Tristan Wirfs Heaps Praise On Former Bucs OL

Bucs All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs joined offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn on a recent addition of Thorn’s Trench Warfare podcast. During the appearance, Wirfs went deep on the many keys to his success, including the mental preparedness and feedback side of understanding his game.

While discussing the keys to his success, the Bucs star offensive lineman was quick to credit a former teammate with helping him both in-game as well as in practice leading up a matchup.

Tristan Wirfs Credits Justin Skule With Helping Him Get Better

Justin Skule spent two years with the Bucs from 2023 to 2024 before signing with the Vikings this offseason. In addition to providing key starts last year while Wirfs and right tackle Luke Goedeke missed time due to injury, Skule was an active participant in games he was not playing on the field according to Wirfs.

As he and Thorn reviewed game film together on the podcast, Wirfs made sure to note how much help Skule provided in-game after observing the starting tackles during offensive series.

“You’ve got to learn from stuff too as the game goes on,” Wirfs said. “Like what have you got and what is he [the primary rusher he is matched up against] giving you? And that’s what’s great with Justin Skule. Like we would come off [the field] and talk about that. He’d be like ‘This is what I saw. What did you see? What did you get?’ It’s good to talk about it and be like, ‘He’s giving me these moves. Here’s what I’ve gotten so far. What’s he going to go back to? What worked for him? How can I be better, you know?’

“It’s all in game adjustments. What you are seeing from a rusher. And what you are getting.”

Thorn, hearing Wirfs describe how Skule would interact with Wirfs and Goedeke in between series likened the role of the swing tackle to that of a backup quarterback as a live sounding board on gameday. Wirfs agreed and elaborated on how Skule was able to give such valuable feedback.

“He [Skule] did that for both me and Luke [Goedeke],” Wirfs added. “If we are on the close side of the field, whoever is closest to him, that’s who he would be watching. He would get his eyes to somebody late. But he’s trying to watch both of us and help us both out.

“When you are playing, sometimes you would get a bull [rush] and you are like, ‘I was right on top of the quarterback. I was in his lap.’ And he’s like, ‘You had plenty of room.’ But everything feels closer than it actually is. He’s like, ‘You had room. You were good.’ So that’s nice to hear in-game. You’re like, ‘Okay, I’m not as close as I thought. I’ve got maybe one more hop in me if I need to.’ But it’s just good bouncing that off of somebody and having a different set of eyes on you.”

Tristan Wirfs Recognizes The Value A Backup Offensive Lineman Brings

Later in the interaction with Brandon Thorn, Tristan Wirfs noted how Justin Skule helped get him prepared for the various pass rushers he faced throughout the season.

“Me and Luke and Skule talk about the edge rushers the most and then take that from the meeting room and go out to the practice field,” Wirfs said. “Skule’s the best because he could, for some reason, he could replicate damn near all of the moves. They wouldn’t be as fast as like some guys, but he could do them. So, I’m like getting a good look all week from him.

“He’s so smart too. He’s like, ‘I saw this mainly on 3rd and long,’ and then you remember that in the game. You are like, “Oh, it’s 3rd and long. I remember Skule talking about this.’ Stuff like that. Stuff we talked about during the week. Then you are seeing it. You are seeing it on gameday. You’re like we talked about that!”

When Thorn suggested he might want to get more swing tackles on his show, Wirfs energetically agreed saying, “Oh if you had Skule on, he could talk some ball!”

It’s clear Wirfs has an affinity for his former backup, crediting Skule with some of his own success. This is on the heels of his emotional tribute to friend and former teammate Robert Hainsey, who also departed Tampa Bay this offseason for an opportunity to start at center in Jacksonville. This year with Skule gone, Wirfs will likely look to new backup Charlie Heck for similar feedback on gameday and assistance in preparing throughout the week.

What was really fun about this interaction, and something Thorn does so well overall with both current and former NFL linemen, is getting them to peel back the curtain more than most to reveal what it is really like to play and prepare as an offensive lineman in the league. You can catch the short clip of the two here.