Just Four More Weeks
June 30th, 2017
Ira Kaufman, the most beloved and esteemed Buccaneers columnist in town, has hung his hat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters since July 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out his columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays.
BY IRA KAUFMAN
It’ll be here before you know it.
The first workout of training camp is slated for four weeks from today at One Buc Place, with the Hard Knocks crew eager to introduce the rest of NFL Nation to your favorite football team.
This will be a different camp than Buc fans have grown accustomed to … and that’s a good thing.
While the indoor facility is still under construction, so is Dirk Koetter’s final 53-man roster. Besides all the additional cameras, Tampa Bay players will notice a new energy in the crowd.
A buzz will cut through all that thick humidity.
That’s because the Stick Carriers have been mobilized through this website and its podcasts. Typically, the only time Buc supporters get vocal from the camp bleachers is when Captain Fear stirs up the masses.
This time around, Buc fever will be apparent from the outset. And although the Stick Carrier brigade won’t officially invade the facility until Aug. 5, the legion of Buc supporters has grown significantly in the offseason.
Their voices will be heard. Loudly. Repeatedly. Passionately.
Tampa Bay fans are drawn to obvious focal points — especially after the pads go on shortly after camp starts up. I’m going to concentrate on the trench battles, where most games are decided.
Is Ali Marpet getting the job done at center after two years of flashing Pro Bowl potential at right guard? Marpet has no experience manning the middle of the offensive line, and while I have no doubts about his athleticism and football smarts, Marpet is being asked to make a challenging transition.
There’s nothing more basic in football than the center-quarterback exchange, so I’m curious how many times the ball drops before Jameis Winston takes his drop.
Over at Marpet’s old spot, J.R. Sweezy has much to prove after missing the entire 2016 season due to back issues.
How and when Sweezy got hurt remains a mystery on a par with Stonehenge, but the only thing Buc fans care about is whether Sweezy can get the job done for 16 games. He says he feels even better than before he injured his back and underwent surgery.
Pressure For Pressure
On the defensive front, a decent pass rush needs to be better. Dak Prescott and Drew Brees weren’t under enough duress during the two biggest games of the year. I’m not asking for Von Miller or J.J. Watt, but somebody has to step up in crunch time and apply pressure with the game literally on the line.
Gerald McCoy is already on record saying he needs to play better.
That’s a good start, but how about the rest of McCoy’s band of brothers? Noah Spence needs to stay healthy and hungry. Chris “Iverson” Baker needs to embrace practice and hunt quarterbacks with disdain.
When the Bucs bring the heat, like they did at home against Seattle and New Orleans, their defense can look elite.
Winston has new targets in DeSean Jackson and rookies Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard. Let’s see how long it takes for him to get his timing down in camp against a secondary that is still sorting things out at safety and nickel corner.
No Laughing Matter, Jameis
Winston laughed when I asked him whether it’s possible to overthrow Jackson, one of the game’s premier deep threats. But as we have seen, Winston’s touch on downfield passes isn’t where it needs to be.
As an experienced play-caller, Dirk Koetter has every intention of making defenses cover each blade of grass. Training camp would be a good place for Winston to start proving these Bucs can and will stretch the field.
And of course, we can’t talk about camp competition without mentioning the foot soldiers, Roberto Aguayo and Nick Folk. There won’t be another NFL camp with nearly as much scrutiny at the kicker position.
Get your pads and pens out, folks, and keep track of each make and shank. Hard Knocks will be watching intently. So will Buc players, coaches and ownership.
There’s a lot at stake when those footballs start soaring toward the crossbar.
Yes, the journey begins in four weeks. It’s going to be loud and it’s going to be sweaty.
Most of all, it’s going to be fun.
June 30th, 2017 at 10:10 am
Does anyone know how to watch hard knocks if you don’t have HBO? Are there any others ways at all ?
June 30th, 2017 at 11:05 am
Of course there are ways Jason… go to a buddy’s house that has HBO and a DVR. If you don’t have a buddy w/ HBO, find one.
June 30th, 2017 at 11:27 am
See if you know someone that does the HBO streaming service and see if they’ll let you use their login.
June 30th, 2017 at 11:30 am
Ira is correct!!!! Time for the season to ramp up is at hand!!!!!!!! And just like last year, I will offer amnesty to the Sheep, haters, and all the non-believers!!!! Now is the time to jump aboard!!!!! This Pirate ship of fun is filling up so fast!!!!!! We told you how much the team was going to improve with great coaching!!!!!! We told you how fun it was going to be, once they “coached the lovie out of them”!!!!!!!!!!!!! and this season will be even better!!!!!!! So jump on the ship before it takes off and leaves you behind!!!! Some will have to earn their keep and swab the deck, and be bighogheinous can be the “cabinBOY”!!!!!!!!!!!
