QB Tom Brady – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

Following the Bucs scrimmage at Raymond James Stadium on Friday, quarterback Tom Brady answered questions from the media once the session had ended. Brady touched on a number of topics, including his thoughts on how the scrimmage went, playing in Raymond James Stadium, player protests in other leagues, working with his new teammates and plenty of more subjects.

The scrimmage was highlighted by a 98-yard scoring drive led by Brady, which he also spoke about the grind of that 16-play drive. You can read a transcript of Brady’s entire press conference below.

(On what he thought about the scrimmage and 98-yard drive)
“Yeah that was kind of an eye-opener for all of us because basically every period we were playing was four plays and your out, four plays and out. That was 15-16 plays in the heat and we came straight from the warm-ups right onto the field so I think everybody was a little gassed. It’s probably pretty expected, I think getting used to that heat, humidity and then the crowd noise, I think all those things were different variables for all of us and hopefully we can use the lessons and just give us a little bit experience with one another. It was definitely a bit of a challenge, but something we really need. We’re going to need more of it because it’s only going to get tougher from here.”

(On being positive with his teammates, is there another side to him that has to be harder on them)
“I’m trying to just feel it out and when we need a little spark, try to provide that. When we need a little pick-me-up, provide that. I try to just get a feel on a daily basis and I try to keep a really consistent level of intensity. I think the competition is on, it doesn’t start in two weeks, it’s already started. Every day that camp goes by we got to learn from what we’re doing, we’ve got to learn with each other, the plays, the corrections, all the different things that we’re trying to really get up to speed with because it’s very different with no preseason games and learning against our own team constantly, not traveling at all. We can try to take advantage of the extra time we have because I think there’s extra time for practice but it’s coming fast and I think today was a good indicator for all of us that it’s right around the corner and we’re going to have to pick some things up so that we can be ready to go against a great football team here in a couple of weeks.”

(On the NBA players protesting)
“I think everyone makes the choices that they feel are best for them and I think everybody is very sensitive of everything that’s happening. I think the communication that we have on a daily basis about social injustice is important for all of us. Just trying to continue to listen and learn to the guys on my team and the guys that I connect with, do as much as we can to help things going forward.”

(On what went through his mind taking the field on the home team’s side)
“I think I felt that. I think this is just another step in the process, for me as a player, it’s preparing myself the best way I can and getting into the stadium and getting in there with my teammates, it was a good dress rehearsal so to speak. Like I said, it has its challenges and hopefully we can use those as opportunities to learn from one another I thought today was a good step for us.”

(On what he’s learned about Cam Brate)
“He’s really been fun to work with and I really love having Cam as a teammate. I met him when I first got out here and had always kind of watched him from afar. He’s in the NFC playing for the Bucs while I was in the AFC East, you always pay attention to the other great players in the league and I’m always watching players that are just that, been in the league for a while, they’re real pros, consistent, dependable. I think Cam does a lot of different roles for us and embraces all those and he just does a tremendous job. I can’t say enough good things about him, and really all the tight ends in camp have done a great job. They’re working their butts off and we got a really strong group there and we’re going to need it. That’s a great position to have a lot of depth at and we got a lot of playmakers and guys that can really do great things in the run game and the pass game. It’s a great position for us.”

(On if was he able to see guys coming up in the moment that he’d like them to be in)
“Yeah, I think that we’re gonna have another one of these from my understanding, so I think our first time, new environment for all of us as a team for the 2020 Bucs. That was our first time in the stadium together running plays, playing with tempo, communication was an issue, calling plays to the sideline, substitutions, real football. It was a little tricky hearing the crowd noise because you didn’t know what was going on all the time and it’s hard because you don’t know if people are talking because the faces are covered so all those things are adjustments, normally someone says ‘Hey Tom!’ You know you can kind of read their lips. Someone looks at you, you don’t know if they’re calling your name, you don’t know if someone fumbled, I think those things are going to have to be really worked through because communication is so important to the game. For all of us, really locking on our nonverbal communication, it’s such a critical part of football and today was a good kind of dress rehearsal for that experience. And again, we’re going to have to learn from it and try to apply it as we move forward.”

(On if there were any butterflies last night knowing that he’s playing in a new helmet and in a new place)
“No butterflies. I’ve been in a lot of moments on the field but you know what it is? It’s more excitement than butterflies. You’re on the field prepping with your teammates, we all got to dig a little deeper, 16 play drive to start the scrimmage, guys are getting hit going in and out. There’s a lot of great things to learn from what we were doing.”

(On if there’s a value to him for getting a feel of playing in this stadium that he hasn’t played in much)
“I love the idea of practicing in the stadium. You get the proportions, you envision plays that you make in practice just happening in the game. For example, you throw a touchdown in the corner of the end zone, you’re on the first – second drive of the game towards that end zone and coach calls the play, I mean, I don’t remember a lot of practice touchdowns in end zones in the stadium. I think we got to the point where the stadium wasn’t that big a deal, it was kind of like another great place for us to go perform. Then you add the crowd in and that’s what makes kind of the real excitement and energy and so forth but I really think there’s a value to going in there and feeling it out and seeing where the sun hits in a one o’clock game Which side do we want to be on if we’re kicking off or receiving the ball, which routes you can throw into the sun. All those things are really important anytime you are getting accustomed to a stadium, and when it becomes your own stadium you have more knowledge about your stadium than any other team, which hopefully you can use to your advantage.”

