BUCCANEERS 101

Today was the first day with the pads on for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp. It was hot and crowded with fans at One Buccaneer Place early Sunday morning for day three of camp, but Buccaneers101.com was there and here are some of the highlights from practice:

* Wide receiver Vincent Jackson and his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame looks even more imposing in person. Jackson looked great on the field and caught nearly everything thrown his way. He also had the highlight play of the day when he blew past cornerback Aqib Talib and caught a deep ball in stride from quarterback Josh Freeman.

* On the flip side, wide receiver Mike Williams has seen better days on the practice field. A day after being carted off with cramps, Williams looked a bit sluggish and dropped a few passes. He had a perfect strike from Freeman go right through his hands and also dropped another one after he dove for it (he did have both hands on it). Williams is probably a safe bet to be the No. 2 receiver, but he has to perform better than he did today.

* Rookie running back Doug Martin looks good. Really good. He is agile, quick, and looks like he is going to be tough to bring down. There were several times when he was able to bounce a carry outside and picked up some nice yards. Also, Martin was running with the first-team offense at the end of practice, not LeGarrette Blount.

* The first-team defensive line with Brian Price now in Chicago and Da'Quan Bowers sidelined was Adrian Clayborn (DE), Roy Miller (DT), Gerald McCoy (DT), and Michael Bennett (DE). Clayborn looked impressive and put a big hit on a fullback at one point. That got the defense and crowd fired up.

* Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood continues to struggle with penalties. Trueblood got flagged for a false start at one point and was immediately pulled from the lineup for a few plays. These are the same problems that have plagued Trueblood for years.

* During 11-on-11 drills, rookie undrafted free agent Leonard Johnson was running with the first-team during nickel situations. Johnson, who is a local product from Largo, played on the outside with Aqib Talib, while Eric Wright was in the slot. With E.J. Biggers likely out for a bit with a foot injury, the door has been opened for Johnson to earn a big role.

* Second-year linebacker Mason Foster looks a lot more comfortable in the middle than he did last season. Foster was quick to the ball on several occasions and caused a fumble on one play.

* Freeman looked pretty good for the most part except for a poorly thrown ball across the middle that was intended for tight end Dallas Clark. Freeman threw behind Clark, who tipped it, and the pass was intercepted by linebacker Adam Hayward.

* Third-year cornerback Myron Lewis continues to disappoint. He got burned by receiver Tiquan Underwood on a go route and wasn't in any position to challenge the easy completion. His window to make an impact keeps getting shorter and today didn't help his cause.

 

Tags: Adrian Clayborn, Doug Martin, Football, Jeremy Trueblood, Josh Freeman, Leonard Johnson, Mason Foster, Mike William, Myron Lewis, NFL, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Vincent Jackson

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