Drew Brees carves up Bucs on third down The Tampa Tribune, published 14 December 2015 Third-and-short, third-and-long, third-and-medium — Drew Brees didn’t discriminate Sunday. The perennial Pro Bowl QB of the Saints kept the chains moving all afternoon against the Bucs with a masterful display of third-down efficiency. With Tampa Bay’s tiring defense determined to get off the field, New Orleans succeeded on 12 of 17 third-down situations, with passes responsible for nine of those conversions. “He’s a great quarterback who knows how to read defenses and find the open seams,’’ said Bucs LB Lavonte David, who led all players with 13 tackles despite missing practice time during the week with an ankle injury. “We did a bad job on third down and we’ve got to fix that ASAP.’’ Three times, the Saints relied on their running game to convert third downs. On two other occasions, Tampa Bay penalties on third down extended drives for the Saints, who began the day with the league’s No. 4 offense. The most grievous breakdown came early in the second quarter, with the Saints facing third-and-21 from their 37-yard line. That’s when Brees threw a perfectly arched pass down the left sideline for a 41-yard gain as WR Willie Snead found open space between rookie CB Jude Adjei-Barimah and S Bradley McDougald. Three minutes later, Brees found Marques Colston from 1 yard out for a 14-0 advantage. “Brees put up 38 points last week against a stout Panthers defense,’’ CB Alterraun Verner said, “so nobody around here thought he was going to come in here today and lay down. Give him credit — he kept finding ways to beat the coverage.’’