Buccaneers' Carlton Davis expands on post-Tom Brady comments

Cornerback Carlton Davis recently expanded on preseason comments he made about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not going quietly into the night following the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady. 

"Just pay attention," Davis told the JoeBucsFan website after Tampa Bay's 26-9 win over the division-rival New Orleans Saints on Oct. 1. "We are still a team!" 

Davis raised eyebrows and generated headlines this past summer when he confidently said that "anybody who feels we’ve lost Tom — and lost something — is going to be in for a rude awakening." 

Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, wide receiver Chris Godwin and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield are among other Tampa Bay players who publicly made it known over the past handful of months they were looking to silence doubters who expected the Buccaneers to fall apart without Brady leading the offense. The Buccaneers entered their bye at 3-1 on the season and head into Sunday's home game against the 4-1 Detroit Lions atop the NFC South standings. 

"I don’t understand how we could not be that team," Davis added about the Saints. "We have the same pieces. We obviously lost Tom, who was a huge [asset] to us. But it is a team sport. We trust each other. We play hard for each other." 

Todd Bowles served as Tampa Bay's defensive coordinator from 2019 through the 2021 season before he was elevated to the role of head coach after Bruce Arians surprisingly stepped down in March 2022. Davis noted that the Buccaneers "have so much chemistry between us, the defense and [Bowles]" due to their history together. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Buccaneers as three-and-a-half-point underdogs for their home game versus Detroit. Davis, Mayfield and others in the Tampa Bay locker room will again look to prove people wrong this weekend.