WEBVTT - How Will Jaelon Darden Fit In the Receiver Room? | Bucs Insider 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:07.680 Um, Good morning, Bucks fans. Happy Wednesday. It's time for 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:11.080 Buccaneers Insider Live, presented by Miller. Like Casey Phillips, here 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:13.920 was senior writer and editor Scott Smith, and we are 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:16.560 going to take your questions. If you're not already watching 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:18.520 on the Facebook page, you can head on over there 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:20.640 and leave your questions for us in the comments section. 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:22.639 While we give people a chance to do that, I 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:25.239 figured we'd start with just some of your takeaways from 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:27.240 O T A S so far that, you know, the 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:29.280 one that we had yesterday and today's practice is a 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:31.960 few minutes away still, so what we learned from yesterday 0:00:31.960 --> 0:00:34.320 and the days since our last show, and then also 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:36.760 some of the media availability. I know Bruce talked yesterday, 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:40.600 Anthony Nelson, Ryan Griffin, What were some of your takeaways? Well, 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:42.920 the Ryan Griffin part is interesting because he's one of 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.680 the few veterans who's participating. Most of the others are 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.960 taking you know, participating their own workouts with Tom Brady, 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.800 and it's interesting. He has pretty good logic for it 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:56.600 because he says, when it comes to the preseason, these 0:00:56.720 --> 0:00:58.560 young guys are probably the guys he's going to be 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.320 playing with, you know, when they get in to those 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.240 preseason games. Tom Brady plays with the starters if he 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:05.400 plays much at all, and Blaine Gabert could be the 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:08.800 next one in Kyle Trash. So, um, Ryan Griffin is 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:10.800 right that he's probably gonna be thrown to these young 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:12.280 guys that are on the back end of the depth 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:13.920 chart right now. They're trying to work their way up, 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.199 and of course, so he wants to build that rapport 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.319 with them, and um, you've seen him do that in 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:20.160 previous years. He's he's been really good at that. He's 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:22.760 been very good in the preseason and uh, you know 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:25.920 it's interesting also that, uh one somebody asked him during 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:30.160 his media availability. When you look at the quarterback situation 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.560 for the Buccaneers, you have Tom Brady, who's obviously the starter. 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.480 You have Kyle Trask, who is It would be very 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.119 very unusual to draft a quarterback in the second round 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:39.759 and then he doesn't make the roster, so let's assume 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:42.000 he's on the roster. It would also be very unusual 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:44.600 for any team to carry four quarterbacks these days, so 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.040 if you have three, it's certainly it certainly seems like 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:49.880 Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin would be battling for that 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:52.920 third that probably the second guy, but one of the three. 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.639 And uh and Bruce arians kind of pushed back against 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:58.400 the notion that Ryan Griffin is the odd man out 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.200 in that picture. But Ryan did say that if the 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:03.560 way it worked out was one of the you know, 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:05.480 maybe him or one of the veterans ends up on 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.840 the practice squad, that he's open to that as well, 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.920 just some way to be here helping the team. Okay, 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:13.920 and looking at what Bruce said as well, what were 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:15.880 some of the takeaways from him and some of the 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:19.800 things that he addressed in his media yesterday, Well, I 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:23.160 know he'd like to have a few more guys there. Uh, 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:25.200 every coach probably like to have the whole team there, 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.640 although he's made it very clear that even if Tom 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:29.480 Brady and and many of the starters were there, they 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:32.320 wouldn't be practicing much. He would still be devoting almost 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:34.799 all the time to the young guys. But there's probably 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:36.440 a couple of guys he'd like to see in there. 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.000 But you know, again, these are voluntary and that's what 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:40.400 they are. And you know, next week we have the 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.679 mandatory mini camp and he'll get to work with everybody 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:45.960 but right now, coaches across the league just have to 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.240 work with whatever players are showing up for these workouts. Yeah, 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.720 and Giovanni Bernard was the only running back at practice yesterday. Um, 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:54.959 which is kind of fun for us to get a 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:56.480 chance to see him since he is one of the 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.639 new additions. Um, what do you feel like his role 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.640 could be and what they hope for him? Well, yeah, 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.000 he got a lot of action and he looks pretty good. 