Buccaneers fans can’t fall for the trap of mandatory minicamp
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneers have finally begun mandatory minicamp with new head coach Todd Bowles. The fans need to avoid the obvious trap.
A trap is coming folks. It happens starting around this time every year, and it isn’t going to stop trapping unaware Buccaneers fans until the season actually begins.
We are in the fake zone of the NFL season. Sure, it seems like football is going on. The NFL Twitter account is going to start a countdown. We were just 100 days away from the start of the season.
But don’t let the increased information from social media make you think this is actually the season. Football is happening, but it isn’t happening as we see it on Sundays. Guys are going to have good practices. They are going to have bad practices.
None of it matters.
The preseason, OTAs, minicamp, training camp, etc are all a scripted tease that only gives off the illusion of change.
Practices without pads, minimal hitting, and unusual protections reveal so little about what guys can actually do.
A quarterback that gets five seconds in the pocket with no fear of a blindside hit that rips a 50-yard bomb down the field has shown nothing.
A kicker hitting a 65-yard field goal with no defense lined up across from him proves nothing about how he plays under pressure.
A running back hitting the hole and running through seven defenders that didn’t actually hit him prove nothing.
Practices and plays like this serve a greater purpose but they are not Twitter highlights or lowlights to celebrate on a daily basis, yet teams will put them out there as a way of hyping someone up.
Bucs fans are going to hear about depth defensive backs that seemingly have an interception every practice get cut in the first round.
Wide receivers that “gel with Tom Brady” aren’t even going to make the practice squad.
These are good reports that help give some idea about what is happening, but it is important to realize that there aren’t as many spots available as it would seem, and not every player suiting up over the coming months is a superstar for the Bucs or for any other team.
It’s a tough business, but if there is one time to be hypercritical of everything you see about your team, this might be it.
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