Tom Brady refuses to squander precious offseason time.
Aerial video coverage has captured the 42-year-old Buccaneers quarterback and nine of his teammates — including former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski — once again grinding it out at a secret workout at Berkeley Prep high school in Tampa, which has been shuttered to the public during the coronavirus pandemic.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback — who is tasked with the colossal challenge of adjusting to new teammates, coaching staff and schemes for the first time in two decades — is clearly eager to return to the field as soon as possible amid the shortened and uncertain offseason.
Brady previously held a covert throwing session at Berkeley Prep back in May with wide receiver Mike Evans, tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, running back Dare Ogunbowale and center Ryan Jensen, among others, to circumvent the obstacle of closed NFL facilities. In April, he was thrown out of a closed Tampa park by the city’s parks and recreation department for his illicit workout.
But Brady’s impact on a franchise permeates much deeper than his deftness as a passer and “the Xs and Os,” as highlighted by ESPN’s Jenna Laine on Friday.
Laine spoke of the intrinsic “psychological impact” the six-time Super Bowl champion will have in transitioning away from Bill Belichick to Bruce Arians.
Arians — who honed the skill of analyzing people and their non-verbal cues while tending bar — thinks of himself as a quarterback “pseudo psychologist,” and has a “very strong desire for a human connection,” a trait he shares with his signal-caller.
“I want to be tethered to him not only at the hip, but also the heart, too,” Arians said via Laine.
Brady turns 43 before the start of the season, and Laine predicts the veteran will wield significant influence over play-calling and would even possess veto power over the coaching staff in the event of disagreement.
“Being able to have the freedom to be able to say, ‘I don’t want to run that play, or even to make checks at the line of scrimmage’ … That is going to be very, very invigorating as well as the fact that so much has been made about Brady having declining arm strength,” she said. “Arians doesn’t see any of that and he will tell him on third-and-short, ‘If you get 1-on-1 coverage on the outside, go for the kill. Take your deep shot and go for the touchdown.’”