TAMPA, Fla. – The Bucs are back in town after the bye.
“It is good to get away for a sec,” Bucs center Graham Barton said.
It’s also good to get some relaxation after the taxation of an NFL season.
What they’re saying:
“It helps getting rest,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Still moving the body around a little bit. Not letting yourself get too sore, but also the non-contact definitely helps.”
It doesn’t just help physically, but also mentally.
“If you can just not think about football from a game plan standpoint for a couple of days, that kind of refreshes you, so now you have to lock back in and get ready for the stretch run,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said.
The Bucs might be refreshed, but they are still banged up. There was still no sight of Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan or Haason Reddick at practice.
Added Reinforcements:
However, Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke was back on the practice field for the first time since his foot injury against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
“He was limited,” Bowles said. “It was good to see him out there and running around. Obviously, he has to go through some things. He’s got to get some pads and do quite a few things, but it was good to see him out there moving.”
However, he wasn’t the only one moving.
“Guys were flying around and practicing hard,” Barton said. “I think that’s the benefit of having a bye week just having refresher mentally to attack this playoff push.”
Sitting at 6-2, the playoffs are certainly on the mind, but the Bucs are not getting ahead of themselves.
Staying in the Moment:
“We can’t make it bigger than what it is,” Bucs rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison said. “This is game by game. We respect every single opponent. We can’t allow ourselves to get too big headed. It’s football at the end of the day. It’s week by week. You are only as good as your last game.”
The Bucs know they can play better than that.
“We had a pretty good first eight games, right,” Bucs outside linebacker Anthony Nelson said. “But there’s a lot of stuff to correct. If you’re not on it, this league will eat you up fast. Whatever we’ve gottta do, we just have to scratch and claw. We just have to have that mentality.”
What’s next:
The Bucs still have a few days before they play again. Tampa Bay hosts the New England Patriots on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Mark Skol, Jr. at One Buc Place during the Buccaneers’ Wednesday practice period.