Tom Brady-led Bucs can be a 'dangerous' playoff team, says yahoo sports

Tom Brady can end the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' long playoff drought and make them a "dangerous" postseason opponent, Brian Baldinger has said.

Only the hapless Cleveland Browns have endured a longer absence from the NFL playoffs than the Bucs, who have gone 12 years without making the postseason.

Tampa Bay have gone 17 seasons without winning a playoff game too, but all that could be about to change following the much-heralded arrival of six-time Super Bowl winner Brady in free agency.

Former Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Baldinger thinks the difference between Brady and previous starting quarterback Jameis Winston is significant enough for the Bucs to make the playoffs next season.

"They won seven games last year - they were a much better team," he told Stats Perform.

"They lost to New Orleans convincingly Week 11 and then they played really good football. The defense really improved. They played winning football in the last six weeks of the season.

But Jameis Winston threw 30 interceptions, he fumbled the ball away five times and he had seven pick-sixes.

"Tom Brady doesn't throw 10 interceptions this season. But let's just say he does, let's say he throws 10 this year. If you cut those turnovers by two-thirds you've got to think you that you're going to go from seven to 10 wins.

"If you just don't turn the ball over, protect it… I know he's not going to throw for 5,000 yards, he doesn't need to – but if you just protect the football, the defense is going to be good. The front seven can be elite.

"I think they have at least three more wins in them, maybe four. If you get to 10 wins or 11, you're going to be in the postseason and everybody knows what Tom Brady is like in the postseason.

"You're going to be a dangerous team in the postseason, especially if you now are allowed to have seven teams from each conference enter the playoffs."

Former New England Patriots quarterback Brady spent the first 20 years of his career with one franchise and will need to adapt to new surroundings for the first time in his NFL life.

While acknowledging that there is no guarantee Brady will replicate his success with New England in Tampa Bay, Baldinger expects him to be reinvigorated by the task.

"To use a baseball analogy – this isn't a designated hitter," Baldinger added.

"You just don't take this Hall of Fame quarterback out of New England and just plug him in to Tampa and you've got your Hall of Fame quarterback, playing at the same level.

"It's different, but that's the challenge that he embraces, all of it."

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