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Buccaneers vs Panthers: 5 Bucs to watch in Week 8 of 2017

By David Harrison

ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Kwon Alexander #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with Kendell Beckwith #51 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Kwon Alexander #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with Kendell Beckwith #51 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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T.J. Ward

Speaking of one of those Buccaneers speaking up about playing time, welcome T.J. Ward to the list of players to watch, ladies and gentlemen.

It’s money where your mouth time for the former Pro-Bowl safety. I’m not privy to the conversations Ward and his agents had with the Bucs organization before signing after getting his release from the Broncos this year, but we did get word from the head coach himself.

In his Monday press conference, Dirk Koetter told media members he had a private conversation with Ward on Thursday before the Buffalo game and told him how to get better within the system Tampa is executing.

He didn’t dive into details, but I think it’s safe to assume, lashing out after a loss wasn’t on the list.

Now, I’m not saying I blame Ward here. I mean, if I were a Pro Bowl player coming from one of the best defenses in the NFL I’d probably expect to be starting sooner, rather than later. However, as Koetter also pointed out, Ward joined the team late. Didn’t spend any of camp or the preseason with Denver or Tampa Bay. And, further complicating things, he’s been hurt. He even got evaluated for a concussion this past week against the Bills.

We won’t know if Ward gets more playing time than he has already for the Bucs moving forward. He played 24 snaps in Week 7, or 35% of the time. This according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

I too, expected Ward to be playing more by now, but nobody cares if I rant about it.

If he gets his wish, he’ll need to show why he deserves to be out there. I, for one, am hoping he gets that chance this Sunday.

I mean, we all remember what he and his teammates did to the Panthers the last time Ward saw them.

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