Tom Brady thanks teammates with milestone approaching

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady says “he can’t do sh-t” in the NFL without help.

During a press conference on Monday, Brady was nonchalant when asked about nearing 100,000 total passing yards — regular season and postseason — saying that he doesn’t deserve all the credit. The quarterback is only 164 yards away.

“I think for me it’s a credit to all the guys that I’ve played with, and who have blocked for me, who have caught passes,” said Brady, who is only 164 yards away from the six-figure milestone. “I think all those things are a great celebration to all those guys. I think I can’t do sh-t in this league without guys doing what they are amazing at, too.

“I’m very fortunate to play with great players, people who catch the football, great coaches, and being down here has been an amazing experience for me,” Brady said before naming his Bucs receivers and his former Patriots teammate, Rob Gronkowski.

“Playing with Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin], and that’s why I came here, because of guys like that. I played with [Rob Gronkowski] all those years. Obviously, I could name every player that I’ve played with and how meaningful they are to my life and what they’ve contributed in terms of the memories I have from this sport,” Brady said.

“So I feel like these are all — they’re great achievements, but for as much as people want to say, ‘Oh, this is what Tom Brady did,’ in my mind this is what myself and all these other people who have contributed to my life have done as well.”

Brady could very well surpass 100,000 total passing yards on Sunday when the Buccaneers host the Rams — a team that helped motivate Brady to un-retire, following Tampa Bay’s NFC divisional-round playoff loss to Los Angeles last January.

However, the quarterback made it clear that he’s focused on winning football games as he and the 3-5 Bucs continue to “fight” through struggles. The Buccaneers enter Week 9 on a three-game losing streak.

“I mean we’re right in the middle of the year — it’s in the thick of the fight — and we just haven’t played well enough to get our record to a point where we can be super excited about what we’re at,” Brady said.

“It’s not like it gets easier; it’s not like it gets any less competitive. No one feels sorry for us, nor should they. They’re trying to win those games. We’re trying to win, and we just haven’t done a good job the last six weeks doing that.”

Brady expressed optimism in his team, despite consistent struggles on offense. Tampa Bay is averaging 18 points per game, which ranks 24th in the NFL and the worst ever by a Brady-led team. The Bucs defense is also dealing with a number of injuries.

In the same press conference, Brady was asked about if he’s “OK” after announcing his divorce from his wife of 13 years, Gisele Bündchen.

“Um, that’s a very generic question,” Brady said with a smile. “I wrote something on my social media. I’ve always tried to do the best I could do here, and then when I leave here, try to do the best I could do, and that’s what we all try to do. 

“I’m sure everyone sitting in this room, everyone sitting at home is trying to wake up every day doing the best they could do for their families and their career, and I’m no different. So, just do the best you can do every day, it’s what we certainly try to do.”

Last Friday, Brady and Bündchen confirmed in separate statements that they finalized their divorce and the split was amicable. The ex-couple said they are focused on co-parenting their kids, son Benjamin, 12, and daughter Vivian, 9, as well as son Jack, 15, from one of Brady’s previous relationships.