The Tom Brady saga with the Buccaneers grows even more strange with the recent announcement from the team regarding the GOAT at practice.
As great as it was to see Tom Brady return to the Buccaneers to give the team one more year at relevance, many of us are still left wondering why Brady actually returned in the first place.
One of the biggest reasons why Brady will go down as the GOAT has to do with how much he prepares for matchups and his intensity, yet we haven’t really seen that much this season.
The team and the quarterback have done little to explain anything that has been going on behind closed doors, nor do they have a requirement to do so, but news such as Brady taking time off during the preseason and the recent changes to his practice schedule are only going to force people to ask more questions.
Something as regimented as every Wednesday off is significant. He's had days off as he's needed them. He's calculating that it won't be an appreciable detriment to his preparation and on-field success. https://t.co/QzXOGo8aEp
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 18, 2022
Brady is not going to be present at a Wednesday practice for the rest of the season, and this is absolutely something that should worry fans.
You can’t be half-in in the world of the NFL. Half preparation is never going to lead to a Super Bowl. Veterans miss time, especially due to injuries and nicks suffered during games, but this can’t be for that.
If Brady needed the time, that would be one thing. But planning this out only makes it seem more and more that his heart isn’t in playing anymore, and that is a major red flag for the Buccaneers and their chances at winning another Super Bowl.
Greg Auman was able to put this in further perspective with the history of days such as this for the GOAT:
To put Tom Brady's veteran/maintenance days off from Bucs practice in perspective: Last year, he didn't take one until Week 11, and then took eight in the final 10 game weeks of the season, including the playoffs.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 18, 2022
Just like the time away during camp, this isn’t normal. This isn’t championship behavior. The Bucs have too many new faces and too many injuries that thrust new guys into starting roles to already throw one whole day of practice away with the most important player on the team.
This isn’t a good look, and we can rest assured that the team is going to do little to help make any of this seem normal or warranted.
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