TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers right tackle Cody Mauch had a solid rookie season.
He started all 17 regular season games plus two playoff matchups, gaining a lot of quality experience.
Mauch also has a lifetime of experience working on the family farm in North Dakota. Now that he’s an NFL player, his dad said "no" to driving the tractor this offseason.
“Maybe I’ll just take a couple of years off,” Mauch said. “He was okay with that. I do miss it. I do miss getting in the tractor and helping on the farm. One day, one day.”
He can now focus solely on this second season with the Bucs. Mauch could be an important link on the offensive line along with Tristan Wirfs and rookie center Graham Barton.
“Early in the season last year, my head was swimming a little bit naturally,” he said. “When you’re a rookie, you’re kind of thrown in the fire. I thought every single game got a little bit better and a lot more confident, especially at the end of the season, right when we all started clicking as an offense and as a team in general. Even now in these OTAs, I think you can notice that. I feel a lot more comfortable, almost as if the game is slowing down.”
Mauch’s biggest goal this offseason is to get bigger in the weight room.
“The biggest thing for Cody is to look for more strength,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “Coming from college last year and he’s worked on that in the offseason. He looks bigger. He’s always been smart. He’s always been tough. I think the game has slowed down for him quite a bit.”
Mauch said he’s gained 12 to 15 pounds of muscle so far—weighing in around 320 pounds.
“I came back down here and worked in the weight room with Tristan and Luke [Goedeke],” Mauch said. “Those are great guys to lift with. I’m trying to just keep up with what Tristan is doing. You’re never going to do it, but it’s kind of a good goal to have. Keep up with him.”
Here’s hoping the Bucs’ fall season is just as fruitful as the Mauch’s farm in the spring.
“We got all of our crops in, so it’s been a good spring,” he said. “Got a little rain, too. It’s been fun.”
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