How can Tom Brady's injury affect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

For those who missed it, news broke that Tom Brady played most of last season with a torn MCL in his knee. Fast forward to July 1, 2021, when he was listed on the CBS Sports injury report with an ambiguous knee injury, it seems clear that this could be the same injury from last season.

However, it must be noted that in CBS Sports' July 18 injury report, Tom Brady's name was absent. That said, his absence from the report could easily have been less than the full truth. Here's how a possible knee injury to Tom Brady could hamper the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year.

Tom Brady's bee's knees

No Scrambling, limited mobility

While Tom Brady is about as far away from being a scrambling quarterback as one can get, his ability to be used on trick plays will be completely shot. His ability to move in the pocket and sidestep defenders could also be compromised. Essentially, Brady would be a mounted turret who fires balls at receivers. At the slightest hint of pressure, Brady will continue to drop and take the sack like he did in 2020.

So at age 43 and with a fully torn MCL, Tom Brady beat Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes in successive games to win his seventh Super Bowl with a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in more than a decade before his arrival. Sheesh.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) July 15, 2021

Players know Tom Brady's weakness

While Brady is fully expected to play through a knee injury, opponents now know he has a sore spot. It would be a dirty move, but a quarterback who wins as much as Brady has plenty of enemies. An envious defender losing control during a tense moment is all it could take for them to attack the knee and critically damage it.

Similar to a boxing match or UFC fight, once an opponent gets wounded, the fighter will continue to attack the wound. As Tom Brady is already wounded, players could attack the weak spot in an effort to win the game. This could be part of the reason why Tom Brady chose to keep his injury a secret. It's an unlikely scenario, but not one outside the realm of possibility.

It goes without saying that if Tom Brady gets injured and misses time, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will turn back into the team they were pre-Brady.

Kyle Trask slots into a bigger role in 2021

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have a Hail Mary shot at saving the season if Tom Brady suffers a season-ending injury. The Buccaneers drafted Kyle Trask in the NFL draft this season.

As a rookie. the hope is that Kyle Trask isn't needed for at least all of 2021. That said, if the rubber meets the road and Tom Brady isn't available to play, Trask will need to jump in to keep the season alive. While some rookie quarterbacks come out and play well immediately, the odds are against Trask. That said, they are not zero.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Oklahoma v Florida

Unless something dramatic happens in September, Trask should have a couple of months at minimum to settle in. This time is invaluable to rookies. With the initial shock of the NFL behind Trask by that point, he has a better shot to come in cool, calm, and collected.