Courtesy of Buccaneers.com  

Second-year DT Anthony “Bear” Bryant has reported to his second Buc camp with significantly better stamina, and the on-field results have been spectacular

 A year ago, training camp was a one-dimensional struggle for then-rookie defensive tackle Anthony Bryant. A huge man whose roster listing of 336 pounds is probably a bit modest, Bryant struggled with his conditioning and quite often couldn’t finish the team’s two-hour practices. That stumbling block kept Bryant from realistically attacking any of the other challenges that usually face NFL rookies. His progress stalled.

In one of the more underrated success stories of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offseason, Bryant vastly improved his conditioning and stamina during the spring and summer – he now has a much more functional hugeness – and reported to camp ready to break out of last year’s rut.

And so he has. With that one hurdle cleared, Bryant is now facing down each and every subsequent challenge – the heat, the playbook, the Bucs’ deeper offensive line, the scrutiny of his coaches, the internal competition – and conquering them all. He is now a multi-dimensional prospect. You would be hard-pressed to find a player who has had a better first week of training camp than the personable second-year man from Alabama, and you simply cannot find a more improved player.

BUCS TRAINING CAMP 2006

WHERE: Disney's Wide World of Sports,Lake Buena Vista

WHEN: July 27 through August 17                        CAMP SCHEDULE  

THE 411:  When Anthony and his Buccaneer teammates begin Training Camp on July 27 they'll do so with high hopes of improving on their 11-5 regular season record of a season ago and a sour taste left from a dissapointing loss to the Redskins in the NFC wild card game. With much of the team returning in 2006, the Buccaneers should be loaded for a playoff run. Head Coach Jon Gruden is just one who believes championship teams are made during training camp and a quick look at the 2006 camp schedule and you can see he has the Bucs prepping for a long playoff run. 

Tampa will track one hour north to Lake Buena Vista and Disney's Wide World of Sports for this year's camp. The first official day of camp will be on July 27 when players are required to report. After a day of team meetings, they'll hit the field for the first of nine straight two-a-days on the 28th. Those two-a-days will lead up to their first preseason game against the Jets in Tampa on August 11. After a quick day off on the 12th another round of two-a-days are schelduled to begin on August 13 and will end on August 16, the day before they break camp.  

Anthony Bryant enters his second season as a defensive tackle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A rookie in 2005, Bryant saw action in 4 games and totalled 3 tackles and 2 assists. A sixth round draft choice out of Alabama, Bryant still holds the school record for bench press at 505 pounds, 775 pound squat and 415 pound incline bench lift.