Good quarterbacks can often overcome lousy coaching. Even the wrong plays should work every once in a while with a dominant quarterback, but Tom Brady was far from dominant last night.
Brady looked lost against the Saints defense, missing open receivers and throwing to one wrong read after another. 22/38 for 209 passing yards, three interceptions, and zero touchdowns is one of Brady’s worst stat lines in a long time, and this played a large role in the loss.
The play-calling did Brady very few favors, but his rocky performance was indicative of the team lacking as a whole.
One of the biggest travesties is that Brady still does not have a connection with Mike Evans. Evans is the best receiver on the team and one of the most talented options in the league, yet he can rarely get the ball from Brady. If the Buccaneer offense hopes to reach its full potential, Brady will need to get on the same page as his star receiver.
The Buccaneers have all of the pieces together, but the growing pains are still a clear issue. Brady is in a new offense and playing under new coaches, but the offense needs to quickly get on the same page, and that all starts with Brady.