A full 21 years into his unmatched career, Tom Brady is still finding ways to amaze the football world — including Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
“Hell no. You just didn’t think it was possible, right?” Leftwich said when asked on the Huddle & Flow Podcast if he expected Tom Brady to excel at this stage of his career. “Like, you watched the tape of him and I knew his arm was still live, you know, you could tell me he still got a live arm. So you knew his arm was live. But then you get around it and you’re like, look at that ball. It’s the type of ball that he throws, it’s a friendly ball. It’s a penetrating ball. So it was unique to see him to be able to do all these things, still. Hell, I just turned 41 and I tried . . . and to see him, I’m like, man, just the see how he’s able to still do things the young guys could do.”
Brady and Leftwich's partnership culminated in a Super Bowl victory on Feb. 7, as Tampa thrashed the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9. Tom Brady capped his remarkable first season with Bruce Arians, Leftwich, and the Buccaneers by earning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award. The seven-time champion completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, the 43-year old Tom Brady tossed 50 TDs and led the Bucs to the third-ranked offense in football, per DVOA.
“He started this process 20 years ago, you know, 18, 17 years ago,” Leftwich added about Tom Brady. “And it's a testament of hard work, of having an understanding, of having an end goal in mind. And you see all the sacrifices he had to make along the way to be able to play this long,” Leftwich said. “So, I mean, it's amazing to see him do it, but it's amazing to see the commitment that it takes to make sure you are capable of playing this long.”
In some other Tom Brady-related news, the quarterback will undergo a knee operation that is reportedly “more than just a little cleanup”. The GOAT can be seen wearing a knee brace as he … tosses the Lombardi Trophy from his boat to Rob Gronkowski's at the team's championship boat parade.
Re: Brady's injured left knee, a source told me that he needs more than just a little clean-up. "When it comes out, all this does is build his legend even greater." pic.twitter.com/ri6wm3hXAF
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 11, 2021
Tom Brady continues to reframe our awareness of what is possible.
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