Rookies Already Working At One Buc Palace
May 13th, 2014
No waiting around until the start of the Bucs’ rookie minicamp on Friday for the new drafted rookie Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The draft picks are in the house and on the field, minus tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
That was the word today from Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown. He addressed Joe and reporters after morning workouts.
“It was a good day today. Good working with them and getting to see them move,” McCown said. “And, the tight end’s not in town yet, but the other young guys were out there obviously, seeing them run and catch for the first time, being able to work with them, is good. Because you start to kind of gauge and you see, you know, why you picked guys in the spots you picked them.”
Thanks to the NFL pushing the draft back two weeks, the learning window for rookies is tighter than ever. But Joe finds that somewhat overblown, considering lots of rookies were very successful in the lockout shortened 2011 season, when rookies basically jumped right into training camp.
Joe found it pretty cool that the draft picks are already knee deep in all things Bucs. Imagine being drafted Saturday afternoon and reporting to work in another state Monday night with a mountain of stuff to learn.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:41 pm
That’s a beast in that picture right there.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
This is awesome to hear. Can’t wait to be able to see them myself!
May 13th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Yea ’87, that is a beast. Should be fun to watch him opposite VJ and with ASJ in the middle. Very exciting. Hope that line is good…
May 13th, 2014 at 2:45 pm
It’s refreshing to click on a story here and see a picture of a player from Texas A&M not named John.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Harry…yeah about the line. I don’t know if he’s going to need much time to throw jump balls all day long. Maybe for the deep balls and running game though.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:51 pm
’87, you make a good point, I don’t know that we will be throwing deep too much. Its the run game that is the primary concern – especially with this group. If this {pass blocking} line can establish a decent ground game, we’re good. If not, could be a huge problem.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Johnny’s right behind Mike, you don’t see him?
May 13th, 2014 at 2:54 pm
@Lightning,
You probably just jinxed us. Next article will be about Haslem telling Johnny he is going to sit behind Hoyer for the first year (just saw that).
I do, of course, think Manziel has great potential to be a very good QB in the NFL. But I don’t think the Browns were a good landing spot for him. So we might never really know.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:56 pm
It’s pretty stinking hot out there today. Welcome to Tampa rooks.
May 13th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Just read that the Eagles might cut Brandon Graham. I remember wanting him in the draft a few years ago. Wonder if Lovie/Licht take a chance on him if he is released. Suppose to be a much better fit in a 4-3.
May 13th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
chicage receivers version 2.0 vjax and evans > marshall and the other dude. maybe
May 13th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Harry if Manziel can turn the Browns into winners again. That would be miraculous. Then everyone would have to give props for that feat.
May 13th, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Good job McCown!
May 13th, 2014 at 3:08 pm
Greg Auman learned from Josh McCown that Bucs rookie TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins hasn’t yet arrived in Tampa. Most rookies got here Sunday. Just when my mind started to recall former UW Bucs TE Jeramy Stevens, Auman later reported that Seferian-Jenkins was not in Tampa per NFL rules because Washington spring quarter was still in session. He will attend rookie minicamp. Whew!
May 13th, 2014 at 3:29 pm
“Imagine being drafted Saturday afternoon and reporting to work in another state Monday night with a mountain of stuff to learn.”
Imagine coming to the sweet state of Florida and signing a fat million dollar contract and learning a playbook. Sign me up!!! I would have been there Sunday morning
May 13th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Imagine 2 possession wr’s
Man i hope that kid from west va. pans out
May 13th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Can you really be called a possession receiver when you lead the league in yards per catch multiple times like VJax?
May 13th, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Possession in that neither one can pop the top of a defense
May 13th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Starting to thin out the RB ranks. Cut RB Michael Smith today!
May 13th, 2014 at 4:35 pm
What difference does it matter if you can pop off the top of a defense. He still lead the league in yards per catch and that includes the Desean Jackson of the world. Oh and the “possession” receiver is still commanding double teams. Now you have two of those. I don’t the see the problem.
May 13th, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Was this a scheduled camp?
