Las Vegan John Molchon ready for Super Bowl moment

Buccaneers practice squad guard John Molchon may not want to share his favorite Super Bowl memory with his team’s starting quarterback.

The Faith Lutheran alum admitted David Tyree’s spectacular 2008 grab to help the Giants beat Tom Brady’s Patriots is the first moment that comes to mind when he thinks about the world’s largest sporting event.

That will change this weekend when Molchon makes a Super Bowl memory of his own as a rookie in the Buccaneers organization.

“It’s honestly a dream,” the Las Vegas native said by phone after practice Wednesday, a day after turning 24. “It’s what you work for, and we’re all coming together as a team with this mindset to achieve this goal. It’s been fun seeing it play out day to day and week to week.”

Molchon is no stranger to winning. He was part of a Class 3A state championship team in high school and a dominant Mountain West program in his five years at Boise State.

He signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers after the 2020 draft and quickly learned to see his new quarterback as a teammate and not the icon he had watched on television for so many years.

“There was that first moment when (Brady) talked to all the rookies on Zoom,” Molchon recalled. “After that, it’s more of a business mentality. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for that man and how he leads. Not just on the field with his performance, but off the field and the vibe and fun he brings. There’s really no words to describe it.”

After a coronavirus-plagued offseason with no OTAs or mini-camp to help the rookies get acclimated, Molchon was thrown into the fire in training camp.

On his first rep, he was matched up against veteran Ndamukong Suh.

“I was ready to put the playbook from my head onto the field and show what I could do,” he said with a nervous laugh. “It was a pass-rush play, and I had never seen someone take the inside so fast. That was my first play. Welcome to the NFL.

“But I cherish those moments. There is always adversity. The biggest thing is to get whatever you can out of that rep and apply it to the next one. It just shapes your mentality and really prepares you for when your name is called.”

That hasn’t happened for Molchon quite yet. He was moved to the active roster for the regular-season meeting against the Chiefs, but did not play. Still, Molchon says he will be ready for when he does.

That’s not likely to be this week. The Bucs’ offensive line is mostly healthy heading into the Super Bowl, so his job is to help the defense prepare every day in practice. He can still enjoy the week, even if it’s a scaled-down Super Bowl in Tampa Bay’s home stadium.

“My mindset is just about winning,” he said. “We could complain and say we wish there were more fans or that the atmosphere and the week were crazier or more normal, but at the end of the day, we’re playing for a championship. That’s every kid’s dream. I don’t take that lightly. It’s amazing being part of this ride.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.