"Some fans might be surprised to hear who one of the standout players has been"

Bucs Notes: Bowers impressive in first week Published: July 31, 2014TAMPA — The Buccaneers wrapped up their first full week of training camp workouts Thursday, and some fans might be surprised to hear who one of the standout players has been.While most of the talk has been about some of the players working alongside of him on the defensive line, Da’Quan Bowers quietly has made a favorable impression on coach Lovie Smith.“Da’Quan Bowers has been criticized around here a little bit, but I’ve been pretty pleased with what he’s done on the football field,” Smith said Thursday after the Bucs completed their fourth full-padded workout of camp. “Every day that I’ve been the head coach here with him he’s done some pretty good things, and he’s especially done some good things as a pass rusher inside (on passing downs) and outside on first down.” Whether it has been due to injuries or poor conditioning, Bowers has struggled to play up to the expectations that were placed on him after he was drafted in the second round (51st overall) out of Clemson in 2011.GM Jason Licht acknowledged as much before the start of camp, saying Bowers might have to prove he can be an impact player to make the team. So far, Smith said, Bowers has proved to be effectively versatile.“He could help us quite a bit because, as a general rule, we’ll (dress) three (defensive tackles) and three ends (on game days) and we’ll want our seventh (defensive lineman) to be able to play both inside and out,” Smith said.“And that’s what you have in Da’Quan. He’s right in between — big enough to rush inside on third downs and a good anchor outside on first down. So he gives us some flexibility. And I know he’s been injured a lot, but he hasn’t missed a beat since I’ve been here.”Roy Cummings