Alright! Here we go. The humidity outside has gone right past sauna and onto brutal. Family vacations are in full swing. The tropics are active and sunscreen is worth its weight in gold. Rookies report in less than a week and the Buccaneers play their first preseason game in 27 days at Heinz Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Good Morning Football
NFL Network, and specifically, the staff at “Good Morning Football” have rotated off of their summer vacations and are no longer showing reruns. M.J. Stewart, 2018 second-round pick, sat live with the crew to talk Buccaneers and can be seen here.
Stewart talks about what reality show he would most like to be on, his respect for Jameis Winston and what Bruce Arians is like as a coach. He also discussed his MSMJ Youth Foundation which is focused on helping children discover newfound abilities, confidence and desire to be physically active for life.
There is no breaking news here. No secrets revealed. Just a good interview with a great young man that looks to build on 2018 with a new and improved Tampa Bay defense.
Cause for pause
Tampa Bay faithful saw a busy offseason: Losing Adam Humphries via free agency, trading DeSean Jackson, and saying goodbye to respected veteran Gerald McCoy. The news was also reported that Jason Pierre-Paul would be recovering from neck surgery from an injury that occurred in an automobile accident. The Beard moved onto South Beach and the former head coach is the new offensive coordinator in Atlanta.
Addition by subtraction
The Bucs have a new coaching staff that will hit the ground running, Ndamukong Suh was signed. They also drafted a workhorse of a linebacker out of LSU in Devin White. There has been depth added to positions where there was none. The cap situation still looms on the horizon like summer thunderstorms in Florida. But with Jason Licht pulling the strings, what is there to worry about?
Now raise the sails, tighten the knots and batten down the hatches. This ship is about to sail into the 2019 regular season. Although there be turbulent waters ahead, South Beach gold in the form of a Super Bowl appearance in Miami be the booty. These pirates of Tampa Bay arrrr determined.
