Day 2 Minicamp Practice Notes & Observations
June 11th, 2014
Joe braved a lightning delay at One Buc Palace this afternoon to soak in every last move of your beloved Bucs on Day 2 of their mandatory minicamp.
Here’s Joe’s observations, and a whole lot more:
*Your first team offensive line, from left to right: Anthony Collins, Kadeem Edwards, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Patrick Omameh, Demar Dotson
*Kick return. First option up was Chris Owusu with Bobby Rainey in front blocking, filling the “off returner” role. Second up was Skye Dawson with Mike James. Third in line was Charles Sims with Jeff Demps leading. Eric Page up next with Rainey as “off returner.” Mike James also worked in one return during the session.
*11-on-11 work begins! Sliding catch by Chris Owusu in right flat.
*Vincent Jackson drop scooped up by Rashaan Melvin. INTERCEPTION. Melvin was running with the first-team defense, with Danny Gorrer at the other corner. Keep in mind Alterraun Verner is sitting out with a minor injury.
*Skye Dawson drops a ball in the gut from Mike Glennon with the second team.
*A Luke Stocker sighting. A five-yard dumpoff from Glennon.
*Tommy Streeter catches Glennon bomb, 45 yards, with Kip Edwards, the tryout cornerback, in coverage.
*After field goal work — none were missed — 11-on-11 work started up again with some wide runs followed by a very pretty crossing-route connection from McCown to Owusu.
*Rainey gets a first-team backfield sniff.
*Melvin slips covering V-Jax. If that happened in a real game, it would have been a huge gain. No, Joe won’t assume V-Jax would have had the wheels to break off a 60-yard TD run.
*Demps appears in the first team backfield but the throw goes to Dawson, a 20-yard rope from McCown. Completion. Second team in and Glennon throws a perfect dart to Dawson over on a crossing route, 10-yard completion.
*Center Dietrich-Smith having a passionate chat with a lot of healthy finger pointing with left tackle Collins. All this going down while second-team is in action.
*Reverse! Interesting look. Perhaps one of those Jeff Tedford mysteries.
*Carl Nicks walking around with his linemates with no visible limp and traditional black sneakers on his feet.
*Adrian Clayborn lining up at left defensive end with second team defense. Steven Means on right side. Clayborn also took some first team reps at LDE, as did William Gholston. Means tried swim move on Collins. Major fail by Means, who got off balance.
*Demps appears in backfield on short yardage work. Perhaps he can jump, as well as fly?
*Sweet Glennon touch pass to Streeter with second unit.
*Lotta hollering “Chicago, Chicago. Chicago” when team began field goal practice.
*Though it is underwear football with no hitting, Collins is owning Means.
*On a pass play, Michael Johnson came flying in on an inside loop and had their been hitting, McCown would have been flattened. Like a junebug on a windshield.
*McCown completes a rope to Eric Page in heavy traffic. Three defenders around Page. Next play? McCown and Page are out of synch and Page appears to slip coming back for ball. Welcome to spring underwear football.
*Gorrer drops sure interception in his hands. Groans come from the bench. McCown and Owusu appeared to have their signals crosses on that play.
*INTERCEPTION! Play of the day by Melvin. Just ripped the ball out of the air — and hands — of Owusu. McCown picked.
*DROP! Wide receiver Russell Shepard. Safety Kelcie McCray slaps himself in the head for dropping slipping in coverage. Wet field?
*Players coach Lovie Smith releases players early and doesn’t make up time from roughly 20-minute weather delay.
June 11th, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Cant read the whole article because of an ad…
That makes no sense. –Joe
June 11th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
The WR depth will be interesting to watch come time to cut down the roster.
Between Owusu, Murphy, Herron, Dawson, and Page, we will find our 3-5 receivers. And of course there’s still Wright, Sims, and Demps who could potentially line up at WR.
Here’s hoping the open competition will push a couple of these guys to really reach that next level.
June 11th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
thanks joe!
wow, clayborn is moving down the depth chart. hate to see it, but it’s time to see what the new guys can do!
June 11th, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Everyone off season Rathbun Melvin balls out in OTAs & TC .. Then preseason comes and he doesn’t do anything for the whole year.. Pablo doesn’t get his hope up anymore
June 11th, 2014 at 4:30 pm
This is Resean Melvin’s second offseason. He was a rookie last year.
June 11th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Joe,
Any Lavelle Hawkins sightings? Or is he in essence camp meat from what you’ve seen?
Invisible this week. –Joe
June 11th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Good job Joe! It must be fun watching the Bucs coaching seperate the wheat from the chaff.
June 11th, 2014 at 4:46 pm
Pablo
Wth are you talking about? This is melvins 2nd season last year he spent on ir. Haha
June 11th, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Stagger thinks Pablo is better off keeping his mouth shut and letting us think he is a fool…than open his mouth and remove all doubt.
June 11th, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Not a complaint department. –Joe
June 11th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Is Connor Barth back to 100%? Lost multiple games last year due to a poor kicker.
June 11th, 2014 at 6:44 pm
finally! some sightings of Adrian Clayborn and will Gholston!! I hope its a good year for these guys!
June 11th, 2014 at 6:46 pm
go Mike,Tampa’s future
June 11th, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Although drops/interceptions are frustrating, “underwear” football is primarily for working on timing and becoming familiar with the playbook.
It sounds like Dietrich-Smith (center) is taking charge of the O-line (as he should). You didn’t say, Joe, but I ‘assume’ McCown had words with Owusu (“My bad.” or “Where were you going?!”).
June 11th, 2014 at 7:22 pm
Thanks Joe. I thoroughly enjoy a succinct synopsis from your honest point of view. Sorry if Ive been a bit sarcastic towards you in the past JF love and such but this is Bucs love and I sat through the 26 game losing streak sitting 40 yrd line second row behind the Bucs bench as a kid. Kudos
June 11th, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Good stuff as always joe, please keep feeding the hungry, this off season has been painfully WAY too long, I wish I can just go to bed and wake up in mid August………but then preseason would be agonizingly long too, this would be a perfect time for spring football ala USFL (which I heard is set to start up again next year), when we had the Bandits, it was awesome, pro football in Tampa all year long, that would remedy this dead time for sure!
June 11th, 2014 at 11:38 pm
Great stuff, Joe. Thanks! Bet Glennon’s long pass was straight down the middle which is the only plays he was accurate on deep last year. Gholston has the talent to start at LDE, but we need to keep Claiborne to back up both DEs, because Means isn’t impressive so far. Hope that our out of shape DE, Bowers, works himself into playing shape and our Coaches motivate him to play to his potential. We need him this year!
June 12th, 2014 at 10:47 am
*Lotta hollering “Chicago, Chicago. Chicago” when team began field goal practice.
Joe, did you find out why this was done? I’m curious.
Also, I second Erick’s request for a Barth update. You said all the field goals were made. Was Barth participating? Is he healthy? We really need him back if he isn’t.
Martin Gramatica didn’t come back from injury the same man. So I’m a little nervous.
June 12th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Not many guys got past Collins last year, according to PFF:” Collins enters with that being an area of strength — the +8.7 pass-blocking grade he posted from Week 13 on and a league-leading 97.2 Pass Blocking Efficiency score for the 2013 season topped off his résumé.”
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/04/11/envisioning-change-buccaneer-offense/
June 13th, 2014 at 6:40 am
Don’t understand the Bobby Rainey first team snaps? Where is Mike James? We aren’t hearing a lot about him. Has Mike James taken any fullback snaps?