Tom Brady already taking charge of Bucs’ offense

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is settling into his role as the leader of the offense, holding off-season workouts with Rob Gronkowski and several other of his new teammates.

As seen in WFLA exclusive Eagle 8 HD video Tuesday, Brady was seen working with his Bucs teammates, giving directions and coaching as they worked through plays. Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said this came as no surprise to him.

“That’s what you get when you bring Tom Brady in,” Leftwich said. “He’s about excellence. He’s trying to do everything possible to make sure we’re as successful as possible. We as coaches are doing that same thing. It’s great to have a guy like that to come in and lead the guys and get as much participation as he’s gotten from the guys. It’s just a sign of where we think our team’s at and the maturity of our team. I think we’ve got a lot of players that are willing to do everything possible to become a better football team and win football games.”

As far as play-calling and how much say Brady will have in their offense, Leftwich said it will be a lot.

“My philosophy and which I believe [Bruce Arians’] philosophy is also is that every quarterback I’ve ever been around has a role in the offense,” Leftwich said. “I don’t just call plays. I don’t just come up with plays. I come up with plays always with the quarterback in mind. There will be some things that are different here and there. Obviously we want to know everything that Tom knows. Any time you’ve got a guy like this leading your team at the quarterback position, you want to know and put him in the best position possible all the time. So yes, there will be a lot of collaboration.”