Being a perfectionist has its pros and cons. While this trait may help you win seven Super Bowls like Tom Brady, it can also make you a demanding taskmaster to your teammates. In one of such “intense” episodes in Brady’s taskmaster avatar, he once shouted expletives at his Tampa Bay teammate for shedding tears of joy after winning the 2021 NFC Championship.
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Following the victory, Bucks LB Lavonte David appeared on the ‘All Things Covered’ podcast. During his chat with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden, David revealed that after winning the conference title, an unnamed Bucs player was in tears celebrating the victory. While most understood the emotions of the player, Brady couldn’t.
For the football GOAT, the Super Bowl has always been the ultimate goal. Anything less is considered a failed season.
Brady, therefore, shouted at the player [either Chris Godwin or Jaydon Mickens] and aggressively asked why he was crying because the Lombardi was yet to be conquered. “What the f***k you crying for? We’re not done yet,” yelled Brady.
It was at this moment that a pumped-up David realized the true goal of playing in the NFL: the Super Bowl.
“I realized all other stuff don’t really matter unless it’s the Super Bowl…”
And as history showed us, the Buccaneers that year went on to win the Super Bowl. But the question here is, is this approach sustainable?
Is being obsessed with the goal the only way to push yourself and your teammates to do better? For Brady, yes. Others may not follow the same mindset.
And while Brady found success with his perfectionist approach with Tampa Bay, his replacement Baker Mayfield is finding success with the Bucs in what appears to be a radically different style.
“Stressed” Tampa Bay players wanted Baker Mayfield to “bring the joy back”
Since Brady’s exit, Mayfield has done a fairly neat job in keeping the offense performing well. While he hasn’t won the Lombardi Trophy for the Bucs yet, what he has definitely done is ease the vibe of the locker room.
In his latest chat with the crew of the ‘Casa De Klub’ podcast, Baker revealed that the Bucs locker room during Brady’s era was constantly “stressed.” As per Baker’s understanding, the GOAT had Tampa Bay players “dialed in” and made the locker room a “high-strung environment.”
Thus, after Brady’s exit, the Bucs wanted a leader who could bring some chill vibe to the locker room while keeping up with the predecessor’s level. This is where the Bucs found a perfect match in Baker, revealed the QB.
“They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football a little bit for guys that weren’t having as much fun and just continue to raise the competition level,” said Baker on the podcast. “They just asked me to be myself.”
While the debate over the right and sustainable approach to winning will likely continue indefinitely, one thing is undeniable — Brady has found success with his method.
From the outset, being “locked in” is an outlandish ask, but TB12 showed that it is the only way to achieve greatness. Unless Patrick Mahomes proves otherwise, Brady’s hard taskmaster approach is the only successful formula for greatness in the NFL.
