–Linebacker LB Lavonte David, who missed the last two games with a sprained MCL in his right knee, returned to practice on Wednesday and could play against the Panthers.
“The first thing he said to me was that I needed to tell the trainers that he didn’t need to wear the knee brace,” head coach Dirk Koetter said. “I said, ‘That’s probably something for you to tell them and not me.’ But it was great having him back out there today. Lavonte is one of the most respected players on our team and a team captain. That’s a big boost to everybody’s morale out there.”
–Wide receiver Mike Evans became only the third NFL player, joining Randy Moss and A.J. Green, to record at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first five pro seasons. Evans already has eclipsed his totals for receiving yards and touchdowns in 2017.
–Wide receiver Adam Humphries had only four career touchdown receptions heading into his fourth season. But he hasn’t had any trouble finding the end zone this year. He already has four this season, matching his career total. Why the sudden uptick?
“I think Adam is one of the steadiest and most consistent players on our team,” head coach Dirk Koetter said. “The whole (touchdown) thing, four games in a row – I guess the thing that he’s doing is really running after the catch. His runs – that was a beautiful cutback on his score last week. I guess that’s maybe the punt returner in him. It looked like they had the angle on him then he cut it back against the grain. Just a real steady player that is on a team where there’s guys that get more targets than him. He’s kind of always in position and rarely makes a mistake.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “You know, it’s interesting because he’s going through a growth period. We struggled with our quarterback when he was young. He went through a growth period as well and (Jameis Winston) has had some off-the-field stuff that may have gotten into him. But he’s a young man who’s got a tremendous skill set. And when you watch him play the way he did against San Francisco, you know it’s there. So we’re approaching this as if we’re approaching any other quality quarterback. This guy can beat you, so we’ve got to be on our game.” – Panthers head coach Ron Rivera on Jameis Winston.
BY THE NUMBERS: 42 – Number of sacks the Bucs are on pace for this season, their most since 2004 when they had 45.