(On the chemistry he’s built with Scotty Miller)
“He’s just another great, consistent, dependable, trustworthy player. Everything we talk about he retains, he takes it to the next practice and he is explaining things and showing it to everybody that he deserves a big role. You can trust where he’s going to be, he makes the plays when they come his way, he’s really been fun to work with and fun to see grow the day that I got here. Justin Watson same thing, Cyril [Grayson Jr.], J-Mick [Jaydon Mickens], obviously Mike and Chris set the tone for that group but a lot like our tight end group we have a really strong receiver group, guys that really want to make plays, they’re in the right spot, they’re very selfless. I love my time with Mike, I mean I can’t say enough good things about him in the short period of time. I love working with Chris, he was one of the first guys that I met when I got out here. We’re all developing a nice rapport and us being around one another, learning different things about one another, just only developed trust, dependability, consistency, and then these guys you go to battle with and you compete hard with. You gain a different level of love for them as people because you see the way they compete and the way they treat people and the way that they’re competitors on the field and what they do off the field with their families and in the community. It’s just been really great to see.”

(On the crowd noise coming from a different area around the stadium)
“I thought it was one of the Colts old tapes when they used to pump all that sounds in the RCA Dome. I think coach Clyde, he must have pulled that one out of his basement for this practice. We had a great time with it, it’s something to get used to, that definitely has challenges. If that’s how loud it’s going to be, it’s going to be tough for everybody. The communication is tough and you don’t have a down moment, so you’re screaming the whole day to people on the sideline, which is very unique to a game because normally it ebbs and flows, but with that pumped in crowd noise, it doesn’t ebb and flow, it just flows. We’re going to have to get used to that, I’ll have to draw from my earlier days. That was a joke everybody, I just want to make that clear.”

(On playing the Saints Week 1)
“We’re going to be tested by a great football team and a team that’s been great in this division for a long time. Coach Payton, Drew, have been together, they always have a great offense, they’ve got really great players on defense. They got a tough scheme, they challenge you in every way, they’re great in the secondary, really athletic group of linebackers, Cam Jordan is one of the best defensive ends and really one of the most underrated players in the league. They got a strong D-line, they don’t make it easy on you, they’re going to make us learn everything, we got to be sharp with our calls, with our communication, they challenge you in protection, they challenge you in the secondary to read coverages and then make good decisions. If you’re going to beat the best team you’ve got to be on your you know what. You can’t let anything come and go, we’re gonna have to be sharp all day and everything we do from here on out now has got to be with an intense focus on doing just that. We’ve been through enough camp, we made the mistakes, we got to start building on all the different mistakes that we’ve made and really start tightening a lot of things up and get us into good position so we can play with a lot of confidence here in a couple weeks.”

Tom Brady and Drew Brees – Photo by: Getty Images

(On playing against Drew Brees)
“I love getting on the field against anybody. I love the sport of football and competing. Whoever it was on the other side of the field I’d be excited to play and obviously when you go against great players like Drew and a great team like that, you know there’s not a lot margin for error. That’s the biggest difference, sometimes you go up against lesser experienced players at the quarterback position maybe some defenses or some teams aren’t as well-rounded as others but the Saints are not one of those teams. They have a great quarterback, great offense, incredible skill players, great continuity in their organization and defense – they’re good in the pass rush, good in the secondary, great and linebacker, they got everything. There’s not going to be any margin of error, which is why they’re tough to beat, why they’re always in the playoffs always competing for Super Bowls. I got a lot of respect for them, their program how they run it and it’s going to be a tough game but we’re excited to take the field when we do in a couple weeks.”

(On how he feels about the team and the possibility of making the playoffs for the first time since 07′)
“Obviously that’s a long ways away, I think we’re taking it one day at a time trying to improve and not look beyond what’s ahead of us, which two weeks from now is our first game. BA has been stressing us and stressing our communication and fundamentals, he’s a very detailed coach he wants things done the exact way they’re supposed to be done. There’s a perfectionist about him that everybody respects, we believe in him as our leader and we all want to go play well. On offense there’s communication between Byron and myself and it filters down to all the different coaches and players in their position we’ve got to work hard at that communication, we got to build trust with one another. Some of that trust we can anticipate and good anticipation leads to great execution and great execution over a game is going to lead us to a great margin of error in terms of winning and losing and then if you build on that it leads to a good month, that leads to a good two months, it leads to a good season. I think you got to focus on what the process is and that’s a daily basis. Today was the most important day because it’s the only one we had. It was in our stadium, pads, hitting, live contact and it was some learning for us and we got to take it, understand what we did wrong, learn from it and then move on and put it behind us and get back to work tomorrow and try to be better tomorrow.