Brady’s return puts Bucs in spotlight as NFL season kicks off

LOS ANGELES: Tom Brady’s dramatic retirement U-turn has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spotlight as the NFL season kicks off with the superstar quarterback in search of an eighth Super Bowl title.

Brady’s retirement, announced shortly after the Bucs fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in last season’s playoffs, lasted just weeks before he reversed his decision.

Needless to say he was welcomed back with open arms by Tampa Bay, where new coach Todd Bowles is at the helm and Bruce Arians, who coached Brady and the Bucs to a Super Bowl title two seasons ago, is now a consultant.

Arians’s take is that Brady is “throwing better than I’ve ever seen him” heading into his 23rd NFL campaign, his body holding up thanks to an efficient throwing style and scrupulous attention to fitness.

Brady’s excused absence from some pre-season activities for personal reasons raised eyebrows around the league.

But the 45-year-old insisted that despite the tug of off-field obligations “the competitive fire still burns.

“I’ve got a lot to prove this year,” Brady said. “I’m out there to prove that I’m still capable of leading a team to a championship.”

His teammates don’t question that.

“Tom’s Tom,” rookie running back Rachaad White said. “He’s our leader. He’s everything we want. He’s our captain. He’s iconic.”

Brady’s presence puts the Bucs firmly in the spotlight in a season that features the Rams’ bid to become the first team in 18 years to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Once again, however, the NFL finds itself touched by unsavory scandal with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson banned for the first 11 games after accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.

Watson,