Veteran quarterback Tom Brady is still learning the ropes with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since joining the team in March, but he has impressed one of his young superstar teammates. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has limited Brady’s time to personally know and train with his teammates, but he turned wide receiver, Mike Evans, into an immediate believer despite their limited practice time together. In a video conference with reporters on Tuesday, Evans lauded Brady’s work ethic, calling him the GOAT (greatest of all time) off and on the field.

"He's a superstar -- the most accomplished player in our game, in history -- and he's just like everybody else,” said Evans, per a report by Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. Despite his status as a six-time Super Bowl champion, Evans said the 43-year-old Brady works extremely hard and always takes care of his body. "He's just cool. He's a down-to-earth guy,” added Evans, saying Brady is now one of his favorite teammates despite having just a few practices this year. Evans further said that he has learned a lot from Brady, hoping that “we tear it up this year." Brady joined the Buccaneers on a two-year contract worth $50 million after winning six Super Bowl titles in 20 years with the New England Patriots.

Brady could help Evans turn into superstar

The Buccaneers’ star expressed willingness to work with Brady, whom he called a “living legend”, to help further solidify his status as one of the game’s best wide receivers. “He's trying to turn me into a living legend as well, so I'm appreciative of that," said Evans, who’s coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.

With young wide receivers like Evans and Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate surrounding Brady, the Buccaneers are expected to go deep into the postseason, with one analyst predicting that they could win the Super Bowl. The addition of former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who ended his brief retirement to rejoin Brady in Tampa Bay, and the loaded backfield composed of LeSean McCoy, Ronald Jones II, and rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn could further boost the Buccaneers’ chances of going all the way.

Newton impresses while Stidham struggles

On the second day of training camp, the quarterback battle in New England has taken an interesting turn, with Cam Newton living up to his expectation while second-year player Jarrett Stidham struggling to find his receivers. According to Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com, Newton brought the energy for the second straight day of full-pad practice while Stidham threw three interceptions. While it’s clear that Newton is still learning the system of head coach Bill Belichick, he displayed significant improvements on Tuesday with his quick reads and quick releases. Veteran signal-caller Brian Hoyer was also impressive on the second day, making some solid passes, including a deep pass to wideout Devin Ross.
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