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Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady faced the virtual music with reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs.
But he didn’t face it for very long. The post-game press conference ended after less than two-and-a-half minutes, with this question from Jenna Laine of ESPN.com prompting a polite answer and a quick exit.
“Hey, Tom, as you head to your bye week, there have been some folks who have had some chatter about, you know, you still look like you are running someone else’s offense,” Laine said. “One of your former teammates even said on TV that he thinks that you need a new head coach. What do you make of all of that?”
Laine was referring to former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who made the suggestion last week during an appearance on ESPN. Here’s Brady’s response.
“It’s just external noise that when you are losing, that’s what you deal with,” Brady said. “I love playing with the guys that I play with, the coaches, the whole organization has been unbelievable. I think I have to go out and certainly do a better job the last four weeks of the year. So, I appreciate it. Let’s have a good week.”
Brady has done a good job of taking the blame, even as members of the coaching staff publicly nudge it his way, something that Patriots coach Bill Belichick never did. The broader question continues to be whether Brady is running the offense the way he wants to run it, or whether he’s running someone else’s vision of what the offense should be.
Brady and the Buccaneers enter the bye week at 7-5. While Tampa Bay should be able to nail down a wild-card berth, it’s hard to imagine the Bucs thriving in January.
