Blackwell shines at BUCS camp!

[Papa_Bull]

The Bucs opened their rookie mini-camp on Friday with 44 players on the field, including 28 young men who hope to prove themselves over the weekend

A Chance to Shine  

The rookie linemen had little relief on a hot day, as there were few subs on the 44-man roster

Apr 30, 2004 - Offensive lineman Eric Faasen was blocking rusher Shane Jones. Cornerback Omar Laurence was covering receiver Terrance Metcalf. Quarterback Ryan Schneider was tracking the pre-snap movements of safeties Jack Hunt and Kane Ioane.

Believe it or not, this was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice…and you haven’t been asleep for 20 years.

There were a few recognizable names on the field Friday, as the Bucs held the first of three rookie mini-camp practices in a sweltering heat that had just descended that afternoon. Michael Clayton, the team’s first-round pick in the previous weekend’s draft, ran his first routes as a Buccaneer. Ohio State safety Will Allen, a fourth-round pick, rotated in with Hunt and Ioane. Fabian Davis, a former unknown himself who opened eyes in Bucs training camp last summer, renewed his attempts to make the team.

Most of the 44 men who took the field in Buc gear on Friday, however, were completely new to the organization and working under contracts that might not last beyond three days. They are all fine football players in their own right, however, and they were in Tampa because they very well could fit into the team’s future plans.

The Bucs will hold three practices from Friday through Sunday, one each day, plus a few walk-throughs and hours of meetings. That will comprise the first of two mini-camps the team is allowed to hold this offseason. One of those two can only be for rookies and first-year players, and the Bucs only have a handful of those, even after the draft. So, to flesh out the mini-camp roster and to look for additional talent, the Bucs signed 28 other rookies and first-year men to tryout contracts for the weekend.

 

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"I really respect what they did today, on both sides of the ball. We had very few wasted plays, and the quarterbacks, I thought, were very sharp."

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“It’s a credit to (General Manager) Bruce (Allen) and the front office for bringing in some guys that allowed us to not only practice but look at some newcomers that will be evaluated carefully,†said Head Coach Jon Gruden.

“Everybody here has a chance. We wouldn’t be out here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, putting this much time into it if we didn’t feel that way. Our goal is to bring these players up to speed so they don’t slow us down. And they get an opportunity to highlight themselves and showcase what they can do when the veterans start rolling around.â€Â

So the Bucs fielded eight new draft choices, three rookie free agents signed on Friday, five first-year players already on the Bucs’ roster (Mike Brown Anthony Davis, Fabian Davis, John Garrison and Doug Zeigler) and those 28 young men hoping to make a quick impression.

That still left the Bucs about 15 players short of what they would have for an in-season practice, and maybe 35 men short of a typical training camp outing. Some positions had barely a sub, such as an offensive line with only six men to rotate into five spots. Throw in the hottest afternoon in months and heads swimming from a morning of playbook cramming, and it was a challenging 90-minute affair for the newcomers.

Impressively, they were up to the challenge.

“I really respect what they did today, on both sides of the ball,†said Gruden. “We put in 25 or 30 different passes and an array of formations, and they handled it quite well. We had very few wasted plays, and the quarterbacks, I thought, were very sharp. Marquel Blackwell from USF, in particular, did some real good things for us.â€Â

Blackwell actually had a fair amount of Tampa name recognition coming in, given that he had starred for four years at nearby South Florida. The Bulls played their home games in Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers, and Blackwell also spent some time with the Arena League’s Tampa Bay Storm. He went to camp with the New York Jets this year and believes he can make it at the NFL level. Like the rest of the players in for tryouts, his short-term goal is to open some eyes in Tampa and hopefully earn a spot for training camp.

“We’ll see how it goes,†said Blackwell. “I’m just enjoying the experience, enjoying the time working with Coach Gruden and Coach (John) Shoop and the staff. I’m going to take what I can from it, take it for what it’s worth and go with it.

“I know I can play at this level. But everybody needs that process, I guess, just to learn it, because this is the big time, now. You can’t get out there and not know what you’re doing. You’ve got to move around. (I had) a great experience (with the Jets). It helped me out a lot going into this thing.â€Â

Unlike Blackwell, most of the players in for weekend tryouts are rookies, fresh off final college, looking for their first shot in the pro ranks. Faasen, for instance, played at Toledo while Ioane came over from Montana State. Some were from big programs – Jones and offensive lineman Tim Fa’aita were teammates at Arizona State – while others represented small schools – punter Scott Verhalen played at East Texas Baptist and offensive lineman Alan Dunn represented Tusculum College in Alabama.