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.400 And he's obviously a very natural pass catcher. I think 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:10.720 he's third in the league among running backs and in 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.120 pass catches pass catches is a weird way to say that, 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:17.760 in receptions since he came into the league over the 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:20.560 last eight years, so and he looks very much the part. 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.200 And uh, you start to figure out how that running 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.880 back that depth chart, the touches, the receptions and the 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:29.840 and the handoffs, how that's gonna be divvied up when 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:31.959 you also have Ronald Jones and Leonard four Nett and 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:35.480 Keyshawn Vaughan. But Brian Griffin, for one, said he thinks 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:37.680 that Giovanni Bernard is gonna have a big role in 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.720 this offense and is gonna catch a ton of passes 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.280 and that Tom Brady is gonna love him so uh. 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:44.200 You know, obviously you look at him as an analog 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.040 to James White, who Tom Brady threw to so much 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:50.040 while in New England in recent years before coming to Tampa. 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.000 And uh, it's just I think he can do that. 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.240 I think Giovanni Bernard still has a lot left and 0:03:55.280 --> 0:03:57.320 can do that. It's just how are they going to 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:59.840 split up all the all the snaps between those running 0:03:59.840 --> 0:04:01.920 back says yet to be determined. It will be interesting 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:03.640 to see. But like I said, Ryan Griffin for one, 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:05.800 thinks he's gonna do a lot. And I know Bruce 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:09.920 also talked about Jaden Mickens sort of mentoring Jadeen Darden, 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:12.640 and I wanted to hear your thoughts on the two 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:15.080 of them and and what you know he could offer 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.039 in that mentoring area and what it means in terms 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:18.760 of those two guys. Are they the ones directly in 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:22.080 competition with each other for a roster spot and how 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.880 you see that shaking out? Yeah, it certainly looks that way. 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:27.760 I mean, the Buccaneers are so loaded at wide receiver 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.960 that you can count down to six without you know, 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.920 without having anybody. That seems like a bubble guy, and 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:37.040 you usually carry six. Sometimes we go up to seven. 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.160 We did that for a little while last year, but 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:43.360 it it would seem unusual to devote two spots to 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.440 receivers who, at least this year, their primary thing would 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.359 probably be in the return game, which is probably what 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:51.520 Jane Mickens would be. It's what he was last year, 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:54.440 and it's probably what Jalen Darden would be if he 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.560 makes the roster, and most Sports round picks do make 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:00.360 the roster, so I think they probably have some ideas 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:03.360 for Jalen in the offense UM, but I doubt you'd 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:05.200 have a huge role early on given all the other 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:07.640 receivers that we have to get the ball too. So yeah, 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:09.680 I could see those two guys being in direct competition. 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.520 So it is kind of an interesting dynamic when Jaden 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.599 is out there um one on one while other receivers 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:19.000 are doing other things, sort of teaching uh Jalen little 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:20.960 tricks of the trade in the NFL, because there are 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:24.839 differences to the rules between college and the NFL and 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.720 little nuances like uh. I. The reason why coach arians 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.480 was was talking about that was because somebody asked him 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.039 about it, because this was taking place right in front 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.239 of where all of us in the media group we're standing. 0:05:36.279 --> 0:05:38.240 I mean, it was close enough we could even hear 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.440 what they were saying. And as an example, one thing 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:45.159 that Jalen Jaden was teaching Jalen was that rule about 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:47.240 if you're on a kickoff, if you're feeling a kickoff 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:49.400 and you put one foot out of bounds and you 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.720 feel the ball even if it's inbounds, that's a penalty 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:54.640 on the kicking team for the ball going out of bounds. 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:56.560 It's kind of an obscure rule that not everybody knows, 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:59.280 and and Jaden was making sure that Jalen knew that 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:01.120 that was just one of a lot of different scenarios 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.560 he was going throughout the time. And of course they 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:05.040 had to make it confusing on all of us with 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.600 Jalen and Jaden as well trying to talk about this. 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:09.800 It's just this. We're gonna screw this up a million times. 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.160 I'm sure. Um, all right, Bobby asked with O. J. 