Among the overblown and/or flat-out incorrect items that emerged regarding Tom Brady‘s quick foray into free-agency was the notion that he’s looking to run the offense and/or to influence personnel decisions. He’s not.
On Tuesday night, we explained in the item regarding Brady’s decision to select the Buccaneers over the Chargers that Brady “did not make grandiose requests that have been suggested elsewhere, including items like personnel authority and control over the development and implementation of the offense.” Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times confirms this.
“Brady never asked for control of the offense,” Stroud writes. “He knew that [coach Bruce] Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and special assistant Tom Moore would collaborate with him on game plans. [Brady] didn’t ask for any specific players to join him.”
Some believed that Brady would want to have Peyton Manning-style control with his new team, but that assumption overlooked two important realities. First, Manning always had control — even while he was at Indianapolis. Manning is the kind of guy who naturally takes over, no matter what his job may be. And that’s fine, because he’s got the skills and the drive to do it.
Second, Brady never had control. He comes from a place where the overriding message remains this: Do your job. Brady’s job is to implement the offense, not to design it or to refine it or to determine who will and won’t be on the field with him for it. After 20 years of knowing his role, staying in his lane, and doing that the best of his ability, that’s what he’ll be doing in Tampa Bay.