If Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady could have his way, he doesn’t want Antonio Brown to be off the team.
After all, he was the one who campaigned for his inclusion on the team.
He wanted another opportunity for Brown because of his on-field talent.
However, it seems like head coach Bruce Arians won’t budge from his decision to continue on without Brown.
Brady accepted the decision and offered support to his teammate.
But even without Brown, the Buccaneers remain dangerous for the rest of the NFC.
The 44-year-old play-caller has proved that he doesn’t need to play with top wide receivers to win championships throughout his career.
Depleted But Deadly
With Brown out of the picture, Mike Evans remains the only original starter left playing in Week 18.
Chris Godwin is still on injured reserve and just underwent surgery.
With nothing to play for but their final playoff seeding, the Buccaneers could benefit from an extra week of rest before the NFC playoffs start.
But knowing Brady, he’d rather play than let Blaine Gabbert or Kyle Trask take the field.
He wants to maintain their momentum leading into the postseason.
However, he would have to lead a ragtag receiving corps of Evans, Tyler Johnson, Cyril Grayson, Breshad Perriman, and Scotty Miller to victory.
The people who will suit up to play is the least of Brady’s concern for two reasons.
First, he’s still playing lights out towards the homestretch of the regular season.
He had over 300 passing yards in three of his last five games.
Brady finished with 410 yards and three touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ comeback win against the New York Jets.
Those numbers brought his totals to 4,990 yards and 40 touchdowns after Week 17.
Achieving Success With Anyone
The second reason is that Brady continues to win despite the constant shift of wideouts that line up with him.
Ironically, he did not win a Super Bowl with Randy Moss, but they played in one.
But during his first Super Bowl run, the Michigan alum had Troy Brown, Bert Emanuel, Terry Glenn, and David Patten as receivers.
He won another title with Patten, Deion Branch, and Dedric Ward two years later.
Fast forward to 2014, and Brady threw to Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, and Matthew Slater.
In 2016, the Patriots brought in Chris Hogan, Michael Floyd, and Malcolm Mitchell in another title year.
Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Darren Andrews, and Cordarrelle Patterson joined New England in 2018.
Even if the people who caught his throws changed almost annually, Brady remained a winner.
In their game-winning drive against the Jets, Brady completed passes to Johnson and Grayson.
He remains true to the system and runs it to perfection.
Therefore, Arians has such a luxury that Brady’s mastery of his playbook allows him to plug in anyone and keep producing the same results.
That said, the other NFC teams bound for the playoffs cannot underestimate the Buccaneers now that Brown isn’t a target anymore.
Opponents must worry about Brady because he always finds ways to keep drives going.
The offense, especially the receivers, follow his lead.
The people may change, but the devastating results remain the same because he brings out the best from his teammates.
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