This offseason brought one of the most surprising changes in the last few decades. After spending 20 years with the New England Patriots, superstar quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Obviously, this sent shockwaves through the sports world. One of the greatest players of all-time leaving one of the greatest dynasties of all-time.
One of the people that felt the backlash of the move? Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.
Dungy was a head coach with the Buccaneers for a few seasons in the late 90s and early 2000s, and now he lives in the area. Dungy spoke about the impact the move has not only in the community, but also in his own family.
“It is really crazy,” the former Buccaneers coach said on NBC Sports’ “Lunch Talk Live” Friday, per Conor Roche of Boston.com. “[My boys] are coming to me now, [asking], ‘Dad, we’ve got to go online, There’s a Tom Brady jersey for $199!’ We would’ve never even talked about that before. But they’re so pumped up and excited. The people down here, who haven’t had a lot to cheer about over the last 10 years, all of a sudden, there is [a lot to cheer about].”
“It is going to be a little change for me to have to start rooting for Tom now.”
That quote from Dungy is saying a lot. Someone that has been around football as long as he has is seeing this big of an impact. Oh, and don't forget Dungy coached for the Indianapolis Colts. He was a longtime rival of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Despite that, he still sees the greatness and the impact.
It's also an easy way to tell that Brady's still got the same crazy aura around him even now that he's with the Buccaneers. People still expect the 42-year-old to put on a show every season. Although there's been a little bit of a decline in his numbers, he definitely hasn't disappointed yet.
So the Buccaneers got their quarterback, and according to Dungy, it sounds like the fans are excited.