Bucs Training Camp 2024: Practice 18 Notes
August 21st, 2024
Rookie Running back D.J. Williams takes a pitch from Kyle Trask as offensive coordinator Liam Coen looks on. This from Wednesday’s final practice of 2024 training camp.
It is over.
Training camp is done. Kaput. Finished for another year. The Bucs finished their final day of training camp until next July with a bang and that bang was a joint-practice with the Dolphins.
No flareups. No fights. No shoving. Even Luke Goedeke behaved.
It was also the final open practice that Joe will witness until next spring at OTAs. So let’s get to it:
Highlights from this morning:
* There were actually fans there today watching, albeit a special guests of the team. Still, the bleachers on the west side of the practice fields were gone. The fans had to use the bleachers that lined the north end of the fields to watch action on up to three fields at the same time. Joe wonders why the Bucs just don’t keep those bleachers up all the time. Perhaps they are rented?
* Yikes: Looks like Joe made the second mistake twice. A few years ago Bucs fans got upset at Joe for saying the cornerbacks group may be deep. This outraged many readers as the previous season Bucs corners were torched. Joe can only go by what’s seen in practice and the Bucs corners were playing good ball. Same as this year. Then last week happened in Jacksonville. And now today. Yikes. In one-on-one drills between Dolphins receivers and Bucs corners, Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum and Bryce Hall looked fine. No issue there. The rest? Well, St. Joseph’s Hospital across the street from One Buc Palace was busy this morning treating burn victims. Bucs corners got torched and torched very badly. Juked out of their shoes. Broken ankles. Tire tread marks on their backs like a white stripe on a skunk. Josh Hayes, Keenan Isaac and Andrew Hayes all being treated for third-degree burns.
* Pick! Zyon McCollum picked off Tua’s pass on his very first attempt in 11-on-11.
* Bucky Irving runs to the left.
* Sean Tucker runs right but doesn’t find much room.
* Baker Mayfield rolls right and hits receiver Kameron Johnson on the right side near the sideline. Johnson was on a crossing pattern, jumped high to catch Mayfield’s pass near the line of scrimmage, and got a few yards when he neared the sideline.
* D.J. Williams bullies his way for a few yards running just to the right of center.
7-on-7 (Bucs offense vs. Dolphins defense)
* Mike Evans running to the left catches a perfectly thrown Mayfield pass in full stride and turns upfield for a nice gain.
* Simply put, all morning long the Dolphins did not have an answer for Evans. He worked them over.
* Chris Godwin catches a Mayfield offering running to the left.
* Mayfield to Cade Otton for about 20 yards along the right side. Mayfield got Otton the ball between three defenders. Otton is quietly having a solid camp.
* Kyle Trask throws to Sean Tucker on the right side.
* Ryan Miller catches a pass from Trask along the right sideline.
* Devin Culp tries to haul in a short Trask pass over the middle on a crossing pattern from the right. Dolphins corner. Ethan Bonner broke up the pass.
* Evans catches a pass on the left side of the field. On the very next play, Godwin catches a pass along the left sideline.
* Joe hasn’t seen Jalen McMillan catch many deep throws but today was an exception. McMillan raced down the right line seam and hauled the ball in. Touchdown.
* Trask throws short to Johnson on the right sideline.
* Tanner Knue catches a Trask pass along the left side and he is popped right away by Dolphins corner Isaiah Johnson.
* Tight end Tanner Taula gets into the act. He catches a pass from Trask along the right sideline.
11-on-11 (Bucs offense vs. Dolphins defense)
* Evans catches a pass from Mayfield on the left side. Evans is wearing out the Dolphins defense.
* OMG! Joe just saw Rachaad White run behind Tristan Wirfs on the left side. What football heretic concocted this idea? White got some yards too. This is football heresy, isn’t it? Running behind Wirfs? Isn’t someone on the Bucs coach staff going to get suspended for this?
* Trask throws for Devin Culp down the right sideline and the pass was a bit too long. Culp dove for the ball and it was just past his fingertips.
* Tucker runs right, cuts up the middle and rumbles for a first down.
* Godwin and Otton catch consecutive passes from Mayfield, both along the left sideline.
* Mayfield checks down to Thompson over the middle and Thompson is blasted by Miami linebacker David Long.
* Very pretty: Trask launches a pass over the middle for Ryan Miller who beats his man, Miami corner Ethan Bonner. The pass was just a hair short but Miller reached back just over his left shoulder to grab the ball in stride and score six. Excellent play.
* Trask connects with Johnson at the right sideline but Joe isn’t sure Johnson got both feet in.
