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“Tom Brady…wanted to do what Peyton Manning Did”: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians Says GOAT QB Had A Point To Prove

Ashish Priyadarshi
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Tom Brady

Tom Brady signed with the Bucs last offseason for a variety of reasons. However, head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that Brady was trying to send a message.

Of course, throughout the offseason, as reports surfaced that Brady was looking to shift teams, debates raged on about who deserved more credit for the Patriots success, Brady or Belichick?

There’s no doubt that Brady heard all the talk and questions surrounding his legacy, and it may very well be true that Brady was fueled by this adversity. His career was put on the spot, as people labeled him a “system quarterback”, and well he had to go out and show to everyone that this was simply not the case.

That mindset translated into Brady’s seventh Super Bowl ring as the Buccaneers dominated the Chiefs to the tune of a 31-9 blowout.

Also read: ‘Tom Brady Is The Patriot Way’: Former New England Wide Receiver Danny Amendola Takes A Shot At Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Tom Brady Changed the Culture In Tampa Bay

The Buccaneers had been the bottom-feeders of the NFC South and well the entire league for a long time. Their last playoff appearance had come in 2007, the same year the Patriots went 16-0 with Tom Brady at the helm.

Additionally, Tampa Bay was coming off another disappointing season in 2019-20 as former first overall pick Jameis Winston had one of the most historically confusing seasons. Winston led the league in passing with over 5,000 yards and threw for 30+ touchdowns as well, but he also threw 30 interceptions.

Things were looking bleak.  However, the past offseason dramatically turned things around. Brady’s signing came at an unprecedented time in league history.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, regular offseason workouts could not proceed as planned, and thus Brady had to improvise.

He would take his teammates to Berkley Prep, a private preparatory school whose classes had become completely online, and train with them. His teammates certainly appreciated the effort and were wowed by the way Brady made them work. The Bucs’ long tenured, number one wide receiver, Mike Evans had this to say:

“I worked out the most I ever have in my career” 

Brady created a winning culture in Tampa. Evans, who was used to being on losing teams, also found himself changing as did the rest of the team:

“It’s tough to be the laughingstock. Or when teams played us, not respecting us. Like, I am playing the Bucs, that’s an easy win. That s— used to make me so mad.”

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi

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Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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