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About the Author: Trevor Sikkema

Avatar Of Trevor Sikkema
Trevor Sikkema is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat reporter and NFL Draft analyst for PewterReport.com. Sikkema, an alumnus of the University of Florida, has covered both college and professional football for much of his career. As a native of the Sunshine State, when he's not buried in social media, Sikkema can be found out and active, attempting to be the best athlete he never was. Sikkema can be reached at: [email protected]

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Coming off an exciting weekend – well, exciting for those who keep up with the Buccaneers on the outside, not the ones who have to make the stressful decisions on the inside – there was plenty of energy coming from One Buc Place on Monday, September 4th, the first Monday of regular season game week.

As the team began their preparation for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, there were a few new factors to consider when gauging and predicting the potential success of the Bucs’ opening game.

Here were the top three things we learned from One Buc Place on Monday.

Will This Game Even Happen?

As of right now, the game between the Buccaneers and the Dolphins is scheduled to kick off this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. However, the certainty of that is now all subject to change due to the potential landfall of a dangerous hurricane currently gaining strength in the Atlantic ocean.

The hurricane is Hurricane Irma, and if you’re a Floridian and you have been paying attention to it, you need to start doing so.

The tweet above is of the potential track of the hurricane as of 11:00 a.m. Monday morning. The tracker suggests that the hurricane could be right over or near the Miami area on Saturday and Sunday, which would surely impact the game.

Bucs head coach, Dirk Koetter, said the league has already started formulating contingency plans. The Dolphins – nor the NFL – would want to give Tampa Bay an extra home game, so it’s doubtful the game would be moved to Tampa. A neutral site close by would seem logical, but depending on where the storm is headed, no place in the state may be deemed safe enough.

Alternatively, both the Dolphins and the Bucs have the same bye week. However, when asked about it, Koetter noted he and the rest of his staff would not be pleased about losing a bye week, because that means they would be playing 16 games in a row.

The league could also choose to play this game on a Thursday or Friday night this week. But, if they were to do that, they’d have to make that decision either late Monday night or early Tuesday. There are a lot of moving parts that have to happen for a game to be hosted and broadcasted, wherever that may be.

Keep an eye on the storm for yourself, and keep locked in on PewterReport.com as we will bring you updates as soon as we know them.

T.J. Ward Came Here To Make An Impact

The big news out of the weekend for the Buccaneers was picking up safety T.J. Ward after he was cut form the Broncos.

In his first press conference in Tampa Bay, Ward said the locker room is what drew him to sign to Tampa, and that the early expectations he has is to get the play book as fast as possible, become a starter and make an impact.

Ward said that though things are a bit different in Denver, he knows the kinds of coverages and assignment that will be asked of him. He said it’s just about getting the communication and chemistry down.

On an outside note, Ward also said that he thought the way Denver treated his release was “completely unprofessional.” Ward seemed to have no idea that the team was even unhappy with him or his contract, and wasn’t made aware until moves were already being made.

O Captain! My Captains!

Koetter announced that the Bucs captains for the year are Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander, Jameis Winston, Mike Evans and Josh Robinson.

Three defense, two offense and one special teams.

This year is Alexander’s first year as a full-time captain.

The age of the captains is 25, which has to be one of the youngest in the league.

Bucs Safety J.j. Wilcox – Photo By: Mark Lomoglio/PrBucs Trade S Wilcox To Steelers
Pewter-Nation-Podcast-Pewter-ReportBucs Pewter Nation Podcast Ep28: Previewing Bucs at Dolphins
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