Expectations in Tampa Bay immediately grew upon Tom Brady joining the Buccaneers in free agency.
It’s safe to say the bar was raised even higher in wake of the Bucs’ blockbuster transaction Tuesday.
Brady’s arsenal of weapons in Central Florida now includes Rob Gronkowski. The Buccaneers appeared to be the only team Gronkowski was interested in coming out of retirement for, and Tampa Bay managed to work out a deal with the New England Patriots in order to reunite the star tight end with his longtime quarterback.
Not only does Brady and Gronk’s former teammate, Chad Johnson, believe the Bucs are a contender in the upcoming NFL season, he’s supremely confident in Tampa Bay’s chances of winning Super Bowl LV.
“I think their chances are extremely well,” Johnson said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “When you have someone like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin already at the helm — who had phenomenal seasons last year — you have a defense that played well, you add Tom Brady as a piece and then you put Tom Brady’s security blanket on the team as well, I would bet the house right now that the Buccaneers are gonna win the Super Bowl.”
Ochocinco might want to hold his horses. Super Bowl runs are made a lot easier by first winning your division, and it will be no easy task for the Bucs to usurp the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The conference as a whole also is shaping up to be fairly strong, as there currently aren’t many NFC teams poised for lackluster campaigns.
Tampa Bay has the tools necessary for a deep playoff run, but as has been evidenced countless times in the past, games aren’t won on talent alone.
