Punting Rehab Underway For Jake Camarda
October 2nd, 2024
Benched punter Jake Camarda.
So Joe blew off the Bucs benching third-year punter Jake Camarda on Sunday. It just didn’t move Joe’s needle, but Todd Bowles’ fresh commentary on the situation did.
Cynical Joe had to chuckle upon hearing the news of Camarda sitting in favor of practice squad punter Trenton Gill. The Bucs had two sacks entering Sunday and edge rushers Markees Watts and José Ramirez had combined for 7 total snaps on defense. But the punter got benched? LOL
Yes, Joe realizes Camarda has been shaky and certainly not as good as he was as a dazzling rookie fourth-round pick in 2022.
Todd Bowles addressed the situation on the Buccaneers Radio Network, and it seems Camarda is in punting rehab at One Buc Palace.
“Well, Jake has been in kind of slump a little bit; we’re trying to work with him to get out of it,” Bowles said.
The head coach went on to say Gill did a solid job Sunday against the Eagles but Camarda is expected back.
“When Jake works on some things, I think Jake will be back stronger than ever,” Bowles said. “In the meantime, Trenton is going to play a little bit.”
Gill, 25, was the Bears’ punter during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Joe doesn’t know what’s going on with Camarda. Are the Bucs send him a message, or has he developed a mechanics issue?
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:20 pm
How many steps in punting rehab? You don’t want 12, you’ll get blocked for sure.
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:25 pm
Was hoping for some injury report. Mechanical or mental – it ain’t good. Get it figured out or get on indeed.
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:26 pm
It’s got to be something else other than football. He’s has the two top 10 best punting seasons in Bucs franchise history. Camarda’s got something other than football messing him up.
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:31 pm
He was booming them in Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:31 pm
Dude got married and started slipping. He also seems to be all about church and doesn’t seem too into football
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:38 pm
Sounds like mechanics issue. If so, hopefully they brought someone in who can help-fix his issue.
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Derek, are you basing this off instaface or snapbook? I don’t have social media, so I’m genuinely curious.
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:51 pm
Didn’t move the needle for you Joe?! I’m watching the game and see this other guy and am like, “ how come I didn’t know about this from Joe Bucs Fan?!” He has been top tier the last few years with booming kicks, pinpoint drops inside 5 and single handed saved our asses two times last year!
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:52 pm
If Camarda was holding for PATs, no way that Eagle returns the blocked kick for the 2. Camarda is fast and a good athlete, he would have at least pushed the guy out of bounds.
Meanwhile, Nellie never even moved from his stance to block the guy. May no he understands he’s not there to be a statue.
Double meanwhile – this Gill guy sucks.
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:00 pm
Has he done any offseason modeling?
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:10 pm
I have never heard of “punter rehab.”
Or ” kicker rehab.”
If the dude lost it low probability he gets it back.
What’s he got? The yips?
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:11 pm
Leopold he got married over the offseason and posts a lot of stuff about church organizations he’s in. I do see that on instagram, just trying to put pieces together on why he looks bad this year. Maybe his mind isn’t really on football
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:11 pm
Dude is going from field- flipper to burger- flipper.
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:19 pm
Probably good to fire a shot over the bow while giving him a chance to work through it. One things for sure…he would have thwarted the blocked PAT by either tackling or pushing the returner out of bounds. Gill looked like Garo and/or Neil O’Donahue out there on that.
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:20 pm
There’s a reason kickers/punters recycle through the league with multiple teams. Teams and “specialists” are fickle.
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:28 pm
Camardas net punting is down from ~40 last year to ~ 39 in 2024. Not good ! Next man up !! L G !!
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:44 pm
Key word here, rehab.
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:02 pm
I heard Jake was hanging out with Josh & Doug in Ybor…
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:13 pm
Carmada is definitely catching up to that runner and knocking him out of bounds. That was the first thing I thought of after that happened. Luckily the Eagles suck, but the Dude is one of the better athletes on the team. Also agree with some of the other posters here, Joe, you should have given some insight into what was going on with him. I was checking the site, scrolling through the game comments, and found nothing. Us Die Hard fans (me since 1978) would have wanted to know. I had to go elsewhere to find out.
