Buccaneers ready for joint practices in Jacksonville

The Buccaneers will be practicing with the Jaguars in Jacksonville this week in preparation for their Thursday night matchup on ESPN.

There’s a lot to be said for joint practices. As NFL teams continue to get ready for the regular season, they get real sick of hitting each other, so it’s nice that they get to take out some of their energy on someone else. For the Buccaneers, that someone else is the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second consecutive season.

Of course, Dirk Koetter and Mike Smith have connections to the Jags. Koetter was the offensive coordinator from 2007-2011 while Mike Smith was the defensive coordinator from 2003-2007. Now, they will return to Jacksonville yet again as the opposition’s leaders among the coaching staff as the Florida teams face off in preseason week two.

Koetter is a big proponent of joint practices and the benefits that come as a result;

"“Similar to last night, like last night, I think our first defense played 12 or 13 plays, our first offense played 21 plays – when you, like Jacksonville on Monday will be a full pads practice, on Tuesday it’ll be a shells practice but it’ll be similar reps – just getting reps against different competition instead of the 12 to 13 days we’ve gone against our own defense, that’s worth everything. That’s gold to go against different guys, different looks. We really don’t know exactly what they’re going to do on defense and offense.More from Bucs NewsDevin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on TwitterUpdated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicampTodd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with BucsThe Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023Todd Bowles admits he only looks at three things on Bucs scheduleIt’s also a little bit of a chance where we’re all out of town, nobody’s family’s around, we’re in a different hotel. I thought as a team we grew and benefitted from that last year and hopefully that happens again this year.”"

So not only do they benefit from the practice reps, but Koetter believes they grow – and bond – as a team. We saw last season the emphasis Jameis Winston put on the Bucs playing “as a family” and this little retreat will certainly help the team bonding experience.

This has almost become a staple across the NFL, especially given how many coaches on various teams have a history together. Many Bucs fans will remember the joint practices with the Patriots during the Schiano era. Whether it’s a friendship or just a close proximity to one another, NFL teams seem to make joint practices an annual thing.

Next: Buccaneers Preseason Debut Takeaways

The Buccaneers and Jaguars face off Thursday, August 17 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.