Night/Stadium Practice Changes For Bruce Arians, Todd Bowles
June 29th, 2022
Joe always loved the training camp night practices at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.
Tens of thousands of fans, room to sit and relax, post-practice fireworks and more, it was great fun.
Bucco Bruce Arians’ teams in Arizona had the annual “Red & White Practice” in the Cardinals’ dome as part of training camp, but stadium night practices disappeared for Arians when he got to Tampa.
Through his four years as Jets head coach, Todd Bowles led the “Green & White Scrimmage” practice during Jets camp at MetLife Stadium or at Rutgers University. But like Arians, Bowles has no stadium practice scheduled this year on the dates released by the Bucs.
That really disappointed Joe, especially after Donovan Smith said the Bucs, under Bowles, primarily only practice on one field versus multiple fields during the Arians years.
Joe suspects the power players at One Buc Palace would say coaches prefer not practicing on a single stadium field with a tight sideline because it’s so limiting. And it is. So does that mean Arians and Bowles were bullied into stadium practices by the Cardinals’ and Jets’ management? That’s possible, but it’s certainly very hard to believe when it comes to Arians.
The Steelers have their annual “Friday Night Lights” training camp practice with Mike Tomlin, and the Bills and other quality franchises have night practices, too, like “Packers Family Night” at Lambeau Field.
Joe is all about winning being most important. So if no stadium night practice is the Bucs’ new good-luck move or there’s a strategic advantage, then Joe is all for it. Still, Joe will hope a night practice comes back to Tampa next year. There’s no reason it should affect team success and it’s a great event for the fans.
June 29th, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Couldn’t agree more!
Go Bucs!
June 29th, 2022 at 2:16 pm
Will fans actually be able to attend considering the stadium can certainly hold tens of thousands of fans?
June 29th, 2022 at 2:50 pm
The Glazer’s finally realized the night practice allowed poor fans who can’t afford a ticket a chance to actually experience the stadium. Can’t have that now, can we?!
June 29th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
This is poor PR by the Glazers……with the high cost of attending a game, the night practices provide an opportunity for families to see the team….
June 29th, 2022 at 4:55 pm
I seem to remember when we were losing all these night games that Arians put in one night practice. At the time, he said it was all that he could think of, to improve the team. I don’t think there was any fanfare or people invited, but he did do one, as I recall.
June 29th, 2022 at 6:00 pm
Todd – great idea to limit the practices to one field thereby limiting the reps of your young guys. What a brilliant move. Maybe you’ll hang out with them while they’re watching Brady and Shaq and tell them your philosophy on covering Cooper Kupp in crunch time.
June 29th, 2022 at 7:49 pm
I think it’s terrible that we can’t even get into regular training camp practice unless we fork over THOUSANDS of dollars for season tickets ! I was a season ticket holder from 99 through the 08 season and use to have to drive to Disney to watch training camp back in the Gruden day’s until One Buc Palace was finished. I didn’t mind having fans that weren’t season ticket holders at training camp ! It made it feel a lot more exciting having tons of people screaming “Warren-Warren” when Sapp would take the field just like on game day. Nothing beats the atmosphere you experience at a packed Ray-Jay with all the fans and the fun !! It’s a party with almost 70,000 people rooting for the Bucs ! Some of my best memories ever. Sad situation with the way it is now. Hopefully they fix it. And they wonder why we have so many bandwagon fans ! Fans are what make the NFL , no fan’s no $200million dollar signing bonus . Go Bucs and real Buc fans !!
June 29th, 2022 at 8:49 pm
Don’t worry… they will have it next year when Brady is gone and the cap blows up half the roster. They will have a lot of tickets to sell.
June 29th, 2022 at 9:21 pm
This year makes more sense than next hence TB12. It’s a huge missed opportunity for team and fans. There is no strategic reason to not do it. If someone says there is, they’re lying.
June 29th, 2022 at 9:35 pm
For NFL owners, and Billionaires, the Glazers are very smart at times. This is just another prime example. All too often mega rich people who were born with a silver spoon, just don’t appreciate the little things and what it means to be poor. They have their little charities to make them feel good about themselves but for the most part, completely out of touch. The whole training camp thing. Banning the Smoking sections at Ray Jay. I love the Bucs and had season tickets for years, but after perennial losing seasons followed by price increases, enough. Jeff Vinik is a good owner. The Glazers are not. They care more about TB12 Patriot fans who bought up season tickets and are rarely here, than die hard Bucs’ fans. They’re out of touch. Gas Prices, Inflation, getting hit at every turn, and then they freeze you out. The Glazers don’t give a hoot about any of the fans. It’s just money and their team.
June 29th, 2022 at 9:41 pm
I couldn’t imagine traveling to the stadium, dealing with traffic and the heat, just to sit in the stands and watch a practice. Not enough value in that for me personally. I’m sure they throw some stuff on the big screens. But in general there’s just not enough good action for me to go to the stadium simply to watch a practice. But obviously others disagree. For them it would be nice if that option were available.
June 29th, 2022 at 9:44 pm
Big Mac, with the Daniel Snyder’s, Jerry Jones, and many other representative owners, we could do far far worse. Easy to hate on ownership. Generally think the guys do a good job. Do you really think having a night practice automatically makes them good owners? With the exception of a couple years during the housing crisis, they’ve spent as much money as any team in the NFL. To put a good product on the field for us to enjoy. I’m not complaining. But you are free to.
June 30th, 2022 at 12:01 am
Steven, I dunno just felt like ragging them a little. I haven’t in a long long time. I really can’t complain other than it took too long. But I just felt like it anyway. Maybe for the single moms with young kids who may wanna go. I’m not sorry though. I wasted years and years of season tickets every home game to lose and lose and lose some more. If they would have given Raheem a fraction of the money they gave Bruce, Rah would have got to the Super Bowl in 2010’. He was right there anyway and one call kept out of playoffs.
June 30th, 2022 at 12:02 am
I’d totally drive up for a night practice in the stadium
June 30th, 2022 at 6:34 am
Those were awesome family nights and I always wondered why they just abruptly stopped happening and haven’t been seen since. Thanks Joe!
June 30th, 2022 at 10:41 am
Malcolm was a great owner. His Glazerettes got off to a horrific start, more obsessed with Manchester United, getting strapped by debt and running the Bucs on ultra cheap. (Hi, Dumbernik and Raheehaw.)
But it appears they turned a corner. I can’t complain about them any more. Other than they seem to care only about season ticket holders, but that will change when the Bucs taper off.
June 30th, 2022 at 11:37 am
Open a night practice at the BUCS stadium. This will give the Bucs an opportunity to see how they play at night games so they don’t get creamed during sunday night or monday night or thrusday night football