The Buccaneers are back in the Super Bowl.
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made the Super Bowl under Tom Brady‘s leadership, and Tampa deserves this chance more than anyone.
The Bucs have suffered for years under inept leadership and questionable decisions, but all that suffering is over now. Tampa Bay went all-in on one of the longest shots imaginable, and all of it has paid off. The Buccaneers will now be the first team ever to host a Super Bowl, and all of that is due to the addition of Tom Brady.
The free-agent signing of Tom Brady was one of the most significant moments in franchise history and will go down as one of the smartest. You can question Brady’s age and decisions at times, but you can never question his heart. Brady never lost his edge when it mattered most, even with a collapse during the second half of the NFC Championship.
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Brady started off the game white-hot, but the second half saw a stark change in the offense. The pass-game couldn’t get off the ground after halftime. Byron Leftwich focused a bit too hard on bleeding the clock with the run, which made sense, but it placed Brady under an immense amount of pressure from an impressive pass-rush.
After starting the game almost flawless other than a handful of dropped passes by the receivers, Brady fell off in the second half with three picks. Brady looked frantic in the pocket, but the poise on the roster never faltered. The Buccaneer defense stood tall when Brady fell short, and the completeness of the team pushed the Bucs over the top.
Even with his meltdown during the end of the game, Brady has been the catalyst for change on this team. Brady is not replaceable, even at 43-years old. With a top-tier quarterback at the top, the game opens up for the rest of the roster.
Teamwork has been the name of the game for the whole season. When the offense and defense play a complete game, few teams in the league have a chance of keeping up with this group. Even with injuries and all the reasons to doubt, the Buccaneers just gave the city of Tampa hope for the first time in 17 years.
It still doesn’t feel real. Nobody pinch me.
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