Three Bucs Spring Practices (OTAs) In The Books; Two Standing Extra Tall
May 23rd, 2024
Bucs rookie Tykee Smith.
So only one spring (OTA) practice has been open to media to date, yet there have been three actual practices.
So who looked good on Day 2 and Day 3?
That’s a mystery, but Joe will solve some of it here.
In past years, Buccaneers.com (the official team website whose annual traffic is heartily eclipsed by a certain independent website) was granted access to some of those “closed” sessions and published reports. But that doesn’t seem to be the case in 2024.
Joe brings this up because a small sect of Tampa Bay fans live and die by any shred of news or analysis coming out of One Buc Palace. But those fans often forget they’re only getting evaluations from three or four spring practices out of 10. So they put way too much stock in 30 percent of the action.
Anyway, Joe always hammers the phones to find out what’s happening on the days closed to media. Sometimes Joe can share, and today is one of those days.
In Days 2 and 3 of OTAs (Wednesday and Thursday) there were a lot of smiles on the fields of One Buc Palace surrounding the play of rookie edge rusher Chris Braswell and rookie defensive back Tykee Smith, who is battling for the nickel cornerback job.
Joe was told the appreciation of their practicing extended to Day 1, as well.
Joe remembers years ago talking to people in the know at One Buc Palace about what guys were showing in OTAs. Joe was told with authority that then-rookie Mike Williams (R.I.P.) had quality starter written all over him and that then-rookie Kwon Alexander (2015) was turning a lot of heads and looks like a steal.
Yeah, it’s May, but that bodes very well for Braswell and Smith.
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Thanks Joe! Any news to feed our fertile imaginations is good for me, and JBF site hits too!
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:05 pm
Need them both. JTS needs to quit football and open a cosmetics line for men, and we can only hope that Tykee can speak ancient Aramaic so to understand Todd’s defensive calls.
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:21 pm
Thanks Joe! Great article!
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:40 pm
@Dave Pear,
Saying that JTS needs to quit football is one thing, but all that other trash only leads to one question….
When was Dave Pear drafted in the NFL let alone played in the NFL?
Were you born a tool or just try to sound hard online? Pathetic.
Don’t bother replying cuz I won’t read it, keyboard warrior.
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:41 pm
Highlights show good form tackling and hustle from both of those guys. It’s highlights, I get that, but glad to see good form and motor. Alabama and Georgia – hard to go wrong there. Don’t remember past drafts with big school picks much. Always seemed to be smaller school standouts. I like these two picks.
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:49 pm
Tykee is going to be a future star, kid has it written all over him. Stud pick
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:49 pm
I’m part of the small sect and you have been my go to since the beginning. Always will.
May 23rd, 2024 at 4:50 pm
Good article, Joe. Thanks for the updates!
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:01 pm
good stuff. thinking we finally see some pass rush this year provided they modify their schemes
We have the players
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:11 pm
… proudly raises hand…
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:18 pm
I sure smiled watching Bucky Irving’s highlights. I wonder how he is doing. Maybe no news is bad news? I sure hope not..
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:24 pm
Thank you for the updates, Joe.
“A lot of smiles on the field at One Buc Place.” Love hearing that!
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:31 pm
Turnover machines! Tykee had 4 picks last season and Braswell had 3 FF, 1 INT, and 1 kick blocked .
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:31 pm
Lambs get slaughtered. It’s how lambchops are made. Also didn’t know it was a requirement to have played in the NFL to be a critical fan. That would disqualify 99.99% of fans and Joe wouldn’t have a business.
Newsflash – JTS has sucked at football. Sucks. Probably will suck, and will have sucked at football when he’s selling mens’ cosmetics.
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:41 pm
lambchop…Dave Pear is in fact an actual ex-NFL player. Ex-Buc.
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:49 pm
This draft class is starting to sound like another home run for Licht. A triple at least….
All 5 of our picks in rds 1>4 seem very capable of having decent to major impact in their rookie years. Barton, Braswell, Tykee, J-Mac, Bucky….
There’s at least 3 or 4 future starters in that group. And if Klein were to somehow be much better than his 6th rd draft status and win the starting RG job (because Mauch is hopefully moving to LG) – now your talking about a Grand Slam type draft…. and thats drafting from the end of every round…
You-da-MAN Jason Licht!
May 23rd, 2024 at 5:50 pm
Thats not the “real” Dave Pear ’87….
May 23rd, 2024 at 6:11 pm
The past is just prologue. This season is JTS last chance to prove himself in Tampa. Even if he fails here again he might get one of those 1 year prove-it deals with somebody else. The guy is still a kid. He has the physical talent, but can’t seem to shake his bad habits…….so far.
May 23rd, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Joe I don’t understand why the media are only allowed at so few OTAs. Is that pretty much standard among all the NFL teams to minimize distractions so early in the process?
May 23rd, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Hahaha, yes “Dave Pear” is the name of a real NFL player.. but it’s not the guy drunkenly commenting on here everyday lol.
May 23rd, 2024 at 6:27 pm
Someone called?
May 23rd, 2024 at 7:15 pm
Dave Pear needs to confess he is the infamous “The Bucco Realisto!!!!!!”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 23rd, 2024 at 7:24 pm
Dave part were u born a jackass or was it something u perfected with age u must be bout 85 then
May 23rd, 2024 at 8:22 pm
Baking with Evans, that’s the guy who’s shtick was ” The reeeeeeeeall fans know what’s what, time to herd the sheeeeeeeeeeep!” right? Good times.
