Sports Day Tampa Bay

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 with the still-unsigned Jake Browning as it does about their faith in Daniels. They also cover the day's brutal roster churn — undrafted linebacker Caden Fordham made the 53, then was released hours later to open a spot for cornerback Kevin Knowles (claimed off waivers from the Chiefs), while pass rusher Jack Pyron, who'd racked up two sacks in the preseason finale alone and looked like their best defensive standout in camp, got scooped up by Kansas City. Plus, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan sat out a bonus practice (nothing to worry about, per the team), and Rick previews a potential shootout at Cincinnati against Joe Burrow, teasing — again — the "weaker than you'd think" position group he'll finally reveal tomorrow.Then the Rays cruised past the Mets behind a strong start from Freddy Peralta, who shook off a leadoff homer to his old team's Francisco Lindor and settled in from there, allowing just two more hits. Tampa Bay's offense keeps rolling — Yandy Diaz, Chandler Simpson, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda all sit among the AL's top nine hitters, and the Rays' team batting average leads all of baseball, four points better than the Dodgers and 11 points better than the next-closest AL club. Their magic number is down to 11 for a playoff spot and 20 to clinch the AL East, with the Yankees lead sitting around four and a half to five and a half games depending on how New York's late West Coast game with the newly-sold Angels shakes out.

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 Robinson in Atlanta — won out over re-signing Connor Bazelak. They also welcome back cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, a key piece of the 2020 Super Bowl run (three postseason interceptions, including a momentum-swinging one in Green Bay), who brings much-needed experience to a young, thin secondary. Rick runs down the rest of the practice squad additions before previewing the two-week runway to the opener at Cincinnati, teasing — but not yet revealing — an area he thinks the Bucs could unexpectedly struggle.Then it's over to the Rays, whose wild week came back to earth with a 3-2 loss to the Mets Monday night, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs late. Rick and Steve also revisit the controversial catch-that-wasn't-quite-a-catch from the Padres series over the weekend, still unable to find a rule that explains how a ball secured in the glove for two steps became a home run when it popped out at the wall. Tampa Bay's lead over the Yankees is down to four games with 25 left to play, and they set up tonight's rematch with Freddy Peralta getting a shot at revenge against the Mets team that drafted and developed him. Plus, Aaron Donald's stunning $20 million comeback with the Rams, and an early look at the Lightning's revamped roster ahead of training camp.

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 call says about Browning, whether the coaching staff may have stumbled onto Baker Mayfield's eventual successor given how similar their games are, and run through the rest of the roster cuts — including Chris Braswell's release and moves along both lines — before previewing the two-week runway to the season opener at Cincinnati.Then it's over to the Rays, who somehow won two of the strangest games of their season against the Padres — a shortstop's non-contact knee injury on an errant throw home that flipped one game, and a bizarre would-be series-ending catch-and-drop in left field that got ruled a home run and reignited the "what actually is a catch" debate — before pulling out the extra-innings finale on a Liam Hicks throw that nailed a runner at third. The sweep pushes Tampa Bay to 82-54, four and a half games up on the Yankees. Rick and Steve also dig into the latest on the Rays' "forever home": with Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County’s approval in hand, the next steps are bond filings (30 to 90 days) and prepping Hillsborough Community College for portable classrooms, plus why this ownership group's commitment to staying in Tampa feels different than the Stu Sternberg era ever did.

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 Yankees, six up on Boston, with a playoff rotation of McClanahan, Martinez and Rasmussen taking shape — as new ownership tries to close the deal on a new ballpark in the same year they might win the AL East.On the Bucs, Rick previews tonight's preseason finale in Jacksonville with the QB2 competition still very much unresolved — Jalon Daniels got the bulk of the ones-and-twos work again this week, and Rick makes the case for why the rookie should start the game and get every rep he can. They also run through position battles heating up ahead of Monday's roster cutdown, including outside linebacker, offensive line depth, and the cornerback picture, and answer mailbag questions on Chris Braswell's disappointing camp and the early scouting buzz that first tipped Rick off to Jalon Daniels.

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 already locked down the backup job. Plus, Tristan Wirfs is back in pads and looking like himself, which both hosts agree makes him the best player on the roster.They also break down the massive stadium news on deck — Tampa's city council voting today and Hillsborough County following Friday on the Rays' new ballpark — along with a tour of Jacksonville's chaotic, crane-filled Everbank Stadium construction site ahead of the season opener there. On the field, Freddy Peralta was brilliant in a two-hit shutout as the Rays took two of three from Detroit, and Rick and Steve close with reaction to the Jed York police bodycam video.

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 reps, and Benjamin Morrison finally getting through a complete practice for the first time in ages. They also preview Friday's preseason finale against the Jaguars and the roster crunch coming this weekend as the Bucs cut from 90 to 53.On the Rays, Tampa Bay's AL East remains at 3.5 games after a 4-1 loss to Detroit, with Rick and Steve digging into the tiebreaker math that still favors the Rays down the stretch, a remarkable stat line from an opposing starter who didn't get a single swing-and-miss in over 80 pitches against Tampa Bay's contact-heavy lineup, and what the Rays need from their rotation to hold on. They close with a tribute to Dolly Parton, who died at 80.

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 matchup when the Browns visit Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield faces the quarterback who effectively pushed him out of Cleveland. Rick also weighs in on the arrest of 49ers owner Jed York and what it means for accountability at the ownership level.On the Rays, Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez keep building Cy Young cases with back-to-back dominant starts, and closer Bryan Baker pushed his save total to 38 as Tampa Bay knocked off Detroit behind some old-school, back-to-back bunt small ball. At 78-53, the Rays have already topped last year's win total with 31 games still to play.

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 into the wave of players testing a new court ruling that allows a return to college eligibility — Jack Pyburn's situation, plus the wild story of the Browns releasing tight ends who got calls from Lane Kiffin — and preview this week's joint practices with Liam Cohen's Jaguars in Jacksonville.On the Rays, Nick Martinez was brilliant — six innings, one hit — in a 3-1 win over Baltimore that snapped a three-game skid and avoided a fourth straight series loss to the Orioles. Rick and Steve talk about what's behind the second-half stumble in the pitching staff, and why holding onto the AL East lead down the stretch matters as much for the bye it could buy as anything else.

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 play meaningful snaps, with word on Baker Mayfield, the offensive operation under new play-caller Zach Robinson, and a standout practice from Ted Hurst.On the Rays, Rick and Steve dig into a rough homestand that's seen Tampa Bay go 2-5 since its franchise-best nine-game road winning streak, with the pitching staff hitting a wall and giving up too many two-strike hits. They also answer a listener mailbag question on Chandler Simpson, whose under-the-radar breakout season — second in the AL in batting average, elite bat-to-ball skills, and dramatically improved defense — has both hosts admitting they didn't see coming.