By Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times
Pro Football Writers of America
TAMPA — The Bucs’ two-and-a-half hour practice Wednesday on the outdoor grass field at the AdventHealth Training Center in preparation for Super Bowl LV offered great news for nearly all their previously injured players.
Receiver Antonio Brown (knee), safeties Antoine Winfield, Jr. (ankle) and Jordan Whitehead (shoulder), linebacker Lavonte David (hamstring) each participated in practice on a limited basis.
Brown and Winfield, Jr. had missed the NFC Championship Game, but each participated in about half the practice.
Whitehead wore a black non-contact jersey.
The only player not participating was outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, who typically takes days off during the week to rest a sore knee.
“It was the normal Wednesday practice,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “Kind of a review of last week. We threw in some blitz periods.”
Arians said he was pleased by the way Brown performed.
“It all depends on how much (the knee) swells up,” Arians said. “He did quite a bit. We’ll see what he can do tomorrow.”
It was 55 degrees and sunny with a steady breeze from the northwest when the Bucs took the practice field.
About halfway through the workout, Arians summoned the team into the Bucs’ indoor facility where they remained for about 26 minutes to simulate the extended halftime break during a Super Bowl.
”We wanted to go over the exact timing of the pregame, how long we’re out on the field just standing there,” Arians said. “How long we’re going to be in the locker room at halftime and how we’re going to handle our stretching and going back out again.”
