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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 13, 2001
Fresh faces
NAME: Andrew Bayes.
HT/WT: 6-2; 200.
COLLEGE: East Carolina.
POSITION: Punter.
NFL EXPERIENCE: First year.
HOMETOWN: Hyattsville, Md.
BACK IN THE DAY: When Hurricane Floyd battered and flooded Greenville, N.C., in 1999, it left the East Carolina team stranded in Columbia, S.C. Told their belongings and dwellings had been destroyed, players had to prepare for No. 9 Miami on Sept. 25 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The Pirates overcame a 20-point deficit to upset the 'Canes 27-23. "Oh, that was crazy," Bayes said. The next day the team returned home, and Bayes and his roommates learned the floods spared their house. It was destroyed the next day by an electrical fire.
BRUSH WITH GREATNESS: A first-team All-American after a stellar senior season, Bayes joined the other honorees at the Walter Camp Foundation in Connecticut. There, they met the All-Century team. "Bubba Smith, Bo Jackson, Morten Andersen, just tons of people," Bayes said. "It was an honor to be in that class."
TO MAKE THE TEAM: With veteran Mark Royals sidelined with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right (kicking) leg, possibly until the season opener at Dallas on Sept. 9, Bayes is making the most of his opportunity to impress the coaches. "To make it I just need to go out and be consistent every day," he said, "to limit my mis-hits on punts."
WHAT'S HIS TAKE: In his down time Bayes likes to head home to Greenville and hang out with his chocolate lab, Payton, throwing the ball along the Tar River, which also is his favorite fishing spot. -- JAMAL THALJI
"I think it is a little simplistic to say Brad Johnson is the final piece. And if Keyshawn Johnson does this ... it's a 53-man game. Sometimes we lose sight of that." -- TONY DUNGY, Bucs coach.
TONIGHT: FIRST PRESEASON GAME: Vs. Dolphins, 8, RJS.
TUESDAY: No practice scheduled.
WEDNESDAY: 11-11:45 a.m. (shorts) and 3:30-4:30 p.m. (special teams).
* Practices are free and open to public.