Tom Brady is not going behind anyone's back in pursuit of an improved game plan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich shared Thursday. And while that notion having to be addressed might come as a surprise to some, Leftwich needed to provide those answers given a recent report which stated the 45-year-old quarterback was doing just that.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver, after the Buccaneers lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14, published a column citing Brady's mischievous back dooring. Silver wrote, as shared by Pro Football Talk, that Brady held meetings with skill position players before games and made changes to Tampa Bay's game plan without the knowledge of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and Leftwich, Silver wrote, were left to discover the "revised blueprint" in real time once Tampa Bay's game started.
Brady and Leftwich on Thursday faced questions about the report in their first media availability since it surfaced.
"We've been having this meeting -- quarterbacks have been having this meeting, Jameis (Winston) had this meeting. It's no different. It's no different than anybody," Leftwich told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. "We encourage that as coaches, we encourage players to be communicating and all of that. Other than that, I don't really know how to answer that because I don't really know what you're asking me. It's nothing different -- we do the same game-planning. Me and Tom meet every day. Me and Tom meet every day about the plays, about what's going on. I know exactly what's going on in the meetings, but I didn't see the story."
Leftwich said Brady had not made any changes the night before the game, and confirmed he is never surprised by what he sees Brady and the offense doing.
"I'm aware of everything, yeah," Leftwich told reporters. "I'm aware of everything."
Brady was a bit more irritated regarding both the initial notion from Silver, and the question regarding whether it was true or not.
"No. I have no idea," Brady told reporters, per the team. "Anybody can write anything and say whatever they want, so no. I'm not going to respond to every (report). Next question."
It's probably viewed as the latest annoyance in a long line of them this season for Brady and company. The NFC South-leading Bucs, however, will try to put it behind them as they return to action and face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
