When Tom Brady first announced that he would be joining the Buccaneers, fans as well as the front office members in Tampa Bay were excited. However, for Tristan Wirfs, it meant he would be undertaking a critical and high-profile responsibility.
Advertisement
Offensive linemen already have an extraordinary and important duty. But protecting the greatest signal caller in the history of your profession means added pressure.
While Wirfs, who was drafted by the Bucs in 2020, managed to live up to those expectations he had set for himself, he has also admitted that he still struggles to think about one of the last times in which he didn’t. “Talk about nightmare fuel, dude,” he exclaimed during his recent appearance on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast.
“When they called me on draft night, they were like, ‘You ready to protect Tom Brady?’ I was like, what? You gotta be kidding me. I was just trying to keep him upright. Because, obviously, if you get him hit hard, I don’t want to be the one to end Tom Brady’s career,” Wirfs recalled.
That’s exactly what happened when the Bucs were forced to face off against the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs. Brady threw the ball 66 times that day, but nothing proved to be enough to close the gap.
However, even after Dallas found itself with a 31-6 lead, it still seemed as if there was a bit of magic left in the game. Brady connected with Cameron Brate on an eight-yard touchdown pass, and that was followed by a successful two-point conversion and an onside kick.
But that’s where the fun ended, as a sack from Micah Parsons on 2nd & 10 effectively brought an end to the contest. According to Wirfs, that particular moment in time will likely haunt him forever.
“Turns out it would be one of the last plays of Tom’s career, and I gave up a sack. That’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life. That is haunting,” Wirfs said.
Brady went out to the tune of 35 pass completions, 351 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The numbers proved that, even in his final moments, he was still capable of being one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
It remains unknown whether Brady ever shared his honest thoughts with Wirfs about the 2022 sack. Interestingly, that was also the last time the Cowboys entered the playoffs.
