The Bucs will have a new location for training camp this summer, but your online destination remains the same
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new home for training camp this summer. For Buccaneers fans looking to follow that camp online, however, the destination remains the same.
As is our summer custom, Buccaneers.com has prepared a special Training Camp section that will cover the next three weeks at One Buccaneer Place night and day, wall to wall. Whether you're looking for practice times, directions, the latest news, video updates or inside notes, your first destination for Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp should be here at Buccaneers.com.
Training camp opens on Friday, when 80 players will report to One Buccaneer Place in the afternoon. Our camp coverage will begin the same day, including Friday press conferences featuring Head Coach Raheem Morris and veterans Chris Hovan and Jeff Faine. And it will stretch until Wednesday, August 19, when camp breaks after three very formative weeks.
The Buccaneers.com Training Camp section has always been exhaustive in its coverage of camp, but the bar will be raised again in 2009, especially in terms of video content.
Buccaneers Insider is back, of course, but this year our video section will include a series of more in-depth look into some of the most intriguing elements of camp life. This summer, we're aiming to take you behind the scenes, inside the huddle and beyond the Xs and Os.
Here's a look at some of the other elements you can expect to find in our special 2008 Training Camp section when it launches on Friday.
Daily News: As always, Buccaneers.com will provide constantly updated written coverage of all the happenings from the practice field, the training room, the coaches' offices and the personnel department. In addition to breaking news, we'll introduce you to many of the team's newcomers, rising stars and surprise performers through daily feature stories.
Camp Schedule: Training camp is a special part of the Buccaneers' season because, unlike the rest of the year, all practices are open to the public (and free!). Moreover, the Bucs have moved back home after seven years at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, giving the team a better opportunity to connect with local fans. Buccaneers.com wants to make sure you know when to be there. You will find an updated and detailed practice schedule in our camp section at all times, and you'll also be alerted when there are any changes to the schedule due to inclement weather. Buccaneers.com will have any schedule changes first.
Practice Photos: If you can't make it out to One Buc Place but enjoy seeing the Bucs in action on the practice field, our daily photo galleries will help you get your fix. An extensive collection of photos from the sideline – where only Buccaneers.com photographers have full access – will be posted not long after each practice during camp.
Quick Hits: Buccaneers.com reporters will be on the sideline of each and every practice at training camp. Shortly after the end of each practice, you'll find a new entry in our Quick Hits section, in brief, bullet-point fashion, that will help you keep up to date on injured players, camp standouts, drill descriptions and other observations directly from the sidelines.
From the Training Room: Minor ailments are an inescapable part of training camp, and it's always good to know who's on the field and who isn't from day to day. Our daily training room update will give you a brief look at which players are missing time due to injuries.
Camp Code: Ever wondered what the coaches mean when they yell, "7 on 7!" midway through practice? Or what the team's video staff means by "intercuts?" Or what the difference is between an X, a Y and a Z receiver? That's the job of Camp Code, a new feature from 2008 that returns in 2009 to break down the code of a new coaching staff. Camp Code will help you understand some of the lingo that makes up the often inscrutable conversations on the football field.
Around the NFL: Of course, Tampa Bay isn't the only team sequestering itself for three weeks in an isolated location this summer. Training camp is the unofficial kickoff to another NFL season, and every team will be immersed in two-a-days by late July. We'll help you keep up-to-date with all that is going on around the league with a daily list of links to stories on other NFL team web sites.
Buccaneers.com is committed to bringing you all the sights and sounds – as well as breaking news and insider access – of the team's first-ever training camp at new One Buccaneer Place. Training Camp '09 opens Friday; Buccaneers.com will be there.
