Buccaneers Training Camp: Report from the First Day of Practice

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took to the practice field this evening for the first time in the 2014 NFL Season as training camp kicked off at One Buccaneer Place.

And then they went back inside, because there was lightning in the area.

The shrill tone of the "lightning alarm" was a reminder that despite its many positives, the Gulf Coast of Florida is a dangerous location when it comes to weather.

So after only 10 minutes of stretching, the team stampeded back into One Buc Place, and fans were left wondering if they'd see the team again that evening.

I don't like to mess with fate, or lightning, so I retreated to my car and left, but returned just in time for practice to resume, a full two hours after the first lightning delay.

And it was then that we got our first glimpse of the 2014 Buccaneers.

Practice Observations

Josh McCown looked sharp in 7-on-7 drills, picking out good passes and delivering them on target. He drew plenty of cheers from the crowd (and a fist pump from me) when he dropped a perfect pass into a window between two defenders to find Lavelle Hawkins for what would have been a big gain.

Mike Glennon then got his chances in 7-on-7, and didn't look as sharp. He failed to connect on a deep ball down the sideline, and also couldn't connect with Mike Evans over the middle. He did drop a nice pass to an in-stride Robert Herron over the middle, his true "highlight" of the day.

The Bucs also got some work running through kick returns, and this is where Charles Sims stood out to me. The rookie running back showed great hustle and very quick feet as he picked the right spot and ran through in the simulated kickoff situation.

It was just a glorified walk-through, so his actual actions don't mean much. But his hustle was impressive, and his size and speed were evident when compared to Eric Page and Skye Dawson.

Also worth noting was Tim Wright's lone appearance during 7-on-7 drills was a result of him lining up wide.

Very wide.

The Bucs aren't very deep at wideout, and they are deep at tight end, so it makes sense to give Wright a chance at wide receiver. An injury to Vincent Jackson or Mike Evans would be horrific, but having Wright ready to move outside would at least maintain a good size advantage over opposing defenders.

Practice was then halted due to lightning in the area, and just minutes after seven o'clock, practice was over, with less than half an hour on the field for the 2014 Bucs.