Sports Day Tampa Bay

The Lightning's season opener went about as sideways as a game can go: a 5-1 loss at Madison Square Garden capped by Igor Shesterkin becoming the first goaltender in Rangers history to score a goal, while Tampa Bay finished 0-for-7 on the power play. Rick and Steve dig into why it wasn't as alarming as it looked — Victor Hedman's comfortably accepted a smaller role (and dropped weight going gluten-free to stay fast at 18 seasons in), John Carlson is still adjusting from running Alex Ovechkin's power play in Washington to feeding Nikita Kucherov in Tampa, and hockey's a "flow sport" th...

Rick Stroud can't stop repeating a line Jalon Daniels dropped in his first press conference as the Bucs' starting quarterback: "You can't be the thermometer, you have to be the thermostat" — set the temperature in the room instead of just reading it. It's a fitting mantra for a guy about to become the first rookie quarterback to start an NFL game this season (yes, ahead of the Raiders' Heisman winner), and the only backup Tampa Bay has turned to since 'Fitzmagic' in 2018. Rick is clear-eyed about the degree of difficulty: Evan Closky's blocking cut-ups from last week were "some of...

With Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, and Jimmy Garoppolo all off the table, the Bucs' plan B for replacing Baker Mayfield is Brett Rypien — signed to the practice squad, not the active roster — while undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels makes his first career start Sunday against Green Bay. Rick Stroud lays out a sobering stat: since 2024, rookie quarterbacks are a combined 56-89, and the backup quarterbacks who've actually won games around the league this season (Case Keenum, Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, Drew Locke) all share one thing Daniels doesn't have — real NFL experience. Rick and Steve debate, half-seriously, whether a Bucs fan sh...

Baker Mayfield's thumb injury turns out to be the good news/bad news scenario Rick Stroud feared: no torn ligaments, no broken bones, but a minimum three-week absence that wipes out Green Bay, Dallas, and Pittsburgh. That hands the offense to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, whose only real NFL snaps have come against players no longer on rosters. Rick shares Todd Bowles' old blitz-every-down philosophy against rookie quarterbacks and previews exactly what Green Bay's defense (and a stadium full of Packers fans) is about to do to a first-time starter, while making the case that Daniels' calm demeanor, strong...

Rick Stroud doesn't mince words: the Bucs' 0-3 loss to Minnesota is the doomsday scenario come to life. Baker Mayfield left with a bloodied, dislocated thumb on his throwing hand after holding the ball too long on a desperate fourth-down conversion attempt, and now undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels — who struggled even in preseason snaps against real competition — is set to become QB1 for a stretch that includes Green Bay and a short week in Dallas. Rick and Steve dissect just how ugly the game itself was on both sides (both offenses managed roughly 25 total yards in the second half), ques...

Rick Stroud lays out why Sunday's game against Minnesota is as close to a must-win as it gets for the 0-2 Buccaneers: lose, and they're 0-3 with Green Bay at home and a short-week trip to Dallas still to come in an 11-day stretch that could bury the season. He breaks down a genuinely tricky Vikings matchup — Kyler Murray making his first real start of the year after a concussion, Justin Jefferson and a loaded receiving corps, and Brian Flores' defense, which blitzes even more than Todd Bowles' — while making the case that the Bucs are fully capable of winn...

Rick Stroud borrows his own Tampa Bay Times line to open the show: rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. now has a groin strain to go with his shoulder issue, and after two games he still hasn't recorded a stat that matters. Rick and Steve debate how much grace a struggling rookie deserves — pointing to Hall of Famers like Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch, who all had underwhelming first seasons — while also flagging that Josiah Trotter (shoulder) and Anthony Nelson both missed practice too, suddenly thinning out a group that looked deep on paper. They dig into the...

