Day five of the Buccaneers Training Camp saw Vita Vea sidelined with a boot on a cart, and Chris Godwin catch everything in sight as the Buccaneers were back at practice on Tuesday.
"It was better than we thought," head coach Dirk Koetter said of the injury first round pick Vita Vea suffered on Sunday. "What Vita described when it happened is what you would think if he tore his Achilles, which is a year long injury. Thankfully, it was not that - it's a calf injury. He's going to be out right now, but it's not what it could have been." Koetter declined to offer a timetable on the defensive tackle's return..
Koetter also said Brent Grimes was a little banged up, but with nothing that would keep him out for more than a day or so. Tuesday began a five day stretch in which NFL officials were at Buccaneers training camp, as well as having officials present when the team has joint practices with the Titans later this month.
"Very valuable," Koetter said when asked about how important it was to have the officials at Training Camps. "We tell the officials when they're hear to throw the flags - if they're going to call it on game day, call it out here."
To hear Koetter's full comments, listen here
Jameis Winston wasn't sharp while practicing with the 2's on Tuesday, but that didn't stop his receiving corps from having some continued good days of work. Chris Godwin continued to catch everything in sight, and DeSean Jackson continued to have a good showing at camp.
Addressing the media for the first time since the Jameis Winston suspension, DeSean said "It's past my decisions - if I had a choice, I would take the suspension away. Us as players, we just have to come to work and show up and be our best citizens.
"We're just putting in the work, doing what we need to do to get better," Jackson added. When asked about differences he's seeing between last year and this year, he said, "We've got a lot more competitive players out here now - a lot of new additions coming from winning mentalities."
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is expected to start the first three games of the season at quarterback for the Buccaneers, looked sharp except for one interception. DeSean acknowledged how valuable it was to get repetitions with Fitzpatrick this time of year.
"One thing about Fitz, he's a vet in this league," DeSean said. "With guys like that, we click - we're kind of on the same page about little things....I definitely think it is good to still get the reps with him."
DeSean was also quick to credit the corners he practiced against, saying a lot of young guys are showing a lot when being paired up against a receiving corps as deep as the one the Buccaneers posses. To hear his full comments listen below
The Buccaneers return to the practice field on Wednesday at 8:45 AM - keep it locked into 620 WDAE and 620wdae.com for the Best Bucs Coverage.