Joe started the day entering the elevator at the Bucs’ team hotel to head to practice early.
Joe pressed the “L” button and the elevator stopped one floor down. In walks Vita Vea.
Yes, this was going to be an interesting day.
Vea looks in spectacular shape. Other Bucs types later entered the elevator on its way down and nobody asked Vita how he was feeling. Hmmm, awfully strange for a guy not practicing because of an alleged injury.
Inside Jets headquarters awaiting an official green light to go on the practice field, Joe heads down a hallway to a men’s room. Next to the men’s room is a door sign that reads “nobody unauthorized beyond this point.” But that door is open and about 10 Bucs players are in the unauthorized area.
Well, unknown to Joe was those Bucs were on line for the men’s room, which was on Joe’s side of the door. So out comes a Bucs player from the men’s room and Joe walks right in. There’s no way the other players didn’t have access to a toilet somewhere else, right? Wrong! Man, did Joe get a world of crap from Alex Anzalone for cutting him in the line. Funny stuff. No fight broke out.
(Joe will pass on revealing what Bucs player used the ladies room. Kudos to the guys who were patient and didn’t go there.)
*Former Saints teammates Demario Davis and Anzalone chat it up on the field before practice. Davis signed for big money with the Jets this offseason. Both are very tight with former Saints and Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn, the Jets’ head coach.
*Practice begins with the Bucs warming up and going through basic drills on one of three fields. Zyon McCollum is in sweatpants and watching, but Tristan Wirfs is running half-speed, 30-yard runs on the sidelines with fellow injured Bucs: receiver David Sills and cornerback Benjamin Morrison. (Stories, photos and video of Wirfs and McCollum are on the JoeBucsFan home page.
*Rookie receivers Ted Hurst has two balls thrown his way from about 20 yards in warmup — about 1 second apart. He catches one with one hand, and then quickly catches the other with the free hand. Joe can’t recall ever seeing anything like that live — only on YouTube where you know it was accomplished after many tries.
*The Jets vs. Bucs part of practice begins with 1-on-1 pass rushing work on two fields. Joe vows to lock in on the defense nearly exclusively today.
*Jets second-year lineman Marquis Hayes stones Bucs DT Elijah Roberts.
*Al-Quadin Muhammad busts out a spen move off the right edge and beats veteran tackle Max Mitchell.
*Rookie DeMonte Capehart can’t move Liam Fornadel.
*David Walker moves the needle with a strong bull rush on undrafted rookie Courtland Ford.
*Calijah Kancey can’t get past guard Dylan Parham.
*Joe’s giving a tie to Rueben Bain for his work on veteran Chukwuma Okorafor. Joe missed Bain’s first rush of the day.
*Elijah Simmons is stopped on his turn.
*Muhammad is back for another beastly rush. He’s clearly held by Hayes. Muhammad sure looks fast and furious.
*Spin move! Camp meat win for rookie edge rusher Yasir Holmes.
*YaYa Diaby is stopped. Joe missed his first rush, too.
*Weak-looking effort from Anthony Nelson.
*Bain rushes 2025 first-round pick tackle Armand Membou. Not a clear win but he gets a lot of love from teammates. Probably flushed the pocket in real game.
*Kancey lines up in a left edge position and loses his battle.
*Simmons wins the leverage battle on veteran lineman Xavier Newman.
*It’s a win for Roberts inside against Hayes. The rushers are on a role.
*”Great move” barks a Jets beat writer near Joe. It’s David Walker off the left edge for a very easy win against Mitchell. “Who’s David Walker?” asks another Jets media guy.
*Bucs rookie DL Josiah Green gets a win, and the session closes with Muhammad scoring another easy win.
*Joe’s never seen that kind of dominance by the Bucs overall in a 1-on-1 pass rush session against another club.
*Joe only peeked at two Bucs offensive line 1-on-1 work against the Jets defense: one was a stout win by Cody Mauch; the other was a loss by tackle Ben Chukwuma.
