Learning a new offense won't be a simple challenge for Tom Brady, but it sure sounds like it's one he's embracing.
The 42-year-old quarterback didn't have to make many major offensive adjustments over the last 20 years with the New England Patriots, and that's among the benefits to playing for one team and one head coach over that span. Now that Brady has taken his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in NFL free agency, there's a whole new set of information for him to process before Week 1 rolls around. Based on what Brady has seen so far of the Bucs' offense led by head coach Bruce Arians, it appears he's quite optimistic about the possibilities.
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“I’ve watched (Bruce Arians’) offense over a long period of time with a lot of different quarterbacks have a lot of success,” Brady said Tuesday during a media conference call. “It’s a great offense for the quarterback. It’s a great offense for the wide receivers, for the tight ends, for the running backs."
Getting familiar with a new playbook isn't the only task confronting Brady over the next few months. He must begin to build relationships with running backs, wide receivers and tight ends who have no on-field chemistry with the veteran quarterback.
"There's some really talented players here on this offense that have very unique skillsets," Brady said. "It's really my responsibility … I have one ball, and I've got to be able to deliver that ball to the guy who can do something with it. There's a lot of ground to make up because I haven't worked with these players, and I'm going to have to learn what they do and their body language and how they like things."
The Buccaneers will be able to surround Brady with plenty of talent on offense. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin form one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. O.J. Howard is a talented tight end and a recent first-round pick. Tampa Bay's offensive line is pretty good, too. The Bucs also have the No. 14 pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to add another playmaker on offense.
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So, there's a lot for Brady to work with in Tampa Bay, but it's not going to instantly come together. There's a lot that Brady and the rest of the offense must do to build a strong chemistry before the regular season begins, and this challenge will be even more difficult given the outbreak of the coronavirus.
"There's a lot of things that go into it," Brady said. "The sooner we can get those things going, the greater it will be for everybody, but understanding the circumstances of what we're dealing with, we're in a little different approach, and we're going to have to adjust."