The dreaded south end zone field goal posts. Where Bucs kickers go to die.

Steamy day for the Bucs’ scrimmage at the Den of Depression. Let’s take a peek at the play on the field.

But first, a couple of quick non-football observations. Not only was it a scrimmage for the players, it was sort of a dry run for gameday operations as they prepped for a game without fans or perhaps partially-filled stadium. So the PA system and the video boards tried to mimic an actual game.

Joe did find the replays to be helpful in taking more precise notes.

* The fake noise pumped in was about as loud as a commercial jet. When the planes from Tampa International flew over, you barely heard them. After the scrimmage, park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Bucs quarterback Tom Brady joked that it sounded like the crowd noise the Colts used to pump into the old RCA Dome (nee, Hoosier Dome).

* Before the Bucs took the field to warm up, with the stadium eerily silent and shrouded in an early morning shadow as the sun still had not risen above the east side of the stadium, workers gave the cannons a test run. Damn those things are loud! They don’t sound near that loud with tens of thousands of fans in the stadium but with that place empty, BOOM! And then the echo rattled off the plastic seats and concrete. Joe guesses that’s what it sounds like on a battleship.

* How big is it in the Tampa Bay area that Brady took the field of the Den of Depression for the first time wearing a practice creamsicle jersey? The scrimmage, unlike what some NFL teams have done this summer, was not televised locally. That didn’t stop one news station from using its chopper, which circled the Den of Depression for a couple of laps ostensibly to get clips of practice film. 🙂

* Last year the Bucs were the most penalized team in the NFL. So what happened on the very first play of the scrimmage (a kickoff) to start the 2020 campaign? You guessed it: A flag! C’mon guys, really?

* It was the second-team offense vs. the first-team defense to start. And Blaine Gabbert hit Justin Watson on a 14-yard completion and the defense then decided no more playing around. Dare Ogunbowale ran once and caught a pass for no gain on both plays (Lavonte David stopped Ogunbowale on the pass play) and Jamel Dean broke up a pass on third down. Dean may have gotten away with a flag. He looked like he got a little handsy on the play.

* Tom Brady takes over on the two-yard line. Roughly 98 yards to go. No sweat! And in his first live-action with real hitting as a Bucs quarterback, Joe only wishes fans could have watched Brady’s first couple of drives because they would still be wiping the drool off their chins. The Bucs passing offense looked damn smooth.

* Chris Godwin caught Brady’s first pass for 14 yards. Also on the first drive, Shady McCoy caught a Brady pass in the right flat and he was wide, wide open gaining eight; and Scotty Miller caught a 16-yard pass in the left seam.

* Ronald Jones looked sharp early. He got the ball five times on the first drive. On the goal line — his fourth carry — Jones was stonewalled by the Bucs’ rush defense. On his next attempt, Jones dove over the line for a touchdown.

* Aguayo Moment: AAF legend Elliott Fry, who was perfect kicking for the Orlando Spurriers two winters ago, clangs the extra-point attempt off the left upright facing the north end zone. Hello, Roberto!

* A fake blitz did not faze Gabbert. He hits Shady over the middle on a well-placed pass. Good coverage on the play by Sean Murphy-Bunting. That may have been Gabbert’s best throw in a while.

* JPP with a virtual sack on Gabbert. Even though it is a live scrimmage, still cannot hit the quarterback.

* Ke’Shawn Vaughn fumbles! Will Gholston recovers a fumble. At least, that’s who the video board operator was zoomed in on and several Bucs defenders on the bench following the play came up to Gholston to fistbump with him and slap him on the shoulder pads.

* After hitting Justin Watson over the middle for a gain of about eight, Brady goes back to pass and finds Scotty Miller for a gain of 26 and first-and-goal at the two.

* On sort of a partial rollout to the right — nimble Tommy — Brady aims for Cam Brate who was blanketed by D’Cota Dixon. Brate skies to haul in the pass for a touchdown. Brady knew exactly where to throw the ball where Brate could get it and more importantly Dixon couldn’t.

* Dixon later stripped Ray Calais of the ball so Dixon had a decent morning.

* With Fry’s yack job still fresh in his mind, Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians, instead of attempting an extra point, goes for two — in a scrimmage! Brady couldn’t connect with Howard in the back of the end zone.

* On the ensuing possession, JPP has another virtual sack. He’s ready for New Orleans!

* Later, with Brady getting the ball again, he heaves a bomb down the left seam for Miller who stretches out and brings in the pass for a 46-yard gain. Absolutely beautiful!

* Brady follows that up with a 17-yard pass to the right for Howard and a seven-yard pass to Mike Evans along the left sideline.

* Those last two drives by Brady is enough for Joe to lay awake at night wanting more. This offense could be scary good.

* On a kickoff, Codey McElroy got a good lick on Cyril Grayson.

* Vaughn sort of makes up for his fumble with a good run-after-catch weaving through the defense as the scrubs, carpenters, tech support reps and Uber drivers are getting some work.

* No, that’s not a Noah Spence sighting. It’s Quinton Bell who had a virtual sack on Ryan Griffin.

* Joe notices in his binoculars that JPP’s day is done. He’s laying back on the bench with a big smile on face and the sunshine bouncing off his sunglasses. Nothing says chilling like an NFL player in his practice uniform all stretched out on the bench like Joe watching a game on his recliner, wearing shades.

* Arians follows behind Griffin in his Bucco Bruce mobile.

* Tanner Hudson is going to make somebody’s team or maybe the Bucs’ practice squad. He makes a nice catch from Griffin along the left sideline. Hudson might be more of a receiver than he is a tight end. He sort of reminds Joe of Joe Jurevicius. They are both 6-5, 230ish.

* Kahzin Daniels — remember him? — gets a virtual sack on Griffin.