What was even more sad about the Bucs’ 35-7 destruction at the hands of the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif. in Week 14 was the fact that quarterback Tom Brady was trying to lead his team and few teammates seemed ready to follow. Tampa Bay fell behind 7-0 early in the first quarter, but appeared to tie the game at 7-7 after the greatest quarterback of all time connected on a deep bomb to Mike Evans.

But a holding penalty on left tackle Donovan Smith negated that score and seemed to sink the Bucs’ ship early.

A newly released video by the Buccaneers reveals a mic’d up Brady was trying to get his teammates in the huddle and on the sidelines to rise to the occasion.

“Let’s go, boys,” Brady said. “Let’s go answer it right now. It’s going to be f*cking dogfight That’s why we’re f*cking here. Let’s go, boys. Come on. You want it? You got it. It’s right f*ucking right here. If you like football this is where you f*cking want to be. You guys got it?”

The Bucs’ team captain didn’t get any verbal feedback or visible support from his teammates in the huddle during the clip.

Did The Bucs Tune Out Brady In 49ers Game?

Before Tampa Bay trailed 28-0 at halftime, the QB was imploring his teammates to keep fighting. Brady was filmed addressing his offensive line on the bench after a drive ended without points.

“You’ve got to go fight,” Brady said. “It ain’t gonna be any easier all day, right? So slug it out.”

In that clip, center Robert Hainsey and guards Shaq Mason and Nick Leverett were all listening intently, their eyes locked on their QB and nodding their heads with what he was saying. It appeared like backup Josh Wells, who was filling in for the injured Tristan Wirfs, was also listening. But Smith was seated the furthest away and was not looking at Brady as he spoke.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Were the Bucs players tuning out Brady, or just dejected from getting physically whipped by the 49ers defense?

At the end of the clip, he was seen talking to backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert on the bench. Brady told Gabbert to take his microphone off – likely in the second half.

“Hey, take this stupid thing off me,” Brady said. “Just rip it off.”

Brady was obviously upset and disgusted with the outcome of the game and didn’t want the rest of his communication to be recorded.

It wasn’t the homecoming the California native had hoped for with several friends and family members in attendance. Yet Brady seemed up for the fight all day despite having a rough outing.

He finished the game completing 34-of-55 passes for 253 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, but he was out-dueled by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who was starting his first game. The 49ers’ rookie quarterback was the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and completed 16-of-21 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and one rushing score.

The loss dropped the Bucs to 6-7 on the season at the time. Tampa Bay would go on to finish 8-9 and win the NFC South division, while San Francisco won the NFC West with a 13-4 record. The two teams will face off again in 2023 when the Bucs travel to play the 49ers in Santa Clara.