For the first time in his NFL career, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is dealing with training camp in a hot, humid climate. A climate conducive to a condition known in the medical journals as “swamp ass.”
It results in perspiration from the center’s undercarriage getting on the football during the traditional center-quarterback exchange. It also entails the quarterback having to put his hand in certain areas made moister and nastier by the heat and the humidity.
On Wednesday, Bucs coach Bruce Arians explained that Brady has a preference for a dry football.
“I’ve had a number of guys who could not stand to have sweat on the ball,” Arians said. “Tom’s got a very unique way with the towels and the talcum powder. Ryan [Jensen] is a center, so he’s buying in. They kind of got that worked out over at Berkeley [Preparatory School in the offseason]. When we’re outside, it’s hard to keep them dry -- there’s a lot of sweat going on. It’s fun, but sooner or later it’s going to be wet when you have to throw it. Tom gets pissed if it’s not a spiral, but that’s going to happen sometimes.”
It’s one of the basic reality of football in Florida, especially during the warmer months. And it could result in Brady possibly developing an affinity for shotgun formation.