Tuesday, 3 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- It's okay if Tom Brady makes you forget about the other quarterbacks in the history of the Bucs' franchise. Frankly, it's therapeutic.
2. If Leonard Fournette vs. Ronald Jones II were a fight, they'd stop it. Fournette has won the job.
3. Brady's thumb will only be a factor if he takes the place of the late Roger Ebert as a movie reviewer.
4. I saw a list that proclaimed Bruce Arians to be the best Bucs' coach ever. I like Arians, but I'd still say Tony Dungy did more in turning a franchise around.
5. Joey Galloway was good. Keyshawn Johnson had his moments. But you'd have to work to get me to believe that Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Bryant aren't the 1-2-3 all-time when it comes to Bucs receivers.
5 Comments
(From Bruce Arians' Day-After Press Conference)
(On joking if the Bucs' defensive line needs to hit the weight room to bring down quarterbacks): “Yeah, I was joking with them that he was bigger and stronger than they were. It’s like, yeah, you’re getting there, you’ve got to get him down though. We’ve got him by the shirt pulling him down – yeah, he was a hard tackle in that game. We were getting there, we were hitting him and disrupting him, but he played a hell of a ballgame under that pressure.”
(On containing the Eagles' running backs on Thursday night): "[Miles] Sanders is a hell of a back, running and catching. We blew a coverage last week and hopefully we have that corrected now. They’ve got great weapons – receivers, tight ends [running] backs, and Jalen [Hurts] is playing really, really well right now.”
(On the Bucs' running game): “I think the blocking unit has been doing a very, very good job. You’re not going to run the ball if your tight ends aren’t blocking. They did a heck of a job. Josh Wells comes in and plays tight end for us some, and that’s big. Again, it’s just the backs finding the holes – the holes are there. We actually left some runs out there that could’ve been bigger. But yeah, the running game is where it all starts for us because you have to keep them in two dimensions defensively so that they can’t just tee off on the passer.”
(On Shaq Barrett's impact despite having plays called back): "That’s a shame, but it is what it is. He’s playing well. He’s rushing the quarterback well, playing the run well. He is playing Shaq football right now.”
(On Tom Brady's thumb): “He went through the full practice. Had we had a full-speed practice, we probably would have limited his throwing, but he looks like he will be fine by Thursday.”
Game Balls
Offense: There is only once choice. How do you go against 411 yards and five touchdowns. Tom Brady.
Defense: Devin White had eight tackles. With Lavonte David hobbled, he'll be more important than ever.
Special teams: Not much impact, but punter Bradley Pinion downed his only punt inside the Dolphins' 20.
Grades
Quarterback: Brady was excellent in his accuracy. Grade A.
Receivers: The Dolphins' secondary might get sympathy cards from the Bucs. Grade A.
Offensive line: There is starting to be a toughness to the running game. Grade: B+/
Defensive line: The line got pressure on, but they need to do a better job finishing.
Linebackers: White had one of his best games. Grade: B.
Secondary: The bunch made Jacoby Brissett look like a star. Grade: D.
Special teams: Not much was asked of them. Grade: C.
NFL Passing Leaders
1. Tom Brady (TB) 1,767
2. Derek Carr (LV) 1,605
2. Matthew Stafford (LAR) 1,587
4. Justin Herbert (LAC) 1,576
5. Kyler Murray (Ari) 1,512