Tom Brady puts pressure on Bucs, saying ‘the most embarrassing part of our team is our effort level’
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Tom Brady has pressured his Buccaneers teammates, openly telling them on his podcast that “the most embarrassing part of our team is our effort level,” despite Sunday night’s dramatic comeback win over the LA Rams – the defending Super Bowl champions .
The team’s 16-13 win, coupled with a win over the Falcons last month, gives Tampa Bay (4-5) a tiebreaker advantage in the NFC South midway through the NFL calendar, following the quarterback’s turbulent start to the season after he his much-publicized divorce from his ex-wife of 13 years, Gisele Bündchen.
“There’s only such a deep hole you can dig, and you know, if you dig yourself too deep, you won’t get a shot out,” Brady, 45, said on his face. Sirius XM Podcast, also featuring SNL commentator Jim Gray and Kenan Thompson.
“The best teams start to play well around Thanksgiving. That’s because you actually know what you are and what you need to do and there are certainly some things that we do well, but there are a lot of things that we don’t do well.”
“I think too much about good, bad, good, bad, good, bad, which keeps you average and nobody tries to be average. If you want to be a great team, you have to be much better than average, so correcting our mistakes, improving our efforts, which is probably the most embarrassing part of our team is our effort level on match day, which is something we can do better,’ he added.
Brady reacts after a move during the first quarter of the Bucs’ home game against LA Rams
45-year-old QB has shown his teammates’ ’embarrassing efforts’ on match day
Brady has had a rough season following his divorce from his ex-wife of 13 years, Gisele
Braddie has a point. It’s far too early to conclude whether the Buccaneers have solved the problems that undermined them, especially in violation.
Beating the Rams to avoid a four-game slip is nevertheless a step in the right direction and numbers to make this week a much more enjoyable flight across the Atlantic to take on the Seattle Seahawks (6 -3) in Munich, Germany.
Next week’s farewell gives coach Todd Bowles and his staff an opportunity to assess where the team stands and make any necessary changes.
“We just didn’t play the way we can. It’s just that some things just didn’t go our way at all,” Brady said before the win against LA last week. “Hopefully we can win (Sunday), get 5-5 and then the whole season is ahead of us.”
Brady threw a pass into the end zone with nine seconds left against LA to win the game 16-13
The Bucs are now flying at a bit of speed to Munich for the NFL’s first game in Germany
Brady celebrates with fans at Raymond James Stadium after first win in three games
Red zone and third down efficiency were problematic. So early penalties and other fouls that add to the team’s scoring woes, and unusual breakdowns that have caused inconsistency in defense.
In nine games, the Bucs have averaged just 18 points per game, which is near the bottom of the NFL after being one of the top scoring teams in the league for the past two seasons. Brady didn’t get the attack in the end zone until only 9 seconds were left against the Rams.
Defensively, they’ve limited opponents to 21 or fewer points in seven out of nine games. but lately hasn’t been nearly as effective in leaving the field in third place and in other key situations that have affected the outcome of games.
Players on the Bucs celebrate together after scoring a last-minute touch-down vs. LA in Q4
The unit was also not as reliable as usual against the run, with just over 125 yards per game on the ground.
Bowles is confident that the shortcomings can be remedied. He was clearly encouraged after the defense allowed a season-long 206 yards against the Rams, including just 68 rushes on 24 attempts.
“It was a hard-fought game. It was complementary football. It was a team win,” Bowles said. “It’s a lot easier to fly abroad after you’ve won a match than when you’ve lost a match. We just have to put them together.’