'Call It' Periods During Practice Proving Invaluable For Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs are getting valuable work in during team drills with "call it" periods early on in camp.

Aug 17, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) trains at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As Training camp starts to ramp up, so does the way Tampa Bay Buccaneers are structuring practice.

While warmups and individual drills are still going on, there have been a ton of team drills, whether that's 11-on-11 or 7-on-7. Those drills provide valuable reps for players as they continue to learn the system and provide competition between the offense and defense to prepare them for the regular season.

However, the practice periods are also invaluable to the coaching staff. While some of the plays the offense and defense will run are scripted, so they can each get looks at certain things they may need to work on, the Bucs have also been running what's called, "call it" periods. During those periods of team drills, the offense and defense are essentially unscripted and calling plays based on what they see the other unit doing.

The periods are extremely valuable for both players and coaches alike and they help aid the team in preparation for the regular season. During Wednesday's practice, Bowles relieved himself of making the calls on defense and let assistant defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers call in the defensive plays.

“I didn’t call it today in the call-it period,” Bowles said. “Coach [Kacy] Rodgers called it today. In the call-it periods, I’ve got to do down-and-distance and personnel and all that stuff, so I’m kind of a referee, so to speak. Kacy does a heck of a job, [Larry] Foote does a heck of a job calling the defense."

These "call it" periods breed competition, as unlike the scripted plays, both the defense and offense don't know what coming. Some of the things that work well will be earmarked for the game plan on any given week down the line, while things that don't may get pushed to the side. But the more each side of the ball sees, the quicker they will be able to recognize it when an opponent trots out a similar look.

"The competition with each other, I think that we’re going to see throughout 16 [or] 17 games and not just the first or second game of the season," Bowles said. "The things we’re preparing for now, we’re going to see on Sundays. The more we see it, the easier it will be.”

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While it's extremely valuable for the coaching staff, it's just as valuable to the players, especially on offense. As the Bucs' offense learns a new system and playbook getting to see how new offensive coordinator Liam Coen might operate on a game day has been vital for the Buccaneers offense.

"I think it does give you a little bit of a feel but at the same time we're still early in camp so we don't have the entire playbook to choose from right now, it's like a limited menu," Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin said. "But I think I like those drills because it does kind of simulate how a game would go. Like the flow of subbing guys in and out personnel-wise, getting the call, hearing it, and having to execute, move the ball, and play situational football. So I think those drills are really, really vital for us. "

Getting to know how Coen will operate is just one of the benefits, but getting to know what he likes and doesn't like has a benefit of its own. However, that goes both ways though. Coen is fostering a collaborative environment and seeking feedback from his players as well, which will be beneficial to him when it comes to call plays when game day rolls around.

“I think we're starting to get a feel for what Liam likes," Godwin went on to say. "You can tell he’s very excited to call plays. He’s excited to put this offense together. But one thing I really like about him is he is very open to it being a collaborative effort. He wants our input, he wants to know what guys do well, and he wants to know how guys feel about things. And I think that's going to make for a really, really exciting year.”

As the pads come on, we'll see even more of these "call it" periods where we'll also get a better look at the running game and how it will operate. The scrimmages and joint practices will have the players prepared even more so when they step into the periods and will help the players and coaches continue to figure out what works and what won't so they can incorporate it when the regular season rolls around.

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