Throw the Excuses Away
Week 1 has come and gone, for most teams, and all eyes were on Tom Brady. The veteran QB signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March. A month after, Rob Gronkowski un-retired and requested a trade to Tampa. A little suspicious but it is what it is. Gronk was a shell of himself, 2 catches for a mere 11 yards. Definitely not the same Gronk. Brady, however, stole the eyes of everyone in the football world. Starting fresh away from the Patriot way. Most of Brady’s pass attempts were still top-notch, there were certainly a few that made me scratch my head.
How Did Brady Play
At the start of the game, sports commentators everywhere were talking about the upgrade Brady had on offense. Suddenly they admit that New England didn’t have the weapons that they claimed for the previous two years. Brady looked pretty decent up until he threw his first interception of the day. As much as I hope he does well and enjoys his time in Tampa, that did put a smirk on my face. That’s when the excuses from sports analysis started to roll in. It was out with the “The receivers can’t get open,” and in with the “Brady had no preseason.”
Remember, this is probably the toughest game on Tompa Bay's schedule, and Brady has been forced to play at New Orleans with a new offense with all new teammates and zero preseason games.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 13, 2020
Brady threw another interception early in the third quarter, this one returned for a touchdown. Both interceptions ended up giving New Orleans points on the board. Skip Bayless, as seen above, continued with his excuse that Brady had to learn a new offense with all new players. Not entirely accurate. Brady convinced Gronk to come out of retirement and get traded to him. That’s a former teammate of Brady’s, Skip. No one gave Cam Newton any excuses, just “this is what Brady had to endure.” That was after one pass, which was a perfect one at that.
Cam gets a taste of what Brady had to deal with last year. Perfect pass to Edelman, can't hold on. Edelman led the league in drops. Cam looks quick and powerful. But he'd better have more help than Brady did.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 13, 2020
Comparing Stats
Brady
23 of 36 (63%) 2 TD 2 INT
3 rushes for 9 yards, 1 TD
Newton
15 of 19 (79%) 0 TD 0 INT
15 rushes for 75 yards, 2 TDs
My Thoughts
Stop the excuses, please! Yes, Tom Brady played a well-rounded team that has been a playoff contender for years whereas Cam Newton played the Dolphins. The Dolphins can put up points, they finished the second half of the 2019 season on a winning streak beating the Patriots at Gillette. Miami also upgraded their defense during the offseason. They could be better than we think. (Don’t hold your breath, Dolphins fans.)
On Brady Not Having a Preseason: Newton also had no preseason, as did every other team. That excuse irked me to my core.
On Brady Having to Learn a New Offense: As did Newton. Newton had to learn not only the Patriots playbook, which is one of the toughest to learn, he also had to learn how to work with Bill Belichick and the “Patriot Way.”
On Edelman’s Drop: It was ugly, I definitely overreacted. Thought it was going to be a continuation of leading the league in drops. Thankfully, I was way wrong. Edelman went on to catch 5 of his remaining 6 targets for 57 yards.
Since I love overdramatic Week 1 reactions: Patriots will go 16-0 and the Buccaneers will go 0-16
-Jess Donahue (@jldx392)
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