Tom Brady

Tom Brady still believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have another gear to hit following their 20-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Brady told reporters after the game the Bucs "didn't earn it" and are "all playing less than we're capable of."

Video: “We didn’t earn it,” Tom Brady says, saying Bucs haven’t played to their potential for six weeks now and it cost them in loss to Steelers. pic.twitter.com/pKZvIm3YKP

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 16, 2022

One could argue the problems start with Brady and the offense.

Entering Week 6, Tampa Bay was third in defensive efficiency but 13th in offensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders. Once again, the Buccaneers were leaning on their defense to win the day as they allowed 270 total yards to the Steelers yet gained only 304 themselves.

Brady finished 25-of-40 for 243 yards and one touchdown. Through six starts, his 275.3 yards per game are on pace to be his lowest since 2019.

The 45-year-old's frustration has been evident at times this season, and on Sunday, he gave his offensive line an earful.

Tom Brady having a word with his O-line after a 9-point first half 👀

(via @NFLonFOX) pic.twitter.com/yTjtdFaLdp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 16, 2022

The Buccaneers have been in this situation before.

In 2020, Tampa Bay headed into its bye at 7-5. The team didn't look like a true title contender, and the Brady experiment wasn't yielding its expected returns. Then the Bucs won eight straight games, a run that ended in a Super Bowl triumph.

Though they fell short in the divisional round while attempting to defend their championship in 2021, they had a similar hot streak to end the regular season with seven wins in their final eight games.

You would've gone broke long ago if you bet against Brady whenever his back was perceived to be up against the wall.

Tampa Bay has four more games before it's off in Week 11. If the team is continuing to hover around .500 by mid-November, then it might be time to start panicking.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-18 on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium and fell to 3-3 on the season after their offense struggled for much of the afternoon.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady had a rough outing, completing just 25 of 40 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown, which came late in the fourth quarter on a throw to running back Leonard Fournette.

Chris Godwin was Tampa's leading receiver with six catches for 95 yards. Mike Evans caught four passes for 42 yards.

Brady, who finished with an 87.8 passer rating, was mocked and ripped on Twitter by NFL fans following the loss:

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1581738382064918529

did tom brady break a tablet today?

— 🐩 (@SophiaKnowsBttr) October 16, 2022

We are all witnessing the downfall of Tom Brady

— Russell (@LRHarris202) October 16, 2022

Hey @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/9NVALzr5Md

— Maxx (@Bearsmaxx) October 16, 2022

Tom Brady just lost to a Steelers team without their 3 starting cbs, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tj Watt, and their starting qb gets injured halfway through. He’s washed .

— Balls To The Walls Sports (@wuxxyluxxy) October 16, 2022

Tom Brady should have just retired if he gonna play like this.

— The Prince of DC (@TeejSmoothDude) October 16, 2022

Tom Brady should’ve stayed retired

— Trent Elmore (@trentroger8) October 16, 2022

Tom Brady came back to the Bucs to *checks notes* SUCK?

— .ɴɪɴᴇᴛʏ𝟤 (@n_inety2) October 16, 2022

Someone tell Tom Brady to retire

— Jake (@wyckipedia_) October 16, 2022

Tom Brady is truly horrible. Should have stayed retired

— Prachee Avasthi (@PracheeAC) October 16, 2022

The Buccaneers are now tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first in the NFC South, which is something no one saw coming entering the season.

Brady and the Bucs offense have a lot to figure out. If they don't sort things out quickly, they could end up with a low playoff seed or miss the postseason entirely.

The NFL is reportedly fining Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady for trying to kick Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during the teams' Week 5 game.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brady has been docked $11,139 for kicking at Jarrett on the play the Falcons defender was flagged for roughing the passer.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reported earlier in the day the NFL was working to determine whether it was an intentional act.

Jarrett was flagged on the fourth-quarter play, a highly controversial call, and video from the incident shows Brady kicking his leg toward the Falcons defender. It's unclear if he makes contact.

The play in question happened with three minutes left in the final quarter Sunday and the Falcons trailing 21-15. On third down, Jarrett wrapped up Brady and took him down for a 10-yard sack, which would have forced a Bucs punt and a chance at a comeback win for Atlanta.

Instead, a flag was thrown for roughing the passer, which referee Jerome Boger described as Jarrett "unnecessarily throwing him to the ground." It was the latest in a recent trend of questionable penalty calls for roughing the passer.

Jarrett said Tuesday on 680 The Fan in Atlanta (via ESPN's Michael Rothstein) he remained in "disbelief" about the game-changing call—the Bucs were able to run out the clock to secure the win—and also stated he spoke with officials about Brady's kicking motion.

"'Look, you see him now. Let's clean it up.' You know what I'm saying? And then it happened again at the end of the game," he said. "I'm like, 'So, we going to let this slide?'"

Brady, who simply stated "I don't throw flags" after Sunday's game, expanded on his thoughts about the play Monday on his Let's Go! podcast (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

"It was a long hug, a long unwelcome hug from Grady," the 15-time Pro Bowler said. "And he was in the backfield all day. So as I said after the games, I don't throw flags. What I do throw is tablets, and I didn't have one accessible at that time. He had a hell of a game. I'll leave it at that."

The Buccaneers quarterback didn't make any reference to the apparent kick.

Brady was previously fined $10,000 for kicking legendary Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed in 2013, per Spotrac. It's the only on-field fine of his career.

Tampa Bay and Atlanta will face off again in Week 18 to wrap up the regular season.

This week, the Bucs travel to Acrisure Stadium to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Falcons host the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both games are 1 p.m. ET kickoffs Sunday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady addressed the recent string of questionable roughing the passer penalties that have happened around the NFL.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Brady said he doesn't think the referees are robots and they aren't "trying to get it wrong" when they throw flags after a quarterback is hit.

