Tom Brady reportedly expresses ‘football is fun again’ without Patriots
Out from under Bill Belichick’s thumb finally, former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seems to be having fun again with the Buccaneers.
Tom Brady’s having fun. Rob Gronkowski’s having fun. Their new teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are having fun.
The only people not having fun right now are those New England Patriots fans still lamenting the departure of two of the most iconic and impactful players in franchise history.
The subject of whether or not the Patriots are a “fun” organization under head coach/general manager Bill Belichick has been a question of interest for several years now. Ever since Eagles guard Lane Johnson decried the New England culture as being fear-based and fun-less, it’s been a popular topic to debate for football fans.
Some current and ex-players — such as Duron Harmon, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, and Rob Ninkovich — have defended “the Patriot Way” and asserted that there’s nothing more fun as a professional football player than winning championships — and just winning consistently in general.
Other players like Asante Samuel, Danny Amendola, Wes Welker, and Rob Gronkowski have either previously hinted at or even outright expressed the difficulty of suppressing their personalities at times to fit into Belichick’s tight-lipped, no-nonsense system.
Tom Brady is the latest ex-Patriot to comment on his newfound freedom
It’s hard to believe that six-time Super Bowl champion and G.O.A.T. Tom Brady might be part of the latter group — particularly given the fact that Brady is arguably more responsible for creating and sustaining “the Patriot Way” over the years than anyone other than Belichick himself.
And yet, it seems one of the major driving forces between Brady and Belichick’s much-publicized breakup is Brady’s desire to play football from a place of fun, free, childlike abandon again.
While Belichick seemingly committed to getting younger at the position when he refused to offer Brady the long-term contract extension the quarterback craved, Brady simultaneously confirmed the notion that he wanted to compete in a less strict environment when he signed on with the Buccaneers and their players’ coach, Bruce Arians.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Brady excitedly texted his longtime throwing coach, Tom House, after Gronkowski came out of retirement and got traded to the Buccaneers.
“I think the most fun texts we’ve had is when Gronk signed,” House told GQ Sports. “He texted me and said, ‘Football is fun again.’”
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If Brady’s already having this much fun just working out with his teammates on his own, imagine how much fun he’s going to have with Arians and the rest of his new teammates during training camp, the preseason, and the regular season — especially if Tampa Bay is as good as many analysts predict they could be in 2020.