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Bucs training camp

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 31, 2001


Photo gallery:
Training camp opens
Weakest Link

In the spirit of the Weakest Link, each day of training camp one Buc will get to vote on who or what should be thrown out: Marcus Jones votes off left tackle Pete Pierson.

"I think I would vote him off because for an offensive tackle, his arms are too short. Way too short."

Fresh faces

Alex Willis

HT/WT: 6-0/180.

COLLEGE: Florida.

POSITION: Wide receiver.

NFL EXPERIENCE: Rookie.

HOMETOWN: Jacksonville.

BACK IN THE DAY: Willis remembers, -- and still gets excited about his first collegiate touchdown. "It was against Vanderbilt and it was the first series of the game and it was a play we had worked on all week in practice. (Quarterback) Doug Johnson called it and it went for 54 yards."

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS: When he was having trouble working his way off the line of scrimmage, Wilis called on Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter. Carter worked out with him for about an hour, showing him the different ways to avoid cornerbacks, think like a cornerback and study the defensive linemen.

TO MAKE THE TEAM: Willis is going to have to stand out on special teams before he breaks his way into the Bucs wide receiving corps. Having played a limited amount of that during college, Willis went back to Florida to work with coach Dwayne Dixon on his special teams technique.

WHAT'S HIS TAKE: Willis spends his spare time studying to become a minister and traveling from church to church speaking to children. "I love to go to churches and talk to young people about accomplishing their goals. I've had speaking engagements all over Gainesville. When they hear you play for the University of Florida and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, young kids tend to listen to that."

Quotable

"I really didn't know what to bring. I'm just five minutes away from here so I think I'll be going back home. I just brought myself and my playbook right now. That's my new girlfriend." -- KENYATTA WALKER, rookie offensive tackle and Bucs' No. 1 pick on his first NFL training camp.

Schedule

TODAY: 8:30 a.m., special teams; 3:30 p.m., shorts

WEDNESDAY: 8:30 a.m., pads; 7:30 p.m., pads

THURSDAY: 3:30 p.m., special teams

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