Buccaneers motivated by lack of respect after Tom Brady departure

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clearly know fans and analysts alike don't love the team's chances for the upcoming season following the "for good" retirement of legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

"It's nuts. We've got a lot of great players still," left tackle Tristan Wirfs recently told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "It's not bad to put a chip on our shoulder, I guess. I've seen the narrative. But we lost one guy."

Such talk from the Buccaneers is hardly new to those who have been paying attention. Cornerback Carlton Davis went viral last month when he confidently declared that "anybody who feels we’ve lost Tom — and lost something — is going to be in for a rude awakening." 

Linebacker Lavonte David later noted those inside the Tampa Bay locker room have "a more togetherness" this summer, and fellow linebacker Anthony Nelson said as recently as Monday he thinks that "being under the radar is going to be good for us." 

Brady wasn't quite his future Hall of Fame self physically and, possibly, mentally in 2022 as he dealt with matters related to his divorce from Gisele Bündchen after 13 years of marriage. Per ESPN stats, 8-9 Tampa Bay finished last regular season ranked 25th with an average of 18.4 points per game, and the Bucs were dead last with 76.9 rushing yards per contest. 

Logic suggests neither free-agency signing Baker Mayfield nor 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask will guide this year's Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title as did Brady during his first campaign with the organization. Nevertheless, players such as wide receiver Mike Evans insist Tampa Bay isn't rebuilding without TB12 handling training-camp practice sessions.

"We are just trying to win right now," Evans explained. "I don't know why people don't see that. Win the division, after that people can take care of themselves."

As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker had the Buccaneers last among betting favorites to win the NFC South title this season at +850 odds. To compare, the New Orleans Saints topped the list at that time at +130.