Pictures from the Bucs' training camp practice on Satuday.
83 WR Vincent Jackson
89 WR Russell Shepard
26 CB Josh Robinson
90 DE Kourtnei Brown
Bucs Training Camp
83 WR Vincent Jackson
Bucs Training Camp
3 QB Jameis Winston
87 TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Bucs Training Camp
36 RB Storm Johnson
Bucs Training Camp
84 TE Cameron Brate
37 S Keith Tandy
58 LB Kwon Alexander
Bucs Training Camp
3 QB Jameis Winston
Bucs Training Camp
93 DT Gerald McCoy
58 LB Kwon Alexander
80 WR Kenny Bell
93 DT Gerald McCoy and #98 DT Clinton McDonald
25 RB Mike James
91 Robert Ayers and #70 DT A.J. Francis
Special Teams Coordinator Nate Kaczor
58 Kwon Alexander, #51 LB Daryl Smith, and #54 LB Lavonte David
83 WR Vincent Jackson, #13 WR Mike Evans, and #11 WR Adam Humphries
83 WR Vincent Jackson, #13 WR Mike Evans, and #11 WR Adam Humphries
11 WR Adam Humphries
22 RB Doug Martin
22 RB Doug Martin
Bucs Training Camp
30 S Bradley McDougald
22 RB Doug Martin
50 LB Josh Keyes
25 RB Mike James
GM Jason Licht
22 RB Doug Martin and #58 LB Kwon Alexander
Bucs Training Camp
56 DE Jacquies Smith
Bucs Training Camp
Bucs Training Camp
Bucs Training Camp
3 QB Jameis Winston
67 T Kelby Johnson
22 RB Doug Martin
98 DT Clinton McDonald
8 QB Mike Glennon
46 TE Kivon Cartwright
58 LB Kwon Alexander and DC Mike Smith
3 QB Jameis Winston
3 QB Jameis Winston
11 WR Adam Humphries
Bucs Training Camp
3 QB Jameis Winston
22 RB Doug Martin
4 QB Ryan Griffin
Bucs Training Camp
3 QB Jameis Winston
95 DE Howard Jones
98 DT Clinton McDonald
Bucs Training Camp
Bucs Training Camp
79 DT Travis Britz
64 T Kevin Pamphile
64 T Kevin Pamphile
60 OL Joel Hale
3 QB Jameis Winston
96 DE Cliff Matthews
69 T Demar Dotson
43 RB Peyton Barber
84 TE Cameron Brate
17 WR Donteea Dye
8 QB Mike Glennon
Bucs Training Camp
Bucs Training Camp
Quarterbacks Coach Mike Bajakian and #3 QB Jameis Winston
HC Dirk Koetter and Team
Bucs Training Camp
HC Dirk Koetter
Of the 18 different players who caught a pass for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Thursday's preseason opener in Philadelphia, five were running backs. In fact, every tailback who was active for the contest (number-two back Charles Sims was out with a minor injury) was targeted at least once by Tampa Bay quarterbacks.
Rookie Russell Hansbrough tied for the team lead with three catches on Thursday, which he turned into 24 yards as the Bucs mounted several decent fourth-quarter drives in an ultimately unsuccessful comeback bid. Rookie Peyton Barber and second-year man Storm Johnson had two grabs each, while veterans Doug Martin and Mike James caught one apiece. In all, those five accounted for 119 of the Buccaneers' 328 passing yards.
Preseason games are not necessarily indicative of the choices a team is going to make in the regular season, and one might expect the vanilla game plans of August to include plenty of check-downs. However, the attention Buccaneer quarterbacks paid to their running backs on Thursday is not likely to be a fluke. Martin and Sims combined for 84 receptions in 2015, with Dirk Koetter at the helm of the offense, and there's a good chance those numbers go up in 2016.
WATCH: SATURDAY'S PRESS CONFERENCES
"We personally don't even like to look for backs that can't catch or don't catch well," said Koetter, now the Bucs' head coach but still the play-caller on game day. "I think catching is something that can be improved. I know that's something Doug works on very hard and in Charles Sims we have a guy that's got excellent hands. We're going to throw the ball to our running backs."
On the Thursday-night drive that ended in Jameis Winston's 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Russell Shepard, the Bucs' starting quarterback got another 26 yards on a much shorter pass. This one was swung out to James on the right side, and the fourth-year back dashed all the way down to the Philadelphia 26 to set up the score.
That was a pleasant development for Winston, not to mention a potentially positive sign for Tampa Bay's defense.
"Well if you look at our practice film, our defense was shutting down our screens all the time," he said. "But we were very happy how our screens had success in the game."
James's big play could help in the crowded battle for the Bucs' third tailback spot, but his competitors had their moments as well on Thursday night. During the regular season, barring injury, most of the work out of the backfield will go to Martin and Sims, no matter who wins that third spot. Those two formed the most prolific tandem of backs in terms of yards from scrimmage in the NFL last year, and the Bucs think they can get even more out of them in 2016. That "more" may come largely in the passing attack.
