Day 1 Rookie Minicamp Observations
May 16th, 2014
Joe’s live from the fields of rookie minicamp
It’s Joe’s always popular practice notes and observations, this time from opening day of Bucs rookie minicamp/tryout camp at One Buc Palace.
Fifty young hopefuls, from draft picks to second-year players like former Florida State defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, a seventh-round pick of the Cowboys last year, took to the sunny, breezy fields.
Here are some of the sights:
*Running back Jeremy Smith of Oklahoma State gets away with a push-off on former Rutgers linebacker/long snapper Andrew DePaola.
*Jump ball! Mike Evans catches a lazy pass from Brett Smith that is over his head to his left, leaps and hauls ball in. Dunkaneers.
*Once again, those chrome helmets really pop in the glaring sun. Better bring your shades to home games. You will need them.
*A Bucs assistant coach is working individually with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins on proper footwork during blocking drills, though the second-round pick is limited after foot surgery this winter.
*Fullback David Sims of Georgia Tech hauls in a short pass amid traffic.
*Leader extraordinaire QB Josh McCown takes to the field in shorts and a t-shirt to watch the young troops. Mike Glennon, along with nearly all Buccaneers, was not seen. Veteran wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins sat down with Joe to chat, and get an update on practice happenings.
*Former Gators receiver, rookie Solomon Patton, drops a pass.
*Nice hands by Jeremy Smith, who later skies for a pass in the right flat and seamlessly squares his shoulders and cuts up field.
*Wyoming QB Brett Smith is chased out of the pocket and flushed left during 7-on-7 drills as he was unable to find an open receiver. He took the “sack.”
*Hey, stop trying to trick Joe. There are two guys wearing No. 39 on the field. The defensive “39,” is former “Cal” cornerback Marc Anthony. He had a nice pass breakup on Taylor Sloat. But Sloat got revenge quickly on safety hopeful Jacquez Jenkins of USF. Sloat then was able to grab a pass while being triple-covered over the middle. Nice hands on this kid.
*Third-round pick Charles Sims in left flat. He is much bigger than Joe expected.
*Brendan Bigelow, a running back from Cal, waits for a floater of a pass from Smith to fall in his arms along the left sideline for a touchdown.
*Even on short catches, it is clear Evans is on a different playing level than the rest of rookies. Even a guy walking around with a white cane can see this. Joe felt for SMU cornerback hopeful Chris Parks.
*Punt adventures were on display. Rookie sixth-round pick Robert Herron dropped two. Patton was tentative and looked a little lost, not attempting a catch on two punts. Lovie Smith said the wind was as tough as it might get for Tampa, but it was clear these two guys aren’t polished punt return prospects.
*Joe’s already written about the noodle arm of QB Brett Smith. No threat to make the roster.
Stick with Joe through the weekend for all kinds of stuff out of minicamp.
May 16th, 2014 at 6:49 pm
@Joe
Your-practice notes and observations-was the main reason I came to your site-years ago. I’ve was your detailed feed back concerning the practices- Keep Up the great work. As for David Sims(FB-GATech). I’ve spoke about his kid before-He can do it all keep eye on him.
Glad you like it. Joe’s not doing anything heroic, just sharing impressions.–Joe
May 16th, 2014 at 6:50 pm
*I’ve enjoyed your detailed feed back-
May 16th, 2014 at 6:53 pm
OTAs start Monday! The also-rans will be gone!
May 16th, 2014 at 6:53 pm
David Sims Highlights – Georgia Tech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5hp3pcv_gA
Good Dive, Stunt/ Power-Runner
May 16th, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Thank you, Joe!
May 16th, 2014 at 6:58 pm
Thanks, Joe … Have you figured out the 3 Lovie was talking about? Perhaps Sloat could be one?
May 16th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
“Wyoming QB Brett Smith is chased out of the pocket and flushed left during 7-on-7 drills as he was unable to find an open receiver. He took the “sack”.”
“Joe’s already written about the noodle arm of QB Brett Smith. No threat to make the roster.”
I’m still waiting for the ‘facts’ that prove Smith to be “already better than Glennon”.
Could it be, Owlykat, that Smith looked good in comparison to those he played with/against? That does happen and makes the scouting much more difficult.
May 16th, 2014 at 7:19 pm
“Glad you like it. Joe’s not doing anything heroic, just sharing impressions.–Joe”
Give me a break Joe. Don’t sell yourselves short. It’s heroic to me. You guys are friggin amazing. You truly are a gift to us Buc fans. I don’t care how many times you piss me off.
