Byron Leftwich had a good day at quarterback Thursday in the ever-tightening race with Luke McCown for the Bucs' starting job.

Leftwich threw several touchdown passes during a red-zone period, including one to tight end Jerramy Stevens. He also connected with receiver Dexter Jackson and tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr., for big plays during a period with the offense backed up near its own goal line.

Winslow beat safety Sabby Piscitelli in one-on-one coverage on the play. Piscitelli broke up a similar pass against Winslow earlier in practice.

McCown also hit Stevens for a touchdown during the red zone drill, but earlier in practice, he was intercepted by cornerback Aqib Talib.

Sure, it's OTA's in May and the real competition will begin at training camp in July and throughout the early part of preseason games in Aug. But there's no question it will be a battle while first-round pick Josh Freeman and second-year pro Josh Johnson gain experience.

"It's a nice fight,'' coach Raheem Morris said.