This likely won’t be the last chance for each of these players to make an impression on a pro coaching staff, but it’s impossible to say when the next one will come. Thus, the next three days are important to these men, and both sides are taking it very seriously. The Bucs know that valuable contributors can come from avenues other than the draft.

“We evaluate everything: their ability to concentrate in the meetings, how quickly they can grasp our system and take it between the lines and execute it and make some plays,†said Gruden. “We’ve got a lot of guys on our team who weren’t drafted, guys with obscure backgrounds who took advantage of these opportunities and not only became players for us but became starters and, in Shelton Quarles’ case, a Pro Bowl player. So this is a tool that we don’t take lightly. We’re going to evaluate these men hard for the next couple days.â€Â

So far, so good.

“I was really impressed with the enthusiasm, the want-to and the effort by these guys,†Gruden continued. “It was very, very good throughout the day. We’re off to a pretty good start. We like the attendance in our offseason program and we feel like we’ve added some newcomers in the draft and maybe there are a couple free agents here that can help us.â€Â

[Sitting_BULL]

Obviously we'd all love to see him in the NFL, I still think he had a better shot with the Storm/Arena.

I was surprised the Storm hadn't already started using him? ???

[FLIPSTYLE]

me too, but mb behind the helm of the bucs; i have full confidence that he can lead them to glory

[ChiTownBull]

does he have a shot to make the bucs squad?

who is the bucs 3rd and 4th qbs for camp?

[E.T.]

I'm just glad he's still chasing the dream.

Good Luck MB.

Go BULLS !!!

Rookie's Story Fit for a King

By RICK STROUD and JOHN C. COTEY

Published May 1, 2004

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TAMPA - It's a story familiar to Tampa Bay fans.

Youngster stars at quarterback at a St. Petersburg high school, puts his college program on the map and lands an opportunity to play for his hometown NFL team.

Shaun King?

Nope. South Florida and Dixie Hollins High School star Marquel Blackwell.

When the Bucs began a three-day minicamp Friday for rookies and first-year players, Blackwell was among the 28 signed to tryout contracts.

"I just want to play football. But it's a blessing to be here in Tampa. It's something you can't even picture at first. I'm here now and I'll try to do the best I can."

Blackwell had a brief stint with the Jets last season. He was released at the end of training camp but re-signed after the injury to starter Chad Pennington. He remained with the team for a week until the Jets signed veteran backup Jamie Martin.

This spring, Blackwell spent a month on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. But he was released April 9.

With four quarterbacks under contract - Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms and Jason Garrett - it's unlikely the Bucs have room on their training camp roster for Blackwell. But he welcomed the work and a chance to improve under Jon Gruden.

"When you're with Coach Gruden, you're going to get better regardless," Blackwell said. "He's going to test your mental capacity and everything. So it's been fun and interesting. I'm just going to enjoy it and take for what it's worth.

"You know there's a chance. You know you have a shot. I'll never ever, ever and would not ever, ever stop believing in myself. You've just got to keep fighting and when your opportunity comes, take advantage of it."

Blackwell said he benefited from going to training camp last season with the Jets, who played the Bucs in the American Bowl in Tokyo.

"It was a great experience. I got into the fire to see what it was like," Blackwell said. "I wouldn't change it for nothing in the world. It was the best time of my life.

"I know I can play at this level. But everybody needs that process just to learn it because it's big time now. You can't get out there and not know what you're doing. You've got to move around. So it was a great experience. It helped me out a whole lot going into this camp."

Blackwell and Central Florida's Ryan Schneider are the only quarterbacks participating in the minicamp.

"There's not too much that will catch Coach Gruden's eye," Blackwell said. "He sees everything. The thing I like about him, you can make all the great throws and you can do everything but he's going to find a little thing to make you a better quarterback and that's what I really like about him."

Has Blackwell received any feedback from Gruden?

"He said, "Can you get the formations right?"' Blackwell said. "The interesting part is he says it's not even close to what (the offense) is. One-tenth."

[smazza]

an opportunity is all he needs and those are tought to come by in nfl

[Goldenbuc]

Blackwell and Central Florida's Ryan Schneider are the only quarterbacks participating in the minicamp.

