Bucs Have Some Standouts On Special Teams

“It’s a work in progress and it’ll be interesting to see what happens [in] Week 1,” Bucs special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said this week. “You know, nobody’s going to show their hand in the preseason, so it’ll be interesting.”

That’s the key in all of this. The NFL is a copycat league, so one new wrinkle that works on special teams will soon be used by everybody around the league.

No one wants to put that on display for teams to use when the game counts. In what will be music to the ears of Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, McGaughey views the kickoff coverage as just the first defensive play of a series.

“Obviously, it’s a quick play,” McGaughey said. “It happens fast. You have to be [really] disciplined at the point of attack. You can’t be over aggressive, but you have to be aggressive. You have to be [really] violent with your hands at the point, and then you just have to – it’s a run play. You have to take care of the gaps. You set the edge… You have to make sure you stay in your gaps. You have to get off blocks – it’s a run play. It’s a very unique play and every week, literally every snap, you’re learnings something new about the play, so it’s very interesting.”

Thomas McGaughey Highlights Bucs That Have Done Well

Understanding how to approach the play is one thing. Finding the right players to do so another. The Bucs believe they have the correct people to get it done at this point just days away from the start of the regular season. There’s been one newcomer that has particularly impressed in this area and another that has continued to build his role to keep him on the team.

“You watch the tape, and Chris Braswell Jr. made a ton of plays,” Bucs special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said. “He just knows what he’s doing – it’s a football play. He said the other day, ‘It’s just like setting the edge and playing defense.’ Yeah, it is. It’s the exact same thing, so you know, him and Ko [Kieft] and some of those guys – they’ve done a good job. They’re working hard and their trying to figure the play out and again, I always tell them, ‘Just lean on your rules. Expect the unexpected but lean on your rules.’ And if they do that, it’ll take care of itself.”

The fact that it’s a defensive play bodes well for Braswell, who is also looking to get some snaps on the defensive side at outside linebacker. Kieft is intriguing as well because he’s one of the few offensive players that have lined up on this play that favors the defense.

Bucs Have Filled Out Other Special Teams Positions

The return game looks like it’ll be running backs Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker on kick return, while wide receiver Trey Palmer will handle punt return with fellow wideouts Kameron Johnson and Jalen McMillan backing him up. McGaughey shared his thoughts on how they’re all picking it up.

“All [of] those guys are doing a good job just trying to feel their way through it,” Bucs special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said. “It’s not easy. I think Bucky [Irving] and some of those guys [have] done a really good job of kind of feeling their way through and just understanding what it is and just, how to play the play and just play football.

I mean, like I said, the play is the play, but it is a little different and it happens quicker, and you have to be able to take some shots, because you don’t take a shot from time to time because things happen so fast, but again it’s interesting and it’s fun. It’s just been fun to watch.”

Where punt coverage is most important outside of the kick itself is the gunners running down the field that are first in pursuit of the returner. It looks like the Bucs have those positions filled, though several can play the part.

“It’s more depth than I’ve been around in a while, you know, at the gunner spot,” McGaughey said. “It’ll be a good rotation of guys, but for the most part, Josh Hayes and Tavierre Thomas – those will be guys that we lean on heavily there. It’ll be a rotation of guys after that, but I think we have some pretty good speed there.”