Recently, former Bucs running back LeSean McCoy appeared on the I Am Athlete podcast. On the show, McCoy discussed a number of topics, including his time with the Bucs and Tom Brady. The 12-year veteran raved about Brady’s intangibles, telling several hilarious stories about Brady’s competitive fire.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Chiefs SS Tyrann Mathieu – Photo by: USA Today

“Tom ain’t soft though!” McCoy said. “Hold up! Hold up! Tom a gangster too though. [Super Bowl], we played the Chiefs. And Tyrann Mathieu…AB caught the touchdown on him and Tom was like,’yeah!’. You know? And Tom gets [into it]. He’s like, ‘great catch!’ And it was on Mathieu. So Mathieu felt like it was this, ‘get off me’ type of thing. And Tom came over to him and was like, ‘hey man, I didn’t mean nothing by that’. And Mathieu said, ‘nah, man, f**k that’. So Tom said, ‘Well, ‘f**k you!’. The whole sideline was like, ‘oh shit! he’s human!’.”

I Am Athlete co-hosts Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Omar Kelly and D.J. Williams howled as McCoy told the story. But the Pro Bowl running back wasn’t done. He recalled another Brady trash-talking story, this one against the Bucs hated divisional rivals.

“Another one, right?” McCoy said. “We played the Saints (in the playoffs). This is a funny one. Don’t kill me, Tom (for telling this story). This is a funny one, alright? They beat us twice that year. Beat the shit out of us. They sweep us. We get to the playoffs, everybody knows that Drew Brees is retiring. He wasn’t the same, arm wasn’t the same.

“So Tom is like, ‘hey great to see you’, all this great shit, right? We beat ’em! (After the game) Tom is out there throwing with (Brees’) kids. Him and his son, they’re throwing to Brees’ son, right? Kissing babies. We get back to the locker room, Tom goes, ‘I got his ass! Let’s go! Sit his ass down!’ We were all like, ‘ohhhh!'”

How Brady Transformed The Bucs

Brady’s competitive fire is renowned across the league, but we don’t get many specific stories like McCoy shared. The running back went on to gush about how Brady transformed the locker room in Tamp Bay during the 2020 season.

“He’s the best teammate/competitor and leader I have ever seen in my life,” McCoy said. “He’s the only play I’ve ever been around, quarterback or coach, that what he says you believe it. You know, ‘go out there and walk on water’. You’re gonna believe it, because he ain’t telling you something that he’s not gonna do. This dude, he trains all day.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“First of all, we practice. After that, everybody else is like, ‘we’re going to get some (water, gatorade)’. We’re tired. [Brady’s] going to get some more treatment, then some more treatment. For the Championship, we get the extra week off. So coach gave us like a nice three days to rest. Not this dude. He sent the offense a group chat text message. Bro. They got video, you can see him, he’s at home. He’s got video. The left cornerback: ‘Bad feet, doesn’t turn his hips’. Whatever, whatever. Next video. This dude, he’s great at ball skills, this and that. Going to the safety now. He went through the whole defense, the linebackers.

“We’re in a side chat. Me, Mike Evans, all of them. We’re like, ‘Yo, this dude is really locked in’. I’ve never seen it like that! Like, he wants to win! He’s like, ‘I’m not chasing these other quarterbacks, I’m chasing M.J. (Michael Jordan). I’m chasing greatness’. Ain’t nobody better than Brady.”

McCoy went on to talk about the changes the Bucs made during the bye week in 2020, and how much Brady respects the authority of coaches. Later in the show, the guys also have a conversation about Antonio Brown. You can listen to the entire podcast here.