Most football savants will say OTAs are little more than a reason to keep the NFL above the fold in the heart of baseball season and in the midst of the Stanley Cup Finals.

(For you non-journalism people, that means keeping the Bucs in the headlines on the front page of a local 19th Century news delivery service.)

Others simply scoff at OTAs, referring to them as flag football for the pros.

Good guy Earnest Graham, erstwhile Bucs starting fullback, believes OTAs are much more than flag football and hype. They are chances to bond with new faces and old alike, so notes Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

“You have to have some camaraderie in the offseason. You have to do something. You need to see each other. You need to get back in the building. You need to get your mind on football. It’s human nature to slack when you’re not around each other.

“When we get in here, we start talking about the season, we start to develop goals. We take trips with each other. We hang out together. You need that.”

That’s great that Graham believes that and seemingly encourages his teammates to form friendships.

This team, however, will need to be much more than good buddies if they plan on making a push for a winning record.