TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading overseas for week 10, taking on the Seattle Seahawks for the first-ever NFL regular season game in Munich, Germany.
This will be the Bucs’ fourth international game and first since 2019. Several players and coaches on this current team were with Tampa Bay that last time and can draw from that experience of how to handle the time change and travel.
“You try to adjust to it as best you can,” said Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles. “We get over there, we try to catch up on our sleep on Friday and Saturday. We have sleep things and glasses and all that stuff for the plane. I guess everybody is going to be different. We just understand we have to kick-off at that time, body-clock-wise, early in the morning. We’ve got to be ready to play Sunday.”
“They do a good job here with our sports science and getting us information on things that we need to do to make sure we get acclimated,” said Bucs offensive lineman Donovan Smith. “If I can remember, just make sure to get some good sleep and hydrate so that way you’re nice and rejuvenated when you land and touch down over there.”
“Being physically prepared is one of the things that you do,” Bucs defensive lineman Will Gholston said. “It’s a part of your job so just listening to the sports science team and strength and conditioning staff and everybody that’s in the training room. I think we’ll be alright. It’s not that hard. You’ve just got to go to sleep. It’s hard to adjust, but I think the things that we’re doing during the week, like now, leading up to it, I think it should help us.”
The Bucs are winless in their three previous overseas games, but this time around they have Tom Brady on their roster, who happens to be undefeated in all three of his previous international games. In fact, Brady’s first game abroad was in 2009 when he and the New England Patriots defeated the Bucs 35-7 in London. That game was also the Bucs’ first international game. This time around, they’ll be on the same side in Germany.
