Sports analyst Skip Bayless is a known fan of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. In his show “Undisputed With Skip and Shannon” on Fox Sports with co-host Shannon Sharpe, Bayless made a bold prediction on Thursday regarding the 44-year-old Brady, who will try to duplicate his feat with the 2003-04 New England Patriots as he tries to lead the Buccaneers to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Per an article by The Spun, Bayless declared that Brady will have his greatest season yet and he would capture the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award this year.
Bayless was not the first analyst to say that Brady would have an amazing second year with the Buccaneers. Former NFL quarterback and now ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said Brady will have a “monster season” with the Buccaneers because the team brought back all members of its offensive line.
Brady won the MVP trophy three times in his career, with the last coming in 2017 where he threw for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight interception but the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. Last offseason, Brady left the Patriots after a 20-year stint and six Super Bowl wins and signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Buccaneers. In his first season in Tampa Bay, Brady surpassed his MVP numbers in 2017, throwing for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns during the regular season and adding 10 touchdowns in the postseason to lead the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title since 2002.
Evans leading by example for WR corps
Mike Evans, the Buccaneers’ No. 1 receiver heading into the 2021 season, drew praises from wide receivers coach Kevin Garver for setting the tone and leading by example for the team’s wide receiving corps. Per a report by Luke Easterling of USA Today, Garver said the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win drives Evans to work hard even more.
“He is getting after it every day. Really hasn’t had a day off so I’m proud of Mike and where he’s at right now,” said Garver. Evans, along with his fellow veterans Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, is setting the tone for the younger pass-catchers on the team. “I think they do a great job of bringing the energy in their own way,” said Garver, who have Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson as targets for Brady.
Buccaneers to trim roster to 53
After Thursday’s practice, the Buccaneers will officially break camp and on Saturday, they will play the Houston Texans in their third and final preseason game. Three days after their game against the Texans, the Buccaneers need to trim their roster from 80 to the final 53, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said the first 30 to 35 spots on that regular-season roster are secured but the coaching staff has yet to decide on who will make up the final team and the 16-man practice squad. When it comes to inside linebackers, the Buccaneers ran with just four all of last season, but if they decide to keep a fifth inside linebacker, Arians will have to choose between rookie seventh-rounder Grant Stuard and offseason veteran pickup Joe Jones, with Lavonte David, Devin White, Kevin Minter and fifth-round rookie K.J. Britt already securing the four spots.
