"My career started because Drew Bledsoe took a catastrophic hit" - Tom Brady dismisses injury excuse, wants players lower on depth chart to step up
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their season alive with a narrow 19-16 overtime over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football on Christmas Day. Brady and the Buccaneers trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter but managed to rally and force overtime before kicking a game-winning field goal to improve to 7-8 and keep hold of the top spot in the NFC South standings.
Ryan Succop wins it in OT!
#TBvsAZ | #GoBucs https://t.co/dz0OcHCR5N
But the win came at a cost. Left tackle Josh Wells suffered a season-ending knee injury, forcing the Buccaneers to turn to field third-stringer Brandon Walton on Brady's blindside.
#Bucs T Josh Wells suffered a torn left patellar tendon and is out for the year. That’s another serious injury suffered at State Farm Stadium.
https://t.co/YNvmRn5Bve
During his appearance on the latest episode of the Let's Go podcast, Tom Brady explained how Wells suffered the injury:
"It's a contact sport. It's a demolition derby, and I feel horrible for Josh, you went in there yesterday, he was so excited to play so excited to go out there and help the team and gets in there on a play. And before he got injured play before that he actually got hurt on his other knee and he said in the huddle, I can make it I'm good, I'm good, I'm gonna keep going and put all his weight on his left leg. And then sure enough, kind of a seasoning season-ending injury. So I think our heart My heart goes out to him."
The Buccaneers have seen plenty of key players suffer injuries throughout the season. But Tom Brady isn't using that as an excuse for the team's inconsistent campaign. The quarterback also demanded that players lower on the team's depth chart step up in the team's final two games of the regular season:
"My career started because Drew Bledsoe took a catastrophic hit by Mo Lewis and and so gives different people opportunities to go in there and play and show what they can do. And, you know, if you're a player that's going to be around for a while usually take advantage of those opportunities when they're presented, even though you hate to see anybody go down with significant injuries."
Can Tom Brady and the Buccaneers make the playoffs?
If Tom Brady and the Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, they will win the NFC South division title and punch their ticket to the playoffs. However, if they lose, the Panthers will leapfrog them, courtesy of a superior head-to-head record this season. In that case, the Buccaneers will have to win against the Atlanta Falcons and hope the New Orleans Saints beat the Panthers in Week 18 to book a playoff berth.
The Buccaneers have their destiny in their own hands but could slip away on Sunday if they deliver another lackluster performance.
If you use quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda and credit Let's Go! podcast.