-Lombardi Lenny is a Writer Now… that's what the Players' Tribune latest feature says, anyway. Call him Literary Lenny and he's apparently coming for my job as he opens up about what this past season was like in Tampa and how much realizing his dream of a Super Bowl meant to him.
"But here's what I do know: People always say that it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey.
I feel that now more than ever.
And since we got the job done and got that ring, that's all I think about. Not the game itself. Not anything that happened on the field. I think about the journey. Everything I've been through. Everything we've been through. And the joy that we took, as a team, in the whole process. Because that's what got us here.
That's why we're world champs."
Couldn't have written it better myself, Leonard. See the full feature here:
-The Buccaneers are hosting their third annual Girls Flag Football Preseason Classic, which is the largest sanctioned girls flag football tournament in the nation. Usually held at AdventHealth Training Center, this year's event was moved offsite due to COVID-19 concerns. It didn't stop over 1,200 athletes from over 50 teams and representing 13 different counties in Florida from participating, though.
Mayor Jane Castor was on hand to help kick things off along with Buccaneers Co-Owner and President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar.
"The only thing that you need to ensure that you build up is that belief in yourself and that confidence that you can do anything," said Mayor Castor. "Do you think the coaches here when they grew up watching football on TV that they ever thought they would have an opportunity to coach NFL team? They didn't know that because they didn't see it, they didn't see any women standing on the sidelines but now you get to see them standing on the sidelines, you get to see them as coaches in the NFL and you can be the first players in the NFL, if that's what your dream is and you're committed to work hard enough to get there."
To read more about the tournament and all of the ways the Buccaneers are helping to create opportunities for girls and women at all levels of football, click here.
-The Women’s Careers in Football Forum was held for the fifth consecutive year this week. The event is normally held at the NFL Combine but this year, was held virtually, and included some incredible guest speakers from all over the league. Among them were both Locust and Javadifar, who spoke on panels. Head Coach Bruce Arians, General Manager Jason Licht and Glazer Kassewitz made up a panel of their own talking about how the Buccaneers were built. During the discussion, both Arians and Licht asked for resumes from the 40 female participants, who are already working in sports in some capacity and looking to make the jump to the league level. The Forum has provided 118 opportunities with NFL clubs since its inception.
-Rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was fined $7,815 for giving Kansas City's Tyreek Hill the now-infamous peace sign in what may be the most memorable moment of Super Bowl LV. That in itself was worth it for some harmless competition, but now Winfield is taking it a step further to ensure it becomes a positive.
After he was fined, many fans reached out wanting to pay the fine for him. Winfield wouldn't let them and not only paid it but is also matching it as a donation to the Buccaneers Youth Leadership Program at Young Middle Magnet School. Winfield has been and continues to be involved with the program as a player mentor. His contribution was then matched by the Buccaneers Foundation for a total of over $15,000 going toward the school and its students.
You can still donate, too. See the full article for more information.
-We started a new series that gives you a position-by-position breakdown of the Bucs. It includes a 2020 evaluation, look toward free agency and what the Bucs draft needs could be for the unit come 2021. First up was quarterbacks and the latest is below.
Bucs Tweet of the Day:
