Brady's Buccaneers are worthy of a part in Tampa Bay's moment
Football squad joins Lightning and Rays in the spotlight, writes Jerry Brewer.
In this debilitating year of the novel coronavirus, no city has been able to rejoice over sports as much as Tampa. Most are salvaging, scrounging, redefining joy. Tampa is flourishing.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. The Tampa Bay Rays, based in nearby St. Petersburg, are headed to the World Series. And, oh yeah, there's this other little delight: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gradually transforming into a team worthy of Tom Brady's lingering greatness. Tampa Bay, though cheesy, is becoming a hypnotic thing.
Usually, this much success in a short period would inspire jealousy, but it's hard for eyes to turn green when looking at a city forced to celebration in isolation. The Lightning made the best of it and enjoyed a fun boat parade down the Hillsborough River, but the city didn't get the customary burst of euphoria after capturing its first Stanley Cup championship in 16 years. The Rays are a fun World Series representative, but once again, Tampa won't get the full dose of civic pride as it pursues its first MLB title.
But the city isn't done thriving, it seems. Six games into the season, Brady and the Bucs are improving at a good pace. What matters most is how they're doing it: The entire team is growing together. Brady is playing well, not carrying them. Their weaknesses are diminishing. Their balance on offence and defence is emerging. Their methods seem sustainable. While they aren't yet as formidable as other contenders, they have significant potential, and they are showing the competence to reach that ceiling.
On Sunday, Tampa Bay improved to 4-2 after its most impressive victory of the season, a 38-10 hammering of previously unbeaten Green Bay. The Buccaneers defence proved that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers aren't unstoppable. They forced Rodgers into his first two interceptions of the season, with Jamel Dean returning one for a touchdown. Rodgers had thrown 13 touchdown passes and posted a 128.4 passer rating in his first four games, but against Tampa Bay, he was 16-for-35 for 160 yards and didn't throw for a score. And an offence that entered the game averaging a league-best 38 points — an offence that hadn't scored fewer than 30 points in any game — faltered.
This was the kind of performance that many assumed we would see from the Bucs as soon as the season began. But it was going to take time. Brady came south toting six championship rings from New England and determined to show he can still play at 43. His new team had a productive collection of offensive weapons and an accomplished offensive mind in coach Bruce Arians. Rob Gronkowski even came roaring out of retirement to join his quarterback. Nevertheless, there's no such thing as an instant contender in the NFL, and a truncated off-season made that all the more impossible. Tampa Bay had to commit to a process. A 34-23 season-opening loss to New Orleans reinforced the notion.
Now, you see a team that keeps learning from the season's hard lessons. You see a team that keeps developing while managing the scrutiny that comes with the spotlight Brady provides. To become a legitimate Super Bowl contender, a squad must be able to grind and evolve, and during the learning process, you want to see flashes of excellence that start to last longer as the year progresses. Undoubtedly, this was the first great spike of Tampa Bay's season. A championship run will require several more.
“Certainly, there are things we can do better than we did,” Brady said. “And we're going to keep working at it.”
Just a week ago, Brady was dealing with humiliation. In the closing moments of a loss to Chicago, he seemed to lose track of the downs, looking stunned after an errant fourth-down pass. Brady, Arians and the team denied a gaffe. Still, he was mocked for having an old man moment. Whether it was a mistake or just a silly controversy, freak occurrence took away from the bigger picture: Overall, Brady has been really good this season. His statistical productivity is close to his prime numbers. His remaining talent flickers from time to time, and instead of being asked to cover all of his team's warts, he needs his team to pick him up on occasion.
The beat down of Green Bay provided an example. Brady was solid and careful with the football, completing 17-of-27 passes for 166 yards and throwing for two touchdowns without an interception.
Since his arrival in March, it seems the city can't lose. Include the entire region of Central Florida, and it goes down as the epicentre of sports during this time. The NBA retreated to Disney World, near Orlando, to finish its season. The WNBA hosted its campaign at IMG Academy in Bradenton. Throw in the Lightning, the Rays and the NFL's greatest active legend joining the Bucs, and you can't even think about sports without focusing on Central Florida.
And Tampa is still scheduled to host Super Bowl LV. At the unlikely new epicentre of sports drama, the crazy dream of Brady and the Bucs headlining the party is gaining legitimacy.