Sterling Shepard Comes Alive, Says Tampa Bay Is Not New York
September 29th, 2024
So Joe had an intriguging chat with veteran Bucs wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who saw his first action of the season today in Tampa Bay’s beat down of the Eagles.
Shepard, 31, was on the brink of retirement in the offseason until he got a call from his buddy Baker Mayfield after eight seasons with the New York Giants.
A fan favorite in New York, Shepard decided to fight for a job in Tampa.
He didn’t get one.
Shepard suffered a rib injury in training camp and didn’t play in the preseason. The Bucs cut him in favor of undrafted rookie Kameron Johnson and asked Shepard to join the practice squad.
While that may have seen to be a tough decision for an eight-year veteran, Shepard told Joe he never wavered, never thought of hanging it up. If practice squad was what the Bucs had for him, then he’d continue to grind.
Shepard said it was an easy call because he felt like he was playing very well in training camp, which Joe thought Shepard was — making plays and looking quick.
Today was an “amazing feeling,” said Shepard, who had 3 catches for 51 yards as Jalen McMillan was out injured (hamstring) and Trey Palmer was lost early in the game with a concussion.
Shepard said he felt very healthy — “yeah, I felt about 25 or 27.”
But what most impressed the veteran was how the Bucs handled bouncing back from a blowout loss to the Broncos and crushing the Eagles today.
“Man, I was so proud of the guys the way they handled it,” Shepard said. “I mean, it’s different than any team I’ve been on. These guys know how to handle everything and handle everything like pros. Everybody was like, ‘We’re on to the next and we’re going to go put our brand of football out there.’ And that’s what we were able to do. Sometimes there can be internal stuff going on and listening to the outside noise. Not here. That’s not what I saw.”
Joe loved how Shepard looked on the field. He might be right when he says he was feeling four or six years younger, back when he was a dangerous slot receiver for the Giants.
The Bucs are lucky to have Shepard — and he feels equally blessed.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:26 pm
Incredible depth to lose McMillan and then Palmer and have Shephard come in
September 29th, 2024 at 5:28 pm
We been needing an experienced 3rd WR to fill the void left by AB. Russell Gage was paid good money to be that guy. But he was always injured, we tried Julio Jones for a year, that didn’t work out. Just maybe Sterling Shepard could be that guy ..
September 29th, 2024 at 5:33 pm
Love me some SS (football).
He could be a HUMBLE version of AB (Ashat Butryant)
This guy has always been a CLASS ACT, paring Shep with Godwin and Evan is a stroke of Brillance TBH
Just hope Bakie does not do what Bake’s does when the game is on the line. I really just want Baker to be Brad Johnson at this point!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 29th, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Our Leader.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:34 pm
(Meant Lavonte David, wrong article mb lol
September 29th, 2024 at 5:37 pm
Really happy for Shep, and us.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:41 pm
Is this guy huge or what? I don’t know how many teams were inquiring about his services, but this guy was a starter and pseudo star in his time at NY, he gets cut from our team, he’s ok getting signed to the practice squad, gets called up twice, and as our 5/6th WR comes up with a really nice game. We’re lucky to have him. God help this league if we can get healthy. These Bucs can do some damage if they can get all their starters on the field.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:42 pm
So good to see Sterling on the field today. He did well.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Sterling looked better than any other WR3 we’ve had or there this year so far.
September 29th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
‘Today was an “amazing feeling,” said Shepard, who had 3 catches for 51 yards today as Jalen McMillan was out injured (hamstring) and Trey Palmer was lost early in the game with a concussion.’
I’m sure that Shep knew that the Practice Squad was just a temporary thing; he’s too good not to be up on the 53-man roster.
Concerned though about Palmer & McMillan. Palmer especially looked really comfortable out there when we started the game (3 catches for 26 yards). Given our recent luck though, it’ll probably take 2-3 weeks for him to clear the concusion protocol.
I keep expecting great things out of McMillan, but thus far he only has 3 catches in 6 targets for 59 yards & 1 TD. Guess that’s what happens when you have to compete with White, Irving, Evans, Godwin, Otton for targets. Hopefully the hamstring heals up quickly & he can get back out there soon.
And BTW, anyone who thinks that the Bucs will let Godwin walk at the end of this season because of $$$ needs to rethink that. His chemistry with Baker is remarkable. He was 21-of-25 for 253 yards before today’s game, and he added 6 more catches for another 69 yards today. No way the Bucs let him get away.
September 29th, 2024 at 6:12 pm
Shepard will get hurt, because he always gets hurt, but play him while McMillan is out. And get Johnson off the field, for the love of God. He can return if you want, maybe do an end around, maybe, but he shouldn’t be playing WR.
September 29th, 2024 at 6:14 pm
Erik w/ UniqueModernArt.com Says:
September 29th, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Sterling looked better than any other WR3 we’ve had
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Shepard is a legit really good WR who was a legit #2, he’s just been injured forever. But as long as he’s healthy, he should be the teams best #3 for now. McMillan will get there, but he’s not there yet, so use Sterling for the few games he’s healthy, and who knows, maybe luck is on his side and he stays healthy, in which case you got an amazing find.
September 29th, 2024 at 6:21 pm
Shepard looked every bit the part of the starting #3 WR. Let the Mac an Palmer learn behind him.
September 29th, 2024 at 8:31 pm
“Man, I was so proud of the guys the way they handled it,” Shepard said. “I mean, it’s different than any team I’ve been on. These guys know how to handle everything and handle everything like pros. Everybody was like, ‘We’re on to the next and we’re going to go put our brand of football out there.’ And that’s what we were able to do. Sometimes there can be internal stuff going on and listening to the outside noise. Not here. That’s not what I saw.”
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This quote says a lot about our team culture and the players we have in the locker room. This is a very resilient group of men. Not many teams would’ve made the playoffs after losing 4 straight & falling to 4-6 but we did, nearly making the conference championship game in the process.
Not many teams would be 3-1 with key players out at numerous positions either, yet here we are. I wasn’t originally a fan of Bowles calm demeanor but it seems to keep this team from getting too high or too low, he deserves credit for his leadership. Go Bucs!
September 29th, 2024 at 9:55 pm
Some good comments I fully agree with here. The depth looks great at WR. Shep should stay in for a bit, let McMillan and Palmer continue to work and hone their craft. Shepard went way up for that one long pass, very impressed with his hands and body control out there after a long time away from the league.
September 30th, 2024 at 11:25 am
A Great Role Model and Loyal Teammate! Hope He Gets More Playing Time. Go Bucs!
September 30th, 2024 at 2:56 pm
I wonder if choosing to receive if you win the flip is good strategy. In the last two games having the receiving team immediately drive it down the field for a TD seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. I assume the metrics say you should defer. But isn’t it likely that some teams rely more on emotion than others? If Baker gets fired up early it’s contagious.