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.600 Howard coming back healthy, do you think the team will 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:19.280 implement more too tight end sets? Well, they already did 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:21.440 up at some last year, and you know, there's only 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:24.479 so far they're gonna go with that because, um, the Bucks, 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:27.479 like most teams, almost every team in the NFL, their 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.440 primary package, the one that used most often is eleven, 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:33.400 which is three receivers, and with the receivers we have, 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:34.880 you can understand why they would want to get that 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.279 on the field a lot. But yeah, the last year, 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:41.719 I don't remember the exact totals, but from ninety it 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.200 went up somewhere like we were in twelve, which is 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:49.400 two tight ends personnel nineteen or in and went up 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:54.120 to more last year. So with Rob Gronkowski arriving obviously, 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:58.599 UM that became a more common, uh personnel package force. 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.239 And yeah, I do think when you have, um, Rob 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:04.200 Gronkowski and O j. Howard as a possible pairing, and 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:07.320 Rob and Cam Braid and O Jane cam Braid, Uh, 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:08.920 there's a lot of reason to why to want to 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:10.920 get those two guys on the field as well. So yeah, 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:12.160 I could see it. I don't think it would go 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:13.440 up a whole lot, but it could go up a 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:16.960 little bit perhaps. I know that. Another group that was 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:20.160 a little thin in the workout yesterday was inside linebacker. 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.920 It was basically just Grant Stewart and kJ Brett holding 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.240 down the fort there, Um, what have you seen from 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.160 the two of them? And I mean we know, obviously 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.800 inside linebacker one of the most secure positions in terms 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.080 of starters, but then we also talked about it was 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:34.720 one that didn't have just tons of depth in terms 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:36.960 of numbers of guys. So where do you see them 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:38.840 keeping how many of those guys? How did the two 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:41.400 of them look so far, how quickly are they picking 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:43.280 things up, and what that position group could end up 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:45.480 looking like. Yeah, one of the reasons why that group 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:47.160 is thin is there seems to be a bunch of 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:49.880 guys who them and their wives are having having babies 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:51.960 right now. There's at least two or three guys out 0:07:51.960 --> 0:07:54.400 for that reason, including a linebacker we signed that long 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.920 ago named Joe Jones. So hopefully that's going well for 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:59.240 all those couples. But uh, yeah, it was just the 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:03.559 two rookies and the you know, there's no contact. There's 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:05.680 not a lot of eleven on eleven, so there's not 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:08.160 a ton that you can tell. I guess the most 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.640 important thing is that Bruce Arian said from the rookie 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:12.280 mining camp to these O T A s. And then 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:14.720 from week one to week two, both of those guys 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:18.080 Britt and Steward are are really doing a good job 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:21.800 of retaining and and so they're able to build on 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:23.840 what they did the week before rather than having to 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:26.720 go back and continue installing that. So that's made coach happy. 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:28.960 I think with when it comes to KG Britt, we're 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:31.520 not really going to see the true, um, you know, 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:34.800 greatness to his game until there's more hitting, because that 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:37.839 guy's a hitter first and foremost, and you can't really 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.000 do that right now, So we'll see that maybe in 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:42.439 August and September. Yeah. I always feel so bad for 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:44.920 the defensive guys trying to make the team right now 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:47.319 and they're just so hindered with all the rules of 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:49.480 contact everything. Wide receivers can still go out there and 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:51.880 make these great catches and look all fancy and then yeah, 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.040 some many of your defensive guys they're just having to 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:59.679 be like, oh, yep, I would have gotten you. They 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:02.679 get the occasional interception and that's the big splash flight 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:06.280 that everybody remembers. Yes, that's very true. Um Richard asked, 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.640 how's the competition for the fourth tight end spot between 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.120 Hudson and McElroy Goying and who do you think has 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:14.319 the edge. Well, I think Hudson has the edge. Um. 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.199 I did see Cody Cody make a couple of nice 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:19.520 catches yesterday. Um It's just I just think that the 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.439 coaches really like Tanner Hudson. I think if there wasn't 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.959 so much depth, if we didn't have Gronkowski and Howard 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:26.680 and Braid, that they would have already had him on 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.880 the field a lot more. Um So I just think 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:31.360 he's ahead of Cody on the depth chart, you know 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.920 I do. That is obviously a place where a guy 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.280 could make a move. Cody could make a move, So 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:38.360 keep an eye on that one. But I would quit 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.679 Tanner ahead right now. All right, Well, let's do for 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:42.880 us on this edition of Buccaneers Inside Are Live, presented 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.120 by Miller Lte. Thanks for all these great questions and 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:46.480 we will be back here next week.