In his first media appearance this season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate talked about the return of quarterback Tom Brady and how much his return means to the team as they try to win their second Super Bowl in three seasons with him at the helm. When asked if Brady remains the same dangerous quarterback despite being retired for 41 days, Brate replied, “he seemed the exact same,” referring to the quarterback’s deadly form that helped the Buccaneers win their first Super Bowl title since 2002 with a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
"He said it was the happiest he was all off-season the first time he came back to throw. He’s like I’m back," Brate said.
Brate says Bucs fired up by Brady’s return
Brate said he could tell that Brady’s fired up to be with his teammates, adding that the Buccaneers are also fired up to have him back for another season. “I can't imagine like Tom not playing football. We're just fired up to have him back,” he added. The veteran tight end also discussed Brady’s future gig as an football analyst once he retires from the league. “I couldn't believe like I was like why would subject himself to criticism and you know the responsibility to call these games,” said Brate. “Then I saw the contract, and I was like, okay I get it yeah,” he added, referring to Brady’s 10-year deal worth $375 million with Fox Sports.
“I would take that deal. That's a good deal,” Brate said, adding he expects Brady to slip some jokes during the broadcast. The Buccaneers restructured Brate’s deal in March to create some cap space for the team. Per Luke Easterling of USA Today, Brate agreed to rework the deal that will pay him $8 million for two years. The move gave the Buccaneers an additional $3 million in cap space.
Bowles says Bucs' offense will remain the same
The Buccaneers' offense will remain the same with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich calling the shots under new head coach Todd Bowles, who said there won’t be any major changes with Brady at the helm. Since Brady’s arrival, the Buccaneers have led the league in points per game (30.4) and have ranked second in net yard per game (395.3).
"My attitude is to win the game any way possible, and if we have to throw the ball 50 times to win, that's great," Bowles said. Bowles added that they will try to complement Brady’s passing ability with some solid running game. “Whatever we have to do to win the ballgame,” he stressed. But Bowles added that they might tweak their playbook on both sides of the ball, depending on their opponent during the week. Brate, during his interview, said the Buccaneers need to run the ball better and more frequently against opponents such as New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. Brady has a 29-10 record with the Buccaneers, and seven of those defeats came at the hands of the Rams and the Saints.
