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The Bucs practiced outside at the AdventHealth Training Center on Friday morning. It was the perfect day to take in weather-wise, as there was a consistent light breeze and the temperature hovered around the low 80s. There was a heavy crowd, as it was open to the public and also legends day with over 40 former players in attendance.

As was the case on Thursday, Friday was a session with a lot of give and take between the offense and defense, but the latter really stood out to close things out as defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches had would-be sacks. Then to end practice, cornerback Zyon McCollum made an impressive interception covering wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Adam Slivon and Leah Vrabec were in attendance on Friday at One Buc Place. Here were the big observations and takeaways from day eight of camp.

Bucs Defense Sets The Tone As Front Seven And Secondary Play Off Each Other

What happened in the second half of Friday’s Bucs practice is what head coach Todd Bowles wants to see from his defense every day throughout the season. It was a day where plenty of defensive players stood out along the front seven and secondary.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A’Shawn Robinson has settled in nicely as a leader along the defense. Up the middle, Robinson had two would-be sacks. One was an instance where the coverage held up long enough for him to be the first one to the quarterback and had another one where he bulldozed by the interior offensive line.

He was not the only player who was part of the sack party, though.

Rakeem Nunez-Roches, David Walker, Jack Pyburn, Yasir Holmes, Alex Anzalone, and Josiah Trotter all had would-be sacks during practice.

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches and G Dan Feeney – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not only were the sacks plentiful, but they were paired with several takeaways.

Cornerbacks Josh Hayes and Zyon McCollum each had interceptions. Hayes has had an up-and-down camp, but he made a big interception off Jake Browning in what was a tip drill. After inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom deflected the ball up in the air, the reserve cornerback was able to come down with it in the end zone during red zone drills and had a clear path to the opposite end zone.

As alluded to above, McCollum’s pick was one of the biggest moments of the day as he continues to try putting last season’s struggles behind him. His aggressiveness around the football has improved, as he leads the team with three interceptions and would have had a fourth interception on Thursday had he come down with it.

Other defensive players that stood out during practice included defensive tackle Elijah Roberts and cornerback Ayden Garnes. Roberts has come on strong in recent days not only as a pass rusher but also in deflecting a pass at the line of scrimmage. While Garnes did not come away with an interception, he had a sensational pass breakup where he kept stride with Emeka Egbuka and used his hand to bat away a deep ball thrown by Baker Mayfield.

The increased intensity on the defensive side of the football has been evident, and it was Robinson’s turn to discuss what kind of energy he’s seen on that side of the football two weeks into camp.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Brings tenacity, brings that fight, that will, that juice, that hunger,” Robinson said about what the heightened energy to practice has brought. “Brings that flow to practice, rises that level of competition, brings everybody in. Makes everybody want it more. not just for themselves, but for the group. For the offense, for the defense.

“That brotherhood, doing that, being combative, brings nothing but greatness. That’s all I try to do is make it as tough as I can because I’m going to talk trash every single play. That’s just who I am. Good or bad, I’m going to talk trash.”

Mission accomplished so far.

Bucs Host Legends Day Featuring Notable Names Of Team’s Past

Outside of the Bucs defense standing out and drawing much of the headlines, Friday was also Bucs Legends Day. Among the players in attendance, Pewter Report caught up with former Pro Bowl center Tony Mayberry and cornerback Donnie Abraham.

When it came time to shoot our Pewter Report quick practice recap, Abraham walked by and made a cameo.

Abraham was a third-round pick by the team in 1996 and recorded 31 interceptions across his six seasons in Tampa Bay. Scott Reynolds pointed out to ‘The Iceman” that he sees a lot of similarities between his play in the late 1990s and early 2000s to undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes. Abraham came away impressed in watching the defense out there.

Other Observations And Takeaways From Day 8 Of Bucs Camp

• There was a long list of Bucs players who did not practice on Friday. Running back Kenny Gainwell had a personal day, while the wide receiver room was without Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and David Sills V. In addition, rookie guard Billy Schrauth will miss a few days, according to Todd Bowles. Tampa Bay was also missing left tackle Tristan Wirfs, defensive tackle Vita Vea, and cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

• Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson was not out there calling plays, as he also had a personal day. Instead, pass game coordinator T.J. Yates was the offensive play-caller, while quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer was seen walking around and directing more, too.

• When it came to the offense, they started off hot but by the end of the day cooled off. Two players who stood out on that side of the ball were wide receiver Dean Patterson IV and tight end Cade Otton.

Patterson made a nice, leaping catch in the back of the end zone during red zone work, while Otton was featured the most prominently, he has been all camp. It was an instance where without several wide receivers, there were more opportunities for the backups and for the tight ends to be utilized.

• Throughout camp, Pewter Report has been updating everyone about outside linebacker David Walker’s sack streak. While it appeared that it came to an end on Friday, we have heard otherwise. Team sources and Walker himself confirmed that he did record a sack for the eighth practice in a row. He has been a pass-rushing menace this summer, with Bowles stating after practice that he will see a lot of playing time when they head to New Jersey to take on the Jets for joint practices and the preseason opener.

Stay tuned to PewterReport.com over the weekend as we will share what Walker had to say in the second installment of his Camp Diary series.

Pewter Report Recaps Today’s Bucs Camp Practice On The Pewter Report Podcast

Join Scott Reynolds and Adam Slivon break down all of the action from Tampa Bay’s Friday practice at 4:00 p.m. ET on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel for Friday’s Pewter Report Podcast.