Indoor practice facility coming for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 12 to 18 months

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get an indoor practice facility somewhere in the next 12 to 18 months. That's what co-owner Joel Glazer told Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune yesterday.

It's part of all our renovations with the stadium, part of the whole construction project, lumped in there. It's on course to happen and there's no question it's happening in the next 12-to-18 months. It will not be done in time for training camp this summer. It is absolutely needed. It will give us an alternative for getting out of the rain and getting out of the heat. It's a priority.

The Bucs haven't had an indoor facility. Ever. The only time they even had an indoor bubble at practice was in 2008, the last year they practiced at Disney's Wide World of Sports. An indoor facility isn't strictly necessary: they've managed to practice outdoors for all but one year of their existence. But the ability to get out of the heat and rain at will has exactly zero downsides.

It's still somewhat amazing that the Bucs did not construct an indoor facility when they built the massive One Buccaneer Place in 2006. That facility still is one of the biggest and most advanced facilities in the NFL. Except for the lack of an indoor facility, that is. Thankfully, that's finally going to change.