Believing Bucs nab Super booty

BY MIKE JONES • PUBLISHED FEB. 9, 2021

TAMPA, Fla. — The cellphones usually started chiming or buzzing late at night. Tom Brady wanted to further solidify the mental fortitude of his teammates during their march to the Super Bowl, so the quarterback — the six-time champion in search of No. 7 — would send an inspirational text blast to the rest of the Buccaneers.

“All week, he was making us believe we could win,” running back Leonard Fournette explained. “He was texting us at 11 o’clock at night, ‘We will win this game.’”

And if Brady said it, the Bucs players would take it to heart. The 43-year-old had that kind of credibility, both because of his accomplishments during 20 years in New England but also because of the way they saw him go about his business during their last six months together.

“Knowing his resume, understanding why he wins ... he made us believe,” Fournette said.

The belief was evident throughout the Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday night in Super Bowl 55.

The Bucs took the field at Raymond James Stadium brimming with confidence. As the first team to host a Super Bowl, they had extra motivation to dethrone the Chiefs, who won last year’s Super Bowl and whom many analysts had crowned as the NFL’s next dynasty.

But they could have played Super Bowl 55 in Kansas City, in some scorching desert or even Mars, and Tampa Bay’s players would have believed.

Each day, they studied the quarterback who last spring shocked the sports world, choosing their organization over the comforts of Foxborough. And each day, they learned another lesson about the commitment and discipline that separates champions from other “good” teams.

Sunday represented the culmination of those lessons, the work put in and the resilience required to navigate an obstacle-filled season. Because Tampa Bay didn’t just beat the defending champion Chiefs. The Bucs flat out dominated them with an all-around display of excellence in every phase of the game.

Brady threw three touchdown passes and completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and no turnovers to lock up the fifth Super Bowl MVP Award of his career.

He didn’t run the ball or block. He didn’t tackle or break up passes. His greatest and most defining contribution to the Buccaneers’

Feb. 7, 2021 • W 31-9 championship run wasn’t even physical. It was all mental. And that’s exactly what Tampa Bay needed this season. can declare themselves similarly equipped to contend as they did in 2021. They have 24 players set to hit free agency. They’re more than $3 million over the salary cap. Their offensive line figures to be worse than it was last year, and although the NFC South seems just as weak as it was last season, the Rams, Packers and 49ers all stand in the Bucs’ way.

Bruce Arians said it repeatedly this season and in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers might have gone 7-9 in 2019, and they may have missed the playoffs for a 12th consecutive year. But the coach fully believed he and his staff had the makings of a championship-caliber roster.

The Buccaneers had young, rising defensive playmakers who complemented veterans.

They had stars at the skill positions on offense and a quality line.

They had the explosive playbook and talented offensive coordinator.

They just needed a quarterback who could elevate them; a leader who could show them the way.

Brady brought instant credibility, and from the time he started organizing player workouts at Tampa area parks when COVID-19 kept Buccaneers headquarters closed, to the way he worked tirelessly in training camp and during the season, his new teammates watched and felt inspired to match Brady’s effort and commitment. It became infectious. The Bucs didn’t want to let their leader down.

Brady’s leadership proved extremely important during a midseason funk after a 6-2 start.

Brady, like most other comeback icons before him, may certainly fall short in this quest for the ultimate prize. The Bucs may again fail him — as they did last year when they couldn’t capitalize on his career-high 5,316 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes and continued postseason heroics as they fell short against the eventual champion Rams.

But win or lose, Brady is making the right call, because the itch remains, his abilities remain and so too does the opportunity to attempt a feat none before him have even had the chance to attempt. He’ll not have to ask himself “what if” for the rest of his days.

Playing football — engaging in that physical and mental battle against opponents and one’s self — is what makes Tom Brady happy, and he has done it better than any to ever play the game. Opposing defensive coordinators and players, along with Father Time, may be gritting their teeth and rolling their eyes. But Brady is smiling. That’s all that matters.