Bucs Training Camp 2023 Practice No. 10 Notes
August 7th, 2023
Rachaad White waits his turn during running back drills.
Offense was mostly blah except for a couple of really nice catches, one of which came from Deven Thompkins. The defense got its hands on the ball at the line a few times, and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sure look ready for Minnesota. These nuggets and more in today’s practice notes.
* Joe notices rookie receiver Trey Palmer and Devin Thompkins returning punts. Something Joe didn’t think of until late in the special teams session and will monitor tomorrow. Remember how Jaelon Darden always ran to the sidelines instead of turning straight upfield? Well, Joe saw that on back-to-back returns from both Palmer and Thompkins. Perhaps this is what the Bucs want? Too small of a sample size, of course, but this is something Joe is going to monitor.
* Is Tanner Taula trying to get Nolan Turner cut? In one-on-one receiver/defensive back drills, the Illinois State tight end juked Turner out of his shoes cutting to the outside. Later, Taula, being guarded by Turner in 7-on-7 drills, got position on Turner and made a catch over the former Clemson safety.
11-on-11
* Rachaad White runs up the middle on the first play. Byron Leftwich says high.
* White bounces up the middle.
* Kyle Trask fakes a handoff up the middle, rolls right and connects with Ko Kieft in the right flat.
* Mayfield connects with Chris Godwin along the right sideline. Zyon McCollum was on coverage.
* Sean Tucker runs up the middle and then cuts right. Dee Delaney gets the stop.
* Sneak Vaughn is stuffed at the line.
* David Wells reaches high to pull in a Trask pass to the right sideline.
* Kedrick Whitehead (Deleware) nearly picks off Trask when he dove for a tipped ball near the left sideline, but Whitehead couldn’t come down with the ball.
* White runs up the middle for very little.
* Vaughn gets a couple of yards running up the middle.
* Why is the Bucs offense struggling to work the Leftwich out of them?
* Thompkins looks to have beaten Derrick Pitts down the right sideline as Mayfield barely overthrows Thompkins.
* Evans from Trask short to the right.
* Palmer pulls in a pass from Trask over the middle.
* Jamel Dean breaks up a Trask pass.
* Taye Barber on a crossing pattern from the right from Mayfield.
* Mayfield tries for Wells over the middle with a low throw and it is incomplete. Kaevon Merriweather in coverage.
* Mayfield to the left for Dominque Dafney for a completion.
* Sean Tucker catches a pass from Mayfield in the right flat.
* Kade Warner catches a Trask pass over the middle.
* Dafney with another catch from Trask on the left side.
* John Wolford throws a bomb to Thompkins down the right side as Thompkins reaches out and hauls it in. Beautiful.
* Trask tries for Russell Gage who is flying down the sideline and it is overthrown. Christian Izien guarded Gage and fans hollered for a flag.
* Thompkins brings in a pass from Wolford for six along the right sideline for a score.
Goal line
* Trask throws an incompletion.
* Vaughn runs up the middle for a score.
* Thompkins has a touchdown pass from Trask in the far right corner.
* Trask throws to Russell Gage in a crowd along the right sideline in the far corner of the end zone for six.
* Chase Edmonds runs up the middle for a score.
* David Moore on a Benn’ed Around to the right.
* Moore catches a touchdown pass from Mayfield on the right side.
* Tucker runs inside right tackle for a score.
* Mayfield throws over the middle with the pass intended for Moore and Jamel Dean nearly picks it off.
* Mayfield throws to the right corner for Evans and Joe isn’t sure he got both feet down.
11-on-11
* Trask to Rakim Jarrett over the middle and he is immediately met by Antoine Winfield.
* Trask to Cade Otton on the left side.
* Trask on a short pass to the left for Palmer who had it in his mitts and dropped it. Pass hit him in the hands but it appeared Palmer tried to turn upfield before he wrapped his fingers around the ball.
* White catches a short pass from Trask along the left sideline.
* Mayfield has a pass tipped at the line and it sailed in the air downfield and Wells hauled it in.
* Edmonds from Mayfield along the left sideline.
* Warner catches a pass from Mayfield on the left side and Keenan Isaac knocks the ball loose, incomplete.
* Mayfield tries for Payne Durham down the right sideline and the pass is a bit too long as Durham reached out but couldn’t grab it as the ball was off his hand.
* Trask has a pass that sure looked like camp meat linebacker Brandon Bouyer-Randle tipped. The ball still found its way to Wells who bobbled it but couldn’t hang on.
* Chris Godwin catches a pass along the right sideline. Trask got the ball to him.
* Warner and Miller catch back-to-back passes from Trask along the right sideline.
* Trask tries to get a pass to Miller along the right sideline and it is broken up by Carlton Davis.
* Trask tries to get a pass to Cade Otton and Turner nearly picked it off.