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:24 pm
“Vitamins.”
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:43 pm
He’s got the yips.
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:48 pm
Jake Camarda: 45.7 avg, 39.8 net
Gill: 37.5 avg, 37.5 net
Plus cost you two points on the blocked extra point as Camarda with his 4.5 speed would have caught up with the returner.
That move backfired, but thankfully it didn’t matter. No idea what the stupid head games are here, but if it’s just some ‘sending a message’ nonsense, they’re morons. You either know how to punt or you don’t, and Camarda had 10 punts on the season and was averaging nearly 46 per punt, that’s not good in 2024, but it shouldn’t be losing your job bad unless there’s something else going on.
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:06 pm
Addiction issues is my guess. I don’t want to slander his name. But to me it sounds like some addiction issue
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:06 pm
OR Buc Says:
October 2nd, 2024 at 5:51 pm
Didn’t move the needle for you Joe?! I’m watching the game and see this other guy and am like, “ how come I didn’t know about this from Joe Bucs Fan?!” He has been top tier the last few years with booming kicks, pinpoint drops inside 5 and single handed saved our asses two times last year!
_________
I was thinking the same thing.
Weird omission by the site that’s all about Bucs.
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:08 pm
Have a tennis coach teach him how to hit a hard serve. You’re using your toes to your upper body.
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:15 pm
This is a classic example of how coach Bowles encourages players to achieve excellence. He could have let Jake go. But Todd he believes he can once again achieve the ~ 48 yard net average he displayed in 2022.
Go Bucs !! L G !!
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:27 pm
None of the above. Camarda being an astute young fella, saw how the Bucs richly afforded a big fat raise to dean after he played so poorly and thought he would emulate the performance. I guess only dean gets a hall pass with a raise for bad play. wtf?
October 2nd, 2024 at 8:49 pm
I seem to remember a thigh strain 1st or 2nd week of training camp! Came back too soon? Still not right! So we wait, disguise, until he’s healed
October 2nd, 2024 at 9:37 pm
Cmarda’s shanks are just as good as Mr. Practice squad kicker best, and even with him struggling he still can hit a 56 yarder. The other guy looks like like he maxes out at 42. The fact they have a punter on the PS says they knew something was up with him
October 2nd, 2024 at 9:43 pm
Whomever brought up his religious struggle with football, if he worshipped on the the day Jesus and His desciples worshipped on he’d be free to play every Sunday
October 2nd, 2024 at 9:48 pm
Lack of off-season focus perhaps, got hitched, spent summer honey mooning thinking can just get by on talent and oops. That’s speculation of course but I can see it. Or he married a chick that has now done a 180 on him. A lot of women won’t show the full true them until after lockdown.
I’m still happily married and love my wife, but I haven’t changed from time we started dating. At that point was old enough to realize, only way I am gonna find a girl I am happy with is if I just be me and do my thing. If she’s into it great, if not see ya. My wife on the other hand, I’ve gotten to know her better since we were married haha.
October 2nd, 2024 at 9:51 pm
Kickers lick their fingers and figure their kicks wont be snickered.
(feel free to add on)
October 2nd, 2024 at 9:54 pm
Drunkinybor…go back to whatever bar you walked out of in Ybor. You show exactly who you are by “ass-assuming anything.
Don’t be jealous because some 24 yr old punter makes more per game then you do in a year.
October 2nd, 2024 at 10:08 pm
I was not aware of a thigh injury in training camp.
Can someone go into more detail?
Joes?
