TAMPA, Fla. _ The batteries have been recharged, and not just the ones on Bruce Arians' golf cart. Players and coaches had about five to six weeks to get away from the Advent Health Training facility, although not too far from football.
Rookies report Sunday with the full squad due Thursday. The Bucs _ and the rest of the NFL _ are back.
The Bucs lured Arians out of retirement after one year to become the head coach in Tampa Bay, which has finished last in the NFC South eight of the past 10 seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 2007.
The two-time NFL coach of the year said everything just fell into place. He got the quarterback he wanted to work with in Jameis Winston, a general manager he was familiar with in Jason Licht and most of the coaching staff he had assembled from Temple to Tempe over the past three decades.
Arians' language can be a little blue and his temper can run red hot, but he brings the combination of swag and substance the Bucs need at this critical juncture of their moribund franchise.
Perhaps most importantly, if Winston is going to fulfill his expectations as the Bucs franchise quarterback, this is his last best chance.
His $20.9 million contract expires at the end of the 2019 season. Arians has had success with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer. Winston would like to join that hit parade.
Arians will bring a new vibe and set a different tone for training camp. The music is turned off. The heat is on. Summer storm clouds will be building.
What kind of team does he expect to have with the Bucs?
"I hope smart, fast and physical," Arians said. "I think the smart part is coming. The fast part is there. We'll find out about the physical when we get the pads on. I told the coaches that it might be that we do simplify so that we don't beat ourselves in September. They can't learn what we knew in five years in Arizona."
There's a lot for Arians to learn about this Bucs team and no shortage of questions that must be answered. Here are just a few:
