Despite being 4-5 and for the first time sitting below .500 nine weeks into the regular season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said Friday he has "zero" regrets about rejoining the Bucs after his 40-day retirement this spring.
"Zero, no. Definitely not," Brady said. "I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete and I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back. I don't really regret those types of things — I think when I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best and try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity."
Brady, along with a stout defense that saw the return of several key pieces, orchestrated an emotional come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Rams last week with the opportunity to get to .500 with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. That kind of predicament would doom the Bucs in any other division in the NFL.
But the NFC South was weakened considerably with the Carolina Panthers still searching for a long-term solution at the quarterback position after Cam Newton, the retirement of Drew Brees in New Orleans and the end of Matt Ryan's tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, who just slipped out of first place with a 25-15 loss to the Panthers. The division has also seen several head-coaching changes.