As Josh Alper noted for Pro Football Talk, stars such as quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Antonio Brown joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year for a season held amid the COVID-19 pandemic when safe vaccines weren't available to everyone and, thus, work and life were different than ever before across the NFL.
Things went alright for all involved with the Buccaneers, as they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LV and started their defense of that title with three wins in four games, including an emotional victory over the New England Patriots at a rain-soaked Gillette Stadium this past Sunday night.
As Brady and company prepare to face the 1-3 Miami Dolphins this Sunday, the seven-time champion signal-caller reminded everybody Thursday the Bucs are still a work in progress.
"We didn't have one rainy game like that last year. We didn't have one crowd-noise game last year. We're still learning each other."
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 7, 2021
️: @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/nusqyXASFH
"You’re never a finished product in this sport," Brady explained. "Every year is very different. The opponents are different, obviously, the conditions are different. Look at the crowd noises this year. We didn’t have one rainy game like that last year. We didn’t have one crowd-noise game last year. So we’re still learning each other. Continuity’s the key in the NFL.
"We've only been together, a lot of us, for a year, so I think we're gonna be making improvements until the day that we're all not together. And gonna try to keep getting better and better every time we take the field."
Remember, also, that Brady played the 2020 campaign on what was eventually said to be a fully torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Assuming the 44-year-old is healthy, the sky may be the limit for the reigning champions.
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