.png)
May 14th, 2022
Today
was the final day for media availability at Bucs rookie minicamp. There is a
closed minicamp/underwear football practice scheduled for tomorrow but often
those are just enough to get the players to break a sweat — if they are held at
all.
For
many of the rookies, today is the final time Joe will see them on a Bucs
practice field. For several, their football careers end tomorrow.
But
let’s not be dour. Joe has a few highlights from today.
*
Jerreth Sterns, who caught passes from Bailey Zappe at Western Kentucky and put
up insane numbers, plays larger than his 5-9 frame. In an offensive drill, he
meandered around a couple of tackling dummies and was heading for the far left
corner of the end zone when the pass headed his way was overthrown. He skied
and sold out for the ball and caught it with both hands as he tumbled to the
ground. Nice job. Bucs coach Todd Bowles said after practice that Sterns has
flashed and the number of catches he made in college proves his durability. In
four seasons at Western Kentucky (1) and Houston Baptist (3), Sterns had 370
catches for 3,873 yards and 35 touchdowns in 41 games.
* In a seven-on-seven drill, tight end
Ko Kieft took a pass over the left seams. Not only did he look smooth doing it,
when he turned upfield he just didn’t tuck the ball away, he covered it up with
both arms as he squared his shoulders with the line and leaned forward as if
ready to get hit. Even in underwear football, Kieft was expecting violence.
Solid fundamentals.
*
Tight end Ben Biese (Wisconsin-River Falls) catches a quick slat from the left
from Peyton Ramsey (Northwestern).
*
Aqeel Glass (Alabama A&M) with a beautiful pass about 20 yards down the
left seam that dropped in the bucket for tight end Sean Dykes (Memphis) who got
a half-step past double-coverage.
*
Ramsey to Jace Jordan (West Georgia) to the right sideline out of the backfield
and Bronson Massie (Kansas State) races over for the touch tackle. Remember,
this is underwear football where there is no hitting or tackling of any sort.
*
Glass on a coverage sack. He backpedaled escaping pressure but no one was open.
* Kieft tries to catch a very high but
short pass down the right seam that bounces off his hands high in the air and
J.J. Russell (Memphis) nearly had a pick.
* Glass makes up for it on the next
play with a pass in the numbers to Kieft, short right in traffic.
*
Devin Thompkins (Utah State), from Fort Myers, skies high for a catch on the
right side.
*
Patrick Laird (California) looks very smooth coming out of the backfield to his
right to haul in a pass.
*
Glass drops the snap and tries to get the pass to the left for an open Sterns.
But in rush to get rid of the ball, Glass didn’t have enough mustard on the
pass and it falls short.
*
Joe isn’t sure if this is bad or good. As Ramsey rolls right, Sterns hits the
turf near the right sideline. Ramsey still throws the ball to Sterns and the
pass hits Sterns in the numbers as he’s sitting on the ground.
* Kieft is getting open play after
play.
*
Glass would have had his world lit up if there was hitting. A linebacker came
racing up the middle untouched and since it is underwear football, the
linebacker pulled up at last second to avoid blowing this guy up to kingdom
come. The linebacker? DeCalon Brooks.
