TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Tristan Wirfs said Friday that the move from right to left tackle this spring became a source of such debilitating anxiety that he began seeing team sports psychologist Dr. Joe Carella for help.
«It seems like so minuscule, like oh, you're just flipping sides, but I was like having breakdowns about it,» Wirfs said. «I'm like, 'I can't sit here with these thoughts anymore. I'm just kind of setting myself up for failure.' I would just think about, 'I am going to suck,' or like, 'I am not going to be able to do it,' all day long.»
Wirfs had started 46 games for the Bucs at right tackle since his rookie season in 2020. But when longtime Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith was cut in March due to salary cap issues and the Bucs weren't able to draft an offensive tackle, it meant Wirfs would move to the left side.
Wirfs only started four games on the left side at Iowa and never in the NFL, which requires a player to not only re-wire his body but also re-train his eyes and his brain. On top of that, the Bucs would be undergoing a scheme change and lining up without seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady after three straight postseason appearances.
«I was in a really rough spot mentally,» Wirfs said. «I was really nervous. I was playing out the season in my head over and over again like, 'Oh, what if it goes this way or what if it goes this way?' So, I was like, 'It is freaking May. You have to calm down.'
»I decided I cannot sit here with these thoughts anymore. I was setting myself up for failure. I would just think about, 'I am going to suck.' Or like, 'I am not going to be able to do it' all day long," said Wirfs, who believes his previous success played a big part in his fear of failure.
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