Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4 Critical areas of focus at the bye week

2. Finding a way to protect Tom Brady

Tom Brady has struggled recently and though much of the attention has been on his turnovers and lack of consistency, one of the causes for his struggles has been pressure in his face. Brady has already been sacked 16 times this season while also being hit 44 times.

Overall, Brady officially has been pressured 83 times and while this is not in the upper echelon of the league, it is still enough to make a 43-year-old quarterback antsy in the pocket. Brady has always been known for his internal clock and not taking hits or sacks that hurt his team.

Unfortunately, at this point in his career, if Brady sees enough pressure early in the game, he tends to be sped up for the rest of the game.

An uncomfortable Brady rushes plays and makes mistakes. His general instinct is to avoid the pass rush and taking any big hits. He always has and it has become even more prominent as he’s aged.

If the Buccaneers can find more ways to protect him and keep him comfortable, the overall performance of the offense will be enhanced. This can be done by keeping in extra protection or running less vertical routes on some of their pass plays.