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After a storm delay of close to an hour, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first full squad practice began late afternoon Thursday. Even the grey skies, spitting rain and grumbles from the clouds weren’t enough to force fans away from full pads, some contact, and the crowd-pleasing receiver drills.

“A lot of familiar faces, not too many new faces,” said T Jeremy Trueblood. “We’re just trying to pick up where we left off last year.”

For Trueblood, G Davin Joseph and LB Quincy Black, this was also their first practice overall, since unrestricted free agents were forced to sit out until Thursday – when the CBA was ratified. But because Thursday was a special teams practice only, all three had to wait one more day.

“I could barely sleep last night,” Joseph said. “I haven’t really hit anybody since last year in November, so I just worked on a lot of drills to stay in shape. But football – just getting used to hitting and hitting a moving target, is a little different.”

“Davin and I were talking about how we feel like little kids again because you got to watch everyone else practice for so long. You’re excited the first day anyway, but to watch everyone else get to do it and not have to wait anymore really makes you appreciate the chance we get to play football,” Trueblood said.

Head coach Raheem Morris’s initial assessment for the trio was good.

“I’ve got to look at the tape as far as technique and all that. I watched them bouncing off the field and the thing I was concerned about obviously was putting on the pads the first day, going out there in the sun. But I watched Davin walk off the field and he gave me a wink,” Morris said

Despite the extended off-season, Black said there wasn’t much of a “family reunion”-type atmosphere.

“We’ve been hanging around…so we’ve had our picnic table conversations and all that. We’re good to go. It’s about football right now,” he said.

* * *

The Buccaneers will hold their annual Night Practice at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night. There is free admission for fans who would like to attend. If you can’t make it out to the stadium, watch a special one-hour live program featuring coverage of the practice, along with live interviews, analysis and more on Bright House Sports Network, channel 47/HD 1147 at 7 p.m.

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Photos of Doug Williams at a media conference at One Buc Place at 1 p.m. (2/12/04). Williams, the former Buc quarterback from the late 1970s and early 1980s, was introduced as a new member of the front office. At the end of the press conference, from the left: Richard “Batman” Wood, Doug Williams and Jimmie Giles. They all played together on an earlier Buc’s team.

TAMPA — Former Bucs tight end Jimmie Giles will be the third person inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.

The announcement will be made in a news conference this morning at One Buc Place.

The Bucs did not confirm Giles’ induction Tuesday, but former quarterback Doug Williams left little room for doubt.

“Yes it is true! He deserves it,” Williams wrote in a text message to the St. Petersburg Times on Tuesday.

Giles, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, played 13 seasons, including nine in Tampa Bay. A third-round pick of the Houston Oilers in 1977, Giles joined the Bucs in his second season. He went on to record three seasons with 40 or more receptions, despite playing in an era when tight ends were not used as receivers nearly as extensively as today.

Giles’ seven touchdown receptions in 1979 helped propel the Bucs to the NFC Championship Game for the first time, where they fell one win shy of the Super Bowl.

The official induction ceremony will be at halftime during a regular-season game this fall at Raymond James Stadium.

“In my opinion, he should be in the Hall of Fame,” Williams wrote.

Times staff writer Stephen F. Holder contributed to this report.

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By Jodie Tillman and Bill Varian, Times Staff Writers

In Print: Thursday, June 9, 2011

A county official wants to scrutinize suite and other changes, which a stadium official says are key to keeping NFL quality.
	[SKIP O’ROURKE | Times (2009)]

TAMPA — Almost half of the $7.8 million in public money going toward renovating Raymond James Stadium next year will be spent in places few Bucs fans can enjoy: the luxury suites.

The money, most of which comes from tourist taxes, will pay for new carpeting ($597,200), furnishings ($2.3 million), ice makers ($225,940) and refrigerators ($225,940) in the 195 suites.

But the revenue generated by those suites? By contract, that goes right back to the Bucs owners, the Glazer family.

The Tampa Sports Authority, the public agency that manages the stadium, said it is obligated to keep the suites up to standard. That means replacing worn carpet, for instance, and broken ice makers.

“This was one of the many concessions we have to the Bucs,” said authority board member Tony Muniz. “I ensure you they will enforce it.”

Hillsborough County and Tampa are on the hook for upkeep. But some county commissioners are questioning the spending, including nearly $7.7 million proposed over two years to replace the scoreboard.

