Former Bucs great and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is bouncing around One Buc Palace. He will work NFL Network’s broadcast of Bucs practice Sunday.

Former Tampa Bay great and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp is bouncing around One Buc Palace this weekend and has full run of the place.

From talking to players to sitting in on meetings to chatting it up with coaches and bonding with old friends like Bucs linebacker coach Hardy Nickerson and Lovie Smith, let’s just say things are not boring. [read more]

RB Jeff Demps Saturday displayed a glimpse of what could be nightmares for NFL linebackers.

The play of the day at Bucs practice No. 2 for Training Camp 2014 came from a guy who is a bubble player.

But if running back Jeff Demps does make the team, a play he made today on outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas could be a preview of what is to come.

Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford called for Demps, a former Olympic track star, to run a wheel route on Casillas in the right flat. [read more]

One drill the Bucs worked on in practice Saturday was receivers battling to get loose against double-teams at the line of scrimmage.

Yes, the Bucs got in their first full training camp practice today. Of course, they practiced yesterday but the session was brief as there were two lightning delays.

Today, the sun shined most through the evening and there was a brisk breeze. No signs, sights or audible of any lightning to disrupt things. [read more]

Joe’s got highlights

Of course Joe was out at training camp this afternoon. You would expect less?

Unlike Friday’s first practice of training camp, not a hint of lightning was heard, seen or detected. For the most part, the afternoon was sunny if not breezy. There have been hotter practices Joe has attended. [read more]

Good afternoon, Bucs fans. As you can expect, Joe is out at breezy One Buc Palace. Unless the weather changes quickly, and it can in west-central Florida, it sure looks like the Bucs will get their scheduled 150-minute practice in.

Joe will post hard and heavy after practice, and after he talks to players and coaches. However, feel free to monitor Joe’s practice photos (and other photos) on his Instagram account, “TheJoeBucsFan.”

Lovie Smith is going old school with his Tampa-2 defense.

And, yes, Lovie and staff have gone old school with their teaching influences. [read more]

Strong words from the head coach

Another Schiano-Dominik man is wowing Bucs defensive coaches.

Jiminy Christmas! There’s a chance only two first-time Buccaneers, Michael Johnson and Alterraun Verner, will be defensive starters. Also, keep in mind Lovie Smith considers nickel cornerback the 12th starter on defense. [read more]

Bucs coach Lovie Smith stands among his players during warm-ups.

Joe has to admit yesterday was a bit fun. Sure, the Bucs didn’t practice much at all due to the lightning delays.

Still, football was in the air. When quarterbacks are throwing passes and linemen are hitting sleds, it’s not all bad. The fans seemed to enjoy themselves, even with the two-hour day after the first lightning warning. [read more]

Joe realizes plenty of Bucs fans reading here weren’t Tampa Bay faithful during the Tony Dungy era. So Joe knows references to that era don’t always stir passions — good and bad — in every member of Joe’s studio audience.

But Joe was a fan back then, a season-ticket holder, so what Joe heard in the Bucs’ locker room last night really got him jacked up. [read more]

Jamon Meredith will get the first crack to secure the opening left by the departure of guard Carl Nicks.

For the first time in maybe a year, gentle giant Jamon Meredith decided to chat with members of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club after the Bucs had their practice cut short big time by lightning yesterday. Meredith talking seemed to shock many reporters, Joe included.

Ironically, when Bucs coach Lovie Smith was asked how he would fill the massive hole left by guard Carl Nicks’ departure, the very first name out of his mouth was Meredith. So Meredith discussed what life may be like without Nicks. [read more]

Mike Evans got his first taste of NFL training camp yesterday. Josh McCown talked about what Evans must accomplish.

Yes, Josh McCown is an NFL old-timer.

When Anquan Boldin had his astounding 101-catch rookie season for Arizona in 2003, Josh McCown had a front row seat. In fact, McCown made three starts that season for the Cardinals and the NFL’s most anemic offense (14 points per game). [read more]

Kadeem Edwards

Now that Carl Nicks is officially a trivia question, what exactly are the Bucs going to do at their guard positions?

This is as great a mystery as the Jeff Tedford offense. Joe’s got the latest to help you keep score at home. [read more]

Lovie Smith wasn’t upset the first practice of training camp was shortened by lightning.

The Bucs were supposed to have a 150-minute practice session to open 2014 training camp Friday. Mother Nature played a rude host, with two lightning delays, the second effectively ending practice.

Joe isn’t sure the Bucs got a total of 30 minutes of work. The first session was nine minutes when the lightning alarm sounded. The second time the Bucs took the field, practice may have been 20 minutes. [read more]

Joe knows there were many, many, many Tampa Bay fans who wanted to watch the Bucs as training camp began Friday afternoon. For a variety of reasons, not all fans could attend. Joe gets that.

What impressed Joe was, after the first lightning delay that lasted about two hours, the vast majority of the fans stuck around. That was impressive. [read more]

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune discuses options in the wake of Bucs G Carl Nicks leaving the team.

So the mystery of what will become of guard Carl Nicks with the Bucs is no longer a mystery. The Bucs announced today they parted ways with Nicks, who never recovered fully from a combination of turf toe and the MRSA.

Bucs fans are spending this Friday night at a local watering hole, trying to somehow drink enough to forget what a massive hole is left on the offensive line. Even Nicks at 80 percent was better than most. [read more]

Lovie Smith spoke this evening about how he wanted his whole team to focus on losing fat but not strength this offseason. [read more]

Bucs LDE Adrian Clayborn believes his new responsibility will result in solid play and bruised quarterbacks.

One interesting thing about this year’s training camp will be how guys perform under the new regime, guys who may not have hit their ceilings yet.

Enter Adrian Clayborn. Formerly the starting right defensive end, he has had an up and down career in his first three seasons with Tampa Bay. The former first round pick blew out a knee two years ago and that may have hindered his production last year. [read more]

There was at least a little action during this lightning-abbreviated practice, and some rookies feeling a little heat.

It’s Joe’s daily practice notes and observations. Joe’s your eyes and ears at practice.

After stretching, players get into about five minutes of drills before practice is halted for nearly two hours for lightning. But the players got back on the field for about 30 minutes of work.

*In the little bit of pass-play installation work seen against defense (but no linemen) Chris Owusu and Vincent Jackson are the receivers with the first team. Rookie Mike Evans is waiting his turn. A handful of two-tight-end looks with Tim Wright and Brandon Myers. [read more]

Not much happened at tonight’s lightning-abbreviated practice, but afterwards there was plenty of action (stick with Joe for all kinds of goodies tonight and tomorrow).

Speaking to assembled media, Lovie Smith named his top guards in his starting rotation for training camp practice — for now. [read more]