For the purposes of the team's first scrimmage, the first team offense went against the second team defense and vice versa. The first teams also played as the 'away' team given that they open on the road against the New Orleans Saints.
The team then started with pregame warmups as if it were a normal game. There were position group drills and some passes from the quarterbacks to wide receivers, tight ends, running backs and defensive backs. The players then briefly went through a couple plays as a team before kickoff.
See below for takeaways on the day:
- Rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. had a leaping catch in warmups down the sideline. He did a good job tracking the ball and hanging onto it once he got his hands on it. with great catch down sideline in warmups
- Then came the crowd noise, which kicked in for kickoff. It was rookie Michael Divinity Jr. with the tackle on the kick return at the 35-yard line.
- The first-team defense was up first so it was quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the first series.
- The drive ended at midfield after a failure to convert a third-down and 10, meaning a good outing for the first-team defense.
- Special teams then kicked in – literally – and made a great play to down the ball at the two-yard line. Of course, it was good for them, bad for quarterback Tom Brady and company who were now faced with driving the length of the field.
- Here are the highlights of Brady's first drive:
- Brady started the series off with a handoff to running back Ronald Jones and he got a couple yards.
- Brady then fired a strike over the middle to wide receiver Chris Godwin to pick up the first down at the 22-yard line.
- Brady handed it off to running back LeSean McCoy who did some dancing in the backfield before finding a hole and picking up six yards.
- Brady hit tight end O.J. Howard near the sideline for about six at the 30-yard line.
- Brady connected with wide receiver Mike Evans in traffic over the middle to pick up the first down and get inside the red zone. *Cue the single cannon that makes me jump every-single-time.
- It gave number 12 a fresh set of downs aat the 12 and handed it off to Jones who picked up six.
- After getting another set of downs at the one-yard-line, Brady put it in the hands of Jones again who leapt over to pile and into the end zone. Boom. Six.
- It was enough to give me a little bit of that 'touchdown feeling' like it was a real game. Then came the cannons.
- In all, it was a 16-play, 98-yard drive that ended with a rushing touchdown and an unfortunate missed extra point by kicker Elliott Fry in the south end zone.
- The run defense looks solid again. The first team came up with a loss of three that forced the second-team offense into a third-and-15 situation on the next drive.
- That series ended with a 'sack' on Gabbert, giving the defense a three and out. It should be noted again that no one was allowed to touch the quarterback, still. At all. Instead, Arians blows the whistle if the play would have resulted in a sack.
- Next series was unproductive for the first team offense because of a false start penalty and tackle for loss by the defense on a handoff that put the Bucs in a second-down and 17 hole.
- But then the NFL on FOX music started playing and I got chills.
- First down for the second-team offense and defensive lineman Will Gholston forced and then subsequently recovered a fumble to give the ball right back to Brady and his offense at the opposing 32-yard line.
- From the 21-yard line, Brady threw to Miller for 20 yards another fresh set of downs at the one-yard-line yet again.
- Drive ended in a short pass to tight end Cam Brate for the touchdown.
- The Bucs went for two to make up for the missed extra point earlier which was initially successfully before getting called back (Head Coach Bruce Arians was playing referee). It was unsuccessful on the second attempt to leave the score at 12-0.
- Defense started the next series out with a sack.
- Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting had a good pass breakup on third down to force the punt.
- Instead of punting though, they backed Gabbert up and let the defense play another series to get a little bit more work. It would seem the defense is too good for their own good.
- Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens had a catch over the middle that he dove to grab but rolled over untouched, so he got back up and took it down the field to the opposing 32.
- The defense made a third-down stop to bring up fourth and one. Kicker Matt Gay then came on for what looked like a 44-yard FG try in south end zone and sent it sailing through the uprights, making the score 12-3.
- The longest completion of the day belonged to Brady who unleashed a 55-yard bomb right down the middle of the field to Miller.
- Brady hit Howard again, this time for 17 yards and first down.
- Random thought, I wonder if Brady is as taken aback by cannons as I am?
- Each kicker made another field goal apiece, with Fry making a 29-yarder and Gay making a 39-yarder.
- The third team got back-to-back series at the end of practice.
