Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter announced Tuesday that the Bucs will spend organized team activities and training camp practicing in the mornings rather than the afternoons, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Morning practices will be the norm until the team's preseason finale, with the goal of reducing players' exposure to extreme heat. Koetter cited research the team has done that shows the temperature to be 11 degrees cooler on average at 8:45 a.m. than at 2:45 p.m.

According to Auman, former head coach Lovie Smith instituted afternoon practices because the Bucs typically play in games that kick off at 1 p.m. However, Koetter believes "there's a cumulative effect" from repeated practices in sweltering heat and humidity that can wear down players late in the season.

It's worth noting: Tampa Bay finished each of its two seasons during Smith's tenure on extended losing streaks, dropping six straight to close 2014 and four in a row to end 2015.