FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• WORST BUCS ROOKIE MINI-CAMP FIRST IMPRESSIONS: In Fab 4 I listed the five standouts from my 24 years of covering the Buccaneers’ rookie mini-camps. Now it’s time to do the exact opposite. There were three players that really stood out to me from a negative standpoint when watching Tampa Bay’s rookie mini-camps over the years.

The first was wide receiver Marquise Walker and Travis Stephens, who were the first two picks of the Jon Gruden era in Tampa Bay in 2002. Walker, a big wide receiver from Michigan, was a third-round pick in a year that the Bucs didn’t have a first- and second-round pick due to the trade for Gruden.

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden – Photo by: Getty Images

Walker was slow, lazy, was inconsistent catching the ball and lacked a strong football I.Q. I remember him getting yelled at by Gruden the entire rookie camp for not being prepared. Walker, who was drafted by general manager Rich McKay, never played a down for the Buccaneers and was placed on injured reserve during his rookie season. He was traded to Arizona the next year for running back Thomas Jones and flamed out of the league a year later.

Stephens was also a McKay draft pick, and one that Gruden didn’t want. Gruden wanted a Charlie Garner-type running back that could catch the ball out of the backfield. He initially wanted Villanova running back Brian Westbrook in the third round, but McKay drafted Walker instead. So with Gruden clamoring for a running back to pair with the newly signed Michael Pittman, McKay drafted Stephens out of Tennessee in the fourth round.

Stephens had lit up Florida, which was Tim Ruskell’s alma mater, for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries (11.9 avg.) during his senior year and that played a big role in Tampa Bay drafting Stephens. Ruskell, the team’s director of college scouting from 1992-2000 and director of player personnel from 2001-03, loved his Gators, evidenced by the drafting of Florida running back Errict Rhett (1994), offensive tackle Jason Odom (1996), wide receivers Reidel Anthony (1997) and Jacquez Green (1998) and offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker (2001) over the years.

The problem with Stephens is that he couldn’t catch the ball. He had 27 catches in four years at Tennessee and that ticked off Gruden. Stephens was placed on injured reserve as a rookie, and during the 2003 offseason before he was released, I saw him catching passes from quarterback Jim Miller, whom the Bucs signed in the spring and was recovering from shoulder injury. Miller and Stephens were playing catch from 10 yards away and Stephens dropped about one third of the throws.

I’m not kidding. It was embarrassing.

Miller was trying to put some zip on the ball, but was clearly laboring due to his shoulder injury. Stephens wasn’t running any routes. He was a stationary target standing 10 yards away from Miller – and he still couldn’t catch the ball consistently. I remember looking over at Gruden, who was walking by the practice field and seeing him just shake his head in disbelief – or disgust.

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The third was wide receiver Dexter Jackson, the team’s second-round pick from Appalachian State in 2008. Jackson wore gold cleats to practice and was constantly the last one out of the locker room to take the field during the mini-camp, which was a troubling sign right from the start. Gruden yelled at him the entire mini-camp.

The Bucs were desperate for a speed receiver and drafting Jackson in the second round was a huge reach. Jackson was fast, but didn’t love football and was a coward on punt returns, and I nicknamed him “Slip and Slide” because as soon as he caught the ball he would fall down or slide down to avoid getting hit. He didn’t catch a single pass in his lone season in Tampa Bay. The Bucs cut him and he never played in the NFL again.

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• SPYTEK’S CONNECTION TO BRADY: While Bucs general manager Jason Licht has a connection to quarterback Tom Brady dating back to his days as a college scout in 2000, which was the year New England drafted Brady, along with six years in the Patriots organization in the personnel department, Tampa Bay director of player personnel John Spytek also has an interesting connection to Brady.

“When I was at Michigan, Tom was a fifth-year senior while I was a freshman and I practiced against him every day on the scout team, getting my ass kicked by Steve Hutchinson and Jeff Backus – being humbled on a daily basis,” said Spytek, who played linebacker at Michigan from 1999-2002. “Since then I have not really stayed in touch with him other than through my other friends like Aaron Shea, who I played with and was working with in Cleveland. Tom was doing his thing, and I was on the field against him a few times in Denver and we had some great games against him, but I try not to bother those guys before or after because those were some pretty big games. I look forward to reconnecting with him a little bit when we all get back in the building together.

Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I’ve had a lot of people ask me what part did I play and what part did my relationship with Tom play in getting him here, and it was zero. Other than I watched film on him and have watched film on him for years to the point where I told Jason, ‘Yeah, I think he can still play.’ It’s fun having another Wolverine in the building. I’ve been trying to get another Wolverine down here for years – at least I have Goody (run game coordinator Harold Goodwin) and [linebackers coach Larry] Foote in the building, too. I have some brotherhood down here to help me take some of the bullets when we get beat by Ohio State every year.”

• NEW PEWTER NATION PODCAST COMING FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The PR staff will be taping another Pewter Nation Podcast on Friday, but if you didn’t get a chance to listen to last week’s episode be sure to check it out. Pewter Reporters Mark Cook, Matt Matera, Taylor Jenkins, Jon Ledyard and yours truly discussed the Bucs’ 2020 schedule and offered up our analysis and the chances of Tampa Bay prevailing in each game. Some of the records we forecasted might surprise you! Give it a listen!

Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 191: Bucs Schedule Breakdown

Cook, Matera, Jenkins and yours truly recorded a post-draft episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast on Wednesday, April 28 where we discussed the Bucs’ 2020 draft class and also about Jameis Winston landing with the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints. Make sure to give this one a listen, too!

Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 190: Bucs Draft Recap; Winston A Saint

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than right now or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be recorded Friday, followed by another one next week. Stay tuned!

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• BRADY’S PASSING PROFICIENCY: Just how proficient of a passer is Tom Brady? He’s head and shoulders above some of the other all-time greats when it comes to passing seasons with at least 3,500 yards and fewer than 15 interceptions. With Jameis Winston coming off a season in which he led the league with 30 interceptions, having a turnover-adverse QB like Brady should be welcomed news to Tampa Bay fans.

Most seasons in NFL history with at least 3,500 passing yards and fewer than 15 INTs:

1) Tom Brady – 17
2) Aaron Rodgers – 10
3) Peyton Manning – 8
4) Matt Ryan – 8
5) Drew Brees – 7
6) Philip Rivers – 7

(Via @pfref)

— Tom Brady Facts (@TB_Facts) April 19, 2020

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• DIVINITY COULD BE A HIDDEN GEM FOR BUCS: One of the Bucs’ undrafted free agent signings that has gone a little under the radar is the team’s acquisition of LSU outside linebacker Michael Divinity. What kept Divinity from being drafted was a six-game suspension for failing a drug test for marijuana during his senior season, and his below average testing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Divinity ran a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash, posted an underwhelming 31-inch vertical leap and only did 14 reps on the bench press. Yet he was productive at LSU where he recorded 105 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one interception and one defensive touchdown in his Tigers career.

His best season came as a junior in 2018 when he notched 54 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one touchdown. Last year, Divinity was limited to just five games, yet he recorded 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Orgeron reinstated Divinity for the national championship game, but didn’t record any statistics.

Divinity wins with his long 34-inch arms, his quick hands, his physicality and his good pursuit. He played with Bucs linebacker Devin White for three years at LSU, so between White and former LSU linebacker Kevin Minter, Divinity will have a couple of instant mentors in the Bucs’ locker room to help his transition to life in the NFL. Check out Divinity’s highlight video below.

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