running QBs who don’t learn to throw from the pocket, usually don’t last.
September 9th, 2022 at 9:11 pm
NO Brady and the 30+ average points scored = NO Lombardi in 2020 plus what List just mentioned about the players and culture.
But List the coaches still cannot be slighted just becuase of an embarressment of riches. They still do their part.
But no matter how great a coach is, it still takes the players to make it happen.
GO BUCS!!!!!!
September 9th, 2022 at 9:17 pm
Buffalo’s biggest threat is Josh Allen taking needless hits. How long will he last?
Super Man Cam Newton got beat down through injuries. Somebody needs to help Josh realize, if he goes down, by e bye Super Bowl anything for that team.
Play aggressive but play smart, or pay the price of eventual injury.
September 9th, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Brady leads the offense… what an amazing hot take. I can see why this guy gets paid the big money.