FRISCO, Texas – Tom Brady and the Buccaneers showed the path that maybe the Cowboys should take in trying to get back to the heights where they used to be, in that of Super Bowl championships.
Brady, who confirmed his retirement Tuesday, revived the Buccaneers in almost every way to make them protagonists, on and off the field, and champions of spending the first 20 years of their historic career with the Patriots.
Brady’s image was so great that he pulled players with him, who could charge more expensive or be better sheltered in other organizations, but who preferred to go to Tampa Bay to get that championship that they achieved in 2020. Rob Gronkowski only came out of retirement to accompany his quarterback and friend.
It was the first year and championship of the pandemic, in which many things changed due to the need to adjust on the fly and lack of the preparation typical of teams in the NFL, including the offseason program and the preseason.
In his second year, Brady already with his championship in Tampa Bay under his arm, once again helped the protagonists of the previous year’s title return complete.
When they faced the Cowboys in the first game of 2021, the Buccaneers roster had the 22 starters from the previous Super Bowl, thanks to the fact that some accepted contract renewals for only one year and others even for a lower price.
This season, the Rams, who will play the next Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals, followed the pattern established by Brady and the Buccaneers.
They landed some top-level veteran players, including Highland Park quarterback Matthew Stafford, and inserted a few others midseason like linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
All three players are at their best when they are needed most, in the playoffs.
The Cowboys were crowned in their division two weeks before the end of the regular season. But some very specific situations and positions failed to reach the finish line, causing one of the biggest disappointments for Jerry Jones since he bought the team.
It’s also not about changing quarterbacks. Dak Prescott has shown that he can win games in the NFL, despite all the naysayers about him not only since he signed his most recent four-year, $160 million deal. Also since he played with the franchise tag.
Prescott threw for 4,449 yards with 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in the just-concluded regular season. Only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers had a better scoring-versus-interception differential than him in the entire league.
The stats don’t mean Prescott is perfect either, far from it. There are a lot of intangibles in football, especially at quarterback.
Tom Brady there is and will be only one in history. And by the way he retired undefeated against the Cowboys 6-0.
There are few Aaron Rodgers. If there were more, then they wouldn’t be elite anymore, they would be average quarterbacks. But Prescott has shown that he can play and win.
But what if the Cowboys try to beef up the left side of their offensive line, with veterans in their prime, or “prime”?
Their star linebacker Micah Parsons, fresh from his rookie year, might appreciate the Cowboys signing an elite, fully-empowered linebacker. Maybe a high-profile player who can play all the safety or cornerback positions?
In short, approaching a free agency in which the notorious pieces that are needed to take the next step are sought, in a team that has twenty potential free agents on the 2021 roster.
Yes, the salary cap is complicated, but it is the same for the 32 teams in the most competitive league in the world.
For now, team vice president Stephen Jones said they will continue with the culture of developing their own talent; the one that has arrived via draft or low-cost free agency.
Not a bad idea either, though perhaps it could be combined with a couple of All-Pro players into a 12-5 NFC East champion, as Major League Baseball has done for years…
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Did Tom Brady lead the way to titles?