Bucs begin practice at Carnegie Mellon University Wednesday morning.
Joe is waiting for next week’s media schedule to be released but this may be the second-last open practice of the year. Tomorrow the Bucs have their joint practice with the Steelers.
This morning the Bucs practiced at Thornton Mellon University. (Yes, Joe knows the real name — it’s one of the most prestigious universities not in New England).
* The Bucs started practice earlier than scheduled due to a threat of rain — it never came, though the sun broke through maybe 20 minutes after practice. Just as Joe was getting out of his Uber, he heard the horn sound for the beginning of practice. Perfect.
* Hot weather does not bother Joe but lack of sleep does and the past few days, training camp was quickly catching up to Joe. So this morning it was rather nice to attend a Bucs practice and not roast like a brat on a gas grill for a change. While it was warm and very muggy for Pittsburgh, it wasn’t Florida in the August sun. It was overcast and misting at first as the Bucs practiced on the turf field of the … Tartans? Sounds like something you dip fish sticks in.
* Today’s practice was an underwear football practice. In fact the Bucs were in shorts.
* Antoine Winfield did not practice as he is dealing with what Bucs coach Todd Bowles deemed a lower leg injury. Trey Palmer also did not practice. Joe looked for but did not see Rachaad White, Tristan Wirfs or Chris Godwin. Cade Otton sort of practiced. Joe didn’t notice him on the field for individual drills (he was catching passes from a Bucs staffer on the sidelines) but Otton did participate in 11-on-11 drills.
* Bucky Irving runs left. Can’t have a Bucs practice without a run to start things.
* Baker Mayfield over the middle with a quick pass to Emeka Egbuka.
* Mayfield to Bucky short left.
* Sean Tucker up the middle.
* Mayfield throws to Sean Tucker on the right side (due to Bucs media protocols, Joe is not allowed to offer further details on this play).
* Josh Williams up the middle.
* Kyle Trask launches a bomb intended for Jaden Smith but the pass instead ended up somewhere near Fort Pitt Bridge.
* Owen Wright up the gut.
* Teddy Bridgewater aims for Jacob Harris who is wide, wide ass open about 20 yards deep down the left sideline. Harris makes an excellent catch, just getting his toes inbounds.
* Josh Williams runs to the right.
* Bucky runs back-to-back plays where he runs between Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke.
* Mayfield throws short to the left and it appeared Haason Reddick may have gotten a finger on the pass. Joe wasn’t sure. The pass just didn’t look right in mid-air and Reddick was near Mayfield and did leap for the pass.
* Mayfield connects with Cade Otton to the left side.
* Tucker tries to run up the middle but is stopped for maybe a two-yard loss.
* Williams runs two plays in a row, first to the left and the second up the middle.
* Trask tries to thread the needle, throwing for Tez Johnson along the left side. There were three defenders around Johnson but not in tight coverage. Maybe Trask figured Johnson would run under the pass? It was incomplete.
* Bridgewater throws a short pass to the left intended for Harris and John Bullock nearly picked off the pass.
* Bridgewater again tries for Harris on the left sideline and this time it’s a completion and Harris gets some nice YAC out of the play.
* Bucky gets a nice gain up the middle.
* Mayfield rifles a pass down the right sideline right into Egbuka’s bread basket. Beautiful throw and catch.
* Bucky tries to run left and is halted for about a three-yard loss. Deion Jones broke through and got Bucky.
* Baker Mayfield… then throws to Jalen McMillan… (due to Bucs media protocols, Joe is not allowed to offer further details on this play).
* Tucker runs left.
* Trask throws to Ryan Miller along the right sideline and Jamel Dean is there to deny Trask and Miller a completion.
* Bad snap forces Bridgewater to quickly fall on the ball. Not sure it would have mattered because a blitzing Kindle Vildor was right there.
* Mayfield to Sterling Shepard over the middle. Accurate pass because it appeared Shepard was surrounded by red (defense) jerseys.
* What looked like a rudimentary play with Mayfield throwing to McMillan along the left sideline sure got the offensive sideline roaring. Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard hollered (in a positive way), “C’mon… C’mon!” as he punched the air. Then Joe heard someone from the offensive sideline yell, “Good job one-five!”
* Mayfield connects with Egbuka over the middle. Newly-signed UDFA cornerback JayVian Farr (no, not “Klinger.”) claps his hands in disgust.
* Mayfield hits Miller to the right.
* Trask pumps once and is flushed to his left. He aims for Garrett Greene on the left side, who is briefly open. But as soon as Trask released the ball, Kaevon Merriweather makes a beeline for Garrett and just gets there in the nick of time to knock the ball away from Greene, batting the ball down.
* Trask throws to Jaden Smith along the left sideline about 20 yards deep and Smith rises to make the catch.
* Bridgewater throws over the middle for Smith who tips the ball backwards about five yards right into the hands of Tanner Taula. Right place, right time.
Defensive goal line.
* The Bucs use this drill by placing the ball each play on their own-2 yard line.
* Bucky up the middle.
* Mayfield is under pressure and he leads McMillan way too much down the left sideline. Perhaps Mayfield was throwing the ball away?
* Tucker up the middle.
* Mayfield connects with Cade Otton down the left sideline.
* There is a massive hole on the left side for Josh Williams but he strangely decides instead to cut inside and run right into a wall of defenders. That’s just what Rachaad White used to do pre-Liam Coen.
* Trask to Wright over the middle.
* Williams up the middle.
* Bridgewater is getting several more snaps than he did on Monday. Bucs coach Todd Bowles said after practice he’s not sure if Bridgewater will play Saturday. It depends how Bridgewater looks tomorrow in the joint practice with the Steelers.
* Whoa: This is the best move Joe has seen Ryan Miller make in like three training camps with the Bucs. Miller catches a pass near the right sideline and takes a step to the outside. Jamel Dean fully bit on the first move and Miller quickly spins to the inside and loses Dean. Joe didn’t know Miller had that in him.
Normal goal line
* Mayfield throws low to the right in the end zone for McMillan and McMillan can’t scoop it up.
* Mayfield throws for Devin Culp in the back of the end zone and the ball is off his hands. Joe’s seen too many of these passes intended for Culp instead end up incomplete passes. Culp can’t be screwing up so many chances to get six on the board.
* Trask throws a perfect pass to Tanner Taula to the right in the end zone. Taula beat Vildor on the play. Taula hollers in delight as his momentum took him well out of bounds and quickly Otton and Culp race over to join Taula in celebration. The offensive sideline also erupts over the score.
* Overheard from two people connected to Carnegie Mellon’s football program as Joe was leaving Thornton Mellon University (sarcasm alert):
“Did you get to watch that practice?”
“Yeah.”
“They looked good.”
“They’re big.”
And there you have the Bucs first practice from the Steel City. Tomorrow, the Bucs square off against the Steelers in a joint practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, home of the Steelers.
Time for Joe to wolf down a Primanti Bros. sandwich.