2020 NFL Off-season

I should have made myself clearer. Brady should do what he wants. I thought then and thought now (and his wife for one agrees with me) that would have been the best time to call it quits. Leave on the highest possible note. Leave 'em wanting more. That's all. The only way to beat time is to leave the table a winner.

 

Although he didn't play in Super Bowl VII, Earl Morrall was a winner in Super Bowl V, coming in after Unitas got hurt.

 

Nobody thinks less of Jordan for his two Wizards seasons.

 

You're right. This is just what's in MY head. So I'm a writer. So I like stories with the happiest possible endings. Sue me.

 

Luckily the Bucs are changing those shitty uniforms back to the ones they had during the Dungy/Gruden years.

Otherwise...He's 43. Even with two all-pro wide receivers and a athletic freak at tight end...he's 43 and the Bucs offensive line was shit. It's not like you're getting a 2009 Brett Favre season from him at this stage. I don't see him finishing this two-year contract out on the field.

That being said, the Bucs needed to sell tickets. This will absolutely sell tickets.

 

Thank you. People are acting like he's still a good quarterback. He's not. He absolutely looks done.

Philip Rivers is even worse and just got $25 million.

I swear, NFL execs are some of the dumbest people on earth.

 

You write this as if Brady was terrible in 2019. He wasn't. He is still a decent quarterback, but certainly not the elite one he had been. He will have better weapons around him with the Bucs than he did last season with the Patriots. The line may be bad enough to ruin all of that, but if they can give him any time at all, he can produce.

Rivers has declined further, but he also had a horrific line in front of him last season. The Chargers were an absolute joke up front.

 

So who is left on the carousel? Winston, Newton, Dalton and Flacco? Bengals will want a low-prices vet to help Burrow, Chargers need someone (Newton can help sell tickets since it looks like they may end up with the third or fourth QB in the first round and they may not be ready. Tua seems destined for Miami barring health issues. I could see Brissett welcomed back to NE and being serviceable. Or maybe they throw the dice, ask Stafford if he's healthy and wants to win.

 

You know what Brady wasn't? He wasn't good. He maybe wasn't terrible, but let's not act like the rest of the team was holding him back. I keep hearing how bad the receivers were, and the fact is he couldn't get the ball anywhere near them. Arians love to throw the ball downfield, which... nope.

And Rivers? Rivers was terrible.

Keep in mind, these guys are free agents because coaching staffs who have worked with them for years decided they would rather have whatever is behind door number two.

 

The Steelers were always going to be quiet in free agency, especially after putting the franchise tag on Bud Dupree, but they did add one free agent I like. They signed fullback Derek Watt, brother of T.J. and J.J. He may be the worst of the Watt brothers, but he fills the need for a stud fullback and special teams guy left when Rosie Nix was hurt most of 2019. Plus, how can more Watt brothers not be a good thing?

 

Brady's situation was not the same as Rivers. The Chargers wanted to move on. The Patriots wanted Brady on their terms and he only wanted to return on his terms.

Perhaps we're just talking about different definitions of good. Brady was held back somewhat by the weapons around him last season, but he is certainly declining. He showed it at times in 2018 as well. I'm not sure how much he has left, but 2019 Brady with those weapons in Tampa would at least be a significant upgrade over what they had with Winston the turnover machine.

 

The one stat where Brady's performance was in the top shelf of NFL QBs last season was a very low interception rate. You can see why that might appeal to Tampa. They were 7-9 last year. Substitute Brady's 8 INTs and one pick six for Winston's 30 and seven and they win 2-3 more games, minimum. Bucs were probably the only team that had a glaring need Brady could fill even off his weak (by his standards, very close to league average in reality) performance of 2019.