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Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently 5-1 and first in the NFC South, veteran quarterback Tom Brady doubts that the team has fulfilled its potential.
Brady said Thursday that he doesn't believe we have reached our full potential. "I believe we have to keep stressing the importance of details in everything we do. ... We need to improve many things.
The Bucs have played in close games all through the 2021 season. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 and just barely beat the New England Patriots 19-17 during Brady's homecoming at Gillette Stadium.
Tampa also lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, which was also likely part of Brady’s reasoning.
The quarterback made reference to the need for the team to improve its passing game in his remarks Thursday. He doesn't need to work so hard, however, as he is a seven-time Super Bowl champ. Through six weeks, he has completed 68.5 per cent of his passes for 2,064 yard and 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Brady's worst game was against the Patriots when he completed 22 out of 43 passes (51.2%) for 269 yards with no touchdowns. Since then, his completion percentage and rating has been significantly higher.
Brady is also the league leader in completions (183) and pass attempts (267), passing yards (2.064), passing yards/game (344) as well as passes completed per match (30.5)
The Buccaneers receiving team has also been very efficient over six weeks. Pro Football Reference reports that Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Mike Evans combined have only dropped four passes.
However, the tight ends and running backs have struggled in this area. At 10 percent, Leonard Fournette is the leader in dropped passes per target. Rob Gronkowski is second at 9.5 percent and Cameron Brate third at 5.9 percent.
Tampa's pass defense could also be improved. It allows opposing teams to complete 70.1 per cent of their passes, and has allowed the third most passing touchdowns in NFL (14).
The Bucs' rushing defense is the best in the league. The defense has allowed 329 yards in 98 attempts, and three touchdowns.
Brady is correct in stating that certain issues need to be addressed. This could also be true for any team in the league.
