Brady feels at home in Bucs scrimmage

TAMPA, FLA. » A little more than two weeks away from the start of the NFL season, Tom Brady is settling into a new home.

Not the sprawling mansion the six-time Super Bowl champion is renting from baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, but rather Raymond James Stadium — stomping grounds of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as the site of the next Super Bowl.

The Bucs practiced Friday at their regular-season home for the first time since Brady joined them in free agency, taking a break from their normal training camp routine to give him and his new teammates a chance to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

The 43-year-old quarterback led touchdown drives on two of four series he worked during a full scrimmage, including a 98-yard march to begin the session.

Brady smiled when asked if he experienced “butterflies” before taking the field under game-like conditions for the first time since ending a historic 20-year run with the New England Patriots.

“No butterflies. I’ve been in a lot of moments on the field,” the three-time league MVP said.

“It’s more excitement than butterflies. You’re on the field. You’re prepping with your teammates. We all got to dig a little deeper — 16 plays to start the scrimmage. Guys were getting hit, going in and out. There were a lot of good things to learn from what we were doing.”

With preseason games canceled due to the pandemic, there’s a chance the Bucs will hold at least one more scrimmage before the team’s season opener at New Orleans on Sept. 13.

“I love the idea of practicing in the stadium. You get the proportions. You envision plays you make in practice happening in a game . ... I remember a lot of practice touchdowns in end zones in the stadium. We got to a point where the stadium wasn’t that big a deal,” Brady said.