“In the grand scheme of things, carpets in luxury suites and scoreboards are not the highest priorities,” said Commissioner Mark Sharpe. “That will be something I’ll be taking a hard look at.”

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said he may direct someone from his staff to visit the stadium and provide an opinion about whether the renovations are needed.

The suite improvements were included in the 30-year capital plan that the Bucs and the sports authority developed when Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998, said Eric Hart, the sports authority’s executive director.

Officials have done some of the less-expensive items over the years — roof repairs and electrical work, for instance — out of the roughly $2 million they get from the county each year, he said. But many of the big-ticket expenses are coming due now.

Over the next two years, the agency projects spending nearly $18.7 million in maintenance and replacement work.

That includes nearly $1.2 million on stadium seats and $1 million on the sound system. By far, the biggest item will be $7.7 million to replace the scoreboard with a high-definition version.

Hart said the original plan called for replacing the scoreboard after 10 years, a point that passed three years ago. Muniz said the board has dated technology that makes it expensive and difficult to locate parts. “Even though the number is scary, it’s something we have to do to keep the stadium to NFL quality,” said Muniz.

Because the sports authority spends more money than it takes in, operating shortfalls must be covered by taxpayers. Hillsborough County assumes two-thirds of the losses and the city of Tampa takes on the rest.

The tourist money was initially earmarked in 2006 at the urging of then-commissioner, now state Sen. Jim Norman as part of a package of set-asides for upkeep of county sports buildings.

Now, the fourth of five cents charged for every dollar a person spends on a hotel room in Hillsborough can be used for only a few things: debt payments for renovations on an existing professional sports venue, repairs to a convention center or marketing that promotes tourism.

The topic came up briefly at a Hillsborough County Commission budget workshop Wednesday. Commissioner Victor Crist said he had a hard time supporting millions of dollars in spending at the stadium when the state and county are cutting back on programs for poor children.

“It’s going to be hard to look at these kids and say, ‘There’s nothing for you,’ ” Crist said.

Commissioner Ken Hagan noted that the stadium money will come from tourist taxes. While he said he shared Crist’s sympathies, the tourist tax dollars can’t be used to pay for such things as after-school programs.

But some residents wondered whether the tourist taxes could be better spent, especially when it came to the suites.

“People who want to have those luxurious upgrades ought to pay for it,” said Karen Jaroch, a conservative activist and chairwoman of the Tampa 912 project.

Hart, the authority executive director, defended the spending not only as a contractual obligation with the Bucs but also as modest upkeep.

“We’re not saying we’re going to gut the suites and re-do them. We’re not going out and putting gold-plated seats in the suites.”

Asked about the need for suite improvements, a Bucs spokesman released a statement that did not specifically address it.

“The improvements to the stadium are designed to maintain and enhance the fans’ experience at every event at Raymond James Stadium, while also maintaining the venue as a desired destination for future events,” Jonathan Grella, director of public relations, said.

Jodie Tillman can be reached at jtillman@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3374.

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By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Mar 16, 2011 10:41 AM

Quarterback Josh Freeman had a banner year, but his image has been removed from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

In fact, the team had oversized pictures of eight Tampa Bay Buccaneers taken down this past weekend. Because of the NFL lockout, the league has discouraged teams from using the likenesses of players for marketing purposes.

Some of the banners featured the marketing slogan “Unite and Conquer,” which will be replaced. It’s likely the team will want to promote different stars.

But the timing of the banners being removed and the lockout is not coincidental. “All things pointed to now being the time,” Bucs spokesman Jonathan Grella said.

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They didn’t sell out Raymond James Stadium a single time last season and all their home games were blocked out on local television. Attendance really didn’t get much better as the Bucs were putting an exciting young team on the field and going 10-6 after a 3-13 season in 2009.

I’ve cited the economy as a factor in all this many times. There are other factors as well, but, more than ever, I think the economy is the biggest one of all. That was reinforced Wednesday as I took the rare opportunity to go out and watch a sporting event as a fan.

My good friend and ESPN colleague Sal Paolantonio is down here visiting his family and we decided to meet up and swing out to watch the New York Yankees play a spring training game at Legends Field. For the record, they were hosting the Houston Astros and it was a gorgeous day with the temperature right around 80 degrees.

I was more than a little shocked to see that Legends Field was not sold out. Heck, it wasn’t even close to being sold out. The official box score listed attendance at 8,838, at a venue that can hold several thousand more. I’m not questioning the Yankees ‘accounting methods, but it seemed like their number might have been a little high because there were a lot of empty seats.

