Things happen fast during training camp.
On Wednesday, even before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers executed a single snap on the practice field, the camp news came fast and furious. Mike Williams signed a long extension. Close to 90 players ran through a conditioning test of 16 consecutive 110-yard dashes. Josh Freeman and Gerald McCoy took to the podium. Assistant coaches met with the media. Recovering players were cleared to practice. Michael Koenen got an NFI rating, Luke Stocker a PUP.
As Head Coach Greg Schiano said during a late-morning press conference, training camp is "a time that is solely dedicated to football." Even with the regular season still a month and a half away, now is the time when the news flow becomes serious. As a Bucs fan, you don't want to miss it.
How can you stay on top of it all? Certainly, outside sources are important, both national and local media. Buccaneers.com offers you a level of access you can't get anywhere else, and the team's Facebook friends certainly know how to share information. But if you want to make sure you don't miss a thing, you can't afford to ignore the Buccaneers’ official Twitter feed.
It goes without saying that Twitter has become an important method for the distribution of news. That certainly holds true for the Buccaneers, as more often than not time-sensitive developments hit Twitter moments before any other source. The team also uses Twitter to share the thoughts of players and coaches, announce roster moves and disseminate interesting statistical notes.
During the next three weeks, with many training camp practices open to the public and the roster constantly in flux, the Buccaneers' Twitter feed will be as invaluable as ever. As a Buc fan who wants the most up-to-date information, can you afford not to follow?
Again, there wasn't a single play on the practice field on Wednesday, and yet there was plenty to learn on Twitter from early in the morning to late in the day. Below is a sampling of some of the information you would have missed or had to wait to find out without access to the Buccaneers' Twitter feed. Some of it is breaking news, some is the unedited thoughts of players and coaches, some is specific team information that never makes it into a bigger story:
- TE Luke Stocker & DE Markus White placed on active/PUP list. Players on active lists count against the roster & can come off list any time.
- P Michael Koenen placed on active/non-football-injury list due to a cut on his foot recently suffered at the beach.
- Gerald McCoy calls rookie DT Akeem Spence a "mini-Hercules," saying Spence is "ridiculously strong."
- DC Bill Sheridan says Keith Tandy, who converted to safety last year, will get a shot to play as the extra DB in nickel packages.
- RB Coach Earnest Byner say Peyton Hillis will be asked to learn both the tailback & fullback positions, then his role will develop.
- It has not yet been decided if Darrelle Revis will play in preseason games. Coach Schiano thinks Revis will WANT to play.
- CB Darrelle Revis will be doing some drills in practice tomorrow but won't do everything. Revis will "play his way" back into full partic.
- HC Greg Schiano says the team's conditioning test went well. Everyone who was cleared to start camp passed the test.
- Mike Williams just enthusiastically called himself a "Buc for life."
- Mike Williams' 23 touchdown catches from 2010-12 are the most ever for a Buc in his 1st three seasons.
- Great news for Mike Williams as he begins his 4th Bucs camp: He has signed a new six-year deal that goes through the 2018 season.
- Well, training camp is officially underway. The 1st shuttle from the team hotel just arrived, with WR Eric Page 1st out the door
