Tom Brady will keep his expectations low if Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans ends his four-game streak without a touchdown.
Brady, who could throw for his 100,000th career yard in Week 9, won’t expect to get the game ball back from Evans — or any of the offensive skill players. Evans notoriously gave away a game ball last year when Brady threw his 600th career touchdown pass, and a Bucs staff member had to coax a fan to give it back. Brady let reporters know this time around that he wants a plan ahead of time by the Bucs to keep ball, but he also downplayed the subject.
“Put out an APB [all-points bulletin] or something like that to all the offensive guys? Yeah, I mean those things are…I’ll probably keep my jersey,” Brady said on Thursday, November 3. “I’ve been keeping more of those lately. But whatever happens, happens. It’s just a football.”
Despite a subpar start to the season, Brady could add his latest passing record to his 23-year career if he throws for at least 164 yards against the Los Angeles Rams on November 6.
Brady on Records: ‘a Great Celebration to All Those Guys’
Brady says he wouldn’t consider 100,000 yards his own record if he gets it on Sunday.
“I think I can’t do [anything] in this league without guys doing what they are amazing at, too,” Brady said. “I’m very fortunate to play with great players, people who catch the football, great coaches, and being down here has been an amazing experience for me. Playing with Mike and Chris [Godwin], and that’s why I came here, because of guys like that.”
“I played with Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] all those years,” Brady added. “Obviously I could name every player that I’ve played with and how meaningful they are to my life and what they’ve contributed in terms of the memories I have from this sport.”
Brady owns all sorts of individual records from regular season games started (324) to game-winning drives (54). His regular season passing records include yards (86,787), touchdowns (633), and completions (7,487).
“So I feel like these are all…they’re great achievements, but for as much as people want to say, ‘Oh, this is what Tom Brady did,’ in my mind this is what myself and all these other people who have contributed to my life have done as well,” Brady said. “I think all those things are a great celebration to all those guys.”
Brady: ‘We’re Crazy, Including Me’
Brady admits he never imagined throwing for that many yards.
“I think everybody would have said we’re crazy, including me,” Brady said. “The fact that I’m still playing 23 years in is pretty…you know, it’s something that I love to do, and I’ve always enjoyed playing and the competition of this sport.”
“So yeah, all these kinds of lifetime achievement awards, they’re great to celebrate with everyone and one day I’ll look back and think that it was pretty cool, although my kids probably won’t care at all. That’s alright. It’s a credit to all the people that I’ve played with,” Brady added.
For now, Brady hopes to right the ship on a 3-5 season with the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town.
“There’s a lot of football to play and we’ve got to play better,” Brady said. “That’s just the reality of the situation we’re in.”
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Tom Brady Puts Mike Evans, Bucs Offense on Notice