Joe often references how a first full offseason in an NFL weight room should do wonders for a second-year player.
And that’s not just the expertise of the training staff.
Getting pushed by professional teammates is part of that positive impact.
Consider Graham Barton, the Bucs’ first-round pick last year. The starting center is in the midst of his first full offseason training with the Bucs and the likes of freakish strongmen Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, along with starting guards Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch.
The intensity has hit extreme levels Barton said today.
“We work our butts off. [I] definitely got a lot stronger,” Barton said. “When you’ve got guys who want to do so well at their jobs and are so hungry, you know, to continue to improve, it’s just constant competition in there. At times you want to hit each other in the face. It really is good for you. We have fun.”
Barton went on to say he enjoys the “grind” and “I feel like we all got a lot better.”
The Bucs’ offensive line room is unique in several ways and that shows up in Barton’s offseason experience. The core group has no old veterans who take more offseason time out of the gym. Bredeson is the old man of the group after just turning 27 in February.
It’s got to help Barton to be surrounded by workhorse players still striving to reach their primes.
