Former Super Bowl champion feels Antonio Brown is Tom Brady's most important weapon in Tampa

Forget Chris Goodwin and Rob Gronkowski, the most important weapon that Tom Brady may have is wide receiver Antonio Brown.

At least, that's what NFL analyst Jeff Saturday thinks. Saturday believes that Antonio Brown is Brady's most important weapon.

"That chemistry they've built is absolutely fantastic. ... This type of play is what keeps AB in the NFL, because he makes it easy on QBs. ... This is a guy you wanna feast on."

Antonio Brown has had an impact on the team. He has caught 39 passes for 519 yards and 4 touchdowns. But is he more important than Gronk or Goodwin? Let's look at the numbers.

Before he was injured, Goodwin had caught 98 passes for 1,103 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was a huge threat on offense for the Bucs compared to Brown.

The same can be said for Gronkowski, who caught 41 passes for 550 yards and 6 touchdowns. As usual, he was Brady's go-to guy when he needed big plays in games.

Brown has been more of a disappointment than a weapon. His off-the-field antics, which included faking his COVID-19 vaccination card, have been a distraction for the team.

In fact, he was suspended for 3 games because of that lie. When asked about his recent suspension, Antonio Brown became angry.

When asked about his suspension, Brown reportedly said this via Heavy.com:

“I don’t want to talk about that. You guys are all drama. It’s all about football,” he said. “We’re going to talk about Carolina or I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I’m just here to do my job,” he continued. “I can’t control what people write, how people try to frame me, people try to bring me down. Life is about obstacles and persevering and doing what’s right … I’m standing before you guys grateful, humble, thankful.”

As good as Antonio Brown is, will he be reliable come playoff time when the Bucs will need him the most?

Jeff Saturday might be right when it comes to Brown, but his diva behavior on the field could be an issue once the playoffs start. Brady is going to need Antonio Brown to tone down his act if this team expects to make it far in the playoffs.

Now that Goodwin is gone for the season, it's going to be more important than ever for Brown to prove to the world that he is more than just a problem child.

Whether or not he can put away his childish behavior may determine how the Bucs perform in the playoffs.