"Coming into this offseason, I just know I'm going to be called on a lot," McDougald said. "I have to show up and be more accountable."
"I'm really busy and tied up during the season, I really like to take time to get away," said McDougald. "Like, I go home (to Ohio) and it's 11 degrees outside. I like to sit in the house. I'm a homebody type of guy. I take the first month off and just relax, get away from football. I talk to Lovie and a lot of the coaches, just get away from it but when you come back - it's time to come back, get in the weight room. That's probably the first thing I do when I get back, get in the weight room."
"My girlfriend and I plan to go to Aruba," McDougald said. "I think we'll be there for five days."
"That month I take off, I usually don't eat the best food," said McDougald. "I definitely transition my diet to a lot of fish and fruit. I cut a lot of snacking out and replace it with fish, fruit, salad and stuff."
"I go to the recreation center every time I come home," McDougald said. "It's three minutes from my grandma's house, it's where I grew up playing. That's a place where I grew up and got into football and basketball so I go back and play with the kids or go back and play with some of the guys I grew up with."
"I go visit my high school football and basketball coaches," McDougald said. "I make sure I see those guys every time. It's always good to see them. I have such close relationships with both my high school football and basketball coaches. They definitely get a lot of credit to where I'm at today. They did a lot for me academically, staying on my grades in high school. They really got me motivated to want to venture out and play college sports, because I knew nothing about it coming into high school, I was just playing. They saw the potential in me and made sure I took advantage of it."
"I visit family," McDougald said, "people I don't get to see a lot during the season when I'm away. My grandma, I mean, I have a very big family. My grandma, my uncles… no one specific because everyone's always around. Everyone's close so when I come home everyone comes together, it's not like a one-person deal."
"I train down in Dallas in the offseason with one of my old college teammates, Chris Harris," said McDougald. "I work out with him. Chris has a place there, I go down there and stay with him for maybe a week at a time or so. We have a coach we work out with."
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Safety Bradley McDougald has been through many offseasons, but this one's a little different.
McDougald had a breakout season in 2014, starting the final seven games for the Buccaneers and finishing with 50 tackles, eighth-most on the team.
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That means his offseason will be spent working on his craft, not working to make a roster.
"Coming into this offseason, I just know I'm going to be called on a lot," McDougald said. "I have to show up and be more accountable. Starting the last seven games, I definitely have a role on the team as opposed to, 'Will I be on the team,' or coming in fighting for a spot. Not that I'm not fighting for a spot anymore, but just knowing that the coaches are counting on me and really want me to show up."
Despite being in an unfamiliar position, McDougald has a few things he will do this offseason, as he does every offseason:
7. Relax.
"I'm really busy and tied up during the season, I really like to take time to get away. Like, I go home (to Ohio) and it's 11 degrees outside. I like to sit in the house. I'm a homebody type of guy. I take the first month off and just relax, get away from football. I talk to Lovie and a lot of the coaches, just get away from it but when you come back - it's time to come back, get in the weight room. That's probably the first thing I do when I get back, get in the weight room."
6. Get away.
"My girlfriend and I plan to go to Aruba. I think we'll be there for five days."
5. Take care of his body.
"That month I take off, I usually don't eat the best food. I definitely transition my diet to a lot of fish and fruit. I cut a lot of snacking out and replace it with fish, fruit, salad and stuff."
4. Stop by the Columbus, Ohio recreation center.
"I go to the recreation center every time I come home. It's three minutes from my grandma's house, it's where I grew up playing. That's a place where I grew up and got into football and basketball so I go back and play with the kids or go back and play with some of the guys I grew up with."
**
- Visit ex-coaches**.
"I go visit my high school football and basketball coaches. I make sure I see those guys every time. It's always good to see them. I have such close relationships with both my high school football and basketball coaches. They definitely get a lot of credit to where I'm at today. They did a lot for me academically, staying on my grades in high school. They really got me motivated to want to venture out and play college sports, because I knew nothing about it coming into high school, I was just playing. They saw the potential in me and made sure I took advantage of it."
2. Visit relatives.
"I visit family, people I don't get to see a lot during the season when I'm away. My grandma, I mean, I have a very big family. My grandma, my uncles… no one specific because everyone's always around. Everyone's close so when I come home everyone comes together, it's not like a one-person deal."
1. Get back to work.
"I train down in Dallas in the offseason with one of my old college teammates, Chris Harris. I work out with him. Chris has a place there, I go down there and stay with him for maybe a week at a time or so. We have a coach we work out with."
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