There was no venue Rick Stroud would have rather seen it happen in: the Tampa Bay Rays clinched the AL East at Yankee Stadium, capped by a dominant Drew Rasmussen start — 11 strikeouts and a no-hitter into the seventh before finishing off the win. It's the Rays' fifth division title ever and third since 2020, more than any other team in that span, and Rick and Steve marvel at how it happened: a $100 million payroll outspent 3-to-1 by the Yankees, contact-first hitting, aggressive baserunning, and a deep, versatile pitching staff that got there despite losing Shane McClanahan for stretches and never ge...

Rick Stroud goes deep on just how bad things have gotten for the Bucs, framing the 0-2 start in stark historical terms: this is a team that has now lost 10 of its last 13 games, keeping company with the league's true bottom-feeders — the Titans, Commanders, and Cardinals. With only 12 of the last 84 teams to start 0-2 making the playoffs, and a brutal stretch looming (Vikings and Packers at home, then a short week at Dallas), Rick calls this a season that could be effectively over within 12 days. He puts Todd Bowles squarely on the hottest seat in football, walks through th...

Rick Stroud doesn't sugarcoat it: losing at home to Deshaun Watson and a Cleveland Browns team most didn't think could compete is a genuine crisis. Rick and Steve break down exactly how it happened — settling for four field goals, another Baker Mayfield turnover, missed tackles, blown coverage, and a shaky offensive line that was supposed to be top-five in the league. Watson, written off after Cleveland's Week 1 blowout, outplayed Mayfield by a wide margin (24-of-30, 238 yards, two touchdowns, no picks), and a two-hour-plus lightning delay did the Bucs no favors on their final drive. Rick singles out the pass ru...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview Sunday's Bucs home opener against Cleveland, and Rick doesn't hold back: this is a game the Buccaneers should win comfortably against a young, still-finding-itself Browns team under first-year head coach Todd Monken. They dig into Monken's history with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, why last week's four fumbles (not interceptions) have to be cleaned up, and how a broken communicator in Baker's helmet contributed to the Week 1 mess. Rick's bottom line: turnovers are the only thing that beats the Bucs in this one.

Then it's all Rays, and there's a lot...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick open with the Rays' magic number dropping to seven to clinch the AL East over the Yankees, then dig into Baker Mayfield's much-hyped return to Cleveland — the viral moment of Baker walking into his press conference in Michigan gear (repping Troy Bowles after Oklahoma's loss) and the tangled history between Baker, the Browns, and new Bucs OC Todd Monken. They also revisit Alex Anzalone's rough Week 1 and Josiah Trotter's historic NFL debut before turning to the Rays' 4-3 win over the A's, Nick Martinez's under-the-radar Cy Young-caliber season, and the never-ending Caminero-vs-Alvarez AL MVP de...

Junior Caminero does it again. Rick and Steve open with last night's walk-off thriller — Caminero's second walk-off homer in four games, this one a 100-mph fastball flicked out to right field to beat the A's. That kicks off a full-throated MVP case for Caminero over Houston's Jordan Alvarez, and a look at how the surging Rays stack up historically, including a shot at 100 wins and the payoff of finishing first in the AL East rather than fighting through the wild-card round.

From there, the guys turn to Chandler Simpson's breakout season — the speed-and-contact game that separates him...

The stat that should worry Bucs fans: Baker Mayfield has fumbled the ball 35 times since 2023 — more than any quarterback in football.

A day after Tampa Bay's turnover-plagued loss to Cincinnati, Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick dig deeper into what went wrong and why it's not just a one-week problem. Todd Bowles blitzed on more than 40% of snaps — the third-highest rate in the league — and still generated almost no pressure on Joe Burrow outside of rookie Josiah Trotter's historic sack-and-pick-six. Rick breaks down a bizarre blown defensive alignment late in the first half that left the entire middle...

Four turnovers, three by Baker Mayfield, and the Bucs handed Cincinnati a game they had no business winning.

