How the Bucs will look different if Antonio Brown returns
TAMPA — While Antonio Brown was serving his three-game suspension from the league for misrepresenting his vaccination status, several important things were happening behind the scenes.
The Bucs contacted the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office to make sure that there was no arrest warrant for or investigation into Brown, who used a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, which is a felony. There wasn’t at the county level.
Brown also reached out to his former live-in chef, Steven Ruiz, who has said he was owed $10,000 by the Bucs receiver, to settle for an undisclosed amount.
Presumably, Brown is also healthier now. He sustained an ankle/heel injury at Philadelphia on Oct. 14, the last game he played.
If he is at full speed, there is no doubt Brown can make a significant impact on the Bucs offense and passing game.
Chris Godwin, who has 25 catches 248 yards in the past two games, is on track to shatter the single-season club record for receptions (106) held by Keyshawn Johnson since 2000.
Mike Evans, who already has 11 touchdown receptions, needs only 115 yards to reach the 1,000-yard milestone for the eighth straight season, expanding his NFL record. Throw in tight end Rob Gronkowski and this offense already is among the league’s best passing attacks.
But Brown is a huge upgrade over Breshad Perriman, who has been holding down the third receiver position for the past several weeks. Even with his game-winning 58-yard touchdown reception to beat the Bills in overtime, Perriman only has four receptions in as many games.
Every receiver will be dropped a notch if Brown returns. Perriman would go to No. 4 while Tyler Johnson falls to No. 5. Considering Johnson has been getting more reps, Scotty Miller becomes the No. 6 receiver. He was inactive against the Bills.
That doesn’t include rookie Jaelon Darden, who is the team’s primary kickoff and punt returner. Given their continuous rash of injuries in the secondary, can the Bucs afford to carry seven receivers?
Who is the odd man out?
It would appear to be Miller, who hasn’t secured a role on special teams and is limited to vertical routes in coach Bruce Arians’ offense.
Miller made the biggest play for the Bucs a year ago with his touchdown catch just before halftime at Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game. He’s had chemistry with Tom Brady since those first practice days at Berkeley Prep. But the Bucs must have thought they needed more from the position or on special teams when they drafted Darden in the fourth round from North Texas.
Darden has 97 punt return yards, but that includes a season-high 43-yarder vs. the Bears. Either Darden or Miller could be on his way out.
Stop running, Tom
Arians didn’t mince words when he approached Brady on the bench in last Sunday’s game shortly after the 44-year-old quarterback had scored on a quarterback sneak. “That’s enough hits,” the coach said.
Brady agreed and acknowledged that next time, he would give it to Leonard Fournette.
Teams will always take shots at the opposing quarterback and Brady was knocked around so much by the Bills that at one point he came off the field and immediately started throwing. When a trainer approached him, Brady said, “I’m all right.”
But Brady was sore Monday after being sacked twice, absorbing another solid hit to his non-throwing shoulder from quarterback Tarron Jackson on a 3-yard gain. In fact, he was listed on the injury report Friday with a shoulder issue.
The biggest thing that could derail the Bucs is losing Brady and that was the message Arians presented. According to offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, Brady called the quarterback sneak.
“That was decided as soon as the snap was in his hand, and he did it,” Leftwich said. “It was done right there. He’s doing the right play. Just like (Arians) said — that’s enough of that.”
But there’s a part of Brady who just wants to be treated like any other football player — which of course he’s not.
“It’s part of just playing this sport. It’s a physical game,” Brady said. “Those guys are taking hits on every play — the O-linemen, D-linemen, receivers, running backs. Part of your job as quarterback is to take them, get up and shake them off and run the next play.”
Blocking was even better than Brady
A closer look at that overtime touchdown from Brady to Perriman shows the protection was even better than the pass.
Brady had all day to survey a crossing route (mesh route) between Evans and Perriman because Fournette and others absolutely stoned the Bills’ twists and blitz.
“What I take from the play is how good of a job the offensive line did on that play,” Leftwich said. “...You (saw) all six guys working with (Fournette). That’s just the most impressive thing of it all. They gave (Brady) that much time to see (Perriman) going through the back door. It’s not that he got back there, it’s that everyone gave him the ability and allowed him to get back there to let the full play work itself out. He was the fifth option. He popped, and just like everybody else when he got the ball, we were all just screaming, ‘Run. Just run, run, run.’”
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