-It was the first of two joint practices with the Miami Dolphins ahead of their Week 2 preseason contest at Raymond James Stadium on Friday. The Bucs and Dolphins split the three practice fields outside before weather forced the two teams inside the indoor facility to finish out practice.
-The tight ends had a lot of success in one-on-one drills against Miami defensive backs. It's hard to deal with a guy like O.J. Howard who Is not only big and physical, but fast with great hands.
-Another player who had success against Miami DBs was wide receiver Mike Evans, who had two tough catches over cornerback Xavien Howard of the Dolphins. That man has a family, Mike.
-On the other field, the Bucs' defensive line was going one-on-one with the Dolphins' offensive line and things were getting physical between the trench dwellers. At one point, it looked like things might get a little chippy but Bucs Head Coach Bruce Arians was very clear about the no fighting rule when he spoke yesterday after the Bucs' solo practice.
-In the first opportunity we got to see the Bucs' defense against the Miami offense, it was clear that the Bucs had their number in the run game. Bucs linebackers, especially, were doing a great job getting into the backfield and penetrating.
-Former Dolphin defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh at one point broke through the line so easily and effortlessly tossed his blocker to the ground as he made his way toward quarterback Josh Rosen at the time.
-Bucs defensive backs were playing physically, too. Safety Jordan Whitehead did a good job getting into the backfield to make first contact with Miami's running back. It slowed him up enough for Whitehead's teammates to stop him at the line, resulting in a tackle for loss.
-During the seven-on-seven period, Miami cornerback Jomal Wiltz was all over Mike Evans but Evans managed to wrestle the ball away on a throw from Winston. It was such a good catch that Wiltz himself gave Evans a little tap of acknowledgment as they were trotting back to their positions.
-The Miami 2s had no answer for tight end Tanner Hudson underneath in seven-on-seven drills. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert made the wide-open throw and Hudson had room to run after the catch.
-Wide receiver Justin Watson had a great sideline catch from Gabbert in seven-on-seven, managing to get both feet in bounds before his defender forced him out to the cheers of the crowd.
-Rookie receiver Anthony Johnson was the recipient of a beautiful long ball from Gabbert in seven-on-seven. Johnson was able to get separation from his defender down the right sideline and Gabbert let it loose for Johnson to make the grab.
-In full-team drills, Winston was able to find running back Peyton Barber for the checkdown pass in the middle of the field underneath. Barber was then able to fight for a few more yards after the catch and contact, for that matter.
-Barber got another shot on the next play, this time on a handoff. He fought his way through an outside gap as he got through to the sideline and picked up a first down.
-Linebacker Kevin Minter would have had another 'sack' in the same period as both Bucs' linebackers came in on a blitz of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
-Miami completed a pass to wide receiver Isaiah Ford but cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was right there to deliver a big hit and knock the receiver out of bounds.
-Another big hit came from safety Jordan Whitehead as he came downhill on a run play. Met the Miami running back behind the line in a red zone situation.
-In the first play of a two-minute drill, defensive lineman Will Gholston stuck his hand up and batted down a pass attempt from Fitzpatrick.
-In the same two-minute drill linebacker Deone Bucannon had a couple close calls with the ball, nearly getting a pick in the process. He just missed the pass breakup on first down then on the next play, got a hand on it and nearly held on. Buc wasn't happy he didn't get one of those.
-White has been working on getting more comfortable in coverage and as the Dolphins were pushing down the field in the two-minute drills, White was able to keep pace with running back Kallen Ballage and prevent him from completing a pass thrown his way from Fitzpatrick.
-The Bucs first-team defense ended up holding the Miami offense to a field goal.
-When it was the 2s turn – the Bucs' defense forced a three-and-out behind a third-down sack by outside linebacker Demone Harris.
-Practice was moved indoors and each team had a period of practicing two-point plays. Miami's first-team offense went 0-for-3 on attempts behind pass breakups by cornerbacks M.J. Stewart and Vernon Hargreaves. The last attempt came on a quick pitch to wide receiver Allen Hurns who was stopped short of the goal line by both Bucannon and outside linebacker Noah Spence.
-Conversely, the Bucs' first-team offense went two-for-three. The first attempt was successful on a pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin in the left corner of the end zone. The next came on a pass to the same spot but this time it was tight end O.J. Howard who made the grab.
-When it was the Bucs' second-team offense's chance, running back Dare Ogunbowale essentially just lowered his shoulder on a handoff from Gabbert and powered through to get the score. The next attempt was a pass from Gabbert to running back Andre Ellington on the run in the end zone.
THE BEST THING I SAW:
- Rookie linebacker Devin White continued getting through the Dolphins' offensive line when he got a 'sack' on Fitzpatrick in a third-down and three situation. Got right through and the play was blown dead but not before White got a playful tap in on the quarterback.