It didn’t used to be this way. Historically, the Yankees have been a tough ticket to get for spring training in Tampa. That’s obviously not the case anymore.

I think the fact the Yankees, one of the marquee franchises in all of sports, can’t draw huge crowds in Tampa says a lot about the Bucs’ situation. Tampa has been hit harder than most places by economic problems.

If the Yankees can’t draw big crowds here, I don’t see things changing quickly for the Bucs.

By ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 1, 2011

Updated: 03/01/2011 12:09 pm

TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a better stadium for fans to watch NFL games than Arizona, Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans and San Diego, according to one reporter’s recent rankings.

Raymond James Stadium was recently ranked by National Football Post blogger Joe Fortenbaugh as the ninth best stadium to watch NFL games. Green Bay’s Lambeau Field and Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium were ranked first and second, respectively, while Minnesota’s Metrodome was considered the worst venue.

Tampa’s stadium was praised for having good weather in December, passionate fans, plus its huge end-zone pirate ship, which was described as “the place to be if you’re between the ages of 21 and 32, as this is the site … where a host of young professionals from the Tampa area gather to hang out and drink beers on Sundays.”

The rankings are extremely subjective and hardly scientific. Fortenbaugh admits he hasn’t been to every stadium and based much of the rankings on interviews and “what I’ve seen on television.”

However, the listing adds to the rave reviews Raymond James Stadium typically receives.

Recently, a poll of more than 1,600 players from the NFL’s 32 teams revealed the field was regarded as the second-best grass playing field in the league behind University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

“We’re pleased that Raymond James Stadium has been recognized as one of the league’s top places to enjoy a game and also that its playing surface has also earned high praise,” Bucs spokesperson Jonathan Grella said. “Couple those distinctions with an emerging young Bucs team that plays a thrilling brand of football and it’s clear Tampa Bay has a lot to be proud of and look forward to.”

Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998 and instantly earned a glowing reputation. The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls and Hillsborough County officials recently stated they would like to host another Super Bowl in 2015. To win the bid, Tampa would have to beat South Florida, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Dallas, which recently hosted a highly criticized Super Bowl.

COMMENTARY | TAMPA, Fla. — It was tough being a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010. Attendance for the home games at Raymond James Stadium was so consistently low, the NFL’s blackout policy had to be enforced. What did that mean? No televised Tampa Bay Buccaneers home games during the entire 2010 NFL season.

Of course, there were still plenty of restaurants and bars outside the region that could air the games. There were even some local places that clandestinely aired the games via internet feed. And, of course, there were still thousands of people who attended the Buccaneers games at Raymond James Stadium. That meant thousands of people eating at local restaurants before and after the game.

When I attended the December 2010 game where the Bucs hosted the Atlanta Falcons, I met plenty of fans who flew in from Georgia. These out-of-state spectators assuredly infused plenty of money into Tampa’s economy while taking in the game here (and I’m sure it made their day that the Atlanta Falcons pulled out a win that day!)

NFL Labor Agreement Lockout Could Penalize Local Economies

With the current NFL contract expiring on March 3, there’s much concern about a lockout. On the table are retired NFL players’ benefits, revenue sharing, and the possibility of extending the NFL season to 18 games (up from the current 16 games). NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is hoping for an agreement between team owners and players, but NFL players aren’t too keen on extending the season, and there’s the always pivotal issue of retiree benefits.

What does this all come down to? While every NFL fan (including me) wants to see a full NFL season in 2011, there’s the much more important matter of the economy at hand – how will Tampa (or any of the other 31 NFL cities) cope should the pigskin not meet the gridiron in 2011? Even if a late agreement occurs, that still likely means a shortened NFL season and dire economic impacts for each NFL-hosting city.

Economic Issues Must Be Considered During NFL Labor Negotiations

With economic recovery a crucial and difficult goal for every major U.S. city, the stakes surrounding a possible NFL lockout can’t be much higher. While an agreement that satisfies both the NFL players and the club owners must be met, it’s vital that every involved party also considers the effects that an NFL lockout may have on the workers, businesses, and local governments in each of the 32 NFL-hosting cities – especially places like Tampa, Florida, where a tourism-based economy has been particularly devastated by the recession over the past few years.

A quick contract negotiation will do the NFL good, keep relationships with millions of NFL fans warm, and – most importantly – score winning economic touchdowns for all of the 32 NFL cities in the United States.