Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and if someone tries to debate that, then he’s wrong. His résumé speaks for himself and so does his legacy with the New England Patriots.
But, just to prove the doubters wrong and make a statement, Brady decided to write a new chapter in his career by leaving his lifelong organization to pursue a Super Bowl ring with a different team.
That’s when he shocked the world by announcing he was joining the often-struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers, cementing his legacy once again by winning the Vince Lombardi trophy on his very first season in the NFC.
Tom Brady Says He Had A Tough Time Learning The Bucs’ Playbook
But, crazy as it may seem, Brady wasn’t exactly at his best during his recent Super Bowl-winning campaign, as he recently toldHoodinkie Radio that he struggled to learn Bruce Arians’ playbook for most of the season.
“Midway through the year, I was still trying to figure out how to call the plays,” Brady started. “I just read [the plays] off my wristband and tried to visualize what was going to happen.”
“It’s like learning a completely new language. You’ve spoken English for 20 years and someone goes, ‘Hey man, let’s speak some Spanish.’ And you are like, ‘Huh? That makes no sense to my brain’,” Brady added.
That’s only normal after spending two decades within a system. Brady knew Bill Belichick’s playbook inside out and it all came pretty much automatic to him. Eventually, Arians also let him call his own plays and his performances were significantly better.
Brady Explains How Social Distancing Affected The Buccaneers Early In The Season
More than that, Brady credits the chemistry they gained throughout the year for the team’s improved performance, claiming that the first six weeks or so were tough due to the social distancing policies:
“The end of the season was what was the most fun,” Brady said. “We kind of came together. Naturally, we couldn’t come together in the same way. You couldn’t start that way in training camp because we were all social distanced. We couldn’t meet together. We had to all sit outside. You couldn’t have friends over. You couldn’t do anything after the game.
“So it took a long time for people to get to know one another. Much longer than normal. The last six weeks of the year, wow, we really started hitting our stride. We gained a lot of confidence in one another. It was a really unique experience, one that I hope I never, ever have to go through again, but I think we made the best of it,” the quarterback concluded.
Perhaps the scariest part about this is the fact that Brady will come back next season with a healthy knee, a learned playbook, and better chemistry with his teammates. Somehow, he could be even better.