* White runs off right tackle, cuts back inside and is walloped. When White hit the dirt, Joe heard him loudly grunt, “UGH!”
* This Miami team hits! They bring juice to work.
* Trask pumps twice and tries to squeeze in a pass to Ramon Jefferson along the left sideline but the pass is incomplete.
* Trask tries to draw Miami offsides with a hard count to no avail. Johnson does get the ball on the play and runs right. Yes, runs right. Per Bucs training camp media protocol, Joe is prohibited from going into detail about the play. Same as other plays that Johnson runs the ball.
* Mayfield throws the ball away tossing it out of bounds to the left side. Otton was near the ball but he was well covered.
* Irving gets a first down catching a pass from Mayfield to the left.
* Thompson toe-taps a catch from Trask along the right sideline for a completion.
* Thompson is making a ton of plays today. He’s getting a bunch of targets. That’s not a coincidence.
* Trask throws to Thompson to the right but the ball misses the target.
* White takes a pitch from Mayfield and runs left. He squeezes through traffic for a few yards.
* White runs up the middle angling right but there’s nothing there.
* Mayfield tries for Evans over the middle as Evans was coming in from the left. But Mayfield led Evans a little too much.
* Mayfield loops a ball for Thompson in the near left corner of the end zone. Miami’s Kendall Fuller has tight coverage on Thompson. Both men sky for the ball and Thompson wrestles the ball away from Fuller before his feet hit the ground in the end zone. Touchdown!
* Bucs offensive line gives Irving a nice hole to run through between Graham Barton and Cody Mauch and Irving blasts his way through it.
* Johnson catches a pass from Trask on the right side and gets smacked by corner Storm Duck (what an awesome name).
* Oh, Kyle: Trask has simply had an inconsistent training camp. It seems whenever Trask has a really nice pass or two, he always finds a way to make a turrible pass, as if he’s making up for the good he does. Trask tries to squeeze in a pass along the left sideline to UFL graduate Sal Cannella. But no! Miami safety Mark Perry has inside leverage on the play and he houses Trask’s pass. The Dolphins hoot and holler over that one.
* Johnson catches a pass from Trask on a crossing pattern from the right.
* Irving runs right.
* Jefferson tries to run up the middle and doesn’t find much.
* Miami media members after practice remarked how clean and, well, boring the joint practice was because there weren’t any hassles. Maybe because both coaches kept a tight ship? Joe noticed Bowles standing behind the Bucs quarterbacks with the appearance that he was towering over the play on the field like a Buckingham Palace guard or something.
(Joe will have a separate story and notes package on the Bucs’ defensive work against the Dolphins.)
Goal line
* Man, Miami brought the juice to Tampa. In the goal line period (very short) the Dolphins were into it like Joe has seldom seen from the Bucs this summer. Every good play Miami celebrated like they were going to the Super Bowl.
* Tua throws to De’Von Achane to the right for a score. Dolphins holler in delight.
Updated: *Pass breakup by Zyon McCollum in back of the end zone versus tight end Jody Fortson, Jr.
* Mayfield tries to throw a short pass in the left seam for Evans and Calais Campbell bats down the pass. Heavy thud from the ball on Campbell’s paw Dolphins react like they were just told they won a two-week vacation.
* Trask overthrows Johnson in the end zone and Miami players explode in glee.
And that was it. The curtain comes down on Bucs 2024 training camp and the final fully open practice for media until next year.
Thanks for reading Joe’s notes this spring and summer.
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan beats Miami DB Isaiah Johnson on a one-on-one deep route #GoBucs@jalenmcmillan20 @bakermayfield pic.twitter.com/LPPAOmSVd0
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) August 21, 2024
August 21st, 2024 at 5:16 pm
Joe A+ on the ” St. Joseph’s Hospital..treating burn victims.” LOL
August 21st, 2024 at 5:29 pm
Another training camp down. Thank you @Joe for your commitment to covering the bucs. Your passion diligence and consistency makes you pump out the best Buc content on the interwebs!
August 21st, 2024 at 5:29 pm
Wow, wow, wow! Overall, sounds like a great practice. Thank you for the notes.
Love this – “Evans is wearing out the Dolphins defense.”
And good going JMC, Bucky, and others too. Go Bucs 🏈
August 21st, 2024 at 5:42 pm
Thanks Joe. I like the practice notes. Need something to nibble on until the games get going for real. Good stuff as always. Appreciate you Joes…
August 21st, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Great notes, Joe! Thank you.
