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Clashing Views On Bucs’ Lackadaisical Practice August 27th, 2026After last year’s ugly season finish, any effort hiccup by the Bucs is worthy of scrutiny. The team lost all benefit of the doubt after losing to the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Dolphins in consecutive weeks. So was it a giant red flag that the Bucs, after two days off, came out flat against the Jaguars in a joint practice on Tuesday? Speaking on ESPN TV this week, former NFL safety Louis Riddick, also a former Philadelpia Eagles executive, said it’s absolutely important to grind through the late days of training camp and to not have bad days, especially in a joint practice. Per Riddick, that’s what the best teams find ways to do. ESPN colleague Booger McFarland disagreed. The former Bucs defensive tackle said he understands how difficult it is to get up for a practice four weeks into training camp and the Bucs primarily need to focus on getting and staying healthy, and prepping for Week 1. “Because if all their pieces are healthy, this is a top 2 or 3 team in the NFC, and that’s with the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams,” McFarland said. “That’s how much talent this Tampa Bay team has.” Bucs legend Rondé Barber, speaking on his WFLA-TV streaming show, said he scrutinzed Tuesday’s practice film and it wasn’t nearly as bad as Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin and Bucs media implied. Barber lauded the Bucs’ pass rush, saying the Jaguars would have been in serious trouble if the hitting quarterbacks was permitted. Joe saw substandard energy overall from the Bucs on Tuesday. Plenty of good, though.