The Miami product dominated rookie minicamp with veteran intensity and elite conditioning, signaling a defensive culture shift as the first-round pick begins his highly anticipated professional career.
This past weekend was the beginning of the Rueben Bain Era for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Well, sort of.
Bain won’t play in his first preseason game for three more months and will have another month after that before his regular-season debut.
However, Bain did perform at Tampa’s rookie minicamp, and as expected, he impressed his new head coach and defensive coordinator.
Bowles told reporters Friday that Bain already looked like he was “in midseason form.”
“He brings a certain attitude to your defense, obviously,” Bowles said. “We tried to get a couple of those guys in here this year, obviously with Bain, A’Shawn (Robinson’s) attitude. You’re talking about the newcomers, (Josiah) Trotter and Keionte (Scott) as well along with (Calijah) Kancey and all the guys we already have on defense. It just brings them closer together and makes them push each other to work harder.”
Bain entered minicamp in grand fashion, paying homage to one of the greatest players in franchise history, who also happened to star at the University of Miami.
Playing at Miami and being from the city originally, where Bain starred at Miami Central High School, gives Bain an advantage in that he doesn’t have to move far from home to start his pro career.
It also gave him an advantage specific to rookie minicamp. Florida in May can get hot, and some players might have a problem adjusting to that.
For Bain, it wasn’t an issue.
Bowles also said that Bain came into camp looking the part.
“He came in in great shape, and he ran around well, and he’s picked up some things very well,” he said.
Bain wasn’t the only rookie who impressed Bowles.
His college teammate, Scott, was one of the guys Bowles mentioned that he feels has the right attitude. Scott, who the Bucs grabbed in the fourth round with the No. 116 overall pick, was thought by many to be one of the steals of the draft.
Trotter, who Tampa took in the second round, is thought to be a fitting player for a team that lost one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history in Lavonte David, who retired in late March.
The two other players Bowles mentioned are veterans.
Tampa signed Anazlone, a linebacker entering his tenth season, early in free agency before David announced his retirement.
Kancey, a defensive tackle, is entering his fourth season with the Bucs, and is looking to prove that he can stay healthy as he’s played in just 15 games over the last two seasons due to injury.
It must be said that not too much should be made about rookie minicamp one way or the other.
At the same time, Bain was thought to be a top ten, if not a top five pick in the draft, and the Bucs got him at No. 15. So expectations are going to be high.
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