By Andy Villamarzo
Hernando Sun sports writer
TAMPA- One thing Tom Brady has remained legendary about is his off-season workout habits when he was with the New England Patriots.
Whether he was hosting workouts with his receivers, the likes of Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola or doing his own individual routines at the confines of his own home. If there’s one thing you can count on out of the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback is he will be getting the work in whether the team facilities are open or not.
The case has remained true with Brady coming down to Tampa, as the quarterback had a recent workout with several Buccaneers over at the football field of Berkeley Prep off of Hillsborough Avenue. It was reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and the report went nationally, as Brady was seen donning full gear with fellow teammates in an effort to begin learning his new playbook and teammates.
Amongst the players that were reported at the workout was star wide receiver Mike Evans, tight end OJ Howard, wide receiver Scottie Miller, tight end Cameron Brate and starting center Ryan Jensen. Each player looks to play an intricate role within the Buccaneers’ offense for the 2020 season and getting to know Brady seems to be goal No. 1 this off-season. Brate, a former Harvard student, has been tabbed with helping Brady learn the Buccaneers’ playbook.
It’s been a bit of a wacky off-season for Brady with the current coronavirus pandemic continuing to ensue around the globe. Brady is renting out the Tampa home of Derek Jeter and in one of his first days in the area, accidentally walked into a home he thought was to be offensive coordinator’s Byron Leftwich. The meetup with the offensive coordinator created a big stir within NFL circles, as players are not to have in-person interactions with coaches.
Last month, Brady was kicked out of one of the City of Tampa’s local parks as the quarterback was trying to get a workout outside, but safer at home orders forced city officials to inform the future Hall of Famer that the park was closed. Brady just finished up playing in a charity golfing event with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning, which saw Brady tear his pants while bending down to get his golf ball out of the hole cup.
There’s plenty of work to be done for Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense, as they look to include the former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski to the mix as well. ‘Gronk’ announced he would be returning to play football this off-season with none other than Brady and the new look Buccaneers. Gronkowski rounds out an impressive tight end room with Howard and Brate. Arguably Brady has his best set of receivers since the 2007 season when he had Randy Moss and Wes Welker in their primes.
It looks as if the NFL will start on time this upcoming fall, as states throughout the United States are beginning to loosen restrictions. The Buccaneers will be featured in five primetime games this fall and much of that can be contributed to the signing of Brady and Gronkowski to the team. Both players bring huge fanfare and hope that Tampa Bay can win a second Super Bowl title.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
