Sports Day Tampa Bay

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 Carolina.Also in this episode: the wild controversy behind Michigan's disputed clock-management win over Western Michigan, Lane Kiffin's leaked halftime rant in LSU's blowout of Clemson, season-opening wins for Florida and USF under new coach Brian Hartline, and the Tampa Bay Rays end their 10-game losing streak in Texas plus Aaron Judge returns to the Yankees lineup down the stretch.Subscribe for daily Tampa Bay Buccaneers news, Rays coverage, and NFL and college football analysis from Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Steve Versnick.Topics covered in this episode:Buccaneers vs Bengals Week 1 preview and predictionEmeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan injury updateJacob Parrish and Yaya Diaby interviews from One Buc PlaceJoe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins scouting reportAlex Anzalone named team captainTampa Bay Buccaneers NFC South odds and predictionsMichigan vs Western Michigan controversial finishLane Kiffin, LSU rout Clemson, leaked halftime speechFlorida football and USF Week 1 recapsTampa Bay Rays update: Texas Rangers series, Aaron Judge returns for Yankees, 4-game lead with 19 to play#Buccaneers #TampaBayBuccaneers #Bengals #JoeBurrow #NFL #TampaBayRays #CollegeFootball #SportsDayTampaBay

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 wide-open NFC South, break down why the Cincinnati Bengals are a brutal Week 1 test for a suspect Bucs secondary, and look ahead to next week's can't-miss interviews with Mayfield and Todd Bowles. Plus: Greg Schiano's stunning loss to UMass at Rutgers, Alex Golesh catching heat for trashing USF on his way out the door to Auburn, a loaded college football weekend, and the Rays' rough start to a road trip in Texas as the AL East race tightens down the stretch.

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 the wake of Mike Evans' departure — is Emeka Egbuka ready to be a true No. 1, what does a banged-up Egbuka and Jalen McMillan mean for Week 1 in Cincinnati, and why rookie Tez Johnson and Georgia State product Ted Hurst could be the X-factors who decide how explosive this passing game really is. Plus: the case for why the Bucs' defense — not the offense — might be the most improved unit on the team heading into the opener.Rick and Steve also touch on the wild logistics of the 49ers-Rams game in Australia, recap the Rays' rough series loss to the Mets and where the rotation stands heading into the stretch run, and look ahead to a loaded weekend of college football with LSU-Clemson headlining the return of GameDay.

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.