I’m all for them getting together, I would just hate to see the team get in trouble.
May 13th, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Macabee Says
“Starting to thin out the RB ranks. Cut RB Michael Smith today!”
He is a guy I had hopes for in previous years, but he never took advantage of the opportunities he was given. These guys need to realize that they only get so many chances, so they have tovdominate when they come along.
May 13th, 2014 at 4:45 pm
We need yards AFTER catch imo
May 13th, 2014 at 4:47 pm
And i didnt realize speed was now not relevant in the nfl
May 13th, 2014 at 4:54 pm
Per: Greg Auman
Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins not in Tampa per NFL rules because Washington spring quarter still in session. Can attend rookie minicamp.
May 13th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
@Couch Fan
Graham solid-IMO Vinny Curry’s a better prospect
May 13th, 2014 at 5:06 pm
seminolebuccaneer Says
“We need yards AFTER catch imo”
We need CATCHES to get those yards. Truth be told, we’ve had plenty of burners go thru one buc place in recent years. But none of them could catch enough passes to gain those yards you speak of.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:08 pm
And what we really need is first downs to keep our defense fresh.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Gotta be a hog, to consistently catch the ball between the numbers. A lot of young dudes don’t have the heart for that.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:22 pm
When was the last time u saw a buccaneers wr make a catch get a step on the defense and take it to the house consistently? Im not dissing the talents of jackson or evans im not dismissing the skills they bring to the table. All im saying is we have to have that quick strike capability lets hope that simms is THAT guy
May 13th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
If speed at wr doesnt matter then wtf are all those scouts doing at the combine holding stopwatches? LoL
May 13th, 2014 at 5:27 pm
And why did we draft a rb with great pass catching abities and speed in the 3rd when we have 3 solid rb’s ? I would venture to say its because L&L know we need some speed in the receiving positions
May 13th, 2014 at 5:31 pm
Speed does not always equate to production. VJax is very productive however. You want production. So what if Desean Jackson can catch a 5 yard slant and run for 20 additional yards. Then you have Vjax catch a 20 yard pass and run for an additional 5 yrds. What is the difference? Its still a 25 yard gain for your offense. It doesn’t matter how you get the yards as long as you get them. And Vjax has been one of the best at getting those yards and stats and pro bowls says so. Sorry if this is confusing to you.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
And Vjax has made a living at going deep and catching bombs. Thats taking a top off a defense. Stats say he has been one of the best at doing so over the last 5 yrs. I am still not seeing the problem.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
I remember the eagles game last year. I remember how all that speed on offense continued to put our defebse back on our heels. Again i didnt say jackson or evans were garbage i juzt said we need someone with serious speed. Not instead of but in addition too
May 13th, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Ive seen jackson get caught from behind more than ive seen him run away from people. Again its a want for speed in addition to the guys we gave. Speed hurts the defense before the balls even hiked. It the fear factor
May 13th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Of course speed matters…but pure speed is not the ONLY thing that matters. I don’t know if it’s even the MOST IMPORTANT thing that matters! Jerry Rice is the greatest WR of all time…and he was a 4.5-4.6 guy…nowhere near the speediest receiver of all time! No where near the biggest WR either…but he was a hell of a route runner, quick in and out of his breaks, had great hands and great vision! VJax and Mike Evans are plenty fast enough to break a long TD! But they are also big enough to go up and get a high ball and come down with it! They are big enough to box out a DB and have a clear path to the ball and move the chains on third down! They both have long enough arms to snare a ball that other smaller receivers would never be able to reach! So yeah, speed is good…but in these days of over 6foot tall DB’s, speed can’t be the only thing you look for in a WR!
May 13th, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Per: Paraag Marathe
Concerning value over the 40 yard dash. It measures the time of the last 20 yards in a 40 yard dash, and according to the niners, is the metric that really measures SEPARATION SPEED. Jerry Rice, while running a sub-par 40, actually had one of the fastest recorded flying 20s.
NOTE: Also see Steve Largent
May 13th, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Flying 20 score.
