The Buccaneers are headed to Miami for practice this week due to the impending threat of Hurricane Ian, but according to Tom Brady that’s no excuse for Tampa Bay to not be ready for this weekend’s game against the Chiefs.
"Great opponent, well-coached, great quarterback, explosive offense, great d-coordinator, a lot of talented players on defense," Brady said on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast Monday. "They lost a tough one on the road, so they'll be hungry. They'll kind of have a normal week of prep. And, look, I think when you are dealing with some of the things that we're gonna have to deal with this week, there's built-in excuses that should never be excuses for anything.
“We gotta approach the week with the championship attitude that no matter what we face and no matter who plays, we’re gonna have to go out there and find a way to win the game. So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s a huge test. We’re playing at home. It’s a night game and it’s gonna be a challenge. And that’s what we should want and that’s what we should expect from one of the best teams in the league that we’re gonna face. So we gotta be at our best. Hopefully, we can be that. And to get to 3–1 would be a great feeling after yesterday’s tough loss.”
The Bucs announced the decision to move their operations to Miami for this week on Monday night with the hurricane drawing closer to the Tampa Bay area. This Sunday’s game against the Chiefs is still on as scheduled, but the league is looking at contingency plans, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
Although the Dolphins are on the road this week, Miami is not viewed as a viable host for the Buccaneers-Chiefs game. According to Darlington, a neutral site in the Midwest is the most likely destination and Minneapolis is considered to be an option if the game needs to be moved. Plans remain fluid, with the game currently still on the schedule at Raymond James Stadium as planned.
While Brady maintains that his team needs to be focused for this weekend’s matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, he admits that he has concerns about the hurricane’s impact on Tampa.
"The plan is, and things are kind of, you know, trying to adjust on the fly and preparations for an NFL game are pretty intense," Brady said of the Bucs moving to Miami for practices. "This is a little different for me. I've never had to deal with anything like this. We had COVID for a couple years and now with this seems like a pretty intense hurricane coming our way. I don't think Tampa's probably, I don't think any place is very well suited for a hurricane to hit, but everyone in this area will be in our thoughts and prayers as we go through it.
“I know our team is going to have to adjust, go to Miami and practice there for the week, and then hopefully we can come back later in the week and play against the Chiefs Sunday night. So a lot of things can happen in a short period of time, and I think it’s suited for all of us to stay adaptable to the situation. I don’t think that anyone’s really prepared for this. I know I’ve been preparing all morning and get all my stuff outside, try to put it inside, try to get all the stuff on the ground level up a little bit higher. I’m right here on the bay so they’re talking about pretty high storm surges and it’s a scary thing. I will say that it’s a scary thing when it really hits your doorstep.”
The Buccaneers (2–1) and the Chiefs (2–1) are scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday in Tampa.
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