-The NFC South was named the strongest division for wide receivers by CBS Sports*.* It should come as no shock just looking at the Bucs' roster alone. Two of the NFC's four receiver representatives at this year's Pro Bowl were from Tampa Bay and all four of them came from the NFC South. To compare, the four wide receivers from the AFC came from four different divisions. Translation: NFC defenses have their hands full.
"This division is hilarious," wrote CBS Sports' Jared Dubin.
A quick check of the stats and the top three receivers when it comes to yardage league-wide all indeed reside in the NFC South. That's the Saints' Michael Thomas, the Falcons' Julio Jones and Godwin. Evans falls just outside the top 10, but he also missed three games. He makes up for it in other ways too, like his sixth-ranked 17.3 yards per catch average or his .6 touchdowns per game rate, which is tied for fourth. His 13.4 air yards per catch also rank fourth in the league.
-Tom Brady was named a Top 10 quarterback going into the 2020 season. ESPN released a list of the top 10 quarterbacks entering into 2020 based on votes from 50 NFL executives, coaches and members of front offices. The Bucs' newly acquired 20-year veteran came in at number seven, notably two spots behind NFC South-counterpart Drew Brees. to ESPN's Top 10 quarterbacks going into 2020.
There are indeed doubts about what Brady has left in the tank as he turns 43 years old prior to the start of the season. But the good news is the new crop of weapons he has around him is vastly improved over what he had in New England for the last few seasons, at least.
"Added a veteran NFL quarterback: 'If he was still in New England, not sure I would put him on [the list]," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "'I put him on there because he's in Tampa, he's got weapons. He processes at such a high rate that when you have pieces around you, it still works.'"
Under the care of Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich and equipped with the two aforementioned receivers along with the three-headed tight end monster of Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, you have to think Brady will be just fine this year – and probably better than fine.
The list was unsurprisingly headlined by the NFL's new half-a-billion-dollar man in Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes. Others to make the list were Seattle's Russell Wilson, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and even Detroit's Matthew Stafford.
-Call Bucs' wide receiver Chris Godwin the 'tooth fairy' because every time he scores, a child gets their braces. That's thanks to a new partnership between the Bucs' third-year receiver and Hess Orthodontics, according to the Osprey Observer. A patient of the practice, Godwin is now paying it forward. A child's treatment will be donated for every score Godwin tallies during the 2020 season.
"Everybody is extremely excited," said Dr. Michael Hess to the Observer. "Everybody here is a huge fan of the Bucs. We were super excited when he (Godwin) came in as a patient and when he partnered with us for the program."
Hess Orthodontics will work with Suncoast Dental Center to select the children that will receiver the donated treatments. It's just the latest initiative from the Bucs' pass catcher, who along with fiancé Mariah, heads up the Team Godwin Foundation that focuses on helping abused and neglected pets. Godwin has also been active in relief efforts for those affected by the pandemic within the Tampa Bay community.