May 16th, 2014 at 7:26 pm
@Buc1987
Lol-Pisses me off on the regular-But the intel he share with is invaluable. If I can ever catch them in a bar-I couldn’t help but- buy both the bastards a few rounds.
May 16th, 2014 at 7:33 pm
*But the intel they share with us invaluable.
May 16th, 2014 at 7:39 pm
Robert Herron dropping punts was one of the reasons I don’t consider him a threat to Eric Page.
Of special note…if Mike Glennon is the QB of the future, I would think he’d be there in the same capacity as McCown.
May 16th, 2014 at 7:40 pm
Just my $.02, but it truly is a pleasure to have the ‘Joes’ sharing camp news. (This certainly saves me from having so many ‘sick’ days.) :^)
May 16th, 2014 at 8:00 pm
Fire the cannons
May 16th, 2014 at 8:01 pm
I’d like to know more about how kirby Van Der Kamp is looking in camp; is he any threat to Koenen?
May 16th, 2014 at 8:08 pm
Bonzai.
Glennon was watching film and hitting the weights.
For all we know that what he could’ve been doing.
Glennon is a worker, we don’t need to assume he’d miss his alarm clock or anything.
May 16th, 2014 at 8:22 pm
LUVMYBUCS…oh without question a pitcher or two.
May 16th, 2014 at 8:23 pm
So now Bonzai is in the I hate Mike Glennon camp? Bonzai the homer? Really?
Say it ain’t so.
May 16th, 2014 at 8:26 pm
The Bucs drafted gumby?
May 16th, 2014 at 8:29 pm
As Joe mentioned most all the Bucs vets weren’t there so what’s the point of Glennon being there or not, it’s really irrelevant. This is primarily a tryout for a lot of guys the vast majority of whom won’t be here after it’s over.
May 16th, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Looks like MGMers may be waiting a while
From Lovie:
“Josh is our starter, which he is, and hopefully for quite a few years he will be.”
May 16th, 2014 at 9:08 pm
PRBucFan Says:
May 16th, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Looks like MGMers may be waiting a while
From Lovie:
“Josh is our starter, which he is, and hopefully for quite a few years he will be.”
-MG8- 2016 pro bowl QB.
May 16th, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Great job Joes! Good news day, lots of good content and info. Keep on rockin guys. Mucho Apprecianado!!!
May 16th, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Who cares if the backup QB is there. Maybe he is watching film of himself and his 42 ranked yards per attempt. #Cannon
May 16th, 2014 at 9:20 pm
Joe’s already written about the noodle arm of QB Brett Smith. No threat to make the roster.
__________________
With Joe’s penchant for being on the wrong side of QB decisions, this probably means Brett Smith will be the Opening Day starter.
May 16th, 2014 at 9:39 pm
PRB…that we’ll be fine by me if he stays healthy and upright.
May 16th, 2014 at 9:40 pm
lightningbuc…lol nice dagger.
May 16th, 2014 at 9:47 pm
Right lol and yea man I agree.
May 16th, 2014 at 10:01 pm
Go Herron!
May 16th, 2014 at 10:27 pm
I think Keith Lewis will be a gem for us
May 16th, 2014 at 10:46 pm
Also interested in Van der Kamp….we could save some $$ on Koenen for a FA Olineman…..
May 16th, 2014 at 10:48 pm
Dammit. I’ve got high expectations for Patton, but it doesn’t sound good so far. Still think we will be our returner when its all said and done.
May 16th, 2014 at 11:00 pm
Hopefully noodle arm comes out to play tomorrow! oh but “the future” looks so bright Ya gotta wear shades! lol 🙁
May 16th, 2014 at 11:10 pm
Patton normally has good hands so the nerves were showing. Even VJax had his share of early drops last year, so I don’t put much stock in opening day of the Rookie Mini Camp. Smith had very good production last year so hold your comparison to Glennon well past opening day of Mini Camp and then see which is best. Glennon has already had time to study this system and got a lot of experience last year as a starter.
May 16th, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Brett Smith is an interesting one. I think in the right system (that spread/zone read type offense that he played in Wyoming) he MIGHT have a chance. But if you’re looking at him to be a drop back/read defenses and make all the throws type pocket passer, then I think you will be disappointed. What he excels at is his athleticism. I mean he made plays with his legs last season that would make even Johnny Manziel blush. I dont think he gets any higher than 3rd string, but one never knows.
