Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay recently reacted to the comeback of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady from a 41-day retirement. When asked by the Los Angeles Times on Brady’s return, McVay said: “I was thinking, s--- man, can we get this guy the hell out of this league.” But Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule had a different take on Brady’s return, saying it’s just good for the National Football League (NFL). “If you want to be a great competitor, you have to beat the best and compete against the best, and obviously Tom’s the best,” he said, adding that he was amazed at how Brady performed at this stage of his career.
With Brady set to return, Rhule said teams now have to prepare and build their defense for him. Since joining the Buccaneers two seasons ago via a two-year deal worth $50 million, Brady has led his team to four wins over the Panthers in their NFC South rivalry via a total score of 150-63. In those four games against the Panthers, he threw for 1,116 yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, the 44-year-old Brady led the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions and was a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award.
Falcons have to deal with Brady twice
Another NFC South rival, the Atlanta Falcons, will also have to face Brady twice in the coming season. But for Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, it would be good for the game if the best players are out there playing, per Tampa Bay Times.
In his two games against the Falcons last season, Brady threw for a combined nine touchdowns and one interception. In a separate report by Pro Football Talk, Smith said he didn’t believe that Brady was actually finished when he announced his retirement last month. Based on what he saw last season, Brady was playing at a high level so there’s no way that he would leave the game.
“Until we played Tampa and he wasn’t going to run out there, I was not going to believe it,” said Smith, adding Brady is playing as good as anybody in the league.
Bucs still talking with Suh
The Buccaneers have recently signed one of the key pieces of their defense in veteran William Gholston to a one-year deal. However, the Buccaneers still have to bring back defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who played last season on a one-year deal.
According to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, the team is still talking to Suh’s representatives, but the 34-year-old defensive tackle hasn’t indicated anything about his future plans. Suh was a prominent piece of the Buccaneers’ defense last season, recording 6 sacks and 13 quarterback hits while playing 63 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in the regular season.
