TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers were far from perfect in their season-opening win against the Cowboys. But Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady managed to stay perfect inside the 20-yard line. His third quarter touchdown pass to Mike Evans gave him 59 red zone TDs versus 0 interceptions since joining the Bucs.
"He’s a great target. He’s 6’5.” He jumps. He has great ball skills. He’s got great hands," Brady said after Thursday's practice. "He’s got great vision, tracks it well. He does everything pretty well. Anytime I’m throwing to Mike, usually good things are happening."
Evans did not practice Thursday. He's dealing with a calf injury.
The Bucs only found the end zone one time during their 19-3 win at Dallas, and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich knows they have to score more touchdowns to be successful.
"We’ve just gotta do a better job of executing, really. It comes down to executing," he said Thursday. "I can do a better job of putting us in position, better, to have more success down there. That’s really how I see it."
Sunday's opponent, the New Orleans Saints, have won seven straight regular season games against Tampa Bay. Brady said it won't be easy, but there is a formula to ending the streak. It's just a matter of the team executing the game plan.
"It’s gotta be good football. On offense, defense, special teams, they’re too good of a team to think that you can win one phase and win the game," Brady added. "It’s a lot of things that lead to winning and losing. And obviously, we haven’t done a good job of that. We’re gonna have to play a lot better if we expect to win."
Former Bucs quarterback and number one overall pick Jameis Winston is starting his third season with the Saints. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the game against the Bucs last October. Winston, 28, said he's excited to face his former team. It's not because he still has friends in the Bucs locker room, but because it's the next game on the schedule.
"I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of those players. Some of my old teammates. But at the end of the day, it’s a division game," Winston said Wednesday. "Going against the best, in Tom Brady. But I don’t get to go against him. I get to go against Devin White and Lavonte David. And Antoine Winfield, and Vita Vea, and Shaq Barrett. Gotta prepare for those guys."
The Bucs (1-0) and Saints (1-0) kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Caesar's Superdome.