August 21st, 2024 at 5:49 pm
I like Ryan Miller. Not the fastest guy, but he has great hands making some tough catches without breaking strike. With his size at 6’2″ and 221, he would work well in the slot, blocking too. Alas, the competition at WR is really tough….
August 21st, 2024 at 5:53 pm
Thanks for another summer of great notes!
August 21st, 2024 at 6:05 pm
Thanks for all the notes Joe.
August 21st, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Great report Joe!
Also I can’t believe they actually had a real full on practice with tackling and everything. Legit question – when did they last have a full on practice with tackling?
August 21st, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Thx for the notes!
Looking forward to the ones on defense. I sure hope we don’t have to play many backup D-backs. They seemed to be the culprits when we couldn’t get off of the field.
T-Thomas looked horrible, lost, against Jax. Seemed he was in the middle of every big gain they had esp on 3rd down.
August 21st, 2024 at 6:37 pm
“Every good play Miami celebrated like they were going to the Super Bowl.”
—————————————————————————————-
Like the old saying: “act like you’ve been there” oh yeah,……….the Bucs were!
August 21st, 2024 at 6:46 pm
Mostly Hetero Trask Fan is going to cry himself to sleep tonight.
August 21st, 2024 at 7:05 pm
What about the D?
August 21st, 2024 at 7:27 pm
As always – thank you Joes!
August 21st, 2024 at 7:38 pm
Thanks for yet another awesome offseason of coverage Joes & team!
August 21st, 2024 at 8:13 pm
Totally not hetero Joe from Michigan is running naked through the streets again – and it’s not even June.
August 21st, 2024 at 8:15 pm
“* Simply put, all morning long the Dolphins did not have an answer for Evans. He worked them over.”
I bought Madden when we signed Brady. Brady to Evans was like a cheat code lol, was unstoppable
August 21st, 2024 at 8:23 pm
They were at the other field. There will be writeup on the defense later.
August 21st, 2024 at 8:24 pm
Thank you all for the kind words. Joe appreciates the compliments. 👍
August 21st, 2024 at 9:51 pm
A Bucs Fan Says:
Another training camp down. Thank you @Joe for your commitment to covering the bucs. Your passion diligence and consistency makes you pump out the best Buc content on the interwebs!
I echo this, Joe. Many thanks!
August 21st, 2024 at 9:54 pm
Mostly Braindead Glennon Fan knows one player to cheer for, otherwise, it’s all a conspiracy to keep his one love interest down.
Meanwhile – what are coaches doing or not doing that the secondary needs burn treatments. Every. Scrimmage. Every. Game.
Todd? Earth to Todd?
August 21st, 2024 at 9:59 pm
Thank you too, Joe. I loved reading them.
August 21st, 2024 at 10:22 pm
Joe must have spent earlier years as a court stenographer or taking dictation…,
Sounds like our offense will be really good this year.
August 21st, 2024 at 10:43 pm
The same-buccing pear projects like a theater from his different accounts. We’ll just have to see what the season brings.
As you point out trading away the #1 corner so you can sign Captain losing record might not have been the smart move especially with the Bowles soft zone. The new starting CB was targeted early and often during his career to the great success of Bucs opponents. The 3rd round nickel got exposed last week by back ups.
If only the Bucs could develop an in house QB and keep the price tag on the QB room down. You know some Bucs fans last year suggested that developing said in house QB could have paid off big time in 2024. Not doing that would have it’s consequences. Well now those chickens have come home to roost. Will there be depth in the secondary? Hall was a healthy scratch last season late for the Jets. All of a sudden it looks sort of thin back there. Have you looked at the win rate metrics of our allegedly deep stable of young rushers? The #1 got no preseason reps either.
How many games you think the Bucs will win with less than 200 yards passing?
Bucs will be drafting a QB in 2025.
August 21st, 2024 at 11:57 pm
Mostly Stupid Cretin Fan – single issue morons like you should broaden your perspective. Maybe take on a pity party for Robert Hainsey or someone else in addition to Glennon. For diversity of subject. Clearly you know so much more than everyone else, you have your love interest in your handle. Give Licht a call. Pocket at Todd’s office. Stop complaining! Take action!
August 22nd, 2024 at 3:40 am
MPTF: The only way the Bucs average less than 200 yards passing a game in 2024 is if Trask has to play. Are you Trask’s Mom or agent? If neither, you have an unhealthy infatuation with a backup football player.
August 22nd, 2024 at 8:02 am
Lol Joe. Someone should get suspended, for NOT running behind Wirfs. I didn’t think he was allowed to run block last year. Football heresy – too funny.
August 22nd, 2024 at 8:45 am
Take a look at the passing yard totals in 2023. Or have you forgotten?
There were 5 games Baker didn’t throw for 200 and 7 games he didn’t throw for 210.
That fabulous end of the season run had 137 yards vs Carolina in week 17.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:18 am
MPTF: Mayfield averaged 237 yards per game passing per game in 2023. Don’t be a dumbfounded dipsh!t your whole life, go get help.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:20 am
@ mostly peaceful Trask fan, that was funny!!
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:20 am
MPTF: Mayfield averaged 237 yards passing per game in 2023. I know, facts are hurtful to you.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:22 am
Joe in Michigan has an unhealthy infatuation for Baker, they do offer group therapy I hear!!
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:27 am
Trask has had 23 yards passing in 3 seasons in the league. That’s 7.6 yards passing per year.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:30 am
Yeah, Baker is okay. That’s it. Nice try though, Robbie.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:39 am
Thanks Joe! Your notes really keep me dialed in as the season approaches.
August 22nd, 2024 at 10:08 am
Robbie is MPTF’s burner account, obviously.
August 22nd, 2024 at 10:20 am
Thanks for these notes, Joes – they are appreciated!! 🙂
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:07 am
Robbie is not my burner account lol.
Yeah Baker had 237 YPG right ahead of Howell’s 232 (who lost his job).
Not exactly Brady-esque.
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:12 am
Was Tuesday the day Trask hit Anthony Nelson in the face for a pick or was it Monday?
You Trask people just won’t give up, will you?
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:18 am
The funny thing is last year’s offense was pretty conservative as many have noticed.
The White Up The Gut play as if he were Mike Alstott was a feature.
Canales was all about a 3 second release on pass plays.
In every way his offense was designed to prevent Mayfield from throwing picks or taking sacks.
It was the “No Baker INT” offense.
See what Coen does now that Mayfield is a made man. Does he attack on the passing game? Or is it 2022 LA Rams 100 rushing yards and a bunch of checkdowns for 200 passing yards?
Again we’ll see what happens.
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:19 am
MPTF: Like I said, Mayfield is okay.
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:29 am
Joe, Todd Bowles put the screws to Kyle Trask so he can hang on another year. They didn’t want to develop Trask for fear it would result in a few more losses. He went to his man crush.
You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.
It is what it is. Now the Bucs spent $100M on a guy who had 5 more YPG than Sam Howell who got run out of Washington.
2 of Mayfield’s last 4 games played last year he threw for multiple picks and lost both games. Sandwiched in there was his juggernaut performance against Carolina throwing for a whopping 137 yards.
So yeah we’re salty about it.
But hey maybe Action Figure Mayfield blows up this season like everyone says.
Hey now we got a running game that will open up the passing game, right?
We’ll see. Expect major trolling when he spits the bit. It’s going to be a fun season.
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:51 am
Joe is just blown away by this. Please tell Joe what makes you think Bowles was going to start Trask over Mayfield? Joe hasn’t missed a training camp practice in three years. He’s spoken to Bowles and Licht at least a dozen times each the past two years. What piece of evidence is there that Bowles even considered starting Trask?
Joe’s been over this a thousand times and people just refuse to live in reality.
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:55 am
It dumbfounds Joe even further than someone really would believe a coach on a hot seat who needed wins would put his career on the line with a quarterback who has never started a game in the NFL over one that actually led a team to the playoffs, had a playoff win under his belt, AND the same quarterback was the guy the coach lobbied the general manager to sign.
August 22nd, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Ira let the cat out of the bag. Trask has an ice cube’s chance in hell from the jump. Bowles wasn’t going to trust a QB with no PT experience seeing that he was on the hot seat after being the coach who stewarded Brady’s only losing season and a drubbing out of the playoffs by the Cowgirls.
That fact was published on this site.
Bowles doesn’t like Trask. If he did, he wouldn’t have brought in Mayfield and gifted him the job with sham QB competition which he pulled right after Trask made it interesting against the Jets.
It is what it is.
That’s ok though. This is Bowles team. He gets to make those decisions.
As fans we can choose not to like them.
August 22nd, 2024 at 1:12 pm
Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:
August 22nd, 2024 at 12:23 pm
As fans we can choose not to like them.
^^^^^^^
What percentage of fans don’t like Mayfield starting over Trask? I would guess it’s lower than Trask’s completion percentage in the NFL, 30%.
August 22nd, 2024 at 1:50 pm
Joebucsfan.com… a place for trolls to come and trash the buccaneers
August 22nd, 2024 at 2:16 pm
Ktds…. Kyle Trask derangement syndrome