NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – INSIDE SLANT
Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano prides himself on his tough-nosed, no-nonsense approach. But he took exception to a media report that the team’s offseason practices involve too much physical contact in violation of NFL rules.
The controversy stems from a physical altercation last week between Illinois rookie defensive tackle Akeem Spence and center Jeremy Zuttah, who played for Schiano at Rutgers.
During the first team drill of the first OTA practice, Spence and Zuttah had to be separated. Despite league rules that prohibit excessive physical contact between players during offseason practices, there were a few more instances where players were pushed to the ground. The incidents were referenced in a report by Profootballtalk.com Wednesday.
A team can be made to forfeit practice time and coaches can be fined for violating the no-contact rules for offseason practices.
On Wednesday, Schiano claimed that his coaching staff teaches the proper techniques for non-contact practices and believes what the Bucs do is permissible.
“You’re right, guys are champing at the bit because this is what they do for a living,” Schiano said. “But there are very clear expectations and rules presented by the league. We get a training video and then we also at our league meetings get to watch permissible versus impermissible play. I’m very confident that our practice tempo is 99.9 percent the plays are permissible.
“We had one that got kind of fanfare or whatever you want to call it in a young guy mixed up with Jeremy Zuttah, and you know, Jeremy educated him, maybe not the right way, like you don’t do that. But we spent a lot of time about keeping your head gear, keeping your shoulders out of it. So we’re playing 11-on-11 football but you use your hands and you use your feet and what we try to do is stay on edges and work with our hands and feet and then everything is tag tempo, so we tag off on ball carriers.”
Schiano said the Bucs have educated their players about the proper amount of contact that is allowed during the offseason, when players are allowed to wear helmets but no pads.
He said, “To say with 22 people on the field, they try to get out of the way when they tag off, do they sometimes run into each other? Yeah, it happens.
“But clearly in watching the training videos, I feel confident that we’re doing it the right way. I’m very big on (how) I expect them to do things on and off the field and it’s no different for me. There are rules set by the NFL and I’m expected to follow them and I do everything I can to.”
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NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NOTES, QUOTES
–Bucs backup safety Cody Grimm, arrested twice the past three months on public intoxication charges, said he made an “error in judgment,” but hopes he gets another chance.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes, and it won’t happen again, I promise you that,” Grimm said. “I know the way they do things around here, and it’s not the Buccaneer Way. I can’t change anything in the past, besides to learn and move forward.”
Grimm was arrested Sunday for public intoxication in Leesburg, Va., the second such incident in the past two months.
Grimm was arrested at a hotel around 5:30 a.m. while in the area for a wedding, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame lineman Russ Grimm.
Two months earlier, in Christianburg, Va., Grimm also was charged with public intoxication and received a deferred disposition, according to The Washington Post, which means the charges could be dropped if he met certain conditions.
“Our players know our expectations on and off the field and we take these matters very seriously,” Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano said. “When we feel we have obtained all the necessary information, we will act accordingly.”
Grimm, 26, came into the NFL in 2010 out of Virginia Tech and started nine games in his rookie season. He has 12 career starts and two interceptions.
–Bucs Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn said he and coach Greg Schiano had disagreements last season about what his playing weight should be. But Penn made it clear he’s in the best shape he’s been in a while, and Schiano said weight hasn’t been an issue in the past year, “He’s done everything we’ve asked,” Schiano said.
The only reason this came up was because Penn took to Twitter over Memorial Day weekend after taking exception to something written on PewterReport.com, that alleged Penn might be on the hot seat in 2013 because the Bucs have tired of him failing to meet weight clauses in his contract in 2012.
Penn regretted the way he angrily responded on Twitter, using a few expletives, but admitted such inaccurate reports “kind of stabbed me in the stomach.”
“I’ve been working hard this year, working hard this offseason,” Penn said. “Me and Schiano had a lot of talks last year about where he wanted my weight because we had a disagreement on where he wanted it, and where I thought I should be. And at the end of the day, that’s a battle I’m not going to win. And I bought in and have done everything they’ve asked me to. I’ve done everything (general manager) Mark (Dominik) has asked me to do since they’ve been here, starting last year. For that to come out after I’ve been doing everything that I’ve done, it really kind of stabbed me in the stomach, because it made me feel bad like, where did that come from? I know it didn’t come from the Bucs, because all I’ve been getting was praise.
“I came back on April 15 at my football weight. I haven’t done that, coming in April 15 for a while. I usually get down to it. For that stupid report to come out, it’s just I guess they’ve got nothing else to talk about.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “If you don’t experience a tornado, you really can’t understand it. It’s something you can hear about and wonder about, but it’s not fun to be around.” – Bucs DT Gerald McCoy, an Oklahoma City resident.
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NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (5)
–TE Dallas Clark proved he could stay injury free but doesn’t get the separation he once did. The Bucs have an interest but believe Clark will try to reunite with Peyton Manning in Denver.
–CB Brandon McDonald was pressed into service with the suspensions of Eric Wright and Aqib Talib but eventually lost playing time to younger players. No interest in re-signing.
–WR Roscoe Parrish came over from the Bills and did a decent, if unspectacular job, returning kicks. No interest in re-signing.
–WR Sammie Stroughter is a former seventh-round pick who has been injury prone. Bucs will try to upgrade, but with no slot receiver, he may receive some interest.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED
–CB Johnthan Banks (2/43): 4 yrs; terms unknown.
–DT Akeem Spence (4/100): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–DE William Gholston (4/126): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–DE Steven Means (5/147): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–RB Mike James (6/189): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
–LB Jacob Cutrera: Not tendered as RFA; terms unknown.
–LS Andrew Economos: UFA; terms unknown.
–QB Dan Orlovsky: FA had been released by Buccaneers; $905,000/1 yr, $65,000 SB/$365,000 guaranteed.
–DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim: RFA tendered at 1.323M with third-round pick as compensation); terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
–LB Jonathan Casillas: UFA Saints; $3M/1 yr.
–TE Tom Crabtree: Not tendered as RFA by Packers; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
–RB Jeff Demps (trade Patriots).
–S Dashon Goldson: UFA 49ers; $41.25M/5 yrs, $22M guaranteed.
–P Chas Henry: FA; terms unknown.
–DT Derek Landri: UFA Eagles; $2.75M/2 yrs, $1.25M guaranteed.
–RB Brian Leonard: UFA Bengals; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–TE Zach Miller: FA; terms unknown.
–WR Kevin Ogletree: UFA Cowboys; terms unknown.
–CB Darrelle Revis (trade Jets).
–WR Steve Smith: UFA Rams; $715,000/1 yr.
PLAYERS LOST
–G Roger Allen (released).
–WR Arrelious Benn (traded).
–DE Michael Bennett: UFA Seahawks; $4.8M/1 yr.
–CB E.J. Biggers: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.
–LB Quincy Black (released/failed physical).
–RB LeGarrette Blount: Potential RFA; $1.75M/1 yr, $350,000 reporting bonus; traded Patriots.
–G/T Derek Hardman (released).
–DT Corvey Irvin (released).
–DT Roy Miller: UFA Jaguars; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
–T Jeremy Trueblood: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.
–RB Danny Ware (released).
–S Ronde Barber (retired)
