Brady gets attention for Bucs’ team effort
Maybe for body of work for an entire season, Tom Brady was the MVP of Super Bowl 55.
The Tampa Bay Bucs finished the season on an eightgame winning streak, including a 31-9 victory over the favored and defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Brady had a good game. A good season.
In Sunday’s game that was over at the half, he completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his prime, he did that by the half.
The real MVP was the Tampa Bay defense.
The unit sacked and racked Patrick Mahomes. When defenders weren’t putting him on his behind in a harsh manner, they were chasing and pressuring him all over Tampa. He probably ran to Ybor City and back, twice.
He threw high, he threw low and he always threw hurriedly because a Buccaneer was in hot pursuit.
Mahomes threw two interceptions and zero touchdowns. If you have ever watched him play, you know that is out of character for him.
Mahomes officially carried five times for 33 yards, but that was a fraction of the times he was forced to run out of the pocket. Give him credit: He threw flying parallel to the ground just before a crash landing, and he threw while in the grasp of defenders just before a crash landing.
On Monday morning, Mahomes probably felt more like Captain Crash than the quarterback who will challenge Brady for tales of greatness.
For Brady, it has to be extra sweet. Not because of what happened to Mahomes — the two definitely belong to the mutual respect club — but because he did it without Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
When he and New England broke up, he showed class and dignity. But the Patriots never paid him what he was worth because of how much his wife, super model Gisele Bundchen, earns.
She’s the highest-paid model in the world and worth a reported $550 million.
That’s more than Mahomes’ new 10-year, $500 million contract will pay him when it kicks in next year. On Sunday night, Mahomes finished off a season in which he made just a little more than $5 million.
Brady made $25 million this season, the most he’s ever made. Next season with the Bucs, he’ll make another $25 million.
The Bucs wouldn’t have even made the Super Bowl if not for Brady’s arm and leadership. He’s a field-promoted general.
When he speaks, everyone else listens.
When mouthy defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said too much, Brady — while on the field — started yelling and tried to get in his face.
Brady’s real payback was going right at him and causing him to interfere, which got flagged and helped the Bucs score a touchdown.
Both times, his teammates saw what he did and loved him for it.
Sure, he comes across as aloof and distant, but when you are the face of the NFL and your wife the face of the international world, you have to lead secluded lives.
Overall, it was an OK game. It was entertaining for a half, but only the most faithful of Chiefs fans thought they had a chance after K.C. took the second-half kickoff and ended up settling for yet another field goal.
The Bucs answered with a six-play, 74-yard drive that ended on a 27-yard touchdown run by Leonard Fournette.
As Don Meredith used to say on Monday Night Football: “Turn out the lights, the party is over.”
In the celebration, while holding the MVP trophy, Brady praised the entire team, which was exactly what he was supposed to do. The reason Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl was its amazing defense.