TAMPA, Fla. _ Whose offense is it, anyway?
Tom Brady has learned the terminology and philosophy of Bruce Arians' downfield attack.
A collaboration with the Bucs has taken place over the past several months between head coach and quarterback.
But like the football, Brady will have to put his own spin on it.
"He's got the ball, OK?" Arians said.
Case in point. Last week during practice, Brady read the defense and determined which receiver would be open, completing a short pass. Arians saw another receiver deep and would've expected the football to go downfield.
"I was looking at a completely different spot," Arians said. "He completed the ball. He completed the ball and then we talked about it and I said, 'You had a matchup that was favorable for a big play. As long as you complete it, I don't care.' He said, 'I didn't even look over there, because I wasn't thinking that. I knew I had this.'
"Once he went and watched the film, he said, 'Oh my God, that was an easy 40-yarder.' One of the receivers beat a guy off the line of scrimmage and he fell down. But he took one because he knew he had it, and he has the ball in his hands. I have no problems with that."
Brady said Thursday that he plans to keep the game simple and adjust to what the Saints defense presents him in Sunday's opener.
"I think we're going to have to see as the year goes," Brady said. "You always have a plan or a strategy before we go into a particular game, and we're going to decide what we need to do that's going to work the best. I think I try to make football relatively simple for me. If they're deep, throw it short. If they're short, throw it deep. If they're inside, throw it outside. If they're outside, throw it inside. If they're not guarding the run, you've got to run it. If they're aggressive, you've got to play-action. I think the fundamentals really take shape.
"I think being a good quarterback is making good decisions, understanding risk/reward. And I do have the football, so the team trusts me to do it and I've really enjoyed working with B.A. and understanding how he sees it and working with Byron (Leftwich). It's been a lot of fun. ... I think we're all excited to be able to compete against a real team and understand nothing is going to be perfect for a long time. But we're going to work our tails off to get it right."
Leftwich says like any offense, the Bucs' scheme has been adapted to fit the quarterback.
Sunday's game will be just the first example, but it is likely to evolve as Brady becomes more familiar with his receivers and play-caller.
"It won't be exactly what it was last year," Leftwich said. "It'll be different, because it's based on the quarterback. We're just trying to rep enough plays and I'm trying to see what he's doing with the ball, the decisions he's making, so I can figure him out and always put him in the best position to be successful.
" ... It's fun working with him, having the mind that he has, seeing the game the way that he sees the game. He makes some unique plays, and that's the fun. It's fun being with him, it's fun coaching him. It's especially fun because he's so willing to be coached. He just wants good information and, like all good football players, that's all he wants."
Brady knew when he arrived in Tampa Bay how much time he had to prepare for Sunday's game, down to the hour, minute and second.
For the first time in 20 seasons, he will lead a team other than the Patriots onto the field. Now that the game is fast approaching, how does he feel?
"Yeah, you know we've got one more day of practice before we play a game, so I think that hit me today that we've had a lot of these practices leading up to it and you finish a practice and you go and watch the tape and you get ready for the next practice," Brady said. "And I think the reality hit me today that we're actually getting ready to play a game.
"We've got live contact, live football, real results. And it's something I haven't done in nine months. ... Hopefully, I can recall some of the things I've done over a period of time and go out there and try to play a real solid football game against a great football team."
