Old Man Brady won’t make the Bucs instant Super Bowl contenders

Tom Brady is giving him a run for his money, but at least on Sunday, Father Time reminded us once again that he is still undefeated.

For the massive, incomparable legacy of Brady, and the wealth of talent laying around on the Buccaneers roster— penciling Tampa Bay in as a Super Bowl contender only felt natural. But a 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 proved that, if this is going to work, Brady and the Buccaneers have a long way to go.

It’s important to note, Brady didn’t look helpless in the Buccaneers offense. For every head-scratching turnover and uncharacteristic overthrow, Brady also put some gorgeous deep throws and an impressive quarterback sneak on the highlight reel. After all, Tom Brady is still Tom Brady, even if he wasn’t at his best.

But the version of Brady that we saw on Sunday isn’t one that’s going to take the Buccaneers to the top of the NFC South. The player that missed high on more than a few throws won’t be good enough to mask the question marks still facing this Tampa Bay team.

Given, Brady couldn’t have asked for a much tougher test in Week 1, with a brand new team, all while still working on the chemistry between himself and his roster. So don’t write this team off yet. If we know one thing as football fans, it should be that you never, never write off Tom Brady.

But if things stay the same, it could be a rough NFL season in ‘Tompa Bay.’