After a five-year stint in the Midwest, Dory LeBlanc has returned to the Tampa Bay area and joins Pewter Report as a Bucs beat writer.

LeBlanc has covered the NFL, college football, and the NFL Draft for several websites in the past, hosted and co-hosted several football podcasts as well as made radio appearances all over the country. She is a champion of game film and a skeptic of stats; firmly believing “The tape doesn’t lie."

Spending the first 13 years of her life outside of Philadelphia, she was an NFL fan very early on.

“When I was three I would run to the TV on Sundays, point at the screen and say ‘Herm’ (former Eagles’ DB and ex-NFL coach Edwards),” LeBlanc said.

Although she didn’t grow up in a college football area, a subscription to Sports Illustrated when she was 11 made her fall in love with it.

“I’ll never forget reading the 1988 College Football Preview with the state of Florida on the cover,” Leblanc said. “I wasn’t exposed to college ball much, but after reading cover to cover I was hooked. I swore to my mom that day that I was going to marry Vinny Testaverde.”

She never married Testaverde, but did get closer to him after her family moved to Pinellas County in 1990 and her love for football grew, despite Vinny breaking her heart repeatedly as QB of the Bucs. In 1997 LeBlanc became obsessed with the draft and that season her interest grew from being a fan of football, to becoming a student of the game.

“I began taping college and NFL games and would re-watch them throughout the week, taking notes on play calling and players,” LeBlanc said. “I love trying to figure out what goes on inside a coach’s mind.”

LeBlanc moved to Indiana in 2007, and then to Illinois two years later. She was fascinated by the different views shared by people all over the country.

“My entire life was split between Philly and Tampa Bay and fans were just as opposite in their attitudes,” LeBlanc said. “When I got to the Midwest it just added another element of how different views were regarding both college and pro football. I decided I wanted to start writing.”

In January 2011 LeBlanc decided to start a college football blog, but it was short-lived as she was asked to contribute to two other sites after only a month of running hers. She chronicled the 2011 Florida Gators baseball season, wrote a series on UF’s recruiting and coaching over the past decade, and several other Gator-centric pieces. That summer, she was given the opportunity to write for a national fantasy site, providing college football and NFL content. After the season, she moved into draft coverage and hosted an hour-long podcast. She watched tape on over 600 prospects, providing prospect profiles on over 100 of them, and interviewed several of them for her show.

She is now back to the state she refers to as home.

“It’s the very best for football” LeBlanc said, adding “from high school to NFL talent, I really don’t think it gets better than Florida. I love this state.”

She favors defenses and lists the 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens, and 2002 Bucs as the best she’s seen in her lifetime - despite them all being vastly different. Her love of linemen stems from growing up watching Reggie White and she says she can watch tape of John Lynch playing safety for hours.

“I just don’t know if there will ever be another John Lynch. The safety position has changed so much in the last couple years.”

When she isn’t watching, writing, or talking about football LeBlanc stays busy with her husband and four kids (15, 10, and twin 6-year olds).  She also watches hockey and baseball to unwind, and is “super bummed” about Derrick Rose’s injury.

A competitive swimmer from ages six to seventeen, she missed the Bay and Gulf while she was away.

“I’m so thankful to replace the cornfields I was surrounded by for half a decade with water.” LeBlanc said.

PewterReport.com editor-in-chief Mark Cook thinks LeBlanc will bring a fresh approach to Pewter Report.

“I really was impressed with her content during the interview process,” Cook said. “She loves the draft and watching game tape and will be huge asset in that department in particular. She is passionate in her desire and I think the readers will soon come to appreciate her perspective and style.”

“I’m very excited to join the Pewter Report team, and I look forward to bringing all of you the best Bucs coverage this season,” LeBlanc said. “This is a great opportunity for me in my professional life and can’t wait for the season to start.”

See our other staff bios:
Scott Reynolds: A Life Covering The Buccaneers
Getting To Know Editor-In-Chief Mark Cook