-In case you didn't catch it, the sub-headline is a quote from the classic film, Mean Girls, about a clique-y bunch of high school girls who know everything there is to know about each other and like most – can communicate without even speaking. That last part also happens to pertain to the dynamic duo that is quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who after over a decade of playing with one another have an unspoken bond and connection that makes them a lethal combination on the football field.
"We've played together – I know basically every situation that's come up," said 22-year league veteran Brady. "I know how [Gronkowski] would deal with it. So much about football is anticipating what the problems will be as opposed to trying to figure out how to solve the problem after the play. I think a lot of it is solving the problem before things happen. 'Gronk', he knows what I'm thinking, I know what he's thinking. We've just done it so long together. It's really nice. It's a great luxury for two position players like that that have played together for as long as we have."
Head Coach Bruce Arians said last week that Gronkowski told him Brady knows what he's thinking before even he does. That quote from Brady seems to support that. But all this is not to say quarterback Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are clique-y – in fact, they're quite the opposite as Brady is trying to get the same mind-reading connection with all of his receivers.
"Oh yeah, I think it already started," said Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich. "I don't think it just started. I really think it started at the end of last year. You saw them making the same type of plays that you see him and 'Gronk' making – the nonverbal communication. Especially on the road, you can't say anything to each other. Sometimes it's just a look breaking a huddle. Sometimes it's just a look at the line of scrimmage, so they can communicate with each other and make sure they're all on the same page. You're seeing that showcase itself throughout every position as we're moving along in this season."
"Absolutely," Brady, who conducts his own meetings with his offensive teammates every week, agreed. "The more we do it, the better we're going to be. You've just got to keep after it every day, you've got to keep putting the work in. Come out to the practice field with a good attitude and try to get better, try to improve. Try to get better from where we were at the start of the year to where we're at now."
-The quarterback on the other side of the field is the one the Bucs are more worried about this week, with Josh Allen and the Bills coming to town. A true dual threat signal caller, whos offensive coordinator calls designed runs for, Allen could be the toughest challenge the Bucs have faced all season at the position. He's big, he's strong, plus, in Arians' words, "He can throw the sh-t out of it."
"He's got great weapons around him too," said Arians. "There's no play that's ever over until the ball [carrier] is tackled. Brian Daboll does a great job of his quarterback runs and he likes it. Some quarterbacks don't like that; he likes it, and it shows [in] the way he plays."
"It's a huge challenge," said Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles. "Not only can he throw the ball obviously, he can run the ball very well. He proposes one of those double-edged threats and it's going to be a tough challenge for us to stay disciplined and keep him where he needs to be."
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