Tristan Wirfs is moving from right tackle to left tackle this season and he opened up about some of the difficulties involved with the move on Friday.
Wirfs said it “seems so minuscule” to play on a different side of the line, but told reporters that he was experiencing anxiety about the move this spring. Wirfs said he felt he “was setting myself up for failure” and went to see the team’s sports psychologist Dr. Joe Carella to discuss his concerns.
“Just being able to say them helps tremendously, just getting them out of your own head,” Wirfs said, via Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times. “I am still trying to get better at saying what I am thinking and feeling. I feel like in this sport, you have to be tough and all that stuff, so just being able to get things off your chest and let somebody in that is there to help. They know what they are doing.”
Wirfs said that the anxiety hasn’t completely gone away, but “the negative thoughts have been outweighed by the positive thoughts now.”
“It has been a lot better by just trusting myself and having confidence in my abilities. Knowing the work that I have put in will pay off,” Wirfs said. “I have been coming out here every day with the best attitude that I can.”
Wirfs was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 and a second-team All-Pro last year, so the Bucs are hoping that he’s able to handle the mental and physical aspects of the move well enough to have the same kind of success.