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About the Author: Scott Reynolds

Avatar Of Scott Reynolds
Scott Reynolds is in his 28th year of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the vice president, publisher and senior Bucs beat writer for PewterReport.com. Author of the popular SR's Fab 5 column on Fridays, Reynolds oversees web development and forges marketing partnerships for PewterReport.com in addition to his editorial duties. A graduate of Kansas State University in 1995, Reynolds spent six years giving back to the community as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for his sons' Pop Warner team, the South Pasco Predators. Reynolds can be reached at: [email protected]

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The 2016 season saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn the corner and post a winning record for the first time since 2010. The Bucs improved their win total by three, going from 6-10 in 2015 to 9-7 last year thanks in part to PewterReport.com’s 2016 Bucs MVPs.

These players and this Tampa Bay assistant coach deserve a good deal of credit for the team’s turnaround during the 2016 campaign, which saw the Bucs achieve an 8-5 record at one point with a chance to win out and earn a playoff berth. Expectations will be high in 2017 as this young and talented Tampa Bay team learned to expect to win – not just hope to win – this past season.

Bespoke Square 2This year’s PewterReport.com 2016 Buccaneers MVPs are presented by Bespoke and Co., the official custom clothier of PewterReport.com. Bespoke and Co. is located at 3305 W. Bay To Bay Blvd. in Tampa. David Kahn and his team of professional clothiers offer everything from custom-fit suits, shirts, slacks and shoes for the business professional to custom-fit jeans. Several Tampa Bay players use Bespoke and Co. for their game-day attire. To schedule measurements and a custom fitting with Bespoke and Co., call Kahn at (813) 857-7876 or visit their website bespokeandcofl.com.

2016 BUCCANEERS SEASON MVPs

QB Jameis Winston and WR Mike Evans

The last two PewterReport.com Bucs Season MVPs were Evans (2014) and Winston (2015), so it’s only fitting they share the spotlight in 2016 after record-setting seasons. It was too difficult to choose between Evans and Winston, and because each of their success is tied to each other, PewterReport.com decided to give Bucs Season MVP honors to both offensive stars.

Evans was the main weapon on offense for the Buccaneers, catching 96 passes for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns. Evans, who made his first Pro Bowl, recorded career highs in receptions and yardage and his 12 TDs tied his own franchise record set in 2014. The 6-foot-5 receiver showed improved concentration when catching the ball and kept his emotions in check while producing his third straight 1,000-yard season.

As for Winston, he passed for a franchise-record 4,090 yards and threw 28 