Jamon Meredith will get the first crack to secure the opening left by the departure of guard Carl Nicks.

For the first time in maybe a year, gentle giant Jamon Meredith decided to chat with members of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club after the Bucs had their practice cut short big time by lightning yesterday. Meredith talking seemed to shock many reporters, Joe included.

Ironically, when Bucs coach Lovie Smith was asked how he would fill the massive hole left by guard Carl Nicks’ departure, the very first name out of his mouth was Meredith. So Meredith discussed what life may be like without Nicks. [read more]

Mike Evans got his first taste of NFL training camp yesterday. Josh McCown talked about what Evans must accomplish.

Yes, Josh McCown is an NFL old-timer.

When Anquan Boldin had his astounding 101-catch rookie season for Arizona in 2003, Josh McCown had a front row seat. In fact, McCown made three starts that season for the Cardinals and the NFL’s most anemic offense (14 points per game). [read more]

Kadeem Edwards

Now that Carl Nicks is officially a trivia question, what exactly are the Bucs going to do at their guard positions?

This is as great a mystery as the Jeff Tedford offense. Joe’s got the latest to help you keep score at home. [read more]

Lovie Smith wasn’t upset the first practice of training camp was shortened by lightning.

The Bucs were supposed to have a 150-minute practice session to open 2014 training camp Friday. Mother Nature played a rude host, with two lightning delays, the second effectively ending practice.

Joe isn’t sure the Bucs got a total of 30 minutes of work. The first session was nine minutes when the lightning alarm sounded. The second time the Bucs took the field, practice may have been 20 minutes. [read more]

Joe knows there were many, many, many Tampa Bay fans who wanted to watch the Bucs as training camp began Friday afternoon. For a variety of reasons, not all fans could attend. Joe gets that.

What impressed Joe was, after the first lightning delay that lasted about two hours, the vast majority of the fans stuck around. That was impressive. [read more]

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune discuses options in the wake of Bucs G Carl Nicks leaving the team.

So the mystery of what will become of guard Carl Nicks with the Bucs is no longer a mystery. The Bucs announced today they parted ways with Nicks, who never recovered fully from a combination of turf toe and the MRSA.

Bucs fans are spending this Friday night at a local watering hole, trying to somehow drink enough to forget what a massive hole is left on the offensive line. Even Nicks at 80 percent was better than most. [read more]

Lovie Smith spoke this evening about how he wanted his whole team to focus on losing fat but not strength this offseason. [read more]

Bucs LDE Adrian Clayborn believes his new responsibility will result in solid play and bruised quarterbacks.

One interesting thing about this year’s training camp will be how guys perform under the new regime, guys who may not have hit their ceilings yet.

Enter Adrian Clayborn. Formerly the starting right defensive end, he has had an up and down career in his first three seasons with Tampa Bay. The former first round pick blew out a knee two years ago and that may have hindered his production last year. [read more]

There was at least a little action during this lightning-abbreviated practice, and some rookies feeling a little heat.

It’s Joe’s daily practice notes and observations. Joe’s your eyes and ears at practice.

After stretching, players get into about five minutes of drills before practice is halted for nearly two hours for lightning. But the players got back on the field for about 30 minutes of work.

*In the little bit of pass-play installation work seen against defense (but no linemen) Chris Owusu and Vincent Jackson are the receivers with the first team. Rookie Mike Evans is waiting his turn. A handful of two-tight-end looks with Tim Wright and Brandon Myers. [read more]

Not much happened at tonight’s lightning-abbreviated practice, but afterwards there was plenty of action (stick with Joe for all kinds of goodies tonight and tomorrow).

Speaking to assembled media, Lovie Smith named his top guards in his starting rotation for training camp practice — for now. [read more]

Opening day of Bucs training camp amounted to about 30 minutes of training and about 30 minutes of practicing. Lightning delayed practice at One Buc Palace and a second series of bolts cleared the fields of One Buc Palace for good.

Lovie Smith waved the white flag. [read more]

Just a couple of hours after the Bucs announced that the team and stud guard Carl Nicks parted ways, Bucs general manager Jason Licht met with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club to discuss the transaction.

Though Licht spoke highly of Nicks, he refused to give any details about a possible financial settlement of any sort with Nicks, nor would he discuss any salary cap ramifications. [read more]

There’s a reason Carl Nicks hasn’t reported to training camp.

Agents, lawyers and team officials have been finalizing the end of Nicks’ Tampa Bay career behind the scenes. And now it’s over. [read more]

The fun didn’t last long. The Bucs barely finished stretching before the first of many lightning delay of training camp. Shoot, Joe literally just sat down in the bleachers and all of a sudden, there was the roar of the lighting alarm.

Stick with Joe through the evening for news and notes from the first practice of training camp – once it resumes.

Update 5:50 p.m.: practice should resume no earlier than 6:45 p.m.

Joe’s partners at WDAE-AM 620 had Lovie Smith on the air this afternoon and later reported that Carl Nicks will not be at training camp today, the opening day of on-field activities.

Feel free to speculate.

Joe’s heard loud rumblings that Nicks’ Bucs career is over. Stick with Joe through the night for all kinds of news from training camp.