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down a brutal season-opening 33-27 loss in which Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles for the first time in his career — including one stripped into the end zone for a touchback and another where he held the ball nearly five seconds before getting sacked and stripped, despite left tackle Tristan Wirfs blocking his man 11 yards deep in the backfield. Add in a lost fumble from Bucky Irving, and Tampa Bay finished with four tu...

Rick Stroud breaks down every angle of Sunday's opener in Cincinnati — and whether Tampa Bay's overhauled defense is ready for one of the NFL's most explosive passing attacks.

Rick and Steve Versnick dig into the Bucs' offseason defensive makeover — A'Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, rookie Reuben Bain Jr. and first-year starter Josiah Trotter — and weigh it against a Bengals offense built around Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a trio that's been playing pitch-and-catch since their LSU days. The verdict: the Bucs' interior run defense with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey should hold up, but a thin c...

Baker Mayfield's new deal came together in about 48 hours — and he found out while he was at the movies with his kids.

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick go behind the scenes of how the Bucs and Baker Mayfield actually got the extension done: a Monday-night dinner text, a Tuesday call during a family trip to see Cars, and a deal that landed him in a three-way tie for third among NFL quarterbacks in average annual salary. They explain why there was never real animosity between Baker and GM Jason Light despite the "disrespectful" comments, why the Bu...

Baker Mayfield just got paid — Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down every angle of his stunning new deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Five days before kickoff in Cincinnati, the quarterback who swore he was done negotiating got a call from the Bucs' front office and agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension through 2029 that lands him right in the Stafford-Lawrence-Allen tier of starting quarterbacks. Rick and Steve unpack how the deal is structured, why cooler heads prevailed after Baker's training-camp "disrespectful offer" comments, and why the real pressure starts now — Baker has just one playoff win...

It's finally NFL Week 1. Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview Sunday's Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals showdown, breaking down the injury news on Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, why new captain Alex Anzalone and the retooled Buccaneers defense face their toughest test yet against Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, and what rookie corner Jacob Parrish said about drawing one of the NFL's best receiver duos in his first career start. Plus, full breakdown of the Buccaneers' NFC South odds and why Rick still has Tampa Bay as the team to beat over New Orleans, Atlanta, and...

Baker Mayfield opens up to Rick Stroud about why he shut down contract talks during Training Camp, and more importantly, why he believes this Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster finally has the "killer instinct" that's been missing. Rick and Steve break down how veteran additions like A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches have reset the locker room's attitude, why Baker — the ultimate underdog — is feeding off a roster full of players with chips on their shoulders, and whether that edge can actually fix a team that blew too many fourth-quarter leads a year ago.

The guys also preview a wi...

Todd Bowles dropped a surprise answer this week when asked what the deepest position on the Buccaneers roster is — and it wasn't the offensive line, the edge rush, or a wide receiver room that's six or seven deep. Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick dig into why Bowles named inside linebacker, break down the additions of Josiah Trotter, Alex Anzalone and a recovering Christian Roseboom, and debate whether that's really the strength Bowles says it is or just coach-speak aimed at the locker room.

From there, the guys take a hard look at the receiver room in th...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick recap today’s media avail with Bucs GM Jason Light, who revealed the call to make Jalen Daniels the number two quarterback was essentially made before he ever took a preseason snap — how quickly he absorbed the offense in practice sealed it, and his comeback wins over the Jets and Chiefs only confirmed it. Rick and Steve dig into just how rare, and risky, this is: undrafted rookie quarterbacks have started only 0.5% of possible games over the last decade, going a combined 10-19, and the move says as much about how unimpressed the Bucs were...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the newly finalized Buccaneers practice squad, headlined by two familiar-feeling additions. Veteran quarterback Easton Stick — turning 31 on September 15 — joins as Jalon Daniels' new mentor and emergency QB3, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Zach Robinson, who worked him out as a pre-draft coach back when Stick was piling up a 49-3 record and four national championships at North Dakota State. Rick explains why the Bucs wanted a steady veteran voice in the quarterback room over another developmental arm, and why Stick — who's barely played in six NFL seasons behind Justin Herbert and later with R...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick dig into one of the more improbable quarterback stories in franchise history: undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels beating out Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak to become Baker Mayfield's backup. Rick traces just how rare this is — the last rookie the Bucs handed the QB2 job to was Mike Glennon back in 2013 — and walks through how a three-star recruit out of Kansas who went undrafted turned heads in joint practices against the Jets and Chiefs, then got an extended (and rocky) look against Jacksonville's twos and threes before locking down the job anyway. They debate what the...

