Injured Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans hopes to return to the lineup Sunday against NFC South rival New Orleans.
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The Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squared off in the opening game of the 2015 National Football League season. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions during his rookie year with the Colts. You always say that, win or lose from the week before. “The last rookie quarterback that I was on an opposing team against was Andrew Luck and he had a similar-type game”, Smith said.
They probably weren’t expecting to struggle to finish off drives as much as they did in Week 1, however.
“One game doesn’t define you”, Smith continued. And when quarterbacks don’t make good throws, bad things can happen there, too. “You have to keep that in perspective”. He got the best of a limited and befuddled Buccaneers defense last week and put the fantasy hype train into high gear in emerging as a waiver wire darling this week.
“Rerouting is the biggest aspect of it because the Tampa 2 essentially ends up being a three-deep zone, with the middle linebacker covering the middle of the field”, said five-time Pro Bowl corner Ronde Barber, who will work Sunday’s Bucs-Saints telecast at New Orleans as an analyst for Fox.
Sorry Bucs fans – but you will NOT get to “fire the cannon” this Sunday, either. Payton recalled. “We thought his interview was outstanding”.
What do you see as challenging about going against the Saints’ defensive scheme? “I think he has very good leadership skills and that goes back to watching the workout and watching him win at Florida State”, Payton added.
He missed the team bus to the stadium while at New Orleans.
How about those no-quite-as-jolly Buccaneers in Tampa Bay? He has returned to practice fully this week, so he should be good to go against a Saints secondary that has been riddled with injuries. That former game was closer than the score indicates, as the Bucs held a 17-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Doug Williams hit Gordon Jones on a four-yard touchdown pass and James Owens ran one in from six yards out. “Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, big body tight end who can go up and get it”. Defensively, the Saints yielded 307 yards in passing and 120 yards in rushing. They need to know pressures. “What’s important is me finishing it and I didn’t”.
The Bucs claimed Griffin this month off waivers after he spent two full seasons and a third preseason with the Saints, and the Saints and Bucs will play Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. “This is a new year”, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “We just want him to make sure he’s smart and going to be healthy for the majority of the season”. Cornerback Keenan Lewis is trying to come back from a hip injury that sidelined him in Week 1.
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Byrd did not practice on Wednesday, extending a prolonged absence that dates to the beginning of training camp because of complications related to his rehabilitation from knee surgery past year .
