“Moments after Brady had put pen to paper, he was on the phone with Licht. No detail is too small or inconsequential for Brady, who had already done the math on how much time he had to get ready for the season opener: He informed Licht they had roughly 4,270 hours for him to learn the Bucs offense and the quirks and likes of his new wide receivers and tight ends before the regular season kicked off. “I’ve got to get to work,” Brady told his new general manager. “I’ve got to get started right now.”
Excerpt From: Lars Anderson. “A Season in the Sun.” Apple Books.
“Brady noted that either the Saints or Falcons had finished ahead of the Bucs in the final regular season divisional standings in fifteen of the last seventeen years, and if Tampa Bay was going to bust this trend, he had to catch up with Brees and Ryan in terms of his comfort-level with the offense. Brady reiterated to Licht, “Our season starts now. I’ve got a whole new language to learn in the playbook. These other guys in the division don’t.”
Excerpt From: Lars Anderson. “A Season in the Sun.” Apple Books.
“He believes that 95 percent of the successful quarterbacks in the NFL are special people, not just robots with big arms. They inspire others. They get teammates to do things they never thought possible. Arians has coached a few quarterbacks in his career with off-the-charts grit—quarterbacks that have rare mental skills and a unique strength of character—and after just two conversations with Brady he was sure that he had those qualities as well.
“Once you cross paths with someone like this—whether it’s in football or academia or politics—that person will stick with you for the rest of your life,” Arians said. “Right away with Tom, I knew he was as gritty as they come. Nothing stops guys like this. Nothing.”
Excerpt From: Lars Anderson. “A Season in the Sun.” Apple Books.
“The most fundamental aspect of a quarterback’s job is to cleanly receive the snap from his center. A natural-born perfectionist, Brady does everything in his power to keep the palms of his hands dry during games, which gives him a better grip on the ball and reduces the possibility of it slipping from his grasp.
Brady has long detested it when his center has a sweat-soaked behind, not because he’s a germaphobe or thinks it’s disgusting, but because it moistens his hands and increases the chances of an errant pass. In New England, Brady had his centers place towels and baby powder on the inside of their pants to absorb the sweat, and now he asked Jensen—as politely as possible—if he’d be willing to do the same.”
Excerpt From: Lars Anderson. “A Season in the Sun.” Apple Books.