Buccaneers Notebook: Players showing a bit of fatigue

Tampa Bay's preseason opener against Miami on Friday is drawing closer, and plenty of news is coming out of One Buccaneer Place this week.

By Patrick Southern

Aug 8, 2012 at 6:50 pm ET • 1 min read

Tampa Bay's preseason opener against Miami on Friday is drawing closer, and plenty of news is coming out of One Buccaneer Place this week. Check out the collection of links and information we gathered from a variety of sources:

As training camp wears on, the Bucs are showing a bit of fatigue, making plenty of mental errors during Tuesday's practice, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Cummings' story includes a gem of a quote from coach Greg Schiano:
"I want to make sure we're feeling good and ready to play. Right now we're building a foundation for our 2012 team and part of that foundation is built through suffering together."
One of the team's free-agent acquisitions has made a quick impact on the squad during training camp, as Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune profiled 33-year-old tight end Dallas Clark. From all accounts, Clark has built a strong rapport with quarterback Josh Freeman and could be an integral part of the Bucs' offense -- much as he was for nearly a decade playing with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis.
That depth chart Tampa Bay released Tuesday? Don't put much stock in it, according to Schiano and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Schiano said the team put out a depth chart "strictly because it's league mandated, I guess."
With Demar Dotson taking all the first-team reps at left tackle during camp, Donald Penn has been itching to return from the calf strain he sustained just before practices began, Stroud and Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reported. Schiano said he won't allow Penn to return until he is completely healthy.
The game plan for Friday's preseason opener against the Dolphins will be very simple, according to the Buccaneers' official website. The reason? Schiano wants the chance to evaluate players on their merits, and doesn't want confusion to be the reason a player makes a mistake.
Schiano has been tough on the team during his first training camp as an NFL head coach, but at least some of the players can see why. Defensive end Michael Bennett told the team's web site that he expects the difficulty of camp to pay dividends for Tampa Bay in the latter portions of close games.