By Tom Krasniqi
It was a hot and humid Monday morning at One Buc Place. It was also Alumni Day. Many of your favorite Buccaneers from years gone by were in attendance. Mark Robinson, Horace Copeland, Jorge Diaz and Shaun King to name a few. It was a chance for the new Bucs to familiarize themselves with the old school Bucs.
Unfortunately, the practice cut short after the lightning alarm went off at around 11:10am. That signals that a thunderstorm is in the area and for precautionary reasons, players and coaches scurried off the field to end practice a few minutes early. Players had Sunday off so you would think they would be refreshed and ready to go. It looked like they had an off day on Monday as well for most of the day. The practice was marred by mistakes and miscues.
Early on during a running drill, there was a holding call. Then, backup quarterback Brett Ratliff fumbled the snap on the exchange from center Jeremy Zuttah. Running back Mossis Madu fumbled. After that, Ratliff turned the wrong way in trying to hand off to LeGarrette Blount. Mistake after mistake. Finally, head coach Greg Schiano had seen enough. He started screaming at his team. “Two fumbles and a holding penalty! Wake up!!”
The message didn’t quite sink in. More hollering from Schiano ensued. “We do things one way here! We’re not gonna compromise!” After a while, the coach stopped practice and gathered his team around to read them the riot act. Schiano decided to restart the drill. “Sometimes that happens if you’re a little sloppy, restart get going…get it on the right path”, Schiano said after practice. “Every day is a test. They [players] have to come ready and we[coaches] have to come ready mentally, in the right state of mind. It’s never easy.”
Hopefully, tomorrow brings a better day in terms of practice. If the players aren’t ready mentally or physically, they will undoubtedly hear it from the coach.
News & Notes:
- TE Luke Stocker left practice early with an undisclosed injury. He looked a bit dazed coming off the field. Schiano was vague, only saying that Stocker “didn’t feel well”.
- TE Dallas Clark and safety Mark Barron were practicing on Monday. Both players did not play in the preseason opener at Miami. Schiano says Clark was held out by design. Barron has been bothered by a toe injury.
- Michael Smith picked up where he left off on Friday night with a long kick return during practice. His speed is something special to watch.
- WR Tiquan Underwood had a nice catch and run on a crossing route. He looked outstanding against Miami with 3 catches for 76 yards. His chances of making the team seem to be improving. But Schiano says nothing is set in stone. “Consistency is going to be the key. Can he consistently perform? But he works hard and understands what we want in this program. If he can be consistent, he’s got a good chance.”
- Line of the day from backup QB Dan Orlovsky on Carl Nicks: “He’s the biggest person I’ve ever seen in real life”.
- The team will hold its final public practice of training camp on Tuesday morning. Practice goes from 8:45am-11:30am. Gates open at 7:30am. Fans are urged to enter the parking lots from the Himes Avenue entrance. For the best Bucs coverage, keep it locked on 620 WDAE, your home of the Bucs.
