Tom Brady was confused about what down what it was during the Buccaneers' frustrating, failed final drive in Thursday night's 20-19 loss to the Bears. Call us a little confused about how good Tampa Bay can be with Brady as its quarterback in the 2020 NFL season.
Brady's Bucs are now 3-2. They're 1-2 on the road and 2-0 at home. They've beaten the Panthers, Broncos and Chargers, who have a combined record of 4-8. After being whipped by the Saints in Week 1, beating the now 4-1 Bears was supposed to add validity to the Bucs' status as NFC contenders.
MORE: Twitter roasts Tom Brady for not knowing it was fourth down
But now as the Bucs have extra time to think about a Week 6 home date with Aaron Rodgers and the 4-0 Packers, they are facing an early crossroads before the second half of the season. The good news is, as with most Brady teams in New England after "slow" starts, there's plenty of time for Tampa Bay to turn the corner and become the complete NFC title threat it was meant to be.
The Bucs have yet to find their true identity with Brady. They are rather schizophrenic. Their offense seems to have a real strength in the running game, but there is major inconsistency in a talented passing game. Their defense, despite being stout against the run and with some top edge pass rushers in Todd Bowles' blitzing scheme, has given up big plays at inopportune times.
Then there are all those injuries. And all those penalties. So many penalties.
The Bucs were the most undisciplined team in the NFL last season, averaging more than eight penalties per game. This year, they are around the same number, also worst in the league. That has to be maddening to Brady, because the Patriots were so disciplined — without him they go into Week 5 as the league's least penalized team.
The Bucs lost by a point because the Bears accepted 11 penalties for 109 yards. That included, on offense, a block in the back by tight end Rob Gronkowski, a pass interference infraction on wide receiver Mike Evans and a personal foul by center Ryan Jensen that drew the vocal ire of Brady. That was tied to their atrocious 4-of-14 third-down conversion rate and sloppy pass protection of Brady.
Brady was angry and battered throughout the game, and in the end it led to his version of a "senior" moment.
But we've seen this before when the Patriots have been off. What doesn't break Brady makes him stronger and makes him understand how to lift his team. Much of the mess with penalties and blown assignments falls on coach Bruce Arians, who isn't giving Brady the same "do your job" support from the rest of the Bucs as Bill Belichick always did with the Patriots.
The Bucs turned to Brady to replace Jameis Winston, who led the league in interceptions last season, and clean things up. Brady has thrown two pick sixes in five games. He wasn't going to magically, automatically raise the Bucs from a 7-9 disappointment. He picked them because they had the look of the best support system outside New England for his 43-year-old self. They have the capacity to still give him what he needs.
MORE: Bucs-Bears recap, highlightsThe Bucs are still a solid 3-2, maybe only one game off where we thought they would be after losing to the Bears. When compared with Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans, the troika of established NFC favorites, there's no doubt Tampa Bay has the best, most dangerous defense on every level.
Brady did lose a big member of his support staff when tight end O.J. Howard injured his Achilles in Week 4. But his most important, technically sound and reliable receiver, Chris Godwin, has missed three games and should return from his hamstring injury in time for the Packers. The offensive line has struggled to keep him upright at times, namely rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs, but it has the potential to get better soon. The power running game looks here to stay with Ronald Jones, regardless of how healthy Leonard Fournette is, and rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn might be a game-changer as Brady's James White-like receiving back.
Everyone knows from two decades of history that Brady thrives on facing adversity and overcoming it. It's been his makeup since he was under-drafted by the Patriots. Even has an older QB with six rings, that chip on his shoulder is never removed from his fiery competitiveness.
Without a preseason and limited official work in the offseason, what was going to be a difficult transition for Brady to mesh his passing sensibilities with Arians' "no risk it, no biscuit" approach to offense got harder. He's still getting used to the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel, and the injuries, especially to Godwin, have created another obstacle.
Because this is a "What have you done for me lately?" league, the focus goes from Brady's rejuvenated five-TD comeback against the Chargers in Week 4 to a quiet night against the Bears in Week 5. So which version of his Bucs are real? If anything, their hints of explosive offense and dominant defense should inspire confidence that they can put it all together soon by correcting the little things that have become big early mistakes.
Luckily, the Packers matchup looming in Week 6 will be a good indicator. Brady will need to be on point like he was against Los Angeles, and the defense will need to be ready to bring it against Rodgers and Aaron Jones like it did against Chicago.
The Bucs also have a favorable schedule left. After the Packers, their three toughest matchups are the Saints, Rams and Chiefs, all also at home, all before their very late Week 13 bye.
The truth is, we still know very little about Tampa Bay with Tom Brady after five games, except for a winning record. Putting the Bucs down for the Super Bowl count after their loss at Chicago is an overreaction — just like it always is when trying to write off Brady.