*Now the Bucs and Jets are dividing two fields in half — four work areas overall with 7-on-7 and some smaller groups. Rather than Joe’s head explode, Joe takes a notes break and soaks it in. Man, Chris Godwin looks sharp today — and all summer. And the Bucs sure need a jolt of cornerback talent — or healthy corners.
*It’s 79 degrees and breezy and some in the large throng of Jets media are moaning about the heat. Toughen up! To be fair, the Jets stick media atop an adjacent building for much of practice. It’s basically a great rooftop view with zero shade.
*11-on-11 begins on two fields and Joe is dialed in on the defense. Joe is not worried about the Bucs offense, so why not focus on the “D?” This full contact (other than hitting a quarterback).
*Jets RB Breece Hall runs up the gut for four yards. A sure tackle by Anzalone.
*It’s a pick-6. There goes backup cornerback DeMarion Williams down the sideline. It appeared the Jets receiver fell. Good for Williams, who his trying to make the roster. Did he do much else today? No.
*Short pass complete by the Jets.
*Uh-oh, a Jets receiver is wide-ass open but a bad pass saves the day. Wide open Jets receivers were a problem today. Sorry to ruin your night.
*SACK! Muhammad gets in but it’s nullified by holding in the secondary. Yes, there are officials working the practice.
*Jets writers grumble that Geno Smith was 1-for-3 with a Pick-6 as the second teams come on the field.
*Over with the Bucs offense: their first-team is still on the field and Bucky Irving can still make the first defender miss. Joe also sees Ted Hurst catch an old-school slant pass. And Joe catches Sean Tucker take a screen for 10 yards. Full story on all the screen passes the Bucs were running today linked here.
*Back to the Bucs defense: Inside linebacker Josiah Trotter is on the field with the second team; don’t get Joe started on “first-teamer” SirVocea Dennis. Trotter opens with a run stuff up the gut and starts screaming, ‘C’mon. Let’s go!!’ He can probably be heard a quarter-mile away.
*Easy completion for the Jets jjs followed by David Walker snuffing out a swing pass off his right edge spot for a two- or three-yard gain. Nice open-field kind of play. Ira Kaufman would be so proud. For some reason, that got the Bucs bench extra fired up, including Todd Bowles.
*A Jets reporter notes the passion of the Bucs defense. That’s followed by a short Jets completion.
*First-team defense returns and it’s a four-yard run left followed by a too-easy completion to receiver Isaiah Williams. About 15 yards plus YAC.
*On the next play, Trotter, seemingly giving Anzalone a breather, picks off Geno Smith in the middle of the field about 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. Some thought Trotter dropped it but officials ruled it a pick. Trotter seemed mad because he didn’t handle the ball cleanly and lost a shot at a return.
*Walker blows up a screen.
*Trotter continues to chirp at the Jets and his teammates.
*Coverage sack from the second-team defense.
*Walker pushed around on a Jets run left. Sealed easily.
*Bucs offense is back at 11-on-11 and Joe is free to watch:
*Another successful screen to Cade Otton, who rumbles for about 12 yards. It’s so great to see Mauch healthy.
*Baker Mayfield to Godwin off play-action for 10 yards. And that’s followed by Mayfield to Godwin down the seam for 15-plus. Precision! Joe hopes the Bucs keep Godwin out of preseason games. He’s in mint condition. Don’t mess with it.
*Kenny Gainwell runs right for no gain.
*2nd team in and Sean Tucker has a no-gain running left.
*False start! Followed by a deep incompletion.
*First-team returns and Bucky Irving takes a punishing hit running right after a three- or four-yard gain.
*Sack! Jets rookie David Bailey, a first-round pick, has a lot of juice. He gets by and it’s unclear if it was Ben Chukwuma in for Goedeke.
*First-team defense is back for 11-on-11 and Joe feels Williams (the corner who had the pick-6) is overmatched. It’s understandable.
*Jets complete a short dumpoff. Diaby throws a hard shoulder into the running back as he nears the sideline. Chippy!
*Jets follow with a quick out complete, and then an easy completion for a first down.
