Tom Brady retiring means the Bucs will ‘lose aura’ in 2023, admits coach Todd Bowles as he opens up on losing the iconic QB after he finally called it a day earlier this year at the age of 45
Bucs coach Todd Bowles has opened up on his efforts replacing the irreplaceable after legendary quarterback Tom Brady retired earlier this year at 45 years old.
Brady finally called it a day in February – insisting this time that it really is for good – after the Bucs were beaten in the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys.
Bowles and the Bucs have brought in Baker Mayfield to help replace the void but the coach admitted that he is building a team for a new era after losing the greatest player the game has ever seen.
‘When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don’t replace him,’ Bowles told NFL.Com on Sunday. ‘You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great.
‘That doesn’t mean you can’t be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has opened up on the impact of losing Tom Brady
Brady retired from the NFL this year after the Bucs lost to the Cowboys in the playoffs
‘And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.
‘We have a lot of good players on our team on both sides of the ball. We have some pieces to fill, but we have a lot of good football players on our team.
‘And we just have to understand that and not go with the so-called outside narrative and do what we have to do to win ball games.’
Bowles also spoke positively about Mayfield, who has joined the Bucs on a one-year, $4million deal.
‘I liked Baker when he was coming out,’ Bowles said about the decision to pursue the former No. 1 overall pick.
‘He has great understanding of the football game. He knows where to go with the football. And he has moxie. He’s a guy’s guy. The players love to be around him, and they will fight for him because he’s a winner.
‘He’s won on a lot of different levels, so you like that about him coming in. I thought the way we were trying to run our offense this year, the style of offense we were trying to run, I thought he was a perfect fit for it.
‘So, between him and Kyle Trask, I have no doubt that one of them will come out and be successful.’
Brady won the Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2021 – his seventh and final title in the game
Baker Mayfield has arrived at QB for the Bucs and has vowed to put his own stamp on the team
Mayfield himself said that he wants to bring his own style to the Bucs and not try and copy Brady – who won his seventh and final Super Bowl with the team in 2021.
He said at his unveiling: ‘Listen, I’m never going to be Tom Brady. There’s a reason he’s won so many Super Bowls. He’s the greatest of all time.
‘There’s no doubt about that. I’m not going to try to be Tom. I’m going to be me. That’s what has gotten me to this point.
‘We’re going to do it differently, but that’s what makes this league so special. Everybody puts their own touch on it.’