October 2nd, 2024 at 11:18 pm
it’s called he needs rehab, not punters rehab…
it’s probably a josh freeman type situation…
he completely lost his booming leg for obvious reasons
October 2nd, 2024 at 11:39 pm
@Irishmist Haha, that was witty
October 2nd, 2024 at 11:44 pm
It had been very brutal to watch him kick this season. I think it was his last kick during the Broncos game, when I said to myself, “What In The WORLD Is Going On With HIM… HOW Do You Just All Of The Sudden Completely FORGET HOW To PUNT The Football!?” “SERIOUSLY, He Can’t Even Hit 40-YARDS Now, After Being A Top-5/10 Punter In The Entire LEAGUE, Just BOOMING ‘60-Yarders’ In The AIR, On The Fly!?” I’m like, does he have some type of an injury, or was he all ‘JUICED’ up!? :/ Whatever it was he needs to go back to doing it ASAP… Or, he’ll be OUT of the League SOON.
October 3rd, 2024 at 1:10 am
Normally I’d think Tampa Night life.
But rumor is that Jake is an evangelic,so wh knows.
Probably it’s wife thing. That’ll make you shank a few punts
October 3rd, 2024 at 2:08 am
Thanks Derek, certainly makes sense.
October 3rd, 2024 at 2:15 am
As I said before…We in Tampa have seen PKs lose it before but I have never seen a punter melt down on any team. These guys have been punting footballs for most of their lives. My brother was a college punter and literally started when we were kids. There is alot more to it in the NFL game but still. You don’t just forget how. Have Todd and company messed with this dudes routine or technique? This is crazy!
Something smells here. What is the ST coordinator McGaughey saying?
Go Bucs!
October 3rd, 2024 at 5:19 am
Has this ever happened for the Bucs? Punters slumping simply feels odd. Because Camarda is our kickoff guy as well, has the new rules and more touch required gotten in his head?
I get punting distance and hang-time has its level of difficulty, but it just seems so much different than struggling with shanking field goals. As if the Bucs didn’t already have problems on this team with concussions and injuries to key starters. SMH.
October 3rd, 2024 at 8:24 am
Just like golfers switch putters – all Jake needs is some new shoes-easy fix.
October 3rd, 2024 at 9:01 am
The team might be looking to pin more teams near the goal line. A lot of our kickoffs have gone into or out of the endzone giving teams decent starting position.
October 3rd, 2024 at 9:26 am
Hope Camarda gets his act together. His pinpointing punts to the goal line and getting them down within the 5 yard line were WEAPONS! And he would have been after who ever blocked a punt or FG. This other dude….meh. Hope he’s not going all Evangelical Christian. Go Bucs!!
October 3rd, 2024 at 10:09 am
It sounds like Bowles did NOT use the word ‘rehab’ but Joe did and Joe admits he doesn’t know what’s going on. I’ve been a single-digit golfer for 50 years, and I can relate to a mechanical issue that could lead to the yips. Camarda can definitely overcome either or both, I have. Camarda should send some tape to his college coach or other mentor to get some tips just like golf pros do.
October 3rd, 2024 at 11:00 am
He was lights out his rookie year, but was dropping off considerably last year. How do you go from one of the very best to getting benched in a year. He was a real weapon. Figure it out quick, Jake
October 3rd, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Maybe he can join Callijah Kancey for drinks after they’re both out the door.
October 3rd, 2024 at 6:48 pm
Seattle Buc is back in TB Says:
October 3rd, 2024 at 11:00 am
He was lights out his rookie year, but was dropping off considerably last year. How do you go from one of the very best to getting benched in a year. He was a real weapon. Figure it out quick, Jake.
______
His year 2 stats were nearly identical to his rookie year.
Not sure what metric you’re using.
October 3rd, 2024 at 6:56 pm
I don’t have 40 times or tackling data, but I think that Carmada has brought some extra physicality in the past. On the blocked extra point, I think that
a healthy Camarda runs the guy down and tackles him to save 2 points.
That may be worth a few punt return yards if he gets back close to his best form.
October 3rd, 2024 at 8:35 pm
Jack Jacob Camarda is my nephew. He has some things to work through (not going into it, so don’task). He is a good kid with strong motivation to focus and return to his position. He is not one that lets his team down. For all of you Bucs fans, be prepared to watch him come back stronger and with precision.