The Bucs started their Rookie Mini-Camp Friday. Here's a list of the 39 players participating:
QB Josh Freeman - Kansas State, DT Roy Miller Texas, DE Kyle Moore USC, OT Xavier Fulton Illinois, CB E.J. (Edjuan) Biggers Western Michigan, WR Sammie Stroughter, LB Adetokunbo Abanikanda - Southern Miss, RB Gary Anderson Jr. - Rice, DE Jarrett Buie - South Florida, FB Michael Christen - North Carolina A&T, FB Conredge Collins - Pittsburgh, LB Maurice Crum - Notre Dame, G Calvin Darrity - North Carolina, OL Marc Dile - South Florida, T Demar Dotson - Southern Miss, P Matt Fodge - Oklahoma State, G Michael Gates - Mississippi State, TE Cedric Hill - South Florida, RB Kareem Huggins - Hofstra, S Jeffrey Jack - Grambling, WR Amarri Jackson - South Florida, WR Dorrell Jalloh - West Virginia, S Merrill Johnson - Auburn, QB Rodney Landers - James Madison, RB Jay Lucas - Southern Louisiana, DT Melvin Matthew - Grambling, CB Evan McCullough - James Madison, RB Paul McKinnis - Murray State, DE Neefy Moffett - Florida State, LB Terrence Moore - Troy, CB Armando Murillo - Nebraska, WR Co-Eric Riley - Mississippi State, DT Nate Robinson - Akron, WR Tommy Saunders - Missouri, G Dion Small - Troy, LB Marcellus Speaks - Jackson State, WR Desmond Tardy - Purdue, LB Nathan Williams - Murray State, TE Chris Zellner - Miami, TE Ryan Purvis - Boston College, OC/OG Jake Griffin - USF, DE Adam Oliver - Georgia Tech, and DT Paul Griffin FSU.
I'm a bit surprised WR Amari Jackson from USF is on this list. If you'll remember he was invited last off-season as well. Maybe he can make it stick this time. I would like to see the FB Conredge Collins from Pitt make the roster as Askew is an injury waiting to happen until he proves otherwise.
Head Coach Raheem Morris on what he wants to see this weekend:
"All these guys here, they come in and you want to flood them with information; you want to give it to them and you want to see if they take it out to the grass and then do it. But the other part is, you want to see conditioning, how guys last. You've got to get the guys that have the best conditioning. You've got to get the guys that can pick it up, retain it, take it to the field and do it." - per Buccaneers.com
Head Coach Raheem Morris threw out the first pitch in the Rays 6-2 victory over the Red Sox Friday.
In case you forgot, Clifton Smith and Elbert Mack both made the team via Rookie Mini-Camp last off-season as undrafted free agents.
Raheem on Brian Griese: "I'm sure [he'll ask what his status is], and I don't want to have that conversation with [the media] before I have it with Brian. No matter what it is, it's just not right for Brian or his family for me to talk to you guys before I talk to Brian.". If that's not WRITING ON THE WALL, I don't know what it is... no shock there though.
For more images from Rookie Mini-Camp click over to the Buccaneers Official Website. Images include DT Roy Miller, DE Kyle Moore, WR Sammie Stroughter, WR Amarri Jackson, and more...
2nd Year Player Dre Moore showed flashes today in practice of resembling a real NFL player. Even more good news is that he's actually in good shape this off-season. Raheem said he wanted to FIGHT Moore last year because he was so out of shape, ha! His progression is great news, he's essentially an extra draft pick. He had a reputation as taking a while to fight and flash in a system as he did at Maryland. This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on.
QB Josh Freeman on the Rookies improvement:
"It went well. I think from the morning practice to the afternoon practice we improved collectively as a group. In the first practice guys were trying to feel their way out, me included, and in the second practice we kind of cut loose and started making some plays." - per the Pewter Report
Freeman is currently living out of a hotel room when he's not at One Buc Place. Ahh the life of a Bucs Franchise QB, ha!
Freeman looked good in his first day of Camp, the only snafu coming when he fell trying to drop back due to a Guard tripping him up.
Freeman jokingly on the hits he's taken from DT Roy Miller in camp, "Yeah they were late, cheap." You can tell there is a budding friendship growing between these two.
"The humidity definitely gets me, I sweat already, but I'll probably sweat off another five pounds in this humidity." - DE Kyle Moore on the Tampa Weather. That's got to be a shock from the humidity-less California weather to the sap all of your energy humid Florida weather.
The Pewter Report has a great interview with Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski where they talk about Freeman's abilities, the negative hype around him, and Sammie Stroughter's potential to make the club.
Freeman struggled a bit in today's afternoon practice. Raheem joked had the media been there they would have made a big to do about it.
Quote(s) of the Day:
"This is a defense that has changed from the Tampa 2 to the press-man coverage. I did that a lot in college. That’s my strength. From what I’ve seen so far, I love the system here. I like to get in a receiver’s face and use my hands. I’m good at cutting off routes with my quick feet. That’s what press coverage is. It’s using your hands and your feet and your eyes. I’m pretty good at it. Raheem loves the DBs. He’s got a soft spot for us." - Rookie CB E.J. Biggers per the Pewter Report.
What kind of Rookie Mini-Camp update would this be without a BIGGERS quote? Ha!
One more Photo Gallery you ought to take a peak at (Kyle Moore, Roy Miller, Josh Freeman, Sammie Stroughter, sadly no Biggers sightings): Bucs Beat
Hat tip to the UltimateBucFan for the list!