Training camp is beginning to wind down. Joe’s body feels like it’s been through two-a-days. What day is it? What month is it? What’s sleep? It isn’t just a crazy time for the players and coaches.

Fun at the yard on Thursday. Joint practices are much better than worthless preseason games. There are even referees!

* Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller of SiriusXM NFL Radio were there Thursday as part of their 2025 Training Camp Tour. Also in attendance, among other celebrities, were Rondé Barber and Chucky.

* Bleachers were full and noisy. Lots of hitting on the fields. It was just a fun day all around. So let’s get going. Here are some highlights: It was really ADD out there Thursday. Stuff going on all over the place.

One-on-One

* Rakim Jarrett, who has made very few plays so far this summer, absolutely smoked a Tennessee defensive back to start the morning off. Fans roared their approval.

* Ryan Miller made a crazy catch, reaching out as far as his fingernails would allow to pull the ball in.

* Tennessee corner Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was handsy with Mike Evans but no flag. Brownlee played good defense on Evans and was very pleased with himself as he celebrated a small victory over a Hall of Fame player.

* Emeka Egbuka is doing Emeka Egbuka things. Joe’s trying not to have an accident.

* As Bucs superfan Dick Vitale would say, “This is an M&Mer, bay-bee!” Bucky Irving is matched up against Tennessee linebacker Cody Barton. Not only did Bucky badly roast Barton, but Bucky made one of the better catches in training camp. Bucky roars down the left sideline about 35-40 yards and catches a Baker Mayfield pass by reaching out and hauling the ball in. Barton lifts his arms as if to say, “How am I supposed to stop that?”

* Joe thinks the Bucs have yet another new weapon. In the past week or so, Bucky has been targeted — and more importantly, caught passes — deep downfield. As in 30-40 yards downfield.

* James Williams Sr. bats down a pass intended for Rachaad White over the middle.

* Sean Tucker beats Cedric Gray for a catch.

* Tucker is guarded tightly by Gray. Tucker dives for a pass and catches it.

* Devin Culp is matched up on Tennessee safety Xavier Woods and Culp wins this battle.

* Another Bucky deep ball. This time Kyle Trask drops it in the bucket so Bucky didn’t have to work hard for the catch, about 30-35 yards downfield.

* Crowd continues to holler, “Buh-KEE… Buh-KEE… Buh-KEE!”

11-on-11

* Rachaad White runs up the middle and is tripped up at the line.

* Mike Evans reaches out for a one-handed catch down the right seam from Mayfield. Tennessee OLB Jihad Ward likely would have had a sack if QB hitting was allowed.

* White runs up the middle and powers his way to a first down.

* Mayfield to Jalem McMillan down the right seam for a big gain.

* Trask is chased out of the pocket and he bolts down the left sideline.

* Sean Tucker up the middle for about four yards.

* Trask hits Sterling Shepard over the middle for about 15 yards.

* Trask throws a screen to Owen Wright to the left side. Big gain.

7-on-7

* Baker Mayfield throws deep down the left sideline for Evans and the ball is off Evans’ hands. Jarvis Brownlee defended on the play.

* Trask throws short to the left for Ko Kieft.

* Trask connects with Tanner Taula on the left side. Kendell Brooks defended.

* Trask throws for Jarrett down the left sideline and it’s too far. Jarrett dove for the ball, but no. Dan Moore Jr.

* In linemen drills, Bucs tackle Luke Haggard tangled with Tennessee tackle Dan Moore. Haggard knocked Moore’s guardian cap flying.

* Evans catches a pass on the right side as he gets matched up against Tennessee linebacker Cody Barton. Poor Barton. First he found himself defending Bucky, now Evans. Long day for the Utah product.

* Mayfield aims for Egbuka over the middle and no. Pass was a little short, but Egbuka had a rare drop.

* Earlier, with Trey Palmer and Tez Johnson both sidelined, the Bucs had Egbuka return punts. He looks pretty good at it. But Joe can sum up this idea in two words. “Please, no.” There is no call for Egbuka to get blasted on punt returns and hurt.

11-on-11

* Bucky Irving takes a handoff and is immediately blasted by Dan Moore. Two-yard loss.

* Mayfield hops to get a pass over the line and he connects with McMillan for a short gain over the middle.

* Tucker runs and left and is tackled by Mike Brown. Cedric Gray was also chasing Tucker from behind.

* Tucker tries to run left but there is too much traffic. So he cuts inside and maybe gets four yards.

* White bulls through the line up the middle.

* Mayfield dodges traffic in the pocket and dumps off a pass over the middle for White.

* Mayfield shot puts a soft pass over the middle for White.

* Lotta traffic around Trask, so he fakes a dumpoff pass over the middle and settles for throwing it out of bounds to the left.

* Major hole for Owen Wright on the right side.

* Mayfield finds an open Sterling Shepard to the right. It helps that Roger McCreary, who was guarding Shepard, fell down.

* Bucky in Space: Mayfield finds Bucky open on a crossing pattern from right to left.

* White weaves his way up the middle for about four yards but he coughs the ball up. Tennessee recovers.

* Trask finds Jacob Harris open on the right side and Payne Durham throws a crushing block to help spring Harris for some YAC.

* Trask was trying for Harris on the right side and Trask sails the ball out of bounds.

Two-minute drill

* Mayfield throws to McMillan who makes a helluva catch as Darrell Baker Jr. was all over McMillan. Excellent catch.

