Outdoor Showers, Dining & New Lunch Rules
July 31st, 2020
Changes at One Buc
A load of little things have changed at One Buc Palace.
And one player senses a significant impact.
Take player dining, for example. Typically the Bucs cafeteria is a bustling place with guys consuming tremendous quantities of food and chatting it up at big round tables designed for big people. It’s quality male bonding.
Now, dining at One Buc Palace is outside under a covered, massive circus tent. Joe heard this was coming, but now photos have emerged at the team website. And it’s a very different setup, as well.
Cameron Brate told Joe and local media yesterday that dining has been some of his favorite time at training camp and valuable for team chemistry, but now The Sickness has the rules changing to just two guys per table.
That’s a downer for Brate.
“A group of eight guys talking during training camp is some of the best stuff to really learn your teammates. They removed six of those chairs, so now there’s two chairs per table,” Brate said. “Just the small stuff like that, it’s just going to be totally different. The only time we’re really all going to be together is when we’re actually practicing. It is going to be weird in that regard, especially with some big additions that we’ve made, trying to get everyone on the same page to feel like one cohesive unit …”
Joe gets it. This dining change means most guys likely will sit with an established friend rather than get to know a new teammate.
A lot of guys will shower outdoors, as well. Brate explained that’s a social distancing measure. (And yes, Joe assumes there will be some privacy considerations provided by Team Glazer.)
Yeah, these are little things that shouldn’t cause the loss of football games. But this is where the experience of the Bucs staff and Tom Brady come into play.
If they feel the team isn’t a one-heartbeat kind of mentality, then it’s on them to find methods to bond the club in those ways that can make a difference when/if the team faces in-season adversity.
July 31st, 2020 at 11:51 am
Yup, small stuff for sure. The Bucs are proud of their dining room too. Even non players can join a “meal plan” and get to partake at a really decent price, getting some top quality food. I’ll bet that has gone away too, given the need to keep players/coaches away from all others. They probably shut down or greatly restricted the player lounge too (which had nice big easy chairs, video games, etc. Hope we all get back to “normal soon” though we keep getting “Fauci’d,” (now he says to cover eyes too). Between him and WHO….who knows any more. Maybe all should shower outside!
July 31st, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Off topic but I have a really good feeling about the defense this season. So many returning from last season and 2nd year together with Bowles as DC. Especially in this bizzare off season and offenses will be slow to start clicking for many teams…Bucs included. Our defense is going to be critical to early success. I feel good about this group.
July 31st, 2020 at 1:39 pm
I was once part of a group of guys required to shower outside for a few days.
Basic training at Fort Polk on bivouac we all went out into the Louisiana forest for a few days and lived in tents and “roughed” it. We showered under big bladders of water they hauled in for us. Only problem was they didn’t heat them. Fort Polk in Feb is not a fun place to take an outdoor cold shower in the dark.
But the Bucs are in balmy hot Florida. That won’t be a problem.
I do not discount the challenges created by the sickness….for players for ALL of us. But sometimes a group facing adversity bonds really tightly…the mutual challenge unites them. Let’s hope that is their response.
July 31st, 2020 at 3:39 pm
@spbf…you are right. And misery loves company. Plenty of time with water bladders and tents and canvas cots myself. But we always made light of it and kept our sense of humor, as we focused on the bigger picture of the mission. And these young guys are experiencing (bad as it is) something that we see once in a lifetime. Hopefully they learn and live smarter from it. Like all should.
July 31st, 2020 at 5:07 pm
Rented a place in Mexico with an outdoor shower. Pretty dam cool.
July 31st, 2020 at 5:56 pm
I’d love a nice outdoor shower in this heat.
August 3rd, 2020 at 3:30 am
Logan Mankins was right.
BBQ’s and team chemistry means everything.
Think quantum physics and quantum entanglement. Teams must be untited and connected as one mind to succeed.
What is the common deniminator in our league worst rinning game since Licht forced Super Bowl Champion Logan Mankins into retirement?
Licht forcing is horrible late round draft picks into the starting lineup.
Pamphile, Benenocht, and Cappa. (with Sweazy in there for 1 year).
We cannot run the ball with Cappa at RG.
Tristan Wirfs is a million times better than Dotson at run blocking.
But please re-watch last season. Every snap. Cappa is too slow, too tall, and too inexperienced to start st RG in the NFL. He evolved at as a LT in college. LT is focused on a left groin kick-out. The muscle memory movements of a LT and a RG are totally different.
For example, watch Donald Penn start at RT for the Raiders after 15 yesrs as a LT. His right keg kick out is awful! He sucked at RT. Total shii-show.
Cappa in incapable.
Sign a thick, big butted, 6-4 mauler at RG!
Not a skinny 6-6, Division 3 LT!