Brady and the Bucs benefited from a questionable penalty called in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Grady Jarrett appeared to sack Brady clean for a loss of 10 yards on 3rd-and-5 with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Falcons trailing 21-15. The officials called Jarrett for roughing the passer, giving the Bucs a fresh set of downs.

Tampa Bay picked up another first down and was able to run out the clock to preserve the win.

Referee Jerome Boger told reporters after the game that Jarrett "unnecessarily" threw Brady to the ground.

During his weekly appearance on 680 The Fan (h/t USA Today's Victoria Hernandez), Jarrett said he was in "a lot of disbelief" about the penalty being called.

On the heels of the controversy involving Brady, Monday's game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs saw another questionable roughing the passer penalty called.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and had possession of the football when both players landed on the ground. Instead of being credited with a sack and fumble recovery, Jones was assessed a 15-yard penalty and the Raiders retained possession.

Referee Carl Cheffers told reporters after the game that Jones landed on Carr with his full body weight and the quarterback "is protected from being tackled with full body weight."

The Chiefs erased a 17-point deficit to defeat the Raiders 30-29, so the call didn't impact the final outcome of the game in the same way it may have in the Falcons-Bucs contest.

Per Rob Maadi of the Associated Press, the NFL plans to discuss the roughing the passer penalty during next week's owners meetings in New York.

There are currently no plans to make changes to the rule, but recommendations can be made by the competition committee or teams that would then be voted upon by all 32 club owners.

At least 24 owners would have to vote in favor of a rule in order for it to be changed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady put to rest any doubt he would be out of the lineup Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Brady returned to practice on Thursday and later told reporters his shoulder "feels great" and that he'll "be there" when the Buccaneers take the field Sunday.

Brady returned Thursday after sitting out yesterday's session with right shoulder and right finger injuries. Brady was later listed as a full participant.

#Bucs QB Tom Brady (right shoulder/right finger) was listed as a full participant in practice today.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 6, 2022

Brady appeared to suffer a shoulder injury during a Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, although he later said that he was fine.

Other than when he played just one game in 2008 because of a torn ACL, Brady's durability has been a defining characteristic of his legendary career. He was suspended for four games in 2016 but hasn't missed a contest because of injury since that 2008 campaign.

Brady temporarily retired this past offseason but changed his mind, which kept the Buccaneers on the short list of realistic Super Bowl contenders. After all, his resume includes seven Lombardi Trophies, five Super Bowl MVPs and three MVPs, and he is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time.

The Michigan product has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 1,058 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in four games so far this season.

The Buccaneers will likely turn toward Blaine Gabbert under center if Brady for some reason Brady is unable to play.

Since winning their first two games of the season, the Bucs have dropped back-to-back contests to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense allowed 41 points and 417 yards to the Chiefs after giving up a total of 27 points and an average of 289 yards in the first three games.

Brady and the Bucs will look to get back on track Sunday when they host the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.

The New England Patriots are being sued by a fan who claims they ruined an American flag autographed by Tom Brady.

Per the lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, Daniel Vitale said he acquired the flag signed by the seven-time Super Bowl champion in early 2020 and at some point last year he reached out to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to gauge their interest in displaying it.

According to the suit, the HOF said it did after Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick retired.

"The HOF, according to Vitale, suggested he reach out to the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium to gauge its interest in the flag in the meantime," TMZ wrote. "Vitale claims in his suit that the Pats HOF wanted it—and officials there promised him it would be 'curated to the highest standard.'"

Vitale said he gave the Patriots the flag and it was displayed under the jersey worn during Super Bowl 49, but when he sought to get it back earlier this year when Brady was considering retirement, he said the "autograph had faded due to what he claims is the way the HOF improperly displayed the piece."

Per the lawsuit, Vitale is seeking damages for his claim that the value of the flag has potentially decreased by more than $1 million.

According to Vitale, the flag was flown at New England's previous home, Foxboro Stadium, during a 2001 game against the Miami Dolphins and Brady signed it a few years later.

The 2001 season was Brady's first year as the Patriots' starting quarterback. He replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe in a Week 2 game against the New York Jets. New England went on to win six Super Bowl titles and nine AFC championships from 2001-19 with Brady under center.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady missed practice Wednesday because of right shoulder and right finger injuries, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The 45-year-old Brady, who is playing in his 23rd NFL season, has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for six touchdowns (one interception) and 1,058 yards in 2022.

Brady previously appeared on the Bucs' Week 3 injury report with a right ring finger injury, but he still practiced in full Friday prior to the team's Sept. 25 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Brady started and threw for 271 yards and one touchdown.

He also appeared on the Week 4 injury report with a right finger injury but participated in full practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP is in his third season with the Bucs. His first ended with a Super Bowl victory, and this year's team figures to contend for the Lombardi Trophy as well.

Thus far, the Bucs are just 2-2, but that's good enough to co-lead the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons at the moment. Tampa Bay will host Atlanta in its next game on Sunday.

Behind Brady, the remainder of the Buccaneers' quarterback depth chart consists of Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask.

Gabbert, who has been in the NFL since 2011, serves as Brady's backup. The former Missouri star has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Bucs during his career.

In 66 games (48 starts), Gabbert has completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 50 touchdowns (47 interceptions) and 6.1 yards per pass attempt.

For the Bucs over the past two years, Gabbert has completed 16-of-27 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Tampa Bay selected Trask with the No. 64 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The former Florida star completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 69 touchdowns (15 interceptions) and 9.1 yards per attempt during his college career. He notably threw for 43 touchdowns in 12 games during the 2020 season.