Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Anthony Nelson has claimed the lowered expectations that followed quarterback Tom Brady's retirement could help the team - even though he acknowledged it was "amazing" to play with the seven-time Super Bowl champion the last three seasons.
With Brady, Tampa Bay were a media circus that drew national attention. Without him, relative peace will return to Raymond James Stadium, and much of the scrutiny will likely shift to the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers. That could help Buccaneers role players take on greater responsibilities without worrying about every little mistake getting torn apart by critics online.
"Honestly, just like less buzz, nothing different in the building. I kind of like that," Nelson told WDAE Radio. "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."
Still, efforts to replace the assured Brady under centre have yet to yield a clear new starter, and a brewing quarterback controversy could create its own source of distraction. Head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht refuse to disclose the front-runner for getting the Week 1 nod, with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask going head-to-head for the job.
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"People can have in their head, 'Well, it seems like it's for sure going to be this person or it's not going to be this person,' but until we're out there [for the start of the season], anything can happen," Licht said at training camp. "It's going to be a lot of fun just to really focus on how this is going to play out."
Even in a down year by his standards, Brady put up gaudy numbers in 2022 as the Buccaneers reached the playoffs. He threw 25 touchdown passes to nine interceptions and accumulated 4,694 passing yards. The ex-Patriots star decided to retire to spend more time with his family.
Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask split reps in OTAs and will both continue to get snaps with the first team in training camp (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Trask spent the past two seasons as Brady's understudy after the Buccaneers drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He's only thrown nine passes so far in his NFL career.
Meanwhile, Mayfield carries added experience, though not all of his work has been good. After the Cleveland Browns traded him to the Carolina Panthers for a fourth-round pick, the Panthers released him. He joined the Los Angeles Rams at the end of last season, but with Matthew Stafford returning from injury, there was no longer a place for him in Southern California.
"I am here now, and I am ready to go," Mayfield said. "This team, you talk about skeptics and what the narrative is around this team, I think it speaks to our veterans and the people that were a part of the run to the Super Bowl and the success that they have had recently, more so than me.
"I will always have a chip on my shoulder. That is how I approach every day, but it is good to be around a room and a group who has had that success and continues to have that mentality as well. It is a good fit, but we are going to write our own story."
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