Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Night Practice Shows Bucs May Dominate Air Waves Again

A funny thing happened in July of 2009—the long awaited offseason in the NFL was finally over, the dreary months of March and June passed with the echos of basketball championships, all the while waiting for that day to celebrate the rebirth of another NFL season. You turn on the radio, tune in your local sports animal broadcast, and eagerly await the answer to the first callers's important "Tampa Bay" question.

...about the Rays?

One magical season in 2008, and the whole of Tampa Bay became enamored with the new winners the Bay area has produced, and the once proud dominating franchise from One Buc Place was left to fight for seconds with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Nationally they call us fair weathered, but we love a winner on both sides of the bay!

While Evan Longoria was belting homers for the fresh upstart Tampa Bay Rays, the Bucs were getting stale sitting stagnant in an ever changing NFL world. Free-agent signings were a thing of the past, and a Super Bowl winning coach was tossed aside for an assistant no one knew or heard of. 

Well, all of that may be on the verge of being buried along with the Bucs boring recent history, as Tampa Bay, under the leadership of General Manager Mark Dominik, has energized the Bucs fanbase by bringing the players back to Tampa for training camp.

In abandoning Orlando as its July home, and opening practice to the public, the Bucs have been creating a buzz here, especially with a new annual 'must see' event: Open Practice at Raymond James Stadium in a game-like atmosphere. 

If Saturday night's result is any indication, the Bucs are ready to take their seat back as the dominant kings of the Tampa Bay Jungle. Over 30,000 fans piled into Raymond James, many braving the rain and elements to stay right up until the end. Players signed autographs before and after the practice, fireworks filled the sky and fans seemed to forget the team they were watching was last seen committing an all time low for a franchise known for its bottom-dwelling history. 

It's been three years since the word "Blackouts" had little to no meaning for Bay area TV viewers. That was another team's issue, another area's concern. We had six-digit figure waiting lists for tickets at one point, but a decade of complacency has eroded the fanbase down to scouring the Internet for pirate broadcasts.

But a new head coach, a little money spent on three of the biggest free agents at their positions and a new NFL ruling helping lift blackouts a little easier. They may give Tampa Bay sports fans their Sundays back right where we want them: On our couch with a high definition broadcast of our favorite team on the big screen, so we can check the scores of that other team from St. Petersburg on the little set in the kitchen.