Tampa Bay Buccaneers Look to Build on Success Without Tom Brady, Says Coach Bowles

By | Bullscore 27 Mar, 2023

Tom Brady’s retirement from the NFL has left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with big shoes to fill. While there’s no denying the impact he had on the team during his time there, Bucs coach Todd Bowles is confident that they can maintain their newfound standard even without the future Hall of Famer.

“We have a lot of good players on our team on both sides of the ball. We have some pieces to fill, but we have a lot of good football players on our team,” Bowles said in an interview with NFL.com’s Judy Battista at the Annual League Meeting. “And we just have to understand that and not go with the so-called outside narrative and do what we have to do to win ball games.”

Bowles acknowledged that it’s impossible to replace a player of Brady’s magnitude. He brought an aura of greatness to the team and set a high standard that can’t be replicated. But that doesn’t mean the Bucs are giving up on their quest for success.

Todd Bowles: Bucs can be great even without "aura" of Tom Brady. https://t.co/dy4CryqINc
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 26, 2023

“When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don’t replace him,” Bowles explained. “You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn’t mean you can’t be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.”

The Bucs have already signed former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to take over for Brady. While Mayfield has big shoes to fill, Bowles believes that the team’s success doesn’t solely depend on the quarterback position. It will take a collective effort from the entire team to continue their winning ways.

“There may be some pieces to fill, but the Bucs have what it takes to come out on top,” Bowles said. “We just have to do it as a team and not get caught up in the outside narrative. We’re focused on winning ball games, and we’re ready to compete in 2023.”