Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady chewed out his offensive line during Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Bucs center Robert Hainsey says he has no problem with that.
Hainsey said Brady’s message to the linemen was simple: “Improve. Got to do better.” (Brady himself acknowledged that he punctuated the message with some F-bombs.) And Hainsey said the offensive line appreciates Brady’s leadership and passion.
“I want nothing else from a quarterback than that, than a guy who’s willing to tell us what we need to do and step up,” Hainsey said. “If he was just sitting over there and not getting us going, and not trying to help us, he wouldn’t be who he is today. So I love that from him. I know we all love that from him. It might look weird on TV, but that’s football. It’s a team sport, and that’s what you want from great teammates and great leaders, and he’s the best there is.”
Hainsey said sharing a huddle with Brady is an honor.
“He’s an awesome dude and I love learning from him,” Hainsey said. “He’s got so much knowledge of the game so any time I can pick his brain and figure out what he wants and how he sees it is a really cool opportunity for me. I enjoy that a lot.”
Sunday’s loss to the Steelers dropped the Buccaneers to 3-3, and questions have been raised about whether the 45-year-old Brady, who briefly retired this offseason and has taken far more time off than usual, is really all-in on this season. But Hainsey says the offensive line isn’t asking those questions.
