Tom Brady on sideline outburst vs. Steelers: 'It's a bad day when there's more F-bombs than touchdowns'

Brady said it's his job to try to rally his teammates

In some ways, Tom Brady's sideline outburst during Sunday's loss to the Steelers was a good thing for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. The outburst largely overshadowed what was an underwhelming game for Brady and the Buccaneers, who lost in Pittsburgh despite being a double-digit favorite. 

Brady acknowledged the offense's struggles on Sunday while addressing his sideline tirade that appeared to be directed at members of Tampa Bay's offensive line. 

"I do think that it's a bad day when there are more F-bombs than touchdowns," Brady said on his Let's Go podcast. "They used to kind of keep from showing you in those moments. But now, it's kind of for the world to see. That's just the way it is."

Brady said that everything is good between himself and his teammates on the offensive line. He said that, as the Buccaneers quarterback, it's his job to try to rally the troops when adversity hits. 

"I think I have a great rapport with all my teammates," he said. "They know that the only reason why I'm doing it is to try to motivate them and to try to raise them to another level. 

"If I don't feel like we're living up to and playing up to the expectations that we're capable [of], then that's my job. I'm a quarterback. I'm not expecting the left tackle, running back or receiver to do it. It's my job to try to get us going, to try to rally us. There's a lot of ways to do it. … Sometimes, it's getting on people, trying to get the level [and] sense of urgency, raising my voice, trying to create a vibration for the whole offense. That's ultimately what you're trying to do." 

Brady said that he is not immune to being on the receiving end of an outburst. 

"I think that's part of being a great teammate is being receptive to what the people you care about think," Brady said. "It's our team. No one owns the team. We're all in it together. It's our team. We have the right to voice our opinion to each other when we don't feel like it's going the right way." 

As far as the Buccaneers are concerned, Brady said that a lack of execution is the main reason why they are 3-3 through six games. That lack of execution has led to unforced errors, too many punts and a lack of success in critical moments, such as his incomplete pass to Chris Godwin on Sunday when the Buccaneers were trying to tie up the score. Pittsburgh ultimately stopped the attempt, then proceeded to keep the ball for the game's remaining 4 minutes, 38 seconds. 

While he wasn't directly asked about it, Brady somewhat alluded to coach Todd Bowles' postgame comments that some of Tampa Bay's players might be "living in fantasy land" while continuing to ride off of the team's Super Bowl victory. Brady acknowledged that the Buccaneers are a different team from the one that dethroned the Chiefs at the end of the 2020 season. 

"Should we carry over just because we're the Bucs? No, you carry over because of the people," Brady said. "We're all humans and we're trying to learn each other. … There's no time to feel sorry for ourselves. This is the time to really knuckle down, bear down, and put our best foot forward."