Thoughts on Tom Brady Leaving The Pats & Becoming a Buccaneer

I am surprised that Tom Brady is joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


I am not surprised Tom Brady said goodbye to the New England Patriots and all of New England.


The writing had been on the wall for months. I knew Brady was gone the moment he resigned as honorary co-chair of the annual Best Buddies Challenge in Hyannisport, an event which promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities. Brady had served in this capacity since 2003. Another sign was when Brady and spouse Gisele Bundchen put their Boston home up for sale. These are not the acts of a man who plans to remain where he is. While I have no doubt most New Englanders aren't surprised by Brady's departure, his decision compounds the blues already felt over the Coronavirus.


I do think going to the Buccaneers was a bit of a surprise. Conventional wisdom would have dictated Brady would have a better chance returning to the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Chargers. But from a financial perspective, Florida has a far more favorable tax regime than California.


It remains to be seen if Brady can succeed without Bill Belichick and no doubt Brady believes he has something to prove. There is no question of his will. The question, however, concerns his soon to be 43-year old body will be up to the challenge. If it is then it will add to his legend. If it doesn't it won't tarnish any of the six Super Bowl rings he has earned.


For nearly Brady's entire tenure I resided in Boston. I still remember when Brady was called into service after longtime Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe sustained internal bleeding after a hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in September 2001. The day after Brady's first start, a 44-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, longtime Boston sports radio personality Dale Arnold said, "The Tom Brady era has begun," not realizing the full import of what he said.


For a quite awhile, the Boston sports media made it "Brady vs. Bledsoe". This stopped sometime after the second Super Bowl title. Of all of Brady's triumphs, I shall remember him leading the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit with just eight and a half minutes in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI en route to a shocking overtime win. It was the only Patriots Super Bowl parade I attended because the rally took place at Government Center in Boston where I was working at the time. Let's just say that very little in the way of work got done that day with a million people on the street. That memory cannot be taken away from me or anyone else who was there especially Tom Brady.