Buccaneers: Dirk Koetter talks playing in heat and fan importance at training camp
Dirk Koetter talks about the heat and fans at Buccaneers training camp.
Going through training camp with the Buccaneers cannot be easy. Going through training camp for any football team isn’t easy. Some of you out there likely have played football, so this goes out to those of us that haven’t. Imagine wearing all of the pads on a sunny morning in the South? At least coach Dirk Koetter set the practices early in the morning so it’s not the hottest part of the day, but it’s not exactly cold at 8:45 AM either.
According to Current Results, the average low temperature in Tampa during the month of August is 76 degrees. Playing baseball in that weather every day would not be easy. Practicing football in full pads is that much tougher. It ultimately will aid in team conditioning, but don’t tell that to the team while they are going through it. I can guarantee that it isn’t any fun.
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Following Saturday’s practice, coach Koetter talked about practicing in the heat. Specifically, he talked about the mental toughness it takes to get through it when working under those conditions (via the team website):
"“Four straight days in pads – we talked to these guys about the struggle and fighting through the struggle. Your body learns the most when it’s under duress. They pushed through today. I’m sure they’ll be corrections in film this afternoon. Day off tomorrow, back at it on Monday.”"
There is no doubt that it takes mental toughness to work through that heat, although those of us that have medical problems might take issue with learning the most about our bodies when they are under duress. I know if that’s the case I would have preferred to learn a bit less, but that is for a different discussion. The point is that in the long run, this will benefit the team. When other teams might be breaking down, the Bucs will still be right in it mentally.
You know what else is difficult? Heading out to watch practice in the intense heat. It takes a great deal of dedication to simply stand around and watch the guys work out while the sun beats down. For those of you that have gone, don’t stop, the team, and the coach, notices:
"“The crowd was fantastic. Are you kidding me? I’m only disappointed in one thing, and that’s that Ira [Kaufman] got a louder cheer than I did. Other than that, the crowd was awesome. They did a great job. That was a lot of fun. That was a lot of fun, and hats off to the ‘Stick Carriers.’ They did an awesome job today.”"
See that? Your hard work and enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed. Keep it up, the Bucs appreciate it.
Next: Winston focused on slowing everything down
The preseason opens for the Bucs on Friday night. Live football is almost here, hang in there. Bucs football is coming.