The Buccaneer Buffet: Hot Offerings, Hot Weather

The Buccaneers recover from the heat of two Monday practices with a single session on Tuesday. For your ingestion, these hot-weather offerings:

Raheem Morris has asked his team to embrace the heat of this August training camp. Looking at the Buccaneer schedule, you have to ask yourself: How much "home heat advantage" will the Bucs have?

First and most important, the Bucs only have seven true home games at Raymond James Stadium. Four of those will be played on or after Nov. 8. The heat is typically long gone by then.

The "home" game in London against New England, no heat there except for the heat that quarterback Tom Brady can put on a defense.

The only real home heat will be the Sept. 13 opener against Dallas. Texas heat is legendary, so you would expect the Cowboys to be acclimated. Shouldn't be roasting in Buffalo when the Bucs visit there on Sept. 20.

Home against the Giants on Sept. 27 should be hot then by Oct. 18, it will start to cool down when Carolina visits.

So in the final analysis, the home heat advantage that Morris foresees, may not be that much in the Bucs' favor.

Speaking of Buffalo, the Bucs defense won't have to stop running back Marshawn Lynch in that game. The NFL has upheld his three-game suspension and he'll sit on Sept. 20.

Injuries have not been serious at One Buc Place although two high-profile names are dinged up already. Wide receiver and the lone "deep threat" Antonio Bryant has swelling in his knee and sat out on Monday as did the greatness that is the league's highest-paid tight end, Kellen Winslow Jr. Winslow has a bum ankle.

Others on the list include Angelo Crowell (hamstring), Joel Filani (ankle) and Louis Holmes, who is out a week with an ankle sprain. Greg Peterson returned to practice on Monday.

Another Buccaneer opponent, Carolina, was less fortunate. The Panthers lost starting defensive tackle Maake Kemmoeatu for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.

Perhaps the Bucs got a good break when they lost the Albert Haynesworth sweepstakes to the Redskins. The behemoth defensive lineman is already getting injections in a bad knee and camp has barely started.

Coach Jim Zorn has shrugged it off but it's not something you would want to see this early, especially from a guy who weighs, well, anywhere from 350-380!

Morris has been paying a lot of attention to red-zone offense. Not doubt he's remembering all the games under Jon Gruden when the Bucs were forced to settle for field goals. "We want six," he said quickly. "You have to run the ball in the red zone to be effective. We want six. We want to convert at a 60 percent rate."

If Raheem can achieve that, the Bucs would be among the league's elite teams in the red zone.

Speaking of Raheem, he is talking for credit or responsibility for the Jermaine Phillips (picture above) to linebacker experiment. "He's taken to it," Morris said. "He needs a live game."

Quincy Black continues to stand out on defense. "He's a hybrid player. He plays FAST! That's what a linebacker is supposed to look like..." says Raheem.

Morris likes rookie d-lineman Kyle Moore but says, "he needs to be more stout."

Morris likes how Jimmy Wilkerson works with the younger d-linemen. "Jimmy's a good teacher, he's cussing 'em out before I do," Morris laughed.

Morris has gotten after his quarterbacks often. "They don't like to be talked about," he said.

Morris likes new o-line starter Jeremy Zuttah: "He's very smart, very athletic. He needs to be like Faine (Jeff), Joseph (Davin) and Trueblood (Jeremy) and be a little nasty."

Defensive lineman Jarriett Buie, a former USF standout, had his way often with offensive tackle Anthony Alabai on Monday. Some of the USF coaching staff watched Buie from the sidelines.

The worst-kept secret in Tampa Bay was made public by the Buccaneers on Monday when they introduced Lee Roy Selmon as the first member of the team's new Ring of Honor.

Lee Roy was his typical humble self as he spoke.

"Wow, it was 33 years ago," he said recalling his rookie season. "It's nice to still be alive!"

Selmon said he was most excited about the induction and wearing of the Orange "throw-back" jerseys for the Nov. 8 home game against Green Bay. Said he's excited that a lot of players from the 1979 playoff team will be there.

Finally this tidbit from NBC anchor Brian Williams who asked this question as a lead-in Monday night:

"Does it feel like summer where you are?"

Brian has not been to Tampa in August.