*Second-team comes in and Josiah Green gets a run-stuff for the Bucs but it’s followed by a very easy 20-yard completion to undrafted receiver Cam Camper. Bucs secondary feeling like it did last season.
*First-team returns and Jacob Parrish has a diving pass breakup on the sidelines on a 15-yard pass. Bucs bench erupts.
*Again, Dennis and Anzalone are the first-team inside linebackers.
*WIDE open is receiver Garrett Wilson in the middle of the field. Geno Smith hits him. Complete!
*Rueben Bain might look a little gassed right now. Joe hasn’t seen him play enough to get a strong read.
*Bucs celebrate a coverage sack.
*Rookie nickel corner Keionte Scott is juked on a swing pass. Ira Kaufman would not like that.
*Trotter sparks a fight with veteran tackle Max Mitchell.
*On the fight front today, there were at least 8. Joe is tired of fight talk. You can read some fight nuggets on the home page. Joe did get a laugh out of one brawl centered around A’Shawn Robinson. It didn’t look like Robinson got the best of that one but he did get swings in. A wave of Jets offensive players quickly rolled him as the benches cleared.
*Back to 11-on-11 offense and Bucky Irving is stuffed running left, followed by Mayfield slightly underthrowing Ted Hurst deep.
*A quick screen to Gainwell, who makes a hell of a grab on a ball rifled high and behind him. It’s a six- or seven-yard gain.
*Mayfield is picked off after trying to make a play on what would have been a sack if QBs could be hit (or perhaps Mayfield would have scrambled?). He underthrows Hurst and a fight breaks out on the left side of the Bucs’ line. It’s a battle royale and Luke Goedeke emerges with a Jets helmet in hand and he hurls it — Olympic discus style — 30 yards downfield. Ridiculous! Goedeke is lucky it didn’t hit someone.
*In a subsequent water break, Goedeke has what looks like a very friendly discussion with Jets veterans Demario Davis and Harrison Phillips. Perhaps they’re recommending he see a massage therapist for his anger?
*Odd note of the day. The Jets fans attending (800?) were nearly silent all day. Strange.
*For those wondering, it’s Kameron Johnson, Garrett Greene and Eric Rivers, Jr. returning punts for the Bucs. Joe’s mental note: Ted Hurst needs a lot of work as a special teams player.
*Now it’s time for the practice conclusion as the teams finally merge onto one field for red zone work.
*The Bucs offense opens with Payne Durham catching a five-yard pass.
*A screen to Bucky Irving goes for 2 yards.
*Offsides Jets! Aka first down Bucs.
*Incomplete to the left side of the end zone for Emeka Egbuka.
*A Bucky run left is stuffed for little gain.
*Touchdown!! Mayfield right at the goal line to Egbuka. Smooth. Bucs made it look easy.
*Now it’s the Jets’ turn to try and score and they run wide right for two yards. Bain moves very well in the run game.
*Pass complete to the 1 or 2 yard line to Mason Taylor but before the play ends, A’Shawn Robinson and a Jets player are in a heavyweight fight and the brawl Joe referenced above ensues. It seems officials called offsettting penalties.
*Uh, oh. WIDE open is receiver Isaiah Williams on a skinny post in the back of the end zone. He drops the pass from Geno Smith. That won’t happen in Cincinnati on opening day.
*A wide run is snuffed out by the Bucs at the Jets sidline. Parrish was in on the play and is jawing with the Jets bench extensively.
*A tipped pass at the line of scrimmage (looked like Calijah Kancey?) lands in the hands of receiver Garrett Wilson he beats three Bucs into the end zone from about 6 yards out. Bad look.
*Bucs backup offense comes out and undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels ends practice on a high note. He rolls left and throws a TD to tight end Ko Kieft. The Bucs bench goes wild.
*Joe can’t emphasize enough the fast pace of this practice. It might be the most intense Joe has ever seen in a joint session. Very few breaks. Crisp rotations in drills. Hard hitting. This had to be everything Todd Bowles was seeking. Both teams will be back at it tomorrow at 10 a.m.