* Mayfield squeezes in a pass between two defenders for Mike Evans.
* Barber catches a low pass from Mayfield over the middle.
* Palmer catches a pass from Mayfield in the right flat.
August 7th, 2023 at 12:48 pm
No INTS in practice today. Bowles is happy.
August 7th, 2023 at 12:48 pm
From the article: Remember how Jaelon Darden always ran to the sidelines instead of turning straight upfield? Well, Joe saw that on back-to-back returns from both Palmer and Thompkins. Perhaps this is what the Bucs want?
^^^^^^^^^^
God, I hope not! Thompkins didn’t do this when he got his chance last year, as far as I remember.
August 7th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Sounds like Mayfield and Trask had even day. Neither impressed or sucked.
August 7th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Anyone catch the Trask post practice press time? Very confident.
August 7th, 2023 at 1:02 pm
Would be funny if the starting quarterback is named and it’s…. Wolford.
August 7th, 2023 at 1:27 pm
Thompkins seems to be having the best camp according to everyday notes. Good to see. Maybe Palmer needs to return punts to avoid Thompkins getting a fluke injury.
August 7th, 2023 at 1:33 pm
Sounds like success in the red zone……running
August 7th, 2023 at 1:37 pm
I like to hear that Trask completed that rollout pass
August 7th, 2023 at 1:42 pm
Big surprise. No major change on defense philosophy, major changes on offense, offense struggles in camp. Thats why they play preseason games to flesh it out against an opponent
August 7th, 2023 at 1:47 pm
It sounds more like the defense has woken up to many of the newer plays.
Hope Canales is a bunch more magic tricks in his bag.
August 7th, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Mike S Says:
“No INTS in practice today. Bowles is happy.”
He’s definitely not happy. Defenders got their hands on balls today but had no INTs. This was one of the first things he talked about when camp started. Defenders have to do a better job at making the play.
In a previous article, Joe pointed to the defense’s poor red zone coverage. Sounds like Trask and the offense had a field day scoring.
August 7th, 2023 at 2:17 pm
I read a report that Mayfield is starting Friday and Trask is starting the Jets game… I don’t know if that means anything either way since I don’t have a feel for the new 3 game preseason. The 3rd game is obviously for reserves, but which one means more or is like the old 3rd game where starters play for an entire half?
August 7th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
A Bucs Fan – I thought it might break down that way.
The Jets week will be the bigger test as a starter.
August 7th, 2023 at 2:21 pm
SlyPirate – everyone knows red zone scoring was the Achillies heel of the offense last year.
Interesting.
August 7th, 2023 at 2:29 pm
It seems like the intensity is greater as the time for preseason ball is fast approaching and guys are playing for those finite, priceless game condition reps with which to prove themselves and win a spot on the team, too bad not everybody will make it , but those that give 100 percent have nothing to be ashamed of, that’s all anybody could ask! God Bless You all!
August 7th, 2023 at 2:45 pm
I always wonder why people criticize the running backs so much in practice, we literally almost always have had an excellent run defense for years. Not sure if it was terrible last season but we have excellent run defense normally. I don’t see how camp says much about our running backs if our run D is back to itself again.
August 7th, 2023 at 3:22 pm
A Bucs Fan Says: I don’t know if that means anything either way.
Nobody knows if there is a rhyme or reason to it but Heck 90% of the Comments put their own Spin on it. Me included.
Here’s mine. Game 1 is in Minnesota on the Road. Jets game is on the Road. Both are going to be loud and it will be great experience for Trask working with the 1’s in that environment.
August 7th, 2023 at 3:26 pm
Why wouldn’t they run out of bounds?
KEITH
ARMSTRONG
Is still the ST coach isn’t he?
August 7th, 2023 at 3:26 pm
@A Bucs Fan – I kind of figured game 2 is the new game 3 in the preseason… And if so, it sounds like Trask is going to get a nice audition for the starting gig…
August 7th, 2023 at 3:33 pm
Pretty much sums it up.
August 7th, 2023 at 3:56 pm
It seems like the goal line run game was a little better.
Joe, are the QBs calling audibles? Trask vs Mayfield audible game? who’s calling blocking assignments?
August 7th, 2023 at 4:15 pm
Love our qbs. Would not trade them for anyone. The team speed is incredible. 4.2-4.3 speed. Unmatched in the league what the bucs have.
August 7th, 2023 at 4:43 pm
Thompkins should be WR3.
August 7th, 2023 at 4:46 pm
Thanks for the live notes, Joe.
August 7th, 2023 at 4:51 pm
I wasn’t a fan of Darden, but he was one of the top punt returners in the league for most of his run here. It’s not that he was any good, it’s more about how bad punt returning has gotten. But clearly, last year, Tompkins looked better when he had his chance.
