Tom Brady’s ‘mind games’ created a high-strung and stressed-out Buccaneers team, reveals current QB Baker Mayfield
Tom Brady created a tense and stressful environment in Tampa which led to some of his teammates no longer having fun playing football.
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Baker Mayfield and Tom Brady (Image Credits: L-via AP, R-via IMAGO)
It is the dream of every NFL player to play alongside Tom Brady. But that dream turned into a reality for Baker Mayfield. When one plays with the GOAT, the expectations that come with it are equally great. His leadership style is looked up to and viewed as the ideal way to achieve success. After all, he managed to turn the fate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers around in his first season thereby winning them a Super Bowl.
However, his successor believes Tom Brady‘s leadership style was not ideal for the Buccaneers and many of his teammates breathed a sigh of relief after his departure. Speaking on the Casa de Klub podcast, Baker Mayfield revealed that Brady took the fun out of football for many of his teammates.
The locker room had become a high-pressure environment and as a result, not all the members of the team were enjoying being a part of it.
The building was a little bit different with Tom in there. Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out.Baker Mayfield said
The former Cleveland Browns quarterback who has turned his career around for the better since arriving in Tampa last season believes he brought the fun back into the locker room.
Baker Mayfield’s career has made a resurgence since he became the starting QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The former first pick of the NFL Draft has a different leadership style in comparison to Tom Brady. Comparing their styles, Mayfield said he and Tom Brady have “very different personalities” which is part of the reason why the Buccaneers brought him on board.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion laid down the rules on offense, it was either his way or the highway. Baker Mayfield shockingly revealed that if the coaching staff ignored Brady’s suggestion of a play call and asked him to run a different play, the quarterback would throw an incompletion just to prove his point.
You hear some of the stories about if he didn't like a certain play call and he didn't like it throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver's feet. There were a lot of mind games going on.Baker Mayfield added
This is surprising to hear considering Tom Brady has always prioritized winning over everything else. But he spent the bulk of his career under Bill Belichick, who is known to have a stubborn attitude and likes to get his way. So there is a chance he took those traits from New England to Tampa.
Ultimately, Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in their first season. So say what you may, his methods although questionable, did work. The Bucs have moved on since and are reaping the reward of the risk they took by signing Baker Mayfield.
The quarterback has had a rough time since he departed from the Cleveland Browns. He had a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams and a forgettable time with the Carolina Panthers but ultimately, he landed in the right place.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2335 Articles Published)