TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held their first of eight ‘Organized Team Activities’ or voluntary practices. Usually, a handful of veterans are not in attendance, and that was the case on Tuesday.
However, quarterback Baker Mayfield was on the field, leading by example and in the huddle. Second-year center Graham Barton took a moment to look back on how much he’s improved from this time last year.
WATCH: Bucs hold first voluntary ‘Organized Team Activities’ practice
“Last night I went and watched OTA 1 from last year, just buzzed through a few clips just to see how much improvement there’s been,” Barton said. “It was a good feeling coming out here much more comfortable in this system.”
“Off the bat, it’s new energy,” cornerback Zyon McCollum said. “In the room, you can just feel it. The intensity is just starting to rise up. It’s good. To embrace it as a room, come together, everybody is fighting to be at that next level.”
The Bucs finished 10-7 last season and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Washington.
McCollum knows that the “next level” can only happen if the defense can stop up and maybe intercept a few more passes after picking off only seven last year.
“We know the offense is a top-tier offense and they put up a lot of points,” McCollum said. “Us as a defense being really hard on ourselves, if we can stop the offense from scoring seven or 14 more points, we win the Super Bowl. That’s the attitude we have. We have to come together and step to make this team one solid unit for years to come.”
The Bucs will have their third offensive coordinator in three seasons with Josh Grizzard taking over the role. He was with Tampa Bay last season as a passing game coordinator.
“The ground rules are the same,” Barton said. “The same fundamentals and what the offense is built on, with pre-snap motion, and how we attack defenses. I’d say it’s similar, but every year there is change.”
The Bucs will have continuity for an offense that ranked in the top five last season.
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