And let it be known of all these hacks with their power ranking lists!!!!!! They are the same as draft grades an hour after the draft just completed!!!! Total Crap!!!!!!!!!! And word on the street is that other organizations do not feel the same way!!!!!!! Their is real fear of the Bucs going into their house this year!!!!!!!!! Same kind of fear like that day that bighogheinous forgot his water-proof adult diaper to the public pool!!!!!!! Sh!t is about to go down, and everyone is afraid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is not the same Bucs team anymore!!!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 12:03 pm
Realist I think you need some more exclamation points!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 12:35 pm
@JASON…FIRESTICK
June 30th, 2017 at 12:43 pm
@realist….so with all this “excitement”, are you still giving the team and staff a “free pass” this year because of HK?….
don’t flip flop….which is it?….do you have faith that we’ll make the playoffs or believe HK will cause us to loose focus and miss the playoffs?….GO BUCS!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 1:26 pm
@813bucboi
I have only stated that I have 2 area’s of concern for a “slow start” for the Bucs!!!!! 1 the O-line gelling with all the new players in new positions, and the distraction of NFL’s longest commercial/ fake-reality show called hard knocks!!!!! For my season prediction, I will give it like I have every year, once I have seen some practices, talk with my peers in “the know” and when Joe post the annual ” GO On The Record” thread that we do!!!!!!!!!
But just because your are dying for just a hint, I am pretty excited for this season!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
But just because your are dying for just a hint, I am pretty excited for this season!!!!!!!!!!!
im just exposing the fake and phony….YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED!!!!hold dirk accountable!!!!!…NO EXCUSES THIS YEAR!!!…PLAYOFFS OR BUST…GO BUCS!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 2:31 pm
This team will play with so much energy. Like I said, if we click….watch out! Swag. Serious Swag. O and D. We’re good.
June 30th, 2017 at 2:52 pm
Besides the obvious, what I’m waiting for is Realist not being able to repost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Ira – A nice summation of “what to watch for” heading into training camp.
Get a life Rhealist – continually talking like you have some kind of “inside” contacts and thus know more than the average hardcore Bucs fan just makes you look like a joke. If you would like to be taken seriously – stop acting like you are more knowledgeable about the Buccaneers than everyone else. Oh – and BTW – the ridiculous overuse of exclamation points doesn’t help your credibility much either…
June 30th, 2017 at 3:56 pm
HeeHee. Stonehenge. Good one Irv.
June 30th, 2017 at 4:41 pm
Get a life Rhealist – continually talking like you have some kind of “inside” contacts and thus know more than the average hardcore Bucs fan just makes you look like a joke. If you would like to be taken seriously – stop acting like you are more knowledgeable about the Buccaneers than everyone else.
AMEN BROTHA….GO BUCS!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 4:53 pm
@ all the sheep!!!!!!
Who’s acting????????????????
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 6:23 pm
I take full credit for turning the Fans of Depression into Fans of Inspiration here on JBF.com.
It has paid divided ends the last two years!
You can name the Trophy after me Joe’s!
I should mention I work for the Bucs and Im a secret agent of love and Inspiration. World Wide!!!
Your Welcome Buc Fans
Thank You Ira and JBF for the platform 😉
June 30th, 2017 at 6:33 pm
You will soon discover who the original flag waver truely is!!! Photos in hand!!!
LOL… Thanks for everything you do JBF!!!
Love ya EYE Rahh…
4 Weeks PEOPLE FOUR WEEKS!!!!!!!
See ya soon fellas!!!
June 30th, 2017 at 6:39 pm
@ Realist
Keep it Real my friend. You know I dont play with the sheep!!!
I just make them feel good till Im done stirring my brew.
If they dont know your fangs are big and your nose is long and your eyes are wide.
They deserve to be eaten by the wolf!!!!
July 1st, 2017 at 7:59 am
Pickgrin Says:
June 30th, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Get a life Rhealist – continually talking like you have some kind of “inside” contacts and thus know more than the average hardcore Bucs fan just makes you look like a joke. If you would like to be taken seriously – stop acting like you are more knowledgeable about the Buccaneers than everyone else. Oh – and BTW – the ridiculous overuse of exclamation points doesn’t help your credibility much either…
You know what bothers me more? When he keeps referring to months old posts about how he was right. You know what, good for you. Gloating behind a keyboard is some accomplishment. If your opinions are right on one thing, I’m sure their are countless other things they are wrong on. This self-seeking behavior is a huge turn-off towards me actually caring what he has to say in the future.