TAMPA, Fla — Any time your name is mentioned in the same breath as Tom Brady, you’ve likely done something right.
That’s exactly the case for former Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson.
He and Brady are the only two quarterbacks to ever lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. But now, the only question that remains is, will they both be able to say they led the Bucs there and won?
That’s the task at hand for Brady. But, for Johnson, he gets to sit back and watch, knowing he’s done what no other Tampa Bay quarterback has done since his big game triumph.
However, that hasn’t stopped him from reflecting upon his Super Bowl glory. It was 18 years ago when Johnson achieved the ultimate goal, ending a seemingly endless Super Bowl drought for the Bucs and giving the region of Tampa Bay a victory they’d never forget. The Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII against the Oakland Raiders 48-21.
So, how did they do it?
“We had a lot of guys who made Pro Bowls, a lot of great, great players and so, it takes everybody in the building. Great coaches, some of those coaches went on to be head coaches that we had as assistants, and then some of those guys went on to win Super Bowls as head coaches, too,” Johnson said to 10 Tampa Bay’s Ryan Bass. “We had a lot of great players, a lot of guys made the Hall of Fame, and there was tremendous players on both sides of the ball.”
A lot of tremendous players, indeed. Mike Alsott, Derrick Brooks, Shelton Quarles, Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp to name a few other than Johnson.
Not on that team was Brady; but he was lurking elsewhere as he and the New England Patriots were just starting their dynasty. Johnson had a taste of what it was like to face Brady in 2006.
“One time, I faced him on Monday Night Football and he beat my brains in,” Johnson recalled.
And yes, it was a bit of a beating. A 31-7 beating to be exact. Johnson was with the Minnesota Vikings at the time, three years after his Super Bowl victory with the Bucs.
Johnson said he faced Brady one other time, although the stakes weren’t quite as high as a regular season game.
“And then I faced him in the QB Challenge out in California and I got him in that one. He pitched a tantrum because he didn’t win,” Johnson joked. “So, I found out how competitive the dude was.”
Ever since Johnson’s retirement in 2008, he’s been able to marvel at Brady with the rest of us without wondering how he was going to beat him.
“I’ve been sitting on the couch for a long time watching that guy play a lot of ball games and now he’s leading the Bucs back to the Super Bowl,” Johnson said.
He called what Brady’s been able to accomplish “amazing.”
“He looks like he’s 28 years old,” Johnson said of Brady.
“He looks like he is as sharp as a tack, he’s kept his body in great shape, and you know, whatever avocado ice cream he’s eating, TB12 waters, they’re all working,” he said with a laugh.
Johnson went on to explain that in order for Brady to do what he’s done during his now age-43 season, he’s got to be good to himself. He praised his decision making, his accuracy, his ability in the clutch, and the teammates he’s been surrounded by.
“To win his division like he’s won all those years in New England and then get your teams in the playoffs, it’s hard to do that,” Johnson said.
And now, Brady’s back on football’s biggest stage with his new team in the Buccaneers. However, aside from Rob Gronkowski, the Super Bowl experience will be a new one for his teammates. And while Brady and Gronk are two solid guys to go to for big-game advice, Johnson knows a thing or two about greatness as well.
So, what advice does he have?
“You have to stick to the plays that you practice, the rules, and everything that you’ve applied for what’s going to happen in this game,” Johnson said, adding that resting and preparedness will go a long way.
Because, in Johnson’s words, “it’s their time, it’s their moment now.”
That moment begins locally on 10 Tampa Bay on Sunday with kick off at 6:30 p.m.