The Rays' new stadium deal cleared its first hurdle as Tampa City Council approved the agreement 4-3, with Bill Carlson's swing vote sealing it after he used his leverage back in May to force a better deal for the city. Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down what changed, why the sales tax funding got scrapped in favor of an $80 million city loan, and why today's Hillsborough County Commission vote is the real one that could put shovels in the ground within a month. They also marvel at the season the Rays are having — four games up on the Ya...

Reporting from Jacksonville, Rick Stroud relays the scary moment nobody around the Bucs wanted to see — Rueben Bain Jr. missing practice with a sprained AC joint, though Rick notes the lack of any real treatment on the field is a good sign he'll be ready for Cincinnati. Rick and Steve also dig into an eyebrow-raising development at quarterback: with Baker Mayfield and Trevor Lawrence getting the bulk of the joint-practice reps, it was Jalon Daniels — not veteran Jake Browning — taking the number two snaps, and Rick walks back some of his own skepticism about whether the undrafted rookie has alread...

Rick Stroud reports live from Jacksonville after a joint practice the Bucs would rather forget — Baker Mayfield admitted afterward that "if this was a full game, I don't think we would have come out on the winning side," and Chris Godwin, in his tenth year, called out the team for getting out-physicaled by Liam Cohen's Jaguars. Rick and Steve break down what went wrong, why a wake-up call now beats one in Cincinnati, and the real bright spots buried in a rough day: Tristan Wirfs back in full pads and moving well, Rueben Bain Jr. continuing to wreck practice re...

Reporting live from Jacksonville ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ joint practices with the Jaguars, Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick recap the shaky tackle depth behind Baker Mayfield in the preseason opener and preview what to watch as the Bucs get real practice reps against Liam Cohen's similarly-schemed offense. They dig back into the Jalon Daniels debate — why his string of strong preseason relief outings still shouldn't make him QB2 over veteran Jake Browning — and break down the wild news out of Cleveland, where Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders, setting up a loaded Week 2...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the Bucs' 16-15 preseason win over Kansas City, where Baker Mayfield's night was cut short behind a patchwork offensive line missing three of its top four tackles, but the starting defense — even without Vita Vea — flashed real teeth, with Rueben Bain Jr. terrorizing the pocket and Anthony Nelson turning in a monster first half. Once again it was Jalon Daniels rallying the offense late, and Rick and Steve debate whether the rookie has already played his way onto the 53-man roster and turned the Bucs into an unlikely three-quarterback team. They also dig...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down Vita Vea's first comments since signing his new two-year, $48 million deal, where he insisted he never wanted to leave Tampa Bay, called himself a "Buc for life," and went out of his way to defend Todd Bowles from criticism — saying he'll retire the day Bowles does. Rick explains why the tape backed that up all along: Vea was smiling, coaching up teammates, and never acted like a guy trying to get out of town. They also preview Saturday's home preseason game against Kansas City, where the Bucs starters are finally expected to pl...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the Vita Vea saga finally reaching a resolution — a reworked deal that tacks on $30 million in new money, bumping this year to $24 million and adding a 2027 season at the same number, for $48 million total over two years. They dig into why this was always the likely outcome despite the trade rumblings, what it means for a front seven that could now be one of the league's best, and the obvious next question: does this open the door for a Baker Mayfield extension? Rick shares new detail from his conversation with Mayfield on wh...