* Mayfield to Egbuka to the right.

* Mayfield down the right seam for Evans.

* Mayfield lofts a pass to Dennis Houston in the far right corner of the end zone and it falls incomplete.

* The Bucs in training camp have tried throwing soft passes to the right far corner of the end zone time after time, practice after practice and rarely have the Bucs scored on that play. Joe isn’t sure why Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is calling that play so often in the red zone, but the success percentage has to be terrible.

* Mayfield feels the heat in the pocket, takes a couple of steps to the right and points at the far right corner for Devin Culp. Incomplete.

* Mayfield again tries for the far right corner this time for McMillan and it is incomplete.

* FIGHT! Joe didn’t see what sparked the hassle. But when Joe turned his attention to the scrum, Joe did see Luke Goedeke swing at someone. This tussle simmered for a bit, enough that both benches cleared. Joe saw a report that stated even Tristan Wirfs was out on the field with his cane. Fans begin booing loudly and start a chant, “Tennessee sucks… Tennessee sucks!” Joe also read another report that claimed Titans players were jawing with fans. Joe can’t confirm that either.

* Joe spoke with Gene Deckerhoff at practice earlier and hrecently turned 80! He said he even got well wishes texted to him from his friend of some 45 years, Bob Costas. Deckerhoff was using a cane. He told Joe that Bobby Bowden told him that men don’t use canes until they hit 90. If a man is younger than 90, he instead uses a walking stick. Joe told that to Wirfs and he enjoyed the story. Yes, Deckerhoff is back calling Bucs games for the 2025 season. By golly!

* PICK! Tennessee gets its first crack at a two-minute drill and on first down Cam Ward is intercepted by Haason Reddick. That’s a good sign!

* Back to Square-1 for the Titans and Ward moved the ball through the air too easily for Joe’s tastes.

* First play after the Reddick pick, Ward connects with James Proche II over the middle. SirVocea Dennis with the tackle.

* For some reason, the Bucs’ bench is hollering about something.

* Ward down the left sideline for tight end Chig Okonkwo.

* Ward to Tyjae Spears over the middle.

* Ward to Spears along the left sideline to stop the clock.

* Ward to rookie tight end Gunnar Helm over the middle.

* Ward sidearms a pass to tight end Josh Whyle over the middle.

* Ward tries for Bryce Oliver along the right sideline, incomplete.

* Ward throws to the right (Joe couldn’t tell who the intended target was) and Deion Jones dives out and nearly has a pick but he did make sure the pass wasn’t completed as he couldn’t hold onto the ball. That ends the Titans’ drive and keeps them out of the end zone.

* Joe does not like how a rookie quarterback in his first scrimmage against a different team completed so many passes over the middle on the Bucs defense.

* Trask completes back-to-back passes to Sterling Shepard, the first to the right and the second to the left.

* Trask throws left and no one is home.

* Trask sort of looked like he was dumping off a pass to the left, incomplete. He did have a lot of pressure up the middle.

* Titans backup quarterback Brandon Allen is pressured by Anthony Nelson and he hurries a pass over the middle that SirVocea Dennis defended.

* Allen throws to running back Julius Chestnut over the middle and he is stopped by Dennis.

* This practice is the most Joe has seen Dennis flash all summer.

Goal line

* Bucs linebacker John Bullock nearly picks off Allen as Bullock skied high for the pass. Good effort.

* Allen tries twice for a pass in the right far corner of the end zone but each time failed.

* Bucky runs up the middle for no gain.

* Jalen McMillan on a handoff and he is chased down by Cody Barton (due to Bucs media protocol, Joe cannot provide more details about the play). McMillan got maybe two yards.

* Barton is a tough guy. Joe heard him holler at McMillan, “I WILL F*** YOU UP!”

* Mayfield connects with Mike Evans on a beautiful pass to the right side of the end zone. Evans then gives Bucs fans a stroke as he makes a straight beeline to One Buc Palace. Joe learned later Evans was not hurt, but just needed an IV.

11-on-11

* Mayfield down the left sideline for McMillan who made a crazy jump for the ball and came down with the catch.

* Bucky is tackled for a loss by David Gbenda.

* Mayfield has Egbuka open over the middle and Egbuka is absolutely clobbered in the upper chest by Tennessee safety Xavier Woods. That’s the biggest hit Joe has seen this summer. Egbuka went flying backwards. The scary thing is, Woods did not hit Egbuka square; he sort of glanced him. It was a borderline personal foul. Had Woods hit Egbuka squarely, the Ohio State product would currently have Cody Mauch’s smile. Wow.

* Jarrett drops a Mayfield pass.

* Coverage sack on Kyle Trask, who actually ran for his life at one point.

* Joe knows Trask hasn’t had a good camp. But dang, how can the guy improve if 25 percent of the time he’s running for his life? This second-team Bucs offensive line is not good.

* Owen Wright up the middle.

* And practice ends when Tennessee’s Cedric Gray sacks Trask from his blind side. It was scary because it looked like Trask’s knee buckled. But he got right up on his own power.

No practice today for the Bucs as they have a day off. The Bucs do have a worthless preseason game with the Titans on Saturday night.

Baker Mayfield, man!!!

Love watching him run the show!!! pic.twitter.com/jc7RiDwFx4

— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) August 7, 2025