Buccaneers: 5 biggest surprises of the early NFL season

Tom Brady is playing at a top-5 level

Does this even count as a surprise? Perhaps for some of the fans, it does. The departure of Jameis Winston led to an immediate schism within the fanbase that had a small but vocal minority furthering the notion that the Buccaneers were getting a worse quarterback from this move. The minority is much quieter now.

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Most people knew that Brady would be great in this current offense, but his level of success has still come across as a shock.

Brady is still getting to know the Buccaneer offense, yet he is currently in ninth-place for passing yards and is tied for fourth in passing touchdowns. All of this has also been accomplished despite the horrible play-calling that marred the first two games.

The Buccaneers have not just a consistent quarterback under center, but one that has shown up on the stat sheet and off of it. The box scores and advanced analytics show that Brady is a substantial improvement over last season, and the Buccaneers are in great hands for the next two seasons.

The MVP race this year will be very tight, but Brady has made a case for himself to be in that conversation this season, even though numerous younger top-tier players are also involved.

Tom Brady has continued to show out in his 21st year in the NFL, and as he grows more comfortable with the offensive system, he will continue to out-perform many of his peers.