Tom Brady Looks to Buc the System in Tampa: Unchecked

System must be Tom Brady’s least favorite word. Well, after gate. And I would bet Brady is looking to Buc the system by heading to Tampa, meaning the one real criticism anyone has had of him—that his success has been dependent on playing within New England’s.

Now this move comes with a lot of risk, but if he was going to go somewhere else for the last chapter, Tampa is actually a good fit. Speaking of good fits, there’s Bruce Arians and I’m not just talking about the way his hat sits. The Cardinals coach has worked well with Brady’s former nemesis Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and an older Carson Palmer at varying points in his career. And the offensive talent that was lacking around Brady with the Patriots is certainly there with the Bucs. You won’t find a better receiver pair than Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Jameis Winston may have led the league in interceptions but he also led it in passing yards remember. The downside there is if things don’t go well, it’s going to be all on TB12.

I always say he’s the Family Feud answer for greatest quarterback of all time but there are some who swear that isn’t a matter of who but where. And they’ll point to the Pats record in games where the likes of Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett took snaps under center.

With Brady now there is more to lose than gain, even if any losses have more to do with his age. Having said that, it certainly feels like in recent years the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick partnership was akin to a marriage where they stayed together for the kids, in this case championships. And given there really was nothing left to accomplish in New England together, it makes sense Brady would look for some individual fulfillment. Which is likely why he’s in Tampa, along with $30 million bucks.

Anything he is able to do from here on out will only add to his legend because there’s really only one record left for Brady to beat, Belichick’s.