We’re not used to seeing this kind of stability with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it’s there for the first time in a very long time.
While this franchise has had more ups and downs than highs, there have also been some incredibly amazing moments. While enduring the 2010s Dark Ages culminated in yet another championship, the struggles of the late 80s and early 90s paid off with a Super Bowl victory in 2002.
It’s always so unexpected when it occurs to the Bucs because it doesn’t get any more intense than that when it comes to experiencing the highs and lows of fandom.
That certainly applies to the most recent Super Bowl, where nobody anticipated the difficult turn-around from being terrible to becoming champions. Well, everyone saves the Bucs front office staff. The signing of Tom Brady was a significant storyline shift that fans aren’t used to, but it was one that was simmering for a while behind the scenes.
Lavonte According to David, the Bucs intend to sign Tom Brady in 2019.
Lavonte David discussed how early the plans were being made and what it was like to bring in Brady during a meeting with Rich Eisen this week.
In his farewell interview following the 2019 season, David stated that he was informed about the prospect of the Bucs trying to sign Brady, indicating that the head staff had been considering it far in advance of that time.
David remarked, “I just remember talking to Coach [Bruce Arians] in the exit meeting.” You and the head coach are having a one-on-one. All I can recall him saying is, “We’re going to bring someone in here to help us get over this hump and make it to the Super Bowl if we don’t get Jameis [Winston] back.”
The fact that the Bucs were considering Brady well in advance of the summer should come as no surprise. After yet another season in which the defense took the lead, the club was continually let down by Jameis Winston’s dualistic style of play.
In his fantastic book A Season in the Sun, Lars Anderson discussed a great deal of this, including Licht’s relationship with Brady during his time as a Patriot. Recounts of how the Bucs finally signed Brady have been given with all degrees of modesty, but David’s account shows how committed the franchise was to signing the greatest player of all time.
The fact that David was informed of what was going on indicates more than just how ready the Bucs were to take a shot at Brady. Despite widespread rumors that he was going to leave, he has returned to Tampa Bay despite being a free agent for each of the past two seasons.
That never materialized, and all throughout he kept saying how much he loves the Bucs and wants to retire after playing his whole career in Tampa Bay. This demonstrates that the sentiment is shared and that David is just as crucial to the franchise as everyone else.
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