NFL debut Saturday night www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com , and Jake Butt is fired up to show he's just as good as O.J. Howard, Evan Engram and David Njoku.Butt was considered as talented as that trio of first-rounders last year but he slipped all the way to the fifth round, where Denver grabbed him with the 145th overall pick after he tore his right ACL in Michigan's 33-32 loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl following the 2016 season.He was the eighth tight end taken overall, one spot ahead of Iowa's George Kittle, who caught 43 passes for 515 yards and two TDs in San Francisco.While Butt was missing his rookie season and focusing on getting healthy for 2018, he couldn't help but keep tabs on his fellow rookie tight ends as they piled up 230 catches and 26 touchdowns last season."Some were arguing it was the best tight end class ever. Yeah, I kept up with them," Butt said Thursday. "Obviously, a lot of those guys did some great things. Evan Engram stands out. I got to see him live in our stadium, he was making some big plays. O.J. Howard, I've known him since high school, just an absolute beast. David Njoku, Adam Shaheen, they did well."And now it's my turn to go out there and compete with them and get the right to earn (the title of) who's the best out of that class," Butt said. "Man Tampa Bay Buccaneers Womens T-Shirt , that'll be fun. We'll all be pushing each other."The Broncos host the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night, and Butt will line up with the starters."He'll be with the first group probably for two series and maybe a little bit afterward, but not much more than that," coach Vance Joseph said.Butt can't wait."I'm just ready to go out there and start playing some real football again," said Butt.He acknowledged feeling like a wide-eyed rookie."This will be my first NFL game, so what my class went through last season this is what I'm going through right now. So, just to get in that stadium, in front of our fans, with my team and being out there actually participating, it's going to be a fun time," Butt said.Butt is pain-free and has had a solid training camp so far as veteran Jeff Heuerman sits out with a sore knee. "But it's a whole different beast when you get out there and do it live against another team," Butt said. "So, I want to go out there and continue to be technique sound, work my fundamentals, block well."The Broncos lost their best blocking tight end when Virgil Green signed with the AFC West-rival Los Angeles Chargers this spring Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hats , and Butt knows blocking is what's going to keep him on the field and allow him the chance to catch up to the rest of the 2017 tight ends class."We've got some talented receivers on the outside, so if you can have a tight end that they can't key on whether it's a run or a pass, that's going to put some pressure on that defense," Butt said. "And if you're able to execute, that could translate into some big plays for our offense."Butt and general manager John Elway were hopeful that Butt would only miss half of his rookie season last year, but it quickly became apparent during the one week he was allowed to practice that he'd be better off waiting until 2018."The hardest part about last year was not knowing," Butt said. "Being on PUP, you're waiting, you're waiting, you're waiting and you don't know if you're going to have to wait longer. But once they shut me down for the year, it just became a focus of let me get as healthy as possible for 2018."Butt was one of several members of the Broncos' 2017 draft class who played very little (DeMarcus Walker, De'Angelo Henderson) or not at all (Chad Kelly, Carlos Henderson) last season.There's been a lot of buzz about this year's loaded draft class . If Butt can return to form, though, he'll give a boost to the 2017 class that's taken heat for its many mistakes and immaturity."I think our story's still being written Tampa Bay Buccaneers Womens Hoodie ," Butt said.And he could be the lead author.Notes: Unlike last year, Von Miller will play in the preseason opener. "He's totally healthy, he's had a great camp and we have no reason not to play Von," Joseph said. "Von's in great health and good spirits, so why not?" ... Heuerman, S Su'a Cravens (knee) and OL Menelik Watson (chest) won't play. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved into a tie for third place in the NFC South with a Week 12 win over the San Francisco 49ers.Now standing two games behind the Carolina Panthers entering their Week 13 clash in Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs did some positive things to get a home victory this past weekend.Here, we’ll take a look at five of those things as factors which could impact whether or not the team is able to secure another this coming weekend.Perhaps this week’s edition should be more accurately titled, ‘Key Factors’ as none of the items here are singular plays, rather collective efforts which ultimately got the team the ‘W’.THE PLAY: Nassib sets the toneKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsCarl Nassib was immediately scooped up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the Cleveland Browns parted ways with him earlier this year. It’s been clear why.Since joining the Bucs, Nassib has been a bright spot on a defensive line which has been plagued by injury and inconsistency.Against the 49ers, Nassib was a key contributor to early pressure on quarterback Nick Mullens and one of the reasons he just never looked comfortable during the game.Nassib ended the game with one sack - a strip sack - and two tackles. To the casual observer, this would appear to be a solid game via the forced fumble and sack.To those who looked at the difference makers, Nassib was a terror early and often helping the Bucs defense put together it’s most complete performance in the 2018 season.THE PLAY: Welcome to the Barber shopKim Klement-USA TODAY Sports18 carries for 47-yards isn’t going to win you a fantasy football championship, but the tough running provided by Peyton Barber certainly helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers control the ball and force the 49ers defense into playing against all eleven offensive players.Barber’s highlight reel on ESPN was likely a small one Womens Customized Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys , but again, like Nassib for the defense it was the threat of him more than the stats which made him such an impactful player.Head coach Dirk Koetter had spoken about emphasizing the run more in the past few weeks. In Week 12, they did it. And while the running game didn’t necessarily blow the 49ers out of Florida, it was the body shots that helped set up big plays and key conversions along the way.THE PLAY: Giving kicking woes the bootKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsCairo Santos made kicks. Five of them to be exact. And none of them were even close to being missed.In fact, when the San Francisco 49ers had an extra point fly into the goal posts, it was the first time in a long time Bucs Nation could actually enjoy the failures of an opposing kicker without the underlying awareness of their own kicker’s ineptitude.The only concern resulting from the release of Chandler Catanzaro and subsequent signing of Santos was the drop in kickoff ability.Two weeks in, and the worries haven’t presented as much of a factor, while the improvement in Tampa Bay’s kicking game is obvious and glorious.While it may be sad to look at made kicks as a such an important factor, it is what it is, and we’re happy to see things are looking up - and good.THE PLAY: Heisman decision makingKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsName the two biggest flaws in Jameis Winston’s game up to this point in his career: Accuracy and decision making, right?Well, at least for one week, he seems to have gotten one of those mostly under control.He still missed DeSean Jackson with a big overthrow downfield, and he still attempted a rather ugly shovel pass without much awareness of potential threats lurking in his midst. But overall, Winston was sharp and smart.For those of us who have been readily available to point out and accentuate Winston’s flaws up to this point www.buccaneerscheapshops.com , it’s these steps forward we need to acknowledge as well.Playing with the lead helps of course, but the video evidence that Winston is listening when he’s being told not to take so many risks, is encouraging in the present.Let’s see if it continues into the future.THE PLAY: Stand up defense!Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsAll year long we’ve known one thing to be true. If an opposing offense gets into the red zone, they’re scoring a touchdown.Not in Week 12!An amazing goal line stand against the San Francisco 49ers may have been the singularly most influential string of plays in the entire game.Not out of it, and only down one score, the opposing team had an opportunity to set the game back to zero and only have to win the last quarter and some change to get the victory.Instead, thanks to the Buccaneers’ defensive stand on the goal line, the 49ers walked away dissatisfied and still trailing. This gave the Bucs offense the chance to capitalize and put more space between themselves and their opponents, which they did.27-9 isn’t the final score if the defense doesn’t stand up there, and we’ve all seen this team crumble when playing even or behind. It wasn’t the only time the defense stood up for the team this past weekend, and at least for one week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shut the door before their opponent could get their big toe in.