The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have generated plenty of hype with the arrival of quarterback Tom Brady this offseason. However, there are still many that question just how much gas the 42-year-old has left in the tank.
Fans have enamored at the prospect of Brady leading a Bucs offense that is already loaded with talent across the board. Michael Lombardi of The Athletic feels the success of this group will rely heavily on his ability to throw the deep ball:
The Bucs love to throw the ball down the field, and last year, Brady was 20-53 on throws over 20 yards. He had six touchdowns and two interceptions on those throws. But the real concern occurs when he has to throw the ball outside the numbers. Brady had a less than 60% completion rate when throwing the ball outside, right or left last year for the Patriots. Can he adapt to the Bruce Arians offense?
There is no question that the Buccaneers have long had an affinity for letting the ball loose downfield and taking their chances with wide receiver Mike Evans being able to haul it in. Of course, this was due to the fact that they had the likes of James Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick under center in recent years where their skill sets as gunslingers were put to use.
This high-risk, high-reward approach did not net Tampa Bay much success during that span and ultimately spurred Tampa Bay to make some significant changes.
While head coach Bruce Arians may continue to hold on to elements of throwing the deep ball, it is safe to assume that the offense will be fine-tuned around Brady's skill set as a precision passer in the short game.
Fortunately, having options like Evans, wide receiver Chris Godwin, and tight end Rob Gronkowski should certainly help Brady and the Bucs maintain an explosive element to the offense.
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