Rick Stroud shares highlights from his sit-down with Baker Mayfield, where the quarterback opened up about healing — physically, after a brutal string of injuries that battered his body last season, and personally, after reconnecting with his father and brother following a painful family financial dispute that had fractured their relationship for years. Baker also explains why he set his own contract negotiation deadline, insisting it was never about him but about freeing his teammates from having to answer questions about his future all season. Rick and Steve also break down a jaw-dropping solo workout from rookie Rueben Bain Jr., ca...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down a wild 7-6 win over the Orioles that snapped the Rays' three-game skid and avoided a home sweep — a slugfest that saw Coby Mayo crush one of the longest home runs in Tropicana Field Statcast history off a returning Shane McClanahan, who battled back on a strict pitch count in his first start off the IL. The Rays answered with home runs of their own, including Jorge Mateo's first as a Ray and one from Yandy Diaz, and closer Bryan Baker logged a rare five-out save to lock it down. With the wi...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason opener in New York, where Tampa Bay held out its starters and let backup QB Jaylen Daniels take over in the 2nd half — and he delivered, going 10-for-15 for 111 yards with a rushing touchdown while engineering a pair of comeback scoring drives. The guys explain why Todd Bowles kept Baker Mayfield and the first team out of the game (joint practices with the Jets did most of the work, and that brutal MetLife Stadium turf didn't help), then spotlight the standouts: rookie safety Ayden Garnes' pick-six, corner Da...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick preview the Buccaneers' preseason opener against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, breaking down who's likely to play and who's held out. Expect several key veterans to sit (Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin, and Tristan Wirfs among them), while rookies and young players trying to make a mark get extended run — first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., backup QB Jalon Daniels, undrafted corner Ayden Garnes, edge rusher David Walker returning from a torn ACL, and running back Josh Williams. Rick shares what it meant to Garnes and Daniels to finally take the field in the NFL.

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down a strong finish for the Buccaneers in their second joint practice against the Jets, highlighted by an efficient Baker Mayfield, a two-minute drill touchdown to Cade Otten, and a defense that shut the door when it mattered. Rookies Ted Hurst and cornerback Ayden Garnes flash in big moments, while the guys also discuss the scary injury scare to Emeka Egbuka's toe and what it could mean for Tampa Bay's receiving corps heading into preseason play. They also preview Friday's preseason opener against the Jets and who's likely to sit.

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Bucs-Jets Joint Practice Turns Chaotic

Rick Stroud recaps a joint practice between the Buccaneers and Jets that devolved into roughly six bench-clearing fights. The flashpoint: linebacker Luke Goedeke, who had been jawing with Jets rookie first-rounder David Bailey, appeared to take a cheap shot from another player and responded by ripping a helmet off an opponent's head and hurling it 15-20 yards downfield — an act Stroud says would draw an ejection and 15-yard penalty in a real game. Stroud expresses frustration that officials on hand didn't remove him, and that head coach Todd Bowles said he didn't pe...

Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Buccaneers preparing to hold joint practices with the New York Jets today and tomorrow. Vita Vea is with the team, who will play this Friday night in the first preseason game and what to expect from the workouts. Plus we answer your mailbag questions on Vita Vea's holdout, how the Glazer's conduct business and Baker's contract.

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Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on the Tampa Bay Rays as they've won 6 straight games after beating the Mariners 4-1 on Sunday. They have a 5.5 game lead on Yankees with 45 games to play. Plus the Bucs are heading to New York today to hold joint practices with the Jets this week before their preseason game on Friday night. Plus the NFL Hall of Fame inductions were this weekend and Rick was there.

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Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick on Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Jason Licht's comments that he has no plans to trade Vita Vea as he continues to hold-in while asking for a trade as he enters the final year of his contract. Plus the Rays road trip continues tonight in Seattle while they hold a 4.5 game lead over the Yankees.

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