The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went ahead and did something pretty drastic this offseason. What did they do, exactly? Well, they went out and signed Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time.
Brady might be nearing the end of his career, entering the 2020 season at age 43. However, he's proven over the last few years that he can still be one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
In fact, 2019 was considered a down year for the quarterback. And in that season, Brady still managed over 4,000 passing yards and 24 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions.
Even just the few seasons before that were easily better, showing this hasn't been a steady decline. For all we know, that's just an “off” year. An off year that most quarterbacks would kill for, but still an off year.
What if that “off” year is the start of a true and steep decline though? This is something people have wondered for a little bit now. Father time always wins in the end, is he starting to get the better of Brady?
Even if that's the case, the quarterback isn't going to go down easy. He'll go out swinging, and that's going to lead to him continuously being at least productive, until the end.
With that in mind, is Brady a good thing for the Buccaneers? Can he lead Tampa Bay to the playoffs in 2020? The answer to that is a simple “yes”. And here's why.
It isn't complicated: ball security.
Last season, Jameis Winston was incredible for Tampa Bay in multiple ways. He threw for over 5,000 yards and had over 30 touchdown passes. That's electric right there.
However, he also threw 30 interceptions.
Don't get me wrong, Winston was extremely fun to watch. And at times, his incredible playmaking abilities helped will the Buccaneers offense.
Those turnovers were backbreakers though. On a number of occasions. And don't get me started on those extremely early-in-game turnovers that dug the Buccaneers into an immediate hole.
Brady can give them a lot of that same playmaking. No, he isn't going to scramble like Winston could. And at this point in his career, he probably can't zip the ball like Winston can either.
However, Brady is accurate. He's thrown 29 interceptions in his last four seasons combined. That's one less than Winston threw last season alone.
I'm not trying to trash Winston. I think last year was an anomaly when it comes to the interceptions. He had never thrown more than 18 in a season before that.
But last year the Buccaneers went 7-9. Three of their losses saw them lose by less than seven points in games where Winston had multiple interceptions.
They also lost a game to the Carolina Panthers by 11, where Winston had five interceptions and two fumbles (one lost). And another game where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers by 14 where Winston had three interceptions and two fumbles (none lost).
Just to remind you all. Brady had eight interceptions and four fumbles (one lost) all year long. That's nine total turnovers. Winston had six in a single game that Tampa Bay lost by 11.
Brady's going to have the benefits of elite wide receiver talent in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. That will help boost his numbers a little more.
However, he's not going to suddenly turn the ball over 25-plus times.
Put him on that 7-9 team from last season, and they make the playoffs. So why can't they go to the dance in 2020?
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