May 17th, 2014 at 12:44 am
Circle jerking continues…
Don’t get me wrong. Very proud to have a media resource like jbf but the job of showing up at rookie minicamp and reporting on what they observe is not heroic. It is their job at the very least. We are all anxious to see our new talent on the field and I am totally there but the jbf ass smooching is a bit strange to say the least.
Go bucs
May 17th, 2014 at 8:04 am
Tkx Joe. These type of posts are the best !
May 17th, 2014 at 8:17 am
There could be a lot of reasons Smith’s arm isn’t looking up to par. Tired arm from all the offseason workouts, not used to NFL ball, perhaps an injury or blister, or perhaps even more likely-the tweaking to his mechanics that he has undergone since the end of the season have made his movements more robotic and less able to relax and sling it. I watched a few passes on the buccaneers.com training camp coverage of day 1 minicamps and I didn’t think his arm looked like linguini. http://www.buccaneers.com/multimedia/videos/516_InsiderRookie_Mini_CampWork_Hard/96c3cac2-5e0c-48fc-b1d9-6a9ac9165402
BTW, these reports sound the exact same as the one’s from Aaron Rodgers’ first Green Bay training camp. They said his mechanics were so out of whack that his arm didn’t look close to being an NFL arm. I’m not too worried about Smith. He’s a worker, he’s only 21, and has a lot of growing to do. With his feet and penchant for making plays, he could become a high quality NFL starter even if his arm only gets to the point of being average.
At his Pro Day, Smith’s arm seemed plenty strong, it’ll be interesting to see if he has a better day today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkgn0wTvwk
May 17th, 2014 at 9:05 am
“Leader extraordinaire QB Josh McCown takes to the field in shorts and a t-shirt to watch the young troops. Mike Glennon, along with nearly all Buccaneers, was not seen.”
I don’y get the unnecessary shot at Glennon…. if McCown was the only player seen and “Nearly all” others were not, why make it a point to shine the light on Glennon not being there?
May 17th, 2014 at 9:08 am
owlykat Says:
“Smith had very good production last year so hold your comparison to Glennon well past opening day of Mini Camp and then see which is best.”
But YOU have already made a comparison.
(‘Bucs Offense Looks Like Bears’ 5-15-14) “…they brought in the rookie Wyoming QB who is already better than Glennon…”
Is it because he hasn’t looked good that you now don’t want to compare? Or is it just YOU that gets to compare early? Or do you wish to retract your earlier statement until later in the season? No shame in admitting when you’ve spoken too soon. We’ve ALL done it.
“Glennon has already had time to study this system and got a lot of experience last year as a starter.”
Smiths’ lack of study did not give him a “noodle arm”?
And Glennons’ last years’ experience has nothing to do with Smiths’ arm or decision making. At best, Glennon has played the QB position only 13 games more than Smith (assuming both have played QB since high school) Right now, Smith is playing with ‘college’ players. Most of these guys aren’t good enough to ever play in a regular season game. Wait until he plays against the veterans and the speed of the game goes off the charts. There is time for Smith to show more promise, but he’d better hurry. ‘IF’ Lovie keeps only two QBs, then Smith may have already lost his chance.
On another note, I agree with you about Patton. He’s not usually a ‘dropper’. But if it’s nerves, he better get ‘cooled down’ quickly or he’ll be given a bus ticket home. A WR position is a little more open than QB, but if the coaches can’t trust him to ‘catch’, he won’t have a future in receiving.
May 17th, 2014 at 10:00 am
I don’t believe Smith will ever unseat Glennon’s position. McCown was there because he is the designated starter by Lovie. Cemented in to lead the team, though the concrete has’nt set yet, slow hardening, as Glennon waits in the wings.
May 17th, 2014 at 11:33 am
The Brett Smith Posse must be feeling like the the red-headed step child of the MGM
May 17th, 2014 at 12:14 pm
Glennon was in the team cafeteria with Shaun King. Who better than Burger King to help MG8 put on 20 pounds this offseason.
Brett Smith benefited from the Tom Cruise effect. Tom is as short as Dougie, but he looks like he is six feet tall, because they cast actors/actresses shorter than him. Brett played against a lot of smaller guys, he looked good on tape. Now Brett is playing with bigger boys, so he has to raise his game.
May 17th, 2014 at 12:25 pm
Joe has an agenda against Brett Smith.
May 17th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Brett Smith will never even make it “to” the practice squad, much less ever make it “off” of it. Period. Anybody with eyeballs can see that. In fact, to use a Joe-ism, even a guy with a white cane sees it.
May 17th, 2014 at 6:15 pm
DB I concur lol
May 19th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Nybucsfan. Stay in NY.