Dear Tom Brady,
I don’t know where to begin. 22 seasons, 624 touchdowns, 84,520 yards and countless other career achievements, but the past two years have been life changing.
You made the dreams of an 8-year-old kid from a small town in Colorado, 1,500 miles away from his favorite team, come true. The same 13-year-old kid who moved to Seattle and was a fish out of water with his Bucs hat barely hanging off his head.
We’re not far removed from the years of my favorite football team having historically bad losing seasons. The countless seasons without playoff berths which resulted in the same old jokes about the Buccaneers, or should I say “Succaneers”. There were many Sundays filled with frustration and disappointment.
Many of my peers and even strangers would question my fandom towards such a statistically bad team. Though no matter the outcome of each game, I was a die-hard fan from the moment my dad got me my first Bucs hat for Christmas.
With that said, I would be lying if I claimed that there weren’t moments of doubt that I’d ever see my team in the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.
Never in my life did I think the best quarterback of all time would leave his home of 20 years in New England as a Patriot and come to Tampa to join the Buccaneers. Not to mention winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs on home turf.
My 8-year-old self would still be crying knowing we won it all and 13-year-old me would be rubbing it into every Seahawk fan’s face.
The 2020 season was a wild ride and one to never forget. The way you came to the Tampa organization and changed the culture and the work ethic of those around you immediately is unbelievably impressive. Similarly, leading the Bucs to a championship was amazing.
You ended your career at the age of 44 years old as the leading passer and touchdown scorer in the NFL. Despite these massive accomplishments on the field, the person you are off the field is even more inspiring.
It may seem crazy that a football team can be this important to me but it is more than that. It’s staying true to who you are no matter who tells you differently. It’s believing in something that may seem nearly impossible. It’s sticking with something no matter how low it may go because you never know, you may wake up one day and have Tom Brady on your team.
I’m so proud to be a Bucs fan. It has provided me with some of my favorite moments and has given me gratitude for the light they’ve brought me during such hectic times.
Tom, you are an inspiration in so many different ways and I aspire to have as much passion and dedication as you do towards your dreams. Thank you for the memories.
Sincerely, a Bucs Fan since ‘08.
Josh Jones is a writer for The Express. Follow him @Jones_Josh5.
