TAMPA — For a quarterback, Tom Brady plays a lot of defense.

Brady on Monday strongly denied a report by long-time NFL writer Gary Myers that he had a “deteriorating relationship” with his former offensive coordinator.

We’ve heard a lot off reasons for Brady’s departure after 20 seasons and six Super Bowl wins in New England: He was tired of playing under the firm grip of coach Bill Belichick; he wanted a longer-term contract; he wanted to prove he was more responsible for all of the Patriots’ success; he wanted to play in warm weather.

Nearly all of those theories have been denied by Brady.

Now comes the report by Myers that an overlooked aspect of Brady’s decision to leave the Patriots and sign with the Bucs was his “deteriorating relationship” with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Myers suggested that Brady wanted more input on game plans, something he will get in Tampa Bay under Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

Brady responded on Instagram, strongly denying there was ever any rift between him and McDaniels. He tweeted headlines from Myer’s claims in Pro Football Talk, saying “Please stop this nonsense!” and “Please be more responsible with reporting.”

Brady added, with respect to McDaniels, “19 years together and brothers for life.”

Brady hasn’t thrown a football in a sanctioned Bucs practice yet this season, so the focus still is on why he left the Patriots rather than why he joined the Bucs.

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