May 23rd, 2024 at 8:37 pm
Why are we rooting for JTS to suck?Wouldn’t it be better if JTS had a great year?
He led the team in sacks through 6 or 8 weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had 10-12 sacks on the year and I’m hoping he does.
May 23rd, 2024 at 9:01 pm
If I were to try and unmask our good man Dave Pear, I would say he’s Goat Farmer. Or maybe I just wish he was cause I was a fan.
May 23rd, 2024 at 9:40 pm
I wish JTS was good, but the fact is he was out-played by a rookie back-up, YaYa Diaby. And spending first round draft pick salary on a backup isn’t good cap management, so I wouldn’t be surprised if JTS is traded if Licht finds a sucker willing to give up a 5th round pick.
May 23rd, 2024 at 10:23 pm
Any news on the undrafted players?
May 23rd, 2024 at 10:48 pm
Dave Pear was a Bucs’ nose tackle. Dewey Selmonwas a linebacker and now a philosophy professor. So El Buc Realisto is really Pedro of the elongated arc.
May 23rd, 2024 at 11:24 pm
@Bucs1987 :
yeah i’m well aware of dave pear as a former bucs player and all that…
but you’re saying that’s actually him in the threads…???
a lot of guy pick rando names and player names, etc…
but is it really big dave pear holding down the threads…?
i never thought so…
and dave you are welcome to chime in as well big dog 🙂
May 24th, 2024 at 1:04 am
I’m actually Parnell Dickinson and my brother is Dana Nafziger.
May 24th, 2024 at 1:49 am
Dave Pear ( the player, not this poster) was the VERY FIRST BUCCANEER VOTED TO THE PROBOWL, you newbbies! Lol.
And to reward his accomplishment, he was traded, and never played another down for the Bucs.
Ahhh, Hugh Culverhouse.
Lambchop defended JTS, with more Energy than JYS has ever defended the goal line- which is preety hilarious
Lambchop would be JTS poster name, IMO.
Should be his nickname for sure.
May 24th, 2024 at 3:41 am
Ah mr. Culverhouse sr. what a box of chocolates. He once had his team draft with the number one over all pick bo Jackson, who said he would never play for the Bucs prior too that draft.
Many concluded Mr. Culverhouse sr. still drafted bo knowing full well he wouldn’t have to pay out a dime of that rich number 1 overall contract therefore Hugh laughed all the way to the bank saving thereby making millions on the non- signing, and torpedoing any chance of his team’s improvement. Which had me scratching my head wondering just whose side he was on?
But rumors swirled at that time that his esteemed mistresses surely made out like bandits during these times. Ah So it goes…
May 24th, 2024 at 4:28 am
We should draft 2-3 SEC players every year!
I feel for Izien. He is a legit football player.
But if he gets beat out, that’s life.
But I’m sure he will keep evolving behind Winfield, Whitehead and Smith.
Izien is still a great piece. Even as a moneybacker.
He hits like a linebacker and can still cover running backs and slot receivers easily.
May 24th, 2024 at 5:19 am
Bring back the lawn chairs,
Even Better, Culverhouse wanted to fly Bo Jackson to meet with him. Bo was reluctant- concerned it could impact his college elligibility. Culverhouse assured him that he had done the research, made calls, etc- and it was not a violation.
Culverhouse lied, and Bo lost his remaining baseball elligibility.
That made sure Bo would NEVER be a Buccaneer.
Hugh was a real piece of work
May 24th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Whether this pair is the old football player or to be the figured keyboard warrior steal his name. It’s a little far that tell ate another grown man he sucks at his job. Especially considering that’s a bit of an exaggeration. The worst thing about jts is he doesn’t finish, he gets in the backfield quite often he gets tackles for losses on handoffs just can’t quite grab the quarterback. Still need results in quarterback hurries and causes them to scramble sometimes getting into trouble from another defender and sometimes it leads to a good play for the offense he’s trying to disrupt. So it doesn’t quite suck he just doesn’t quite get the whole job done yet. He could have a breakout this year or it could be the year chapter besides he’s not a valuable enough chess piece because the guy plays either side of the field sometimes is a defensive end sometimes it’s a linebacker sometimes as a makeshift linebacker/nickel. I’m sure cannot do any of that dear sir, so therefore maybe you suck.
May 24th, 2024 at 11:11 am
OK, I’ll settle this discussion- -JTS DOES suck.
Memory of Hugh Culverhouse: He purchased PBA Airlines( or whatever it was called) and proudly announced that it was a quality airlines and that “he was not to be associated with poor performing organizations (as the Bucs stunk up the NFL). PBA went out of business. And to top it off he traded Steve Young for a bag of magic beans (BTW they never sprouted).
May 24th, 2024 at 8:10 pm
For you newbies as someone said earlier , he was our 1st pro bowler and best player along with leeroy selmon those early years. Every bucs kid had the 76 jersey..i had 2 at least, They were very popular because it was 1976 our 1st season and you saw more pear 76 jerseys than any other jersey by far
May 25th, 2024 at 10:32 am
Much appreciated Joe!
Don’t get your press pass revoked though! LOL
Go Bucs!