In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers(6-2) went out and got maybe the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady, who ultimately led the team to their second championship in team history.
Before Brady, the Buccaneers had not made the playoffs since 2007, and the year before Brady came along, Jameis Winston did throw for over 5000 yards and 33 touchdowns. However, Winston did throw 30 interceptions, and Tampa finished 7-9.
The Buccaneers had a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but they needed a leader; they needed a player who could take them to the next level, and Brady was that guy.
During Tampa’s run to the Super Bowl, they won three times on the road, including against the Washington Football Team(2-6) at FedEx Field in the Wild Card round, and they return to FedEx Field on Sunday to battle the Washington Football Team.
On Friday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera discussed how Brady pushed the Buccaneers over the hump.
“I think you started off by saying it perfectly: Tom Brady,” Rivera said about how Brady being the difference in Tampa. “I think that really speaks for itself. You look at the year before they got Tom, and they were close. But they hadn’t gotten over the hump. They get Tom, and then you see everything come together. You get a guy with his experience, his years in the league, his six Super Bowl rings before he got his seventh, and that’s going to speak very loudly in your locker room. For any team in this league, that’s the biggest difference.”
Washington is still looking for a franchise quarterback. They started the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who got injured. Taylor Heinicke has had his moments, but it’s safe to say he’s not the guy. Washington has some talent on their roster, but they need a quarterback, and there are not many times where quarterbacks as good as Brady become available, so it will probably have to come through the draft.