“It is where you subtract a player’s 20 yd time from his 40 yd time, and is most useful for wide receivers and corners as it is a good measure of a player’s acceleration. “
May 13th, 2014 at 5:58 pm
There holding stop watches to see how fast a 230 pound receiver can run 4.5. Now that’s impressive
May 13th, 2014 at 6:02 pm
For more inför reference: http://www.slonsportconference.com
May 13th, 2014 at 6:07 pm
Last pass of pro day. Deep ball to Mike Evans! TD. https://vine.co/v/MwJxiPedtI
May 13th, 2014 at 6:09 pm
@ seminolebuccaneer
Its hard to run away from defenders when you have to adjust your speed to catch the ball. Both Freeman and Glennon, not the best deep ball bombers around. Check the highlightsghts.
May 13th, 2014 at 6:11 pm
These guys are gonna be playing jump ball every Sunday. This should be fun to watch!!!
May 13th, 2014 at 6:25 pm
It;s about sustaining drives and scoring points. The speedster WR’s run the deep post patterns but it’s still a low percentage play.
I’d take sure handed route runners over pure speed. Just me.
May 13th, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Never asked for just speed. I just know if you have a wr that posses speed it adds a different element. Two things u cant coach. Size and speed. Im just wanting both is all
May 13th, 2014 at 6:57 pm
What we need is a QB that can hit WRs in stride so they have opportunity to gain yards after the catch. Glennon didn’t do that regularly, and its why we have McCown. Speed helps, but YAC is more about throw accuracy.
May 13th, 2014 at 7:10 pm
all Mcown has to do is what he did in Chicago and we are all fucking prefect guys!!!! Perfect, im telling you. We have the twin towers now, a Tony Gonzales/ Jimmy Grahm look alike and we have doug martin and our new running back with hands on the ground! Look out Tampa might actually have an offense
May 13th, 2014 at 7:22 pm
@BamBamBuc
Be it High School, College or Professional-Most QB’s have a terrible time -hitting wideouts in stride-Its almost seems like a- lost art at times.
May 13th, 2014 at 7:26 pm
There’s other elements at play as well, and after watching Mike Evans against the press-I’m somewhat concerned (And a strong counter point to the flying 20) -“That sparked a thought from Scott Pioli about how challenging it is to project receivers from college to the NFL because of press coverage.”
“I love the ‘flying 20’ too, which is something we looked at. And also the first 10 [yards]. But there are other elements that come into it that can blow both of those things up, unfortunately, which is certain receivers who have never faced press coverage. It doesn’t matter how fast they run, their playing speed, they can’t get off the line of scrimmage.
So there is this other element that comes in. The other thing is that a big part of separation has to do with just close-space quickness and/or strength. … The Wes Welkers, the Troy Browns, the Wayne Chrebets, the smaller, undersized guys who have some short-area quickness where they’re covered like a blanket but, ‘boom!’ – all of a sudden they can create separation. Trying to piece all that together, that’s the fun part.”
May 13th, 2014 at 7:52 pm
Evans runs a 4.53 40 that’s not a burner, but it’s not slow either for a guy his size.
May 13th, 2014 at 8:23 pm
Aj green runs a 4.5 at 6-4. He does a “descent” job of getting open.
May 13th, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Evans and Jackson the twin towers are getting all the print now, but the Bucs also have a speed burner that is an eighth of an inch taller than both towers who ran a 4.36 (official 4.40) in the 2012 combine. That would be “Touchdown” Tommy Streeter from the U. This kid can ball. He is immature and needs mentoring to get his head on straight. Can you imagine if we can coach this guy up? A 3 prong valley of the giants. Hmmmmm!
http://www.ninersnation.com/2012/2/27/2827410/nfl-combine-result-2012-stephen-hill-tommy-streeter-wide-receiver-40s
May 14th, 2014 at 8:11 am
Didn’t Dez Bryant run a 4.5 too?
May 14th, 2014 at 10:48 am
Yes, Dez Bryant did run a 4.52. He is only 6-2. People just scream about speed and top off defense, but I really don’t think they understand what they are talking about.