Speaking of which, it sounds like Tompkins had a heck of a day, and that was about the only noteworthy thing that happened.
August 7th, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Running of the middle is fine – SO long as you also run some playaction passes. That’s where Leftwich was a completely idiot. Instead of being so ultra predictable, all he had to do was run a few playaction passes early in the game and that would have backed up the linebackers so they weren’t sitting on the run, knowing exactly where it was going.
But what made Leftwich even dumber, was when he was going to pass on 1st down, he’d have Brady/Winston come out in shotgun – giving away it’s a pass.
If Leftwich had made that one change, just ran 3 or 4 playaction passes on 1st down in the first half, I’m telling you, the run game would have been, at worst, average.
August 7th, 2023 at 5:03 pm
Thanks for all the responses! Sounds like Trask got the better game to see if he can handle week 1.
August 7th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
I find it funny that coach bowls talks about not turning the ball over in Baker threw at least 9 but without a doubt He gets the Start… Guess He made him a promise… I just know if Trask would have been throwing them everyone would be saying see we told you he wasn’t ready…..Dam Bucs…
August 7th, 2023 at 6:44 pm
Sounds like Thompkins is making a legit case for serious playing time on Offense this year.
And it sounds like Palmer is kind of just hanging onto the bottom rung trying to make the squad as the 5th or perhaps 6th receiver.
Thanks as always for the great and detailed observations Joe.
August 7th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Reality bites! I agree. Baker is a retread who flopped everywhere he’s been. Not having given Trask playing time even in preseason for two years was a crime. Odds on Baker becoming the best qb in their division is close to zero. For sure Bowls needs to focus on the D and let the new guy run the O. They should have begun grooming Trask last year when it was obvious Brady had checked out.
August 7th, 2023 at 8:51 pm
1000% correct Wild Bill on everything…
August 7th, 2023 at 9:07 pm
Distinct possibility.
August 7th, 2023 at 10:52 pm
Joe Says:
August 7th, 2023 at 9:07 pm
Thompkins should be WR3.
Distinct possibility.
———-
I really hope not. I was literally the only guy talking about him for half a year after we signed him as a RFA, but the reason he wasn’t drafted is that he’s so incredibly small. Get him in space, let him make plays, but if you put him out there as a #3 WR, he’s going to jammed and knocked around big time. With that said, he can absolutely catch the ball, so if you can get him off the line without getting knocked off, he has the speed you need to get open, and plus his agility is off the charts.
However, as a #3 WR, he’d be a huge liability.
But if he can prove me wrong, I’d love to see it. Said it from the day we signed him, he’s reminds me so much of D-Jax. If he was a few inches taller and about 30 pounds heavier, he’d have been a 1st round pick.
August 8th, 2023 at 12:08 am
Why are some JBFers so quick to write off Russell Gage as our #3 WR? Yes he was hurt last year; it happens (ask Shaq & Jensen). But before that he didn’t have a problem with injuries, and even last year he gutted it out & gave us some decent production.
Hey I like Thompkins, but I agree with Rod (he’s incredibly small at 5’8″ & 155 lbs). Last season he was targeted 10 times & caught 5 of those for a whopping 32 yards (0 TDs & 1 first down). That’s not exactly WR-3 production. With his speed & elusiveness he can certainly fill a role, but I doubt it’ll be as our #3 WR.
August 8th, 2023 at 1:28 am
Defense Rules – I looked it up, Thompkins is actually 5-foot-6-7/8 – and 155lbs. On his stats last year, keep in mind a lot of that was garbage time, or in with Trask at the end of the year. Also, he’s a young player, and guys can improve.
With all that said, I still like Gage – and if he’s healthy, he gives you one of the better #3’s in the NFL. But that’s what you want, that makes Thompkins better if he’s #4. Sort of how Humphries was a great #4 WR, behind Evans, D-Jax and Godwin, but when Humphries moved up to #3, he was still good, but no longer special.
In any case, I’d like to see Thompkins getting the ball in his hands, he’s a playmaker. Also, going back and re-watching his college highlights, his hands really do come through, and he’s making contested catches as well. Who knows, maybe he’s a breakthrough player even at his size. I’d love to see it happen.
August 8th, 2023 at 4:33 am
Defense Rules Says:
“Hey I like Thompkins, but I agree with Rod (he’s incredibly small at 5’8″ & 155 lbs). Last season he was targeted 10 times & caught 5 of those for a whopping 32 yards (0 TDs & 1 first down).”
He has clearly progressed some.
It’s late and I’m drawing a blank atm, but we just got rid of someone like that, didn’t we?
Regardless, if a short rb can catch passes, then maybe this kid can produce as well.
August 8th, 2023 at 6:04 am
Thanks Joe!
Me like what we do in Goal Line!
Give the Ball to Kieft some!
Go Bucs!