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| Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated |
Finally! We have some things trending on Twitter that don't have to do with the coronavirus. I'm gonna jump right into this first one...
Tom Brady signs with the Bucs for roughly $30 million per season
BUCS GRADE: A-
PATRIOTS GRADE: D-
BRADY'S GRADE: B+
I've already voiced my opinion about this on Twitter:
I guess #TomBrady agreed with me. I was nearly a month early to the party. #TB12 #Bucs https://t.co/wABUdehF4f— John Frascella (@LegendSports7) March 17, 2020
And with this:
My #hottake on the #Bucs with #TomBrady: I think they will go 10-6 this season. It won’t be perfect and there will be a lot of pressure on the O Line, but Brady and Arians make for an old school, winning combination. 9-6 going into the last week, Brady comes through. #TB12 #NFL— John Frascella (@LegendSports7) March 17, 2020
So yeah, this is a total win for the Bucs. The only reason I gave them an A- instead of a solid A is because of Brady's age. Obviously, once you make a move like this, you are instantaneously in win-now mode. You don't set up much for the future here, unless you count the abstract value of Brady mentoring young players; particularly young quarterbacks.
Now, I understand that signing with the Bucs is Brady's choice, but I'm still going to provide grades for the teams that lost players. So, this is a D- for the Pats because we don't know anything about Jarrett Stidham's readiness. We know Bill Belichick can coach 'em up, but in all likelihood the Pats will bring in a veteran quarterback; like say, Andy Dalton or someone of a similar ilk.
Let's not forget the multiplied effect, here - for so long, it's been "Brady and Belichick". Brady is fifty percent of the allure of the Patriots' dynasty. Players love Brady - particularly young players. Is Belichick enough to draw the same type of crowd? Will acquisitions "conform" and "buy in" the same way without Brady around to command additional respect and admiration?
We can't really know, going forward. I just know Brady is (nearly) as much of a draw as Belichick. People wanna play with Brady, and for Belichick. This signing has a trickle-down effect.
And lastly, Brady gets a B+ because well - when was the last time the Bucs were really good? Of course history doesn't necessarily impact future results, but the Pats were a safer bet than the Bucs. Note: My tweet above was in reference to the early reports that Brady was leaning toward leaving New England, no matter what. Personally, I think Brady should have left his ego at the door and stuck with the Pats. If Julian Edelman doesn't drop that easy pass near the end of their playoff loss to the Titans, who knows what happens from there? Every play matters; especially at crunch time. The Pats were still a highly-competitive team this past season.
Of course, on the bright side, Brady will hopefully reap the benefits of Evans and Godwin. In addition, both Brady and Arians will hope RB Ronald Jones and TE O.J. Howard take "the leap" this season. The more productive all of these players are, the more balanced Tampa's offense will be.
In the end, this move makes things awfully interesting for both the AFC East and NFC South. Maybe this will open up the door for Sam Darnold and my Jets!
Wishful thinking, I'm sure.
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