The season has been far from a pleasant one for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers midway through the campaign.
Brady has been clearly frustrated with the Buccaneers mired in mediocracy with the 45-year-old quarterback throwing fits on the sideline and chewing out his teammates. His commitment also was called into question after attending New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s wedding a couple of days before a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And all that comes without mentioning all the off-field drama he has endured as well.
Brady sure doesn’t seem like he is enjoying his 23rd NFL season, but after briefly retiring this offseason before reversing course, the greatest winner the league has ever seen isn’t regretting that decision one bit.
“Zero, no. Definitely not,” Brady told reporters Friday, per team-provided transcript. “I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete and I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back. I don’t really regret those types of things. I think when I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best and try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity. I think the frustrating part is we just haven’t played to the way we’re capable of playing — that’s for a number of different reasons.”
Brady, who is second in the league with 2,547 passing yards, hasn’t lost hope the Buccaneers can turn things around. Despite a 4-5 start to the season, Tampa Bay sits in first place atop the dreadful NFC South.
Another division title and potential playoff run are still well within Brady’s grasp, and he views the Buccaneers’ matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Germany on Sunday as a critical contest that could get Tampa Bay going in the right direction.
“This is a very important game for us — we have a bye week after this,” Brady said. “It gives you a chance to kind of evaluate where you’re at and I’d much rather evaluate being 5-5 than being 4-6. We’ve got to just win this game and it’ll take care of that. Seattle is going to challenge us. They have very talented players, good skill players, they’re good on defense…they’re creating a lot of sacks and turnovers. It’s a very good team — it’s going to be a very tough, hard-nosed game.”
The Buccaneers and the Seahawks kickoff from Allianz Arena in Munich at 9:30 am ET.
