There has been a lot of excitement since Tom Brady left the New England Patriots to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, there has also been a lot of anguish or anxiety. Many fans and analysts have wondered whether or not Brady can fit into a Bruce Arians crime. Randy Moss recently joined ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on ‘Get Up’ and voiced his own concerns about the potential for success for his former Tampa quarterback.
“I am concerned about Tom’s protection,” said Moss. “You know, they couldn’t protect Jameis Winston for that long, and if you compare quarterbacks, Jameis and Tom are not mobile quarterbacks. So if they couldn’t protect Jameis, how are they going to protect Tom Brady?
In 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed Winston to be fired 47 times, ranking 11th among the teams that allowed the most catches. Surprisingly, though, the Bucs didn’t finish at the top of the NFC South in the category, as both Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks and Carolina Panthers were fired more times than Winston.
Still, the concern is there. Winston may not be considered a ‘mobile quarterback’ as Moss says, but he is much more mobile than Brady is or has ever been.
In five seasons, Winston has run soccer 248 times and has accumulated 1,044 yards in the process along with ten rushing touchdowns. Six of those scoring races came in his rookie season in 2015.
Brady, on the other hand, has 606 career attempts in his 285 career games played and has fewer rushing yards (1,037) and just a dozen more score for his name.
Most of those who have seen Winston up close over the course of his NFL career would say that he has underestimated mobility and, at times, perhaps failed to capitalize on this part of his skill set as much as he could.
However, it was not all pessimism from Moss, who also said:
“They have a lot of advantages, they have some guys on defense. But I think for me just looking at that offense in terms of the passing game, Gronk having a year off, what will the chemistry be like between Tom Brady and Gronkowski? Look, because if they can start being good, there will be some great things. leaving Tampa. “
Before wrapping up the segment, Greenberg asked the former Brady Patriots teammate if he felt the New England Patriots (with Cam Newton at the helm) or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a better prospect for the Super Bowl earlier from 2021.
“Well if you’re talking about the AFC you have (Lamar) Jackson and (Patrick) Mahomes to compete,” Moss said. “But I think for Brady in the NFC, the NFC is a little bit more open than the AFC. So I’d have to go with Tom Brady and the Bucs … “
Certainly some mixed feelings for Moss as he sees his former quarterback transition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise. Feelings that many Bucs fans will identify with.
To hear my thoughts on what Moss had to say, and more, check out the latest episode of the Locast On Bucs Podcast.
