The Buccaneers will now have to worry about COVID-19 even more.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are coming off a stellar week of practice against the Tennessee Titans. While the game itself wasn’t pretty, the Buccaneer starters did very well against the Titans starters in the reps that mattered most.
Brady has been on another level so far this offseason, which has bled into the rest of the team’s success on offense. The unit is apparently going to be even better than it was in the Super Bowl, which is an exciting prospect for everyone hoping for a repeat season.
Unfortunately, all of the preseason success and cohesion in the world could mean very little for the Bucs if they suffer an outbreak of COVID-19. The team has done a decent job of staying vaccinated and being safe under the direction of Bruce Arians. Still, as the virus changes, even the vaccinated players and their families are in danger from the newest variant, and players will miss time regardless of their vaccine status this season.
The safety of the players, coaching staff, and their families is the primary concern, and the high vaccination rate should mitigate the majority of the risks on this front, but missing time is still a question for anyone who comes into contact with a positive case.
As much of the NFL world questions joint practices after a whole week of chippiness and fighting, the Buccaneers can also add a positive COVID case for an argument against practices like this in the future.
According to Turron Davenport on Twitter, Mike Vrabel, the head coach for the Titans, tested positive for COVID-19. Vrabel has likely been around most of the Bucs players for the better part of a week, and there is one player he has probably seen more than anyone else.
Mike Vrabel says he's tested positive for Covid-19. #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 22, 2021
Everyone has already seen the pictures of Tom Brady, his son, and Vrabel all over the internet, and we all know that the former teammates are still close friends. Since Vrabel has tested positive, Brady is in massive danger of missing some time.
No Brady in practice would be a disaster for the roster. The regular season is still a few weeks away, but we all saw how well the offense works without him on the field. The Buccaneers are a different team without their starting quarterback at the helm, and the champs still need all of the time possible to practice with their entire offense leading up to the start of the regular season.
Keep your fingers crossed that everyone on the Buccaneers and Mike Vrabel can stay healthy and recover quickly.
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