Trey Palmer’s Fourth Down Choice
August 11th, 2024
So the Bucs are looking for a new punt returner/kick returner for the 2024 season.
It hasn’t been a high-priority position on the team in a long time.
Second-year receiver Trey Palmer got his shot as a punt returner last night and was handed a heck of an opportunity early in the second quarter. (See screenshot above.) Palmer caught the ball at the Bucs’ 15 yard line and had all kinds of green space to his left for him to unleash his special speed. Instead, Palmer pulled a Rachaad White; he hesitated and ran right, trying to squeeze between his two blockers.
Palmer got through but was quickly met and tackled by a third defender in the middle of the field for a nine-yard return.
What if he ran left to daylight?
Nine yards is a solid NFL return, but Joe can’t say Palmer made the correct decision on this play.
Palmer was the primary punt returner at LSU in 2021, he had just 115 yards on 18 tries, a 6.4 yards-per-return average. He’s currently atop the Bucs’ depth chart at the position.
August 11th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
The basis of a post being the direction a kick returner chose on his first return in the first preseason game is a sad indicment of just how long the preseason is. It just sucks, period.
August 11th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
Todd and the coaches could theoretically review the film with Palmer and, you know, coach him up.
Crazy concept, I know.
August 11th, 2024 at 2:01 pm
I long for the days of Karl The Truth Williams. Chris Berman loved him. Was always fun to watch him do the highlights.
August 11th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Dave Pear, always 10 steps behind what everyone else knows.
August 11th, 2024 at 2:17 pm
@Louis: Disagree with “It just sucks, period” Guess what I did last night? I watched my beloved Bucs play in an actual football game that was not played months ago and posted on YouTube. It went well with my ice cold Bromosas.
@Steel: Agree with you about Karl The Truth Williams. Dude wasn’t nearly as fast as Trey Palmer but he was fast enough!
Football is back Ladies and Gentlemen!!
August 11th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
Kyle Trask is a contract robber…..trade him or drop him
August 11th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
@ Harold…hahahaha! Good one. No sarcasm i mean that sincerely. That was funny!
August 11th, 2024 at 2:45 pm
The dancing, reverse of direction business that works at the college level NEVER works in the pros. Best plan is to get as many of the opposing players behind you as fast as you can
August 11th, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Palmer had a TD on a punt return in 2019 when he averaged 21.7 on 3 attempts. Trey also had a TD on a kickoff return in 2020. Palmer averaged 9.0 per return in his final season at Nebraska , the job is his to lose.
August 11th, 2024 at 3:32 pm
I don’t see either White or Palmer as instinctive runners. It’s hard to teach. We’ll see how it plays out over the next few weeks.
August 11th, 2024 at 3:50 pm
It’s been pretty standard across the league that none of the teams are running what they will in regular season for kick returns. This is not an issue or anything to read into by any means.
August 11th, 2024 at 3:54 pm
Waiting for your blocks to develop when you’re a RB is a good thing – if not you’re Sean Tucker last year who just ran full speed into the back of his offensive lineman for 1.6 yards per carry.
However, at punt returner, it’s a different story – you should basically run full speed straight away, 90% of the time that’s the best move. As anyone knows that has watched the NFL for more than 2 weeks, the college running around, reversing field stuff doesn’t work in the pros, everyone is too fast. As a returner, the best thing you generally can do is to try to take advantage of opposing players by accelerating the play as much as possible, so if they’re running full speed, and you’re running full speed in the opposite direction, it reduces their reaction time substantially. But if you stop, hesitate, you’re allow them to stop and react to what you’re doing.
Still, with as unimportant as the return game is in the modern NFL, the best thing you can do is just hold onto the ball.
Also, 9 yards per return would be slightly less than Thompkins had last year, when he 16th in the NFL.
Frankly, just don’t screw up, anything else is a bonus in the modern game.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:01 pm
I think the best punt returner didn’t play this game. I really want to see Kam Johnson get healthy and return one next week.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:05 pm
The Bucs would be better off putting Vita Vea back there to return punts. He would at least get five yards.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:14 pm
They should put Wolford with Baker. I thought Barton looked pretty good. Isaac didn’t look bad either.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:19 pm
Noticed Thompkins had 1 target, 1 catch for 5 yards, and David Moore was running back the kicks. Didn’t see that coming
August 11th, 2024 at 4:21 pm
Apparently we have a Jtard to go with Otard. Those two cretins can keep each other company.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:25 pm
LakelandSteve Says:
August 11th, 2024 at 4:05 pm
The Bucs would be better off putting Vita Vea back there to return punts. He would at least get five yards.
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I like this idea, if he can catch, have him get the ball then just try to sit on the gunners as they go for his legs. If he can time it right, he’s got an instant knockout of an opposing player – and we know in the NFL that winning is generally about the depth chart.
August 11th, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Irving has the foot quicks to make an effective returner in the new KO return.
August 11th, 2024 at 5:38 pm
Wait a second.
In a MEANINGLESS preseason game, why is this even being discussed?
August 11th, 2024 at 5:42 pm
I would really rather not see Palmer do returns every single week. The injury risk is too high.
Surely Sean Tucker or Bucky Irving can do it. Palmer is a starter as the 3rd WR, Irving and Tucker are not.
Kameron Johnson is an interesting option too. If you can not fumble as a returner and have the awareness when to fair catch, you can make this team as a 6th WR for sure.
