Dorin Dickerson doesn’t have to wonder what Tampa Bay Buccaneers skill players are about to experience with Tom Brady as their quarterback.

If you want to know what it’s like, the former West Allegheny and Pitt All-American can offer his advice after playing with Brady: “Don’t be a machine. Just go out there and be savvy.”

When Dickerson was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad in December 2011, Brady was one of the first players to pull him aside and tell him what to expect.

“It was great,” said Dickerson, now a weekend host on 93.7 FM. “He just was like, ‘Listen, you’re here for reason. Learn the playbook as fast as you can, then we’re going to use you.’ ”

Dickerson soon found it wasn’t so simple. He quickly learned the routes in the playbook and how Brady wanted them to be run weren’t always on the same page, something Bucs wide receivers such as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and former South Fayette star Justin Watson will find out.

You have to wonder if the sure-handed Watson could be perfect for the type of possession receiver Brady loves, perhaps his next Wes Welker or Julian Edelman.

“If I was Justin Watson …,” Dickerson said. “what an opportunity.”

The Buccaneers are about to discover how demanding Brady can be when it comes to directing an offense. Dickerson said Brady ran post-practice offensive meetings instead of then-offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who later became head coach at Penn State and now the Houston Texans.

It’s where Brady would instruct his receivers on how he wanted the offense to flow, based on what he was seeing from the pocket more than the playbook. Brady wanted his receivers to run routes on reaction to how they were being defended, trusting their instincts — or, more importantly, his.

“I remember one time I ran a route in practice, Tom looked at me and then threw it to the swing route the other way,” Dickerson said. “I ran it the way it was in the playbook, so I looked at Bill O’Brien and said, ‘Did I do something wrong?’ He said, ‘You’ve got to run it the way Tom wants it.’

“For me, it was difficult and I had to learn real quick. If I’d had OTAs and minicamp and training camp, I would’ve known what he wanted. But I came in midseason. They would bring in guys all the time, but they wouldn’t bring in many offensive skill guys because it took some time to be on the same page with Tom. He’d say, ‘Stop short on this route because I’m going to fire it over your left shoulder.’ ”

What Dickerson doesn’t question is Brady’s leadership. Dickerson raved about Brady’s preparation and ability to get players to buy into his winning ways. When Dickerson played for the Patriots, Brady was 34 and had won four Super Bowls yet “carried himself like a sixth-round pick back then.”

“He isn’t the most athletic quarterback, but he has a vision of how he wants things run and what makes the most sense,” Dickerson said. “He’ll get everyone to buy in because he knows how to win and he’s willing to sacrifice more than any single person in the NFL to win. That’s so contagious. That’s the ultimate leader in him. He has the record and he has the credibility, and he was the first one there and last to leave every single day.

What Dickerson isn’t buying is why Brady decided to leave the New England after playing in 13 AFC championship games in 20 seasons with the Patriots and winning six Super Bowl rings. That’s the question we all have, though I’m not sure anyone in the AFC is complaining about his departure after two decades of dominance.

What boggles Dickerson’s mind is Brady will be 43 by the start of the season and could have elected to finish his storied NFL career with the rare feat of playing two decades for one team, the Patriots, and one coach, Bill Belichick.

“I know Tom Brady and Bill Belichick probably didn’t see eye to eye toward the end, but I don’t see why he wanted to go somewhere else,” Dickerson said. “He could have just retired. It’s going to be so different. I don’t really get it. It’s not about the money. It’s not about the Super Bowls. What is it really about? You’d think a guy like him would want to go out a winner. He seems to be chasing to be something, but I don’t know what it is.

“It’s probably proving that he doesn’t need Bill Belichick.”

That’s where Brady can prove that he wasn’t just a machine playing quarterback for the Patriots but instead a savvy sixth-rounder who means as much to the quarterback position as any player in NFL history.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)