-Every year, the Buccaneers' rookie class takes a visit to MacDill Air Force Base to meet with military members and their families. This year, they toured U.S. Central Command, which represents all five branches of military and monitors operations in what's known as the 'Central Region,' encompassing the Middle East as well as parts of Eastern and Southern Asia. They also got a taser and K-9 demonstration.
Then it was off to the fire station that services the entire base. Players got to try out the hoses and linebacker Devin White had some fun on the fire truck ladder.
The rookies were also able to meet with service men and women who work on the base. They signed autographs and raffled off autographed footballs and a VIP package to a Bucs game this season. It was in partnership with USAA and continued to strengthen the Buccaneers' ties to the military community in Tampa Bay.
-Wide receiver Mike Evans hosted his Celebrity Golf Outing on Friday, benefitting his Mike Evans Family Foundation. He and his wife, Ashli, kick started the morning by donating $25,000 to the University of South Florida for a need-based scholarship fund to go towards students in need of financial assistance. The Mike Evans Family Foundation was also presented with a $10,000 matching grant from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Social Justice Fund.
For more on the morning, click here.
-Scott Smith received a question about linebacker Lavonte David in this week's mailbag and offered up a bold prediction for David's 2019 season. With the switch in defensive scheme to a 3-4 versus a 4-3 base, David is now classified as an inside linebacker, where he was an outside linebacker before. With the emphasis placed on the linebackers in Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles' system, David could get a few more accolades this year.
Check out what kind of accolades Scott is predicting.
-We learned quite a few things this offseason during OTAs and mandatory mini-camp. I've been dissecting certain topics over the past few days and most recently, took a look at the Bucs' tight end situation. With two well-rounded tight ends like O.J. Howard and Cam Brate on the roster, the possibilities for the offense have opened up. It's hard enough finding one of those players in the league and the Bucs have two. The mismatches they can create should be fun to watch.
-The Buccaneers have ramped up their Wallpaper Wednesdays again and are doing a player-driven series. This week's fire for your phone is a portrait of first-round pick Devin White and what else? His horse. If you want to seriously up your phone game, check out the link below.
-The rookies were busy this week and found time on Thursday night to support Rays Baseball. First-round pick Devin White threw out the first pitch and let's just say he should probably stick to football.
