TAMPA, Fla. — For all their efforts to put the Super Bowl season in their collective rear-view mirror, the Bucs are, in fact, clinging mightily to one part of 2020.
Pandemic protocols.
“For us, life is not normal,” head coach Bruce Arians said.
In the wake of a recent COVID-19 scare that has sidelined starting kicker Ryan Succop, Arians reaffirmed Wednesday the Bucs remain “pretty much under the same protocols” as during their title season.
That includes remaining sequestered at the team hotel for the season’s first road trip, this weekend in Houston.
“There’s league rules, and there’s my rules,” Arians told reporters Wednesday.
The NFL and NFL Players Association’s COVID-19 protocols for 2021 training camp and preseason indicate that fully vaccinated members of a team’s traveling party may leave the team hotel to eat and/or use restaurants open to the public, subject to individual club rules.
Unvaccinated members of the traveling party may not leave the hotel to eat or use any restaurants (in the team hotel or otherwise) open to the public.
“I don’t give a crap if they’re vaccinated or not,” Arians said, “they ain’t going anywhere.”
Succop tested positive for COVID-19 after going to dinner with friends from the Titans organization, which spent most of last week in Tampa engaging in a pair of joint practices and a preseason contest with the Bucs. Titans coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Sunday he tested positive, and three Tennessee players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in recent days.
“Tennessee coming in and going out to dinner, they found out the hard way,” Arians said. “So did Ryan.”
“You can only tell them so much. ... Even this weekend, our guys are going to make a bunch of sacrifices that you have to make now. Families at the hotel, all those things — they’re all out the window.”
Arians’ stern COVID-19 guidelines have been widely credited as a significant factor in the Bucs’ championship run last season. Tailback Ronald Jones was the only starter to spend more than one game on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and the team wasn’t forced to reschedule a contest.
“I think each individual has kind of taken their own approach to it,” receivers coach Kevin Garver said. “Obviously, (Arians) sets the tone from that standpoint, and that’s what he did all last year for us.”
