TAMPA, Fla. — The Bucs looked rested and refreshed when they hit the practice field Wednesday for the first time after their bye week.
"It’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing. If you can just not think about football from a game plan standpoint for a couple days. That kind of refreshes you. Now gotta lock back in and get ready for the stretch run," head coach Todd Bowles said after practice. He smiled and admitted that even he got away from football for couple days — almost.
"I was able to do that for a day and a half," he joked. "And that was like two weeks for me, so it was great."
You don't have to ask a player twice if they welcome a bye week during the middle of the season. Especially a player on a roster as beaten-up as the Bucs.
"Having a week to refresh and reset and maybe hang out with some friends and family, and kinda ground yourself a little bit, and remind yourself that there are other things in the world besides football," center Graham Barton said in the locker room. "It’s good to get away for a second. I think it brings you back stronger mentally and physically."
Quarterback Baker Mayfield couldn't agree more.
"It definitely helps," he said frankly. "Getting rest. Still moving the body around a little bit. Not letting yourself get too sore. But also, just the non-contact definitely helps."
One thing the Bucs didn't do over the bye week was make any trades before Tuesday's deadline. They believe they have the pieces in place to make a sixth straight playoff appearance.
"We’ve said we felt really good about the team that we have, from the beginning," Mayfield added. "Unless you bring Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson out of retirement, I don’t think we had any other options. We trust what we have. Just getting healthy and trying to get guys back on the field and still communicating and trusting who we have."
Baker added that the Bucs success this season is a reflection of their ability to handle all of the challenges thrown their way.
"Guys have shown that they’re a resilient group and they’re able to handle whatever we throw at them and whatever we have installed," he explained. "Just gotta keep going. At this point, real football starts. And obviously we have a really good opponent coming in here."
Tampa Bay (6-2) and New England (7-2) kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
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