FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• CAN YOU NAME THE STARTING BUCS QBs IN THE BRADY ERA? Okay, Tampa Bay fans and PewterReport.com readers. Let’s see how well you know your Buccaneers history. Tampa Bay has had 15 starting quarterbacks in the Tom Brady era, which began in New England in 2000. Can you name them?

I’ll post the answer and list all 15 at the end of this edition of SR’s Fab 5. I was able to name all 15 – but then again, I cover the Bucs for a living, so I’m supposed to know this stuff. Let’s see how many you can get without Googling the names.

It’s interesting to note that 14 NFL teams actually have had more starting quarterbacks in the Brady era than the Bucs did, including the Carolina Panthers, which have had 17 since 2000.

Starting QBs in Brady’s NE Era
ARZ, 20
ATL, 9
BAL, 14
BUF, 18
CAR, 17
CHI, 23
CIN, 9
CLE, 26
DAL, 17
DEN, 19
DET, 13
GB, 6
HOU, 15
IND, 10
JAC, 14
KC, 13
LA/SD, 3
LA/STL, 20
MIA, 19
MIN, 20
NE, TB+3
NO, 6
NYG, 6
NYJ, 16
OAK, 20
PHI, 12
PIT, 10
SEA, 7
SF, 16
TB, 15
TEN, 16
WAS, 20

— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 19, 2020

• BRADY DOMINATED THE NFC SOUTH: It may come as no surprise that Tom Brady was 4-0 all-time against the Buccaneers during his time with the Patriots. The first time he played against Tampa Bay was a 28-0 win in the winter of 2005 in New England. In 2009, Brady and the Patriots thrashed the Bucs in London, 35-7, before beating them again in New England, 23-3, in 2013. The Bucs almost beat Brady and the Patriots in Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football in October of 2017, but lost, 19-14, due to three missed field goals by kicker Nick Folk.

In those four wins over Tampa Bay, Brady completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,094 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Brady is also 5-0 against Atlanta in the regular season – and 6-0 if you count Super Bowl LI. He completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,442 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception against the Falcons in those regular season victories when he was with the Patriots.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Getty Images

Brady has a 2-3 record against Carolina in the regular season, but beat the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. During the regular season, Brady completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 1,263 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions against Carolina when he was in New England.

As I previously mentioned in Fab 1, Brady is 3-1 against Drew Brees in head-to-head match-ups, but he’s actually 4-1 versus the Saints, getting a win in 2001 against New Orleans before Brees’ arrival in the Big Easy. Brady completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,433 yards with 11 TDs and 3 INTs in those five games against New Orleans.

During the regular season, Brady went 15-4 against the NFC South in his 20 years in New England, including four games against Tampa Bay, and 2-0 against the division in the Super Bowl. The Bucs can only hope that Brady’s mastery over the NFC South continues during his time in Tampa Bay.

• BRADY TO THE BUCS x2!: The PewterReport.com staff recorded the latest Pewter Nation Podcast this week to discuss Tampa Bay’s signing of legendary quarterback Tom Brady, as well as the re-signings of outside linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett, who received the franchise tag. This podcast is a good one, where we also delve into Jameis Winston’s epic free fall in Tampa Bay.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 185: Brady Is A Buc

It’s stunning how Brady actually a Buccaneer in free agency. The PR team actually discussed the Bucs making this move back on January 9 in a previous episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast. Give this a listen to hear our thoughts about Brady joining the Bucs just days after the end of the 2019 campaign.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 175: Brady To The Bucs?

The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped next week as free agency rolls on in Tampa Bay. There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than on your drive home from work on Friday or early Saturday morning at the gym or running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Nation Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Nation Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course the Pewter Nation Podcast is also available on iTunes. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• WINSTON WILL BE MISSED IN TAMPA BAY: Earlier in the week, I wrote about how the Bucs just had enough of Jameis Winston’s turnovers in Tampa Bay, which prompted the team to pursue Tom Brady in free agency and part ways with the team’s No. 1 pick in 2015. Winston was a great guy to cover, a likeable leader, a hard worker and somebody who wanted to win very badly in Tampa Bay.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Getty Images

Winston has his fans in the Tampa Bay area, many of them from his days at Florida State, but also many fans from the community outreach he did. The entire PewterReport.com staff wishes Winston well in his future NFL endeavors.

• FOLLOW PEWTER REPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: We appreciate the 34,000 Twitter followers we have on the @PewterReport Twitter account and passed that big milestone at the end of 2019. Now we’re on our way to reaching 35,000 in 2020. So if you don’t follow us on Twitter please take the time to do so, Bucs fans.

Also, make sure you follow PewterReport.com on all social media platforms this offseason as we cover the NFL Scouting Combine next month and the NFL Owners Meeting in March, plus any breaking Bucs news or press conferences.

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• SLEEPER WR DRAFT PROSPECT FOR THE BUCS: The Bucs will assuredly address offensive tackle and running back early in the 2020 NFL Draft, as those are big team needs. But after seeing what life was like without Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the lineup down the stretch due to injuries, and the fact that the team have yet to re-sign or replace third-string receiver Breshad Perriman, don’t be surprised to see Tampa Bay draft a wide receiver early this year.

One player to keep an eye on in the second round is Baylor’s Denzel Mims, a big 6-foot-3, 207-pound receiver that has 4.38 speed and makes incredible, acrobatic catches look easy. Mims had a dominant week at the Senior Bowl after finishing his Bears career with 186 catches for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns. Mims had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons at Baylor, including his senior campaign where he hauled in 66 receptions for 1,020 yards and 12 TDs.

Mims’ skill set would fit perfectly in Bruce Arians’ vertical offense in Tampa Bay as an outside wide receiver or an occasional mismatch lining up in the slot and attacking the middle of the field. Check out Mims’ highlight reel from last year below.

• ALL 15 BUCS STARTING QBs IN THE BRADY ERA: Okay, it’s time to answer the answer the trivia question from above. Here is a list of all 15 starting QBs in order of appearance in Tampa Bay since Brady entered the league in the sixth round of the 2000 with pick No. 199 overall.

Shaun King
Brad Johnson
Rob Johnson
Brian Griese
Chris Simms
Tim Rattay
Bruce Gradkowski
Jeff Garcia
Byron Leftwich
Josh Freeman
Josh Johnson
Mike Glennon
Josh McCown
Jameis Winston
Ryan Fitzpatrick

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