Well, this past week, Bucks general manager Jason Licht said: Join NFL Network’s Peter Schrager peter schrager season We covered a variety of soccer-related and non-soccer topics.
As for the team, he looked back at the 2020 season that led to a Super Bowl win with Tom Brady, and the current 3-1 Bucs led by head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield. I’ll come with you.
Jason Licht talks about the Tom Brady effect and turning point for the Bucks
This season, the Bucs had a fresh start with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, Todd Bowles brought in his own coach, and the team filled out the roster with a bunch of rookies, giving younger players bigger roles. Much has been said about it.
After three years of football that meant so much to our city, it’s the beginning of a new era of Buccaneers football. General manager Jason Licht spoke at length to Peter Schrager about Brady’s impact on Tampa Bay and whether he ever really sat down and thought about how crazy it really was.
Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo courtesy of USA Today
“It was crazy,” Richt said. “Really, no, not yet. I mean, there was a little bit of a moment. But it was great for the entire fan base and for the city. When we signed him, I said to some of the people here, I joked that I was wondering why I wasn’t getting a cut of the Brady Effect when real estate in Tampa went up in value. It was phenomenal.
March 20, 2020 was the day Tom Brady officially signed and was one of the biggest days of Jason Licht’s tenure, but Licht said another day marked a significant turning point for the organization. He pointed out.
January 8, 2019.
That was the day Bruce Arians came out of retirement to become the Bucks’ 12th head coach.
Without Arians and Richt, it’s unclear whether Brady would have left Foxboro for the Sunshine State.
“I will say this: Brady is obviously the big turning point for the Buccaneers over the last few decades, but that sounds a little crazy if you ask me,” he added. “No offense to Brady. I don’t want to downplay the impact he had, but I think the complete turning point, at least in my tenure here, was the day I hired Bruce. I came in with the staff, a lot of the staff who are still here, and we changed the culture.
“I knew Tom from my time in New England, and I was there when we drafted him. I wish I could have said I was the one who told Belichick to draft him. We didn’t. But I knew him from the seven years I spent in the Patriots organization. Whether we would have gotten him without Bruce remains to be seen.”
Jason Richt recalls Bucs’ free agent offer to Tom Brady
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and QB Tom Brady – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
When big-time players hit the free agent market, teams often go all out to acquire them. private jet. Meetings with other players, coaches, and owners. A luxurious dinner. The whole nine yards.
All it really took was a pitch from Bruce Arians to convince someone like Tom Brady to join the Bucs.
“There’s something about Bruce,” Richt added. “Bruce was just a phenomenal leader and we had a great team. We had a great foundation and basically said, ‘Hey, shit, why don’t you come here?’ It felt like What better place to win some games and win a Super Bowl than in Tampa? ” I don’t know if that would have worked, but it probably would have sold me. ”
After Brady decided to return last season for one last chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, Arians stepped down as head coach, handing over the reins to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Much has been said about that change and whether Brady and Arians worked out, but Jason Licht thought their relationship was perfect and complemented each other well.
“I think [Arians] He was always happy to give. [Brady] Within Bruce’s confines of things, there was room to do some things the way he wanted to do them. To be honest, I think Tom was a perfect match because he was very analytical. These paths have the highest chance of success and we will continue to focus on these points.
“And the Blues are more of a ‘fuck you.’ [to Scotty Miller]. We wouldn’t have been to the Super Bowl without those things, but it wasn’t the same without Tom. I think it was a perfect marriage. It worked. ”
