Emeka Egbuka recaps his 2-TD debut, playing with Baker Mayfield & more | NFL Live

Emeka Egbuka recaps his 2-TD debut, playing with Baker Mayfield & more | NFL Live

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Amecha Ibuka. Whatever my coach is asking me, I’m going to be able to do. I’m excited to get started. He’s the real deal. True professional. Doesn’t play like a rookie. Doesn’t act like a rookie. A Mecha Abuka. He makes the grab in the end zone. To have that level of trust in a Mecha Ibuka already from Baker Mayfield is huge. Baker Mayfield to Amecha Iuka. Peak Ibuka. Oh, what a debut for Amecha Ibuka. He became just the second player in Buccaneers history to catch two touchdown passes in his debut, joining tight end Alex Smith back in 2005. And we’re excited to be joined by Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Acha Ibuka. All right, so after just one game in the NFL, you may have heard that there, but you already have a nickname from the legendary Chris B. He’s calling you a Mecha Peekabuka. Do you approve? Yeah, it’s a solid nickname. Oh, there’s probably going to be a lot more that surface over my career. So, that’s a good start. I would say he’s the king of nicknames, right? Uh, let’s talk about that go-ahead touchdown against the Falcons. A couple of your teammates said that you actually called this, asked for the ball in the huddle. Walk us through that moment. What unfolded and what you saw that made you know you would be able to score a touchdown. Yeah. Uh, we had we had ran a similar play uh more more than one time uh throughout the course of that game and I was I was open every time I had ran it. So, I knew we had the matchup that I wanted. And with Mike underneath, uh, I knew that we had the opportunity to to use him as bait for the safety. So, um, you know, we connect on the sideline every time we come back for a drive. So, Bake knew that I was going to be open on the route and I told him that we would have it again. Ended up switching hashes, uh, getting it slightly in a different look so they couldn’t see it coming. And then, uh, you know, he delivered a perfect ball. I can’t say much more. Yeah, it was. But I mean, credit to you for seeing that and having the confidence, right, to to say it to your team. All right. You were drafted into a very deep Bucks wide receiver room. Of course, Chris Godwin’s coming off injury. We know he’s back at practice today, which is great. You’re expected to step into a big role. You’ve also got Mike Evans there, a veteran wide receiver. What have you learned from these guys? Learned a ton from them. Um, you know, I come from a deep wide receiver room. So, uh, I’m no stranger to competition, but I’m also, uh, recognize the situation that I’m in and the people that I share this locker room with, uh, with the with the likes of Mike and Chris. So, being able to just learn from them. Um, and, you know, it’s not even always about what they tell me or what I ask. It’s about, uh, a lot about what I see, their routine, and how they go about their business and, uh, just how they perform on the field. I learn a lot uh more unspoken than anything. And it’s cool because what they would say about you is that you’re already such a pro that no one would believe that you’re even a rookie, which is an incredible compliment. So, what’s it been like with Baker Mayfield as your quarterback? We know he can be fun, intense, funny, he’s got some antics. You got any good Baker Mayfield stories for us yet? Yeah, I mean, he’s the definition of uh energy on and off the field. Um but it definitely comes in handy when you need a two-minute drive to go win the game. So, uh, he’s a he’s a leader that everyone can rally behind and, uh, you know, for me, I think that’s really important, just being in my first year and having that kind of steady force to be able to look at, you know, when things when adversity strikes, uh, you know, you look into Baker’s eyes and you kind of get on the same page and and he fires you up in any way. So, um, he’s like that on game day, he’s like that in practice, he’s like that in the meeting room. So, he’s the same consistent person day in and day out. So, I think that we are very lucky and blessed to have him at the helm of our offense. And speaking of quarterbacks, you’re going up against, not directly, but you will be playing against CJ Strad, your former college quarterback at Ohio State. What’s the conversations like in the leadup? And maybe what information can you share with your defense about CJ Strad? Yeah, I haven’t talked to him this week. Um, but you know, we’ll definitely be able to uh share some words uh after the after the game uh after after a Bucks victory. But um you know he’s a he’s one of the more talented people I’ve ever played with. Obviously there’s been a plethora of people who have come through Ohio State who have had a lot of success in the league. But uh CJ is one, you know, he was my quarterback for two years my freshman and my sophomore year. Um I’ve had you know over,200 yards with him as quarterback. And uh you know he’s he’s the type of guy that you you can’t let him get going once he’s feeling it. Once he’s feeling high he’s going to be super accurate. So, um, I have ultimate trust in our defense that they know what they’re up against. Um, this isn’t their first time playing them, I don’t think. So, uh, we should be ready. All right. Thanks so much, Amecha Ibuka, joining us here on NFL Live. We appreciate you and we will see you on Monday Night Football. Thank you so much. God bless. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Buccaneers rookie WR Emeka Egbuka joins Laura Rutledge on NFL Live to discuss his 2-TD performance in Tampa Bay’s Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

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