5 decisions that give Buccaneers a shot at the Super Bowl
By Rob Leeds
Let Brady air the ball out
The most misconceived argument surround this upcoming season is that Tom Brady is not built for Bruce Arians’ offensive system. Fans will look back at Brady’s numbers from last season, see only 4,000 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, and quickly jump to the conclusion that Winston would be better in this system.
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The one thing that people fail to take into account is the offensive pieces that were present on each of the teams.
Last season, Brady’s go-to target on offense was Julian Edelman. Edelman is a talented receiver, but he doesn’t hold a candle up to Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, where talent is concerned. After Edleman, there wasn’t a single receiver or tight end that had more than 400 receiving yards. The Buccaneers had two Pro Bowlers at receiver.
In addition to poor receivers, the run game for New England looked nearly identical to the one in Tampa Bay. If Winston gets bailed out due to the less-than-stellar run game while in Tampa, can the same be said for Brady?
If the Buccaneers really want to make it to the Super Bowl, they will use Brady like they used Jameis. Winston averaged 39.1 passes per game in 2019 while Brady averaged 38.3, showing that volume is no problem at all.
Brady proved that he could keep pace with an almost identical volume of throws. Vastly improved receivers and an improving offensive line will give Brady all the weapons that he needs to dominate in Arians’ offense.