@jayRecher
10 Takeaways From Bucs Training Camp Today
- Let's get some of the bad out of the way first. Vita Vea left with what looked like a left leg injury and was carted off the field. Dirk Koetter did not have an update after practice and was hoping that it wasn't too serious. The play of the D-Line did not suffer without their stud rookie as they were constantly controlling the line of scrimmage all day, especially against the run. UPDATE (1:15pm) It looks like Vea sustained a strained calf and according to reports, "it doesn't look too bad".
- One player on the defensive line that had some struggles was defensive end Will Gholston, who was getting reamed big time by Coach Brenston Buckner as we were headed to the indoor facility. Gholston signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension last March but seems to be on the outside looking in when it comes to this newly-revamped Bucs pass rush.
- When the Bucs slide JPP inside with McCoy and it's Spence, JPP, McCoy and Curry as the four down lineman.......DAMN! That could be a real problem for the opposition. Curry even said as much, saying that this Bucs team has as much talent on the D-Line as the Eagles did last year.
- A couple of fumbles by rookie running backs as Shaun Wilson and Ronald Jones both coughed up the rock today. Jones' miscue was caused by Kwon Alexander, who looked like a man on a mission today. He always seems to be one of those guys who shines early on in Camp and I think if he can translate that to a full 16-game season, he will make his first Pro Bowl this year.
- Even though Jameis Winston is suspended for the first three games this season and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter, wide receivers Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson always try to find a way to get some reps with Winston during position drills. You could see Mike and DeSean kind of hang back and let some of the younger guys go so they can match up with Jameis.
- Speaking of Winston, he was damn good today. On a series of four plays, he found Evans down the seam for a long gain, threw a perfect out-pass to Freddie Martino (which he dropped), connected with Evans on a shallow cross for a nice gain and then punctuated the flurry with a BOMB down the right sideline to Jackson. When you see that collection of plays you nod your head in agreement and say to yourself, "That's why he was drafted #1 overall".
- On the topic of quarterbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked solid once again, while Ryan Griffin did not. Griffin threw an interception to safety Jordan Whitehead and doesn't look nearly as comfortable as he did last Training Camp. I know some people think RG4 deserves a chance, but after what I've seen the last two days, the gap between the Ryans is wiiiiide.
- Another guy who looked really good today was Peyton Barber. I know a lot of people want to see Ronald Jones tote the rock, but Barber is much farther along than his rookie counterpart and looks to be a man on a mission.
- Former Bucs WR Louis Murphy was in attendance today, chatting it up with the likes of Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. The Lakewood HS product is currently a free agent, but looks like he's still in good physical shape. Murph was always great to all of us here in the local media and I hope he latches on with a team soon.
- The end of practice was in the indoor facility, which was great for those braving the Tampa Bay heat outside. Unfortunately the acoustics aren't great inside, so if some of my audio and some other audio you hear isn't the greatest quality, now ya know! FYI, I'll trade the A/C for the bad audio ANY day!