Anthony Nelson likes the reduced "buzz" with Tom Brady gone from the Buccaneers
For the first time since 2019, the Buccaneers are preparing for a season without Tom Brady on the team.
Linebacker Anthony Nelson, who was in camp for each of the Brady years, likes one thing about it.
"Honestly, just like less buzz,” Nelson said on WDAE radio, via JoeBucsFan.com.
Nelson said that, during Brady's time with the team, a media frenzy was “surrounding us constantly the last three years just because of Tom."
As a result, Nelson welcomes the reduced glare.
“I kind of like that,” Nelson said. “It was amazing playing with Tom but with that comes a bunch of buzz. I think just being under the radar is going to be good for us. . . . Inside the building, it feels the same [without Brady], a lot of guys like ready to go to work. We still got the same culture. [Todd] Bowles has made sure of that and he’s done a really good job of that so far. It’s been mostly outside the building that’s been the difference.”
It makes sense. The Bucs had been one of the hottest teams in football, from 2020 through 2022. Now, without Brady, they're being overlooked.
That could be a mistake. They have plenty of players who played on the Super Bowl-winning team, and if quarterback Baker Mayfield can get back to playing like he did in 2020, the Bucs could still be very dangerous in a wide-open division.
