The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were served their worst loss of the early NFL season, a 21-3 rout by the lowly Carolina Panthers, that has everyone questioning whether future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady will call it quits midseason.
Think again.
In his latest "Let’s Go!" podcast, Brady was asked by Jim Gray if he still has a love for the game. He looked pretty dejected the last couple weeks as the Bucs have trouble winning, and the offense has been to blame for that.
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Brady didn’t hesitate with his answer.
"Absolutely," he said. "I was saying to [his trainer Alex Guerrero] this morning, I was doing treatment, man, it’s a hard sport we’ve chosen and it’s tough. It challenges you in every area, physically, mentally and emotionally. And certainly, at this stage we’re in, this is where you’ve got to dig deep and see what you’re all about and see what kind of character you have and see what you believe in and your values as a team. Do you stand up for each other when you face adversity or do you not? That’s what we’re all trying to figure out every time we take the field."
As for the retirement question, Brady answered that before the loss to Carolina, saying there’s "no retirement in my future." He reiterated those comments on the podcast.
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"I said last week that there’s no immediate retirement in my future," he said. "There was a retirement in the past, but I moved on from that. But certainly not, you know, I’ve never, you know, I made a commitment to this team and I love this team and I love this organization. I told them in March I was playing and I’ve never quit on anything in my life. And I know a bunch of teammates that we all count on one another to be at our best and to work hard and to put the team first. And that’s what you commit to and that’s what you want your teammates to commit to as well.
"I want to keep fighting as hard as I can and I’m always trying to do better. I’m always trying to work hard and I’m always trying to commit more to the things that are important to me. And this team is very important to me and I certainly want to be the best I can be for them."
The Bucs are now 3-4 on the season after two awful losses in a row, adding the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6 as well. In those games, Brady is able to accumulate yards through the air, but Tampa Bay is having trouble finding the end zone for the first time since Brady left the New England Patriots to join them.
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Brady has 1,942 yards, which is sixth-best in the NFL, with a 66.9% completion rate through seven games. He also has eight touchdowns to just one interception.
Yet, the Bucs haven’t been able to crack 20 points in the last two contests, two games in which they were heavy favorites.
There has also been speculation that Brady’s personal life, specifically his marriage drama with Gisele Bündchen, is interfering with his play on the field.
Brady can erase some of the doubt from fans and experts alike if the Bucs can defeat the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night this week.
