The biggest winner in the Bucs' victory in Germany: Sports science
Donovan Smith, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and William Gholston celebrate after the final play at Allianz Arena yesterday in Munich, Germany. Photo: Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images
The Bucs held off a late scare to beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 on Sunday in Munich, Germany — the team's first international win, and the second victory in a row.
- Quarterback Tom Brady became the first NFL player to win in four countries.
The big picture: The running game looked better as rookie Rachaad White got the start and picked up 105 yards on 22 carries.
Yes, but: The real hero of Sunday's game might just be Dave Hamilton, the team's director of performance science.
What's happening: The Athletic's Greg Auman details Hamilton's measures to keep the team from getting jet lagged and fatigued from the international flight, including:
- No naps longer than 30 minutes once they arrived in Germany.
- Tart cherry concentrate and Dream Water as sleep aids.
- Wearing small battery-powered devices on their knees to stimulate circulation.
- Compression underwear from Australia.
- Wearing "sleep glasses" before bed that filter blue and green wavelengths from artificial light sources.
What they're saying: "Sports science is cool, right?" defensive lineman Will Gholston told Auman. "They went to school for this!"
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