Buccaneers Training Camp: Observations from the first day of full pads

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in full pads for the first time in Training Camp Monday morning

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in full gear for the first time as a team Monday morning and there was plenty of excitement surrounding the squad as they got back to work.

The Buccaneers took the field Monday morning and there was an opportunity for media members to see some ‘good-on-good’ and a lot of the first-team offense.

Here’s a look at some of the high-points from the practice session:

• Tom Brady threw a 90-yard touchdown pass to Scotty Miller. The ball traveled more than 50 yards in the air.
•  Rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. forced a fumble and recovered it.
• NT Vita Vea was practicing with a club on his right hand following surgery he had this offseason.
• Tristan Wirfs was working at the starting right tackle spot. He reportedly had some issues guarding talented edge-rusher Shaquil Barrett.
• Carlton Davis almost intercepted Tom Brady and rookie Parnell Motley did come away with an INT on Brady.

The Buccaneers are learning their roles and there’s just a different ‘feel’ surrounding this team

One of the major observations I took from today was the reported speed at which the ball was coming out of Tom Brady’s hands. The offense wasn’t moving at a slow pace and waiting for long routes to develop.

Instead, it was quick and intermediate throws mixed in with some play-action and longer routes.

Do you want to know what that reminds me of? See the LSU offense in College Football- led by Joe Burrow- from last season. The Tigers used their wide receiver talent by getting the ball out quick and putting all the pressure on the defense. It made them nearly unstoppable. Don’t be surprised if we see the Buccaneers come out with some of the same concepts.

After all, you’ve got wide receivers like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Tyler Johnson to throw the ball to. So why wouldn’t you?

The other major takeaway is the expected early struggles of Tristan Wirfs. No one should expect that he would simply come in and not have any trouble. Wirfs has a lot on his plate and he’s going up against Shaq Barrett- the league’s top edge-rusher.

Yes, he might struggle in practice as he adjusts to the speed of the game, but working against Barrett is only going to make him better. Soon enough, the game will slow down for him and we’ll get to see that physical nature that was so prevalent on his film.

Overall, this was a good day of practice for the Buccaneers and exactly what you wanted to see. The defense and the offense both had some winning plays and it’s clear there’s just a different amount of motivation and intensity surrounding this team that hasn’t been there in years past.