After an 11-day hiatus from training camp earlier this month for personal reasons, quarterback Tom Brady returned to Buccaneers practice this week.
It’s very unlike Brady to take time off from practice with the regular season just a few weeks away. In fact, it runs counter to everything fans have known about Brady and his commitment level across his two decades in the NFL.
So what was Brady doing during his time off? He was reportedly vacationing in the Bahamas with his family while his team continued their preparation for the upcoming season.
So what was it like to not have Brady at practice for nearly two weeks?
“It was definitely weird,” tight end Cameron Brate said.
“Tom is such like an omnipresent being, he’s like the unquestioned leader of the team. For him not to be there for 11 days, it was kind of a good opportunity for other guys to step up and fill that void. It was different, Tom is usually kind of cussing guys up and down the field when we’re messing up, but we didn’t really have that. … I thought Blaine [Gabbert] did a good job commanding the first-team offense while Tom was out,” Brate continued.
Despite his absence from the team, Brady reportedly didn’t miss a beat with the offense upon his return to training camp earlier this week.
“He came back firing on all cylinders again,” linebacker Lavonte David said.
“He came back ready to pick up where he left off and leading the guys on offense,” he continued.
With Brady’s departure from training camp behind him and the Bucs, all eyes are on the regular season as 45-year-old Brady will look to capture his record eighth Super Bowl title.