Did Schneider ask to trade Blackwell for USF under t-shirts, here too?

[Papa_Bull]

Did Schneider ask to trade Blackwell for USF under t-shirts, here too?

I remember when Kawika Mitchell went to the Hula bowl and he had on a Gator sticker on his helmet and a lot of us were pissed when we saw THAT on TV. I since learned that many of the players trade team stickers to wear at their all star games. So, I don't know what happened previously with Schneider, but that might have something to do with it.

[Papa_Bull]

PRO FOOTBALL

USF grad tries out with Bucs

Quarterback Marquel Blackwell takes most of the snaps at minicamp.

By TOM BALOG

tom.balog@heraldtribune.com

TAMPA -- If Marquel Blackwell has not had his brains scrambled too badly by digesting and executing a few pages of the Buccaneers' passing playbook this weekend, the former University of South Florida record-setting quarterback from St. Petersburg appears to be the favorite to be signed as Tampa Bay's fifth quarterback for training camp.

Blackwell is among 28 prospects on three-day tryout contracts invited to a rookie mini-camp, hoping to make a favorable-enough impression to earn an invitation to training camp, their only goal while being put through a crash course in Grudenology and evaluations in the sweltering heat at One Buc Place.

Blackwell, who completed training camp last summer with the New York Jets, is taking advantage of this chance to be evaluated by Bucs head coach Jon Gruden.

"We're pleased with what he's done the last two days," Gruden said Saturday.

Blackwell got a big break Saturday, when he found himself the only healthy quarterback at the mini-camp exclusively for rookies and undrafted free agents.

The only other "tryout" quarterback, Ryan Schneider of the University of Central Florida, came down with a sore arm after Friday's work that likely ended his tryout, if not his shot at being signed by Tampa Bay.

Gruden wouldn't say if Schneider will be invited back for another tryout.

"Oh, I don't know about that. We'll address all of that after the camp," Gruden said. "But obviously, Marquel Blackwell will have to take the brunt of the reps for the rest of this camp.

The Bucs' training camp opens July 30 in Orlando.

"We're looking for a guy who can throw the ball, make the throws, a guy that's a quick study that can survive on very few reps," Gruden said. "The fifth guy that we take to Orlando is going to be a guy that gets the scraps to start with and if he can make the most of those opportunities. He'll stick around."

This camp includes the Bucs' eight 2004 draft picks, three undrafted free agents signed Friday and a few first-year players already on the roster, like wide receiver Fabian Davis.

It gives Gruden and his assistants a chance to evaluate a whole other set of players, since the Bucs roster is at its maximum off-season capacity, with 80 players, not including several on NFL Europe exemptions playing overseas.

"You have to know what you are doing or you are going to get weeded out," said wide receiver Michael Clayton, the Bucs' No. 1 draft pick, who doesn't have to worry about that. "You have to know what to do and that is basically what this camp is about."

If the Bucs want to sign any of the tryout contract players, they will have to cut somebody from the roster to make room for him.

It's a whirlwind opportunity for players to see how they might fare in a regular NFL practice environment.

"We evaluate everything, their ability to concentrate in the meetings, how quickly they can grasp our system and take it between the lines and execute it and make some plays," Gruden said. "We've got a lot of guys on our team who weren't drafted, guys with obscure backgrounds who took advantage of these opportunities. So this is a tool that we don't take lightly.

"We're going to evaluate these men hard for the next couple days. They all have a chance … to highlight themselves and showcase what they can do. We wouldn't be out here Friday, Saturday and Sunday, putting this much time into it if we didn't feel that way."

Of course, Gruden had to scream at Blackwell on Friday, just like he would Brad Johnson.

" 'Could you get the formations right?' " Blackwell said, repeating Gruden's rant. "The interesting part is that he said he's not even close (to opening the full playbook to Blackwell). One-tenth. He's going to test your mental capacity and everything, so this has been fun and interesting. I'm just going to enjoy it and take it for what it's worth."

Blackwell appreciates this chance more than most because he attended Bucs game as a youngster.

"It's a blessing just to be here in Tampa. It's something you couldn't even picture at first," Blackwell said.

BUCS NOTE

The camp concludes today with a workout from 9:45-11:15 a.m. The next scheduled off-season workouts will be three days of organized team activities for the entire roster set for May 18-20.

[ChiTownBull]

GO MB if not with the  Bucs maybe someone else will take notice!