Yet another high-level practice.
When the Bucs next practice, they will be prepping for Atlanta and Houston — Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said so in his press conference after Bucs practice Thursday.
As a result, regular-season practice media protocols will be in place, which means the fourth estate will not have access to practices other than during warmups. There is very little Joe can decipher football-wise from watching dudes stretch and play hopscotch.
So this will be Joe’s final practice notes for the football calendar year 2025. And today’s final fully open practice was very abbreviated. It was almost like Bucs coach Todd Bowles could see the light at the end of the preseason tunnel and just wanted to shut things down without another injury to a starter.
Bowles also said later that no starter will play in the Bucs’ final worthless preseason game. So tell Joe again how important these football atrocities are?
Today’s final fully open practice was underwear football.
\* On the goal line, Teddy Bridgewater throws a pass that goes over an intended target’s head in the back of the end zone, incomplete.
\* Joe again has to navigate a human picket fence so it’s dicey seeing plays. For a few plays, Joe couldn’t tell who the quarterback was until Joe could see an orange jersey walk back to the huddle. Sorry for the inconvenience, folks.
\* Emeka Egbuka gets behind the Bucs defense down the right sideline and it looked like Baker Mayfield was right on target and Zyon McCollum made an incredible play to knock the ball away before it dropped into Egbuka’s hands. Really strong play by McCollum.
\* Mayfield to Mike Evans (this will be a recurring theme this morning) to the left sideline.
\* Kyle Trask fires to Trey Palmer to the left and Palmer gets some good YAC. That is Trask’s best pass in a couple of weeks. Pretty spiral, nice and tight, led Palmer perfectly, hitting him in the hands without Palmer breaking stride. That’s why the Bucs drafted you in the second round, Kyle. More of that, please.
\* Oh boy, Bucs staffers are setting up the stacked trash cans on a flatbed card again, right in Joe’s line of vision.
\* And just like that, Joe missed a play because it happened right behind the trash cans. Trask had a pass tipped at the line and the culprit/playmaker was lost to history hidden behind the trash cans. Maybe if the players whine enough about not getting proper kudos because they were being hid by the Bucs from the local pen and mic club, maybe then staffers will be a bit more aware of where they place the trash cans — but Joe is guessing they were ordered to place them exactly where they ended up.
\* Trask is right on the money, throwing to Ryan Miller on the left sideline. Could Trask be feeling the heat and as a result, stepped up his game? Trask is very sharp today.
\* Perfection: Teddy Bridgewater steps on the field and throws a high, lollipop pass that Joe thought was going to bring rain and the ball perfectly drops into Mike Evans’ arms down the right sideline in stride. Doesn’t get any better than that.
\* Egbuka is wide ass open down the right sideline and he makes a fingertip catch with his outstretched arms. You know how Joe often has typed that Egbuka is a Chris Godwin clone? Well, on that play he looked just like Evans when he reaches out with a pterodactyl-like wingspan.
\* Mayfield tried to get the ball to Evans over the middle and it is broken up by Kaevon Merriweather.
\* Bridgewater connects with Tez Johnson over the middle and Johnson gets some good YAC.
\* Rachaad White up the middle..
\* Trask throws over the middle (Joe couldn’t tell who the intended receiver was) and it is nearly picked by Bryce Hall.
\* Sean Tucker with back-to-back runs, one to the left and the other, right.
\* Jaden Smith catches a pass near the right sideline from Trask.
\* Bridgewater connects with Tanner Taula to the right. Taula looks like he’s a practice squad candidate. He’s had a lot of targets this summer.
\* Josh Williams runs to the right.
\* Bridgewater tries to throw to Rakim Jarrett to the left sideline. The ball is high and Jarrett went high to try to get it. So too did JayVian Farr and the ball was volleyballed in the air, falling incomplete.
\* Mayfield throws to Evans along the left sideline and it is a perfect throw-and-catch about 15 yards downfield. Hits Evans right in the hands.
\* Williams runs right.
\* Mayfield throws to Bucky Irving to the right side. Bucky bobbles the ball but still grabs the handle and continues to head to the right sideline.
\* McCollum is having a good day, too. Evans goes down the right sideline and Mayfield hits him right in the hands. But McCollum is there to swat the ball out of Evans’ hands, incomplete.
**Two-minute drill**
\* Bridgewater to Tez Johnson over the middle.
\* Bridgewater to Williams to the right.
\* Bridgewater to Payne Durham along the right sideline.
\* Bridgewate tries for Trey Palmer to the right in the back of the end zone, no. Merriweather fives fruitlessly for a pick.
\* Bridgewater sidearms a pass over the middle for Garrett Greene.
And the horn sounds ending practice early and summer training camp and preseason practice are done for 2025. So too are fully open practices to the local pen and mic club . Joe hopes you enjoyed the daily practice notes. See you next spring.