Thoughts From Day 7 Of Bucs Training Camp
August 3rd, 2012.jpg)
Yes, of course, Joe was at Bucs training camp this morning. Here are some of Joe’s thoughts and observations.
* “It is 2:36, second down, ball on the 34,” Schiano barks into a bullhorn during situation drills. No one had a problem hearing Schiano, trust Joe.
* Ahmad Black had a strong day when the rest of the defensive backs seemed to struggle. Black came firing in on a safety blitz, rushing Freeman but did not prevent a Freeman completion.
* GMC gets pressure on Freeman and his raised paw forces errant throw. Joe has noticed a lot of passes disrupted by hands in the air.
* Larry Asante got huge props from coaches in a punt blocking/recovering drill.
* Bucs practicing recovering blocked punts. Assistants literally kicking footballs into the shins of charging defenders.
* Practice does not seem crisp whatsoever. Appears very sluggish. Again, Joe’s observation.
* Either Bucs receivers have made significant progress or Bucs defensive backs need some work. Granted, Ronde Barber and Mark Barron are limited and Eric Wright is on the sidelines, but at times it seems Josh Freeman is completing passes at will unless he has a hand in his face.
* Mike Williams catches a pass in traffic from Freeman.
* Preston Parker with a sweet move spinning around in end zone along the right sideline to catch an underthrown Dan Orlovsky pass.
* A flag was dropped on a play and Schiano calls the entire team in for consultation. Joe’s guessing Schiano had a few choice words.
* Josh Freeman threads the needle hitting Preston Parker along the right sideline.
* Though he did not get to Freeman, Mason Foster’s pressure collapsed the left side of offensive line.
* Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik was working the crowd as he is wont to do. It’s not uncommon for him to climb into the bleachers to chat with fans.
* Michael Smith is clocked by Ahmad Black trying to run left.
* Muscle Hamster breaks through off right tackle for a nice gain.
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Thanks Joe appreciate it
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Great work again Joe! Keep it up!
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Welcome!
August 3rd, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Joe,
What do you know good about Wallace Gilberry?
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:00 pm
SteveK:
Joe can’t say he does (or bad, either).
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
I’d have to say I’m a little concerned about our secondary too. I will say, with our O-line, that Freeman should have plenty of time to throw. I’d like to think this is just great news for our offense but our D-backs were a problem last year too. I hope when Barron and Barber get back in there things tighten up.
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Thanks Joe,
I am excited about the new depth on our D-Line.
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Joe,
Hows Myron Lewis coming along.. i heard he made a big tackle today which was considered the best of camp so far. Truth or overblown?
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Teflon:
Joe wrote about him yesterday and ran an interview he had with Lewis this morning.
Joe didn’t see the hit — he was Twittering a description of an earlier play — but yes, it was considered a strong hit, and created a dust-up (see Schiano reference below).
One hit in training camp doesn’t secure anyone a position on the final roster however.
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:53 pm
joe how are the rookie LBs fairing so far, David and Goode?
August 3rd, 2012 at 1:55 pm
c-span:
David is just what Joe expected last fall: Explosive. If he doesn’t start, that means he is hurt.
Goode has been invisible thus far.
August 3rd, 2012 at 2:29 pm
I think its still hard to judge our secondary based on the fact that they cant even touch the quarterback. Lets wait and see…
August 3rd, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Joe, which player(s) in your opinion have performed the most consistently and efficiently thus far into training camp?
August 3rd, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Joe,
Does trueblood seem to getting better with the new line coach? thanks in advance
August 3rd, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Mitch:
Just off the top of Joe’s head, Tiquan Underwood. GMC has been playing well, also. Mike Williams has been consistent.
August 3rd, 2012 at 3:42 pm
c-span:
Joe hasn’t watched Trueblood, sorry.
August 3rd, 2012 at 3:48 pm
@joe. I know the team signed a LB yesterday. Is that due to poor play or are they just adding some depth. Do you think Quincy is our starter for game 1 ?
August 3rd, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Brad:
The linebacker signed yesterday was for depth. For a lot of reasons, Joe would be surprised if Quincy Black is not starting. To be honest, he hasn’t played that terrible thus far in camp from what Joe has seen. But again, most practices are in underwear so there’s not a whole lot to go by in order to judge linebacker play.
August 3rd, 2012 at 4:02 pm
ClayBURN:
No, Freeman cannot be touched, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be hurried, which he has been on occasion.
August 3rd, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Judging by the picture, the cheerleaders look in mid-season form already, that’s good.
August 3rd, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Joe, this is coming in late but, are the batted down balls because Freeman is being Chris Simms-esqe or is it more in our D-Line doing well at getting their grizzly paws in the air? Freeman pushing 6’6 and not having a history of batted down balls makes me ponder.
Thx Joe.
August 3rd, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Tuggz:
It’s a combination of things. Two defensive linemen have told Joe that Schiano is *really* emphasizing the front four to get their hands up to block passes. That’s part of it.
Another part of it is that the Bucs are seriously concentrating on cutting down on Freeman’s interceptions. Joe heard Tom Brady on SiriusXM NFL Radio the other day talk about how to avoid picks on short passes you aim for the belt buckle of the receiver, which means you would throw the ball low. This is right from the Bill Belicheat/Bill Parcells book of passing.
We all know Schiano is a Belichick disciple. Add to that the emphasis on cutting down on picks and the defensive line’s edict to get their hands in the air on passes, that, Joe believes, is why Freeman’s passes are being batted down in training camp.
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:03 pm
First off thx Joe for the reply. Secondly, ok that’s less concerning that it’s a combo of both Freeman being coached to pass lower and the D-Line being instructed hard to pass deflect. However, I still greatly hope that Freeman doesn’t have bouts of passes that just get either knocked into the dirt or up into the air for an INT. I guessss I’m just reliving the nightmares of Chris Simms. Freeman is not Simms.
Ona positive note, if the D-Line makes a push for much more disruption in the air then that’s fantastic.
August 3rd, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Tuggz:
Guess the way Schiano is looking at it: a batted down pass (which is an incompletion) is better than a pick.
Turnovers seem to make Schiano break out in hives.