-Cornerback Brent Grimes was back practicing in a full capacity – participating in team drills throughout the morning. It led to a spectacular pick in the corner of the end zone. Grimes stuck with his receiver and turned his head at the right moment to then leap up and come down with the ball. His athleticism was on full display and made even more impressive considering it was his first day back practicing fully. He said afterward that it felt good to be back working in a football capacity and he's enjoying getting reps in with the younger defensive backs that have been helping to hold down the fort in his absence.
-I haven't said this in a while but it bears repeating that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is continuing his dominance in one-on-one drills while pinned up against the offensive linemen. Even three weeks into camp, you'd think maybe his teammates would have been able to figure him out but that doesn't appear to be the case. Everything he does is at 100 percent – which includes trotting between fields during practice. He sprints. If the guys he's been going against for weeks can't slow him down, you have to think opponents are going to have an even harder time come the regular season, which is good news for the Bucs' defensive line.
-Also in one-on-ones, new cornerback Amari Coleman had an impressive effort. Going against receiver Sergio Bailey, he anticipated the pass catcher's route and stuck with him. Bailey couldn't shake him and even got tripped up. He made a second-ditch effort following the slip but Coleman didn't give up and broke up the eventual pass as he was greeted by his onlooking units with high fives and helmet slaps.
-The Bucs worked on installing their short yardage package today. While third-and-one plays make up maybe only one percent of play calls, as Coach Koetter estimated, they're of vital importance. It's one area the Bucs would like to improve upon this season while decreasing third down conversions on the other side of the ball. The latter was accomplished in Thursday night's contest in Miami, where the Dolphins were just two-for-12 on third down, giving them a measly 16 percent completion rate.
-Coach Koetter called today's practice 'one of the best so far this year' and attributed it to a great energy level for the entirety of it. Today was the second to last practice before the Bucs head to Nashville for joint practices with the Tennessee Titans starting on Wednesday.