August 11th, 2024 at 6:16 pm
I actually noticed that myself. All I can say is the camera view we had was a good shot, but he may not have seen the open path?
I don’t care if it is a ‘meaningless preseason game’. The goal is to address weaknesses in preseason. People need to stop trolling and be constructive in the conversation.
August 11th, 2024 at 6:43 pm
You are correct, Buccaneer Bonzai. This is a Bucs fan site. I want to read football discussions. We all support our team.
Go Bucs!!
August 11th, 2024 at 6:48 pm
I watched some of the second half. I wish the NFL would go back to the 4 preseason/16 regular season games. Teams have to play preseason so the new players can be evaluated. The Bucs surprised me. The team was tight/disciplined which normally isn’t seen in a first preseason game. The Offensive call that I liked was the QB rollouts. The QB was wide open, and had no problems finding receivers. I can’t wait to see the first team do these plays. The opposing defenses won’t know what hit them.
August 11th, 2024 at 7:00 pm
It might look wide open, but things collapse in a hurry without blockers
August 11th, 2024 at 7:57 pm
IDK, but I wouldn’t put my third WR on punt and KO returns, too much risk of injury.
Would rather use a dedicated returner or a guy further down on the roster.
August 11th, 2024 at 8:13 pm
All the speed in the world and below average vision or decision making. Unfortunately.
August 11th, 2024 at 8:33 pm
Palmer will do just fine. It’s the first game ffs. He will start one direction, cut up field…and gone. We good.
August 11th, 2024 at 8:40 pm
A brand new football alignment and play for everyone involved.
Palmer seems to like runner ng north and south. Much better that way than scrambling around looking for a hole, on returns, I think.
August 11th, 2024 at 9:39 pm
So many opportunities to coach players up after last night’s game. Kinda like all of last year. And all of the year before.
What’s the up-coaching plan, Todd?
August 11th, 2024 at 9:52 pm
I’m not a coach but if I was my number one priority when choosing a kick returner would be that he can reliably catch the friggin punt. Maybe Palmer just won the trust in this department and he has the wheels to score if a lane opens.
I’m ok with the returner spot not being high-priority on the roster.b
August 12th, 2024 at 12:10 am
Oh man some of you are just wet blankets.
If the Joes are going to go on tirades every single season about how meaningless the preseason games are, I think the readers here have a right to comment on that clearly not being the case, based on dozens of articles about said preseason games.
August 12th, 2024 at 1:01 am
Haven’t posted in a month. Come back and Dave Pear is still just as much of a dumb a$$. Things never change.
August 12th, 2024 at 1:29 am
Harold is another dumb azz fake bandwagon fan
August 12th, 2024 at 11:12 am
If that is his route and the play that is called, he must do that play, remember last year when Canales called a run and we were on the 1 yard line with 99 yards to go and Canales calls a run up the middle with white, knowing dang well that our run game hasn’t worked in 2 years, yet Canales magically thinks white is going to shock the world and get a decent run, well we were tackled in the end zone for a safety and that was ALL Canales bad calling, glad he is gone, Mayfield and the bucs could have done better but they counted mayfield out, couldn’t find a better offensive coordinator because everyone thought mayfield was going to be horrible, everyone but myself of course, as I knew how great mayfield could be but those that don’t know football was look at his short stints in Carolina and the rams, not thinking that his play time was limited with the first team as he was splitting reps with a dude and got their late to start the season, and yeah he only was 1in 5 in Carolina, that was great as it should have been 3 of 5 as Carolina barely lost by a mere field goal on a couple games, and then his skills showed themselves when 48 hours in Los Angeles and he didn’t start but the rams was losing, mayfield got in the game and tool the rams to a win against the raiders, then put up like 50 points on broncos so I knew when he went to the bucs a team Tom Brady just left, that mayfield would get a lot more when’s as Mayfield is a great, on the same level as Tom Brady and in fact, if he had a better play caller that had experience calling plays in the NFL or even college mayfield would have had a better season and better record than Tom Brady had the previous year with the same team but instead we got crappy Canales, why because everyone thought that mayfield wad going to suck as they dont know how great he truly is, but now that mayfield has a better offensive coordinator with experience calling plays in the college or nfl level, it’s not the best offensive coordinator but mayfield is about to make the offensive coordinator look like a genius as Coen is about to become a household name in the USA as Mayfield is about to have a coming out season and take the bucs to the superbowl and since mayfield actually gets most of the 1st team reps, his timing will be more improved as mayfield doesn’t have to split reps with trask so this team this year with Evans, Godwin, palmer, and McMillan and bucky coming in to help the run game with Barton to move guys out of the whole, the run game will improve, man this is gonna be a nasty team this year. Watch and see but bet now on them so the odds are better…..
August 12th, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Rick culler! You couldn’t have said it better! Bet Now!
August 12th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Rick – try paragraphs dude.
August 12th, 2024 at 6:35 pm
Sorry folks, but Palmer looks completely uninterested in PRs.
OK, fine, let him work on WR3.
From what I’ve seen, he’s #3B WR behind the Washington kid, who may turn out to be everything the Bucs were hoping for in Gage (& possibly, eventually a WR2).
If it were up to me, I’d have Kam Johnson, Raq, Tucker, and possibly Jefferson or even Knue competing for the job as well as KR.
Forget Palmer, it’s very easy to spot his heart’s not in it