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The Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off at Raymond James Stadium in their first preseason matchup of the year. The teams met on Thursday for a joint practice that saw a couple of skirmishes ahead of the game, but everything ended amicably.
Ahead of the game tonight, Titans Wire sat down with Buccaneers Wire editor Andrew Harbaugh to get a feel for what to expect from our opponents today.
Baker Mayfield should see at least the first series, we would imagine. Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan could play significant time with veterans like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. not playing for one reason or another. On defense, Haason Reddick could see some playing time just to keep him from losing as the team took a small gamble paying him in free agency during the offseason. Outside of that, they are already fighting the injury bug, so look for them to be hesitant to give too much playing time to starters.
I do not foresee it outside of Baker Mayfield using it as motivation because we are talking about the same player who unleashed the proverbial kraken on Kansas in college due to a poor handshake pre-game. The only thing I personally am interested in seeing is how Cody Mauch and Jeffrey Simmons respond if they match up again. That clip has gone viral, and Simmons has to know it at this point. Seeing if any retaliatory actions happen, not in a dirty sense but from the standpoint of redeeming himself, is a must-watch.
Emeka Egbuka has delivered in every sense of the word since stepping foot in Tampa Bay. The veterans, led by Baker Mayfield, cannot stop singing his praises, and the social media team is getting a lot of use out of his acrobatic catches he is making. He was seen by many as the safest pick among wide receivers in April's draft, and so far, he has proven that with his technical route running and body control.
The offensive line is a bit of a hot mess, if we are being honest. They have used about three or four different group lineups, including moving center Graham Barton to left tackle in one case. Charlie Heck was signed during the offseason, and folks are singing his praises so far, but we have yet to see it parlay into anything in-game.
Benjamin Morrison has bounced back seamlessly from a hip injury that made him fall out of round one. Everything coming out of camp indicates he is playing like his usual self, but there is no telling how much we will see of him against the Titans. Jacob Parrish is competing with Christian Izien for the starting nickel job, but Todd Bowles said this week, "I have not had to say his name a lot," indicating he is doing a lot well. As for Walker and Roberts, the Central Arkansas edge rusher is sadly already out for the year with a torn ACL, but Roberts has impressed early on in camp since moving inside from playing edge in college.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Preseason week 1 Q&A with Buccaneers Wire
Continue reading...
Ahead of the game tonight, Titans Wire sat down with Buccaneers Wire editor Andrew Harbaugh to get a feel for what to expect from our opponents today.
Will we see any starters on Saturday? If so, which ones and how much are they expected to play?
Baker Mayfield should see at least the first series, we would imagine. Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan could play significant time with veterans like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. not playing for one reason or another. On defense, Haason Reddick could see some playing time just to keep him from losing as the team took a small gamble paying him in free agency during the offseason. Outside of that, they are already fighting the injury bug, so look for them to be hesitant to give too much playing time to starters.
Is there any lingering animosity from the joint practice skirmish? How will that impact their play on the field?
I do not foresee it outside of Baker Mayfield using it as motivation because we are talking about the same player who unleashed the proverbial kraken on Kansas in college due to a poor handshake pre-game. The only thing I personally am interested in seeing is how Cody Mauch and Jeffrey Simmons respond if they match up again. That clip has gone viral, and Simmons has to know it at this point. Seeing if any retaliatory actions happen, not in a dirty sense but from the standpoint of redeeming himself, is a must-watch.
How is Emeka Egbuka adjusting to the NFL? Will he play on Saturday? How much?
Emeka Egbuka has delivered in every sense of the word since stepping foot in Tampa Bay. The veterans, led by Baker Mayfield, cannot stop singing his praises, and the social media team is getting a lot of use out of his acrobatic catches he is making. He was seen by many as the safest pick among wide receivers in April's draft, and so far, he has proven that with his technical route running and body control.
Tristan Wirfs isn't playing. How does his absence impact the offense?
The offensive line is a bit of a hot mess, if we are being honest. They have used about three or four different group lineups, including moving center Graham Barton to left tackle in one case. Charlie Heck was signed during the offseason, and folks are singing his praises so far, but we have yet to see it parlay into anything in-game.
Four of the Bucs' draft picks were defensive players. How are Morrison, Parrish, Walker, and Roberts developing? Will they see action on Saturday?
Benjamin Morrison has bounced back seamlessly from a hip injury that made him fall out of round one. Everything coming out of camp indicates he is playing like his usual self, but there is no telling how much we will see of him against the Titans. Jacob Parrish is competing with Christian Izien for the starting nickel job, but Todd Bowles said this week, "I have not had to say his name a lot," indicating he is doing a lot well. As for Walker and Roberts, the Central Arkansas edge rusher is sadly already out for the year with a torn ACL, but Roberts has impressed early on in camp since moving inside from playing edge in college.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Preseason week 1 Q&A with Buccaneers Wire
Continue reading...
