Let's start with the biggest game on the slate and make an unexpected comparison between Schaub, the longtime Texans starter, and Brady, who has joined Schaub in a piece of ignominious trivia. After throwing a pick-six to Janoris Jenkins during Sunday's loss to the Saints, Brady has now thrown pick-sixes in three consecutive games, with former teammates Eric Rowe and Logan Ryan getting the best of Brady in Week 17 and the wild-card game, respectively, last season.
The last player to do that is Schaub, who threw pick-sixes in three consecutive games between 2014 and 2015. If Brady throws a pick-six next Sunday against the Panthers, he'll tie the NFL record for the most consecutive games with one, matching ... Schaub, who threw four in a row in 2013. Yes, those are two separate streaks, and if you want a reminder of how many chances NFL teams give certain quarterbacks, Schaub has earned more than $13 million since the last streak ended.
Brady threw two interceptions Sunday, and according to Bucs coach Bruce Arians, they were both his fault. The first came on a miscommunication with Mike Evans, with the star receiver cutting off his route and Brady expecting otherwise, leading to a gift for Marcus Williams. After the game, Arians blamed his quarterback, noting that Evans made the correct sight adjustment against the coverage. It looked like Brady thought he was facing Cover 2 and wanted to hit the hole beyond the linebacker and in between the two deep safeties. Even if that had been the case and Evans had continued his route, the throw didn't really seem to be open.
The second throw was more egregious. The Bucs were setting up a screen to the left and had a speed out to the right to try to attract attention away from the screen. Brady likely has (or expects to have) the latitude to throw the out if he thinks it's open or preferable to the screen, but it's a dangerous pass for a 43-year-old quarterback making a throw from the left hashmark all the way to the opposite sideline.
As it turned out, the pass was too dangerous: Jenkins read the out and jumped the attempt to Scotty Miller for a pick-six. It's the sort of throw Jameis Winston would attempt or the pass a 25-year-old or even 35-year-old Brady would make to prove to the opposing defense that they had to defend every inch of turf. Brady's game was never about overwhelming arm strength, but as we saw last season, his arm is not quite what it was five or 10 years ago.
Outside of the interceptions, I thought Brady played better than I would have expected in his Bucs debut. I thought he had solid zip on his throws and was able to get the ball downfield when necessary, most notably on the three-play touchdown drive after the pick-six
The last player to do that is Schaub, who threw pick-sixes in three consecutive games between 2014 and 2015. If Brady throws a pick-six next Sunday against the Panthers, he'll tie the NFL record for the most consecutive games with one, matching ... Schaub, who threw four in a row in 2013. Yes, those are two separate streaks, and if you want a reminder of how many chances NFL teams give certain quarterbacks, Schaub has earned more than $13 million since the last streak ended.
Brady threw two interceptions Sunday, and according to Bucs coach Bruce Arians, they were both his fault. The first came on a miscommunication with Mike Evans, with the star receiver cutting off his route and Brady expecting otherwise, leading to a gift for Marcus Williams. After the game, Arians blamed his quarterback, noting that Evans made the correct sight adjustment against the coverage. It looked like Brady thought he was facing Cover 2 and wanted to hit the hole beyond the linebacker and in between the two deep safeties. Even if that had been the case and Evans had continued his route, the throw didn't really seem to be open.
The second throw was more egregious. The Bucs were setting up a screen to the left and had a speed out to the right to try to attract attention away from the screen. Brady likely has (or expects to have) the latitude to throw the out if he thinks it's open or preferable to the screen, but it's a dangerous pass for a 43-year-old quarterback making a throw from the left hashmark all the way to the opposite sideline.
As it turned out, the pass was too dangerous: Jenkins read the out and jumped the attempt to Scotty Miller for a pick-six. It's the sort of throw Jameis Winston would attempt or the pass a 25-year-old or even 35-year-old Brady would make to prove to the opposing defense that they had to defend every inch of turf. Brady's game was never about overwhelming arm strength, but as we saw last season, his arm is not quite what it was five or 10 years ago.
Outside of the interceptions, I thought Brady played better than I would have expected in his Bucs debut. I thought he had solid zip on his throws and was able to get the ball downfield when necessary, most notably on the three-play touchdown drive after the pick-six
