The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Bucs-Jaguars Joint Practice Preview, Baker's Revenge Game Takes Shape, and the Rays Win 78th Game

   Reporting live from Jacksonville ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ joint practices with the Jaguars, Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick recap the shaky tackle depth behind Baker Mayfield in the preseason opener and preview what to watch as the Bucs get real practice reps against Liam Cohen's similarly-schemed offense. They dig back into the Jalon Daniels debate — why his string of strong preseason relief outings still shouldn't make him QB2 over veteran Jake Browning — and break down the wild news out of Cleveland, where Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders, setting up a loaded Week 2 matchup when the Browns visit Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield faces the quarterback who effectively pushed him out of Cleveland. Rick also weighs in on the arrest of 49ers owner Jed York and what it means for accountability at the ownership level. On the Rays, Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez keep building Cy Young cases with back-to-back dominant starts, and closer Bryan Baker pushed his save total to 38 as Tampa Bay knocked off Detroit behind some old-school, back-to-back bunt small ball. At 78-53, the Rays have already topped last year's win total with 31 games still to play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

   August 25, 2026·38min
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   Number 2: Bucs Struggle Then Jalon Daniels Does It Again, Return-to-College Wave & Rays Snap Skid in Baltimore

   Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the Bucs' 16-15 preseason win over Kansas City, where Baker Mayfield's night was cut short behind a patchwork offensive line missing three of its top four tackles, but the starting defense — even without Vita Vea — flashed real teeth, with Rueben Bain Jr. terrorizing the pocket and Anthony Nelson turning in a monster first half. Once again it was Jalon Daniels rallying the offense late, and Rick and Steve debate whether the rookie has already played his way onto the 53-man roster and turned the Bucs into an unlikely three-quarterback team. They also dig into the wave of players testing a new court ruling that allows a return to college eligibility — Jack Pyburn's situation, plus the wild story of the Browns releasing tight ends who got calls from Lane Kiffin — and preview this week's joint practices with Liam Cohen's Jaguars in Jacksonville. On the Rays, Nick Martinez was brilliant — six innings, one hit — in a 3-1 win over Baltimore that snapped a three-game skid and avoided a fourth straight series loss to the Orioles. Rick and Steve talk about what's behind the second-half stumble in the pitching staff, and why holding onto the AL East lead down the stretch matters as much for the bye it could buy as anything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

   August 24, 2026·43min
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   Number 3: Bucs & Vita Vea Agree To Extension, What It Means for Baker Mayfield and Rays Survive Blue Jays 7-6

   Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down the Vita Vea saga finally reaching a resolution — a reworked deal that tacks on $30 million in new money, bumping this year to $24 million and adding a 2027 season at the same number, for $48 million total over two years. They dig into why this was always the likely outcome despite the trade rumblings, what it means for a front seven that could now be one of the league's best, and the obvious next question: does this open the door for a Baker Mayfield extension? Rick shares new detail from his conversation with Mayfield on why the QB set his own negotiation deadline, and breaks down where the Bucs and Baker's camp are still apart on years and guarantees. Plus, an odd wrinkle in training camp: undrafted rookie Jack Pryburn, who had two sacks in the preseason opener, now has the option to return to college for another year of eligibility under a new court ruling — Rick and Steve weigh whether an NFL practice squad spot beats a shot at boosting his draft stock back in school. On the Rays, Tampa Bay held off a late Toronto push for a 7-6 win, with Yandy Diaz going deep again and Bryan Baker working through his own hot streak in the ninth — even as the pitching staff keeps taking its lumps in the late-August grind. And with hockey on the mind, Steve notes the Lightning's first preseason game is exactly a month away, kicking off a discussion of roster questions up and down the lineup heading into training camp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

   August 20, 2026·49min
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   Number 4: Bucs Have A Humbling Day in Jacksonville, and the Rays' Lose But Maintain 3.5 Game Lead

   Rick Stroud reports live from Jacksonville after a joint practice the Bucs would rather forget — Baker Mayfield admitted afterward that "if this was a full game, I don't think we would have come out on the winning side," and Chris Godwin, in his tenth year, called out the team for getting out-physicaled by Liam Cohen's Jaguars. Rick and Steve break down what went wrong, why a wake-up call now beats one in Cincinnati, and the real bright spots buried in a rough day: Tristan Wirfs back in full pads and moving well, Rueben Bain Jr. continuing to wreck practice reps, and Benjamin Morrison finally getting through a complete practice for the first time in ages. They also preview Friday's preseason finale against the Jaguars and the roster crunch coming this weekend as the Bucs cut from 90 to 53. On the Rays, Tampa Bay's AL East remains at 3.5 games after a 4-1 loss to Detroit, with Rick and Steve digging into the tiebreaker math that still favors the Rays down the stretch, a remarkable stat line from an opposing starter who didn't get a single swing-and-miss in over 80 pitches against Tampa Bay's contact-heavy lineup, and what the Rays need from their rotation to hold on. They close with a tribute to Dolly Parton, who died at 80. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

   August 26, 2026·39min
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   Number 5: Vita Vea Speaks, Chandler Simpson's Breakout, and Bucs Starters To Take the Field

   Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down Vita Vea's first comments since signing his new two-year, $48 million deal, where he insisted he never wanted to leave Tampa Bay, called himself a "Buc for life," and went out of his way to defend Todd Bowles from criticism — saying he'll retire the day Bowles does. Rick explains why the tape backed that up all along: Vea was smiling, coaching up teammates, and never acted like a guy trying to get out of town. They also preview Saturday's home preseason game against Kansas City, where the Bucs starters are finally expected to play meaningful snaps, with word on Baker Mayfield, the offensive operation under new play-caller Zach Robinson, and a standout practice from Ted Hurst. On the Rays, Rick and Steve dig into a rough homestand that's seen Tampa Bay go 2-5 since its franchise-best nine-game road winning streak, with the pitching staff hitting a wall and giving up too many two-strike hits. They also answer a listener mailbag question on Chandler Simpson, whose under-the-radar breakout season — second in the AL in batting average, elite bat-to-ball skills, and dramatically improved defense — has both hosts admitting they didn't see coming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

   August 21, 2026·36min
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