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Saints hope to bounce back against Bucs

Sep 16, 2007 - 11:08 AM New Orleans (0-1) at Tampa Bay (0-1) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Drew Brees will be looking to repeat his performance from the last time the New Orleans Saints faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hoping to get his offense in gear, Brees leads the Saints into Sunday's NFC South matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brees enjoyed a monster season in 2006, leading the league with 4,418 passing yards and finishing third with 26 touchdowns. With him leading the way, New Orleans led the league in total offense, averaging 391.5 yards.

One of Brees' many big games last season came at the expense of the Bucs in a 31-14 victory here on November 5. He dissected the Bucs' secondary, completing 24-of-32 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns.

Marques Colston and Devery Henderson also proved difficult to contain. Colston had 11 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown while Henderson had TD catches of 52 and 45 yards.

Brees and the Saints' high-powered offense never got going in a 41-10 season-opening loss at defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis. Brees threw for 192 yards and two interceptions as the Saints were held without an offensive touchdown. Their only score came on cornerback Jason David's 55-yard fumble return.

Trying to rebound from a disappointing 4-12 season, the Bucs' 2007 campaign got off to painful start in a 20-6 loss at Seattle last Sunday.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia and running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams both were banged up in the second half. Garcia left the game briefly after taking a hard hit to the head, while Williams, who rushed for 60 yards on 12 carries, departed with bruised ribs.

If Williams is unable to go in this contest, Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham will split the load in the backfield.

The offensive futility was a familiar sight for the Bucs, who scored 10 points or less in eight games last season.

In the first meeting between the teams last season, Bush returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with under five minutes remaining, lifting the Saints to a 24-21 win.