From Greg Auman’s latest Bucs mailbag:
What was your favorite touchdown of the Arians/Brady era? — Jonathan P.
This is a cool question, and I’ve left the “favourite” spelling unchanged because it’s great that we have readers all over the world — or at least those who spell with an international flair. My initial thought was perhaps the first touchdown to Rob Gronkowski in the Super Bowl — just the significance of taking the lead on the Chiefs, those two hooking up in another Super Bowl on the way to another championship.
It’s also amazing to me that Brady played 22 seasons and only had two overtime touchdown passes, so you’d have to think hard about his throw to Breshad Perriman for 58 yards to beat the Bills in overtime this season. It was a huge play for one of the Bucs’ biggest non-playoff wins in Brady’s two years in Tampa. It wasn’t as significant, but another amazing game-winning throw was the touchdown to Cyril Grayson with 15 seconds left to finish a comeback win against the Jets as part of an absolute circus of a day.
But in terms of just absolute moments, you can’t beat the throw to Scotty Miller in Green Bay just before halftime in the NFC Championship Game. The buildup, with Arians having the punt team on the field to play it safe on fourth down, then sending out the offense and getting the first down. Then, instead of setting up a field goal, just no-risk-it-no-biscuit going for it, and Miller getting behind the defense and Brady throwing such a beautiful pass. Just a stunner of a touchdown, and it created a separation they needed to hold off Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and send themselves home to the Super Bowl.
