Tom Brady After Struggling During Loss to Saints in Bucs Debut: ‘No Excuses’

Brett Duke/Associated Press

Tom Brady is playing for a new team for the first time in his career and didn’t have the usual offseason of activities, practices, training camp and preseason games to get fully accustomed to his surroundings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If there was ever a time for an excuse following a season-opening loss, it was Sunday.

Instead, he said, “No excuses,” when talking about the 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints, per Buccaneers writer Scott Smith. “We’re the only ones who can do something about it.”

Things started off in ideal fashion for Brady with Tampa Bay.

He led a nine-play, 85-yard touchdown drive on his team’s first possession and capped it off by running it in himself. It seemed like a sign of things to come since the all-time great now has an offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette to work with after struggling at times with inferior weapons last year on the New England Patriots.

That feeling didn’t last long, as he threw an interception to Marcus Williams and another to Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins returned his for a touchdown, helping the Saints build a commanding three-score lead.

“It doesn’t matter how much talent you have if you throw interceptions returned for touchdowns,” Brady said, per Greg Auman of The Athletic.

Brady was far from the only Buccaneers player to make a mistake, as the offensive line struggled for stretches and the special teams failed on multiple occasions. New Orleans blocked a Ryan Succop field goal, and Mike Edwards fumbled a kickoff that was heading directly to Jaydon Mickens, which all but ended Tampa Bay’s chances.

“We hung our defense out to dry with some short fields,” Brady added.

That is a recipe for trouble against a New Orleans side that is coming off three straight NFC South crowns.

If the Buccaneers are going to live up to expectations, they will need to clean up their mistakes as they chase the powerhouse Saints. Sunday was not what they were looking for, but Brady will have a chance to turn things around in Week 2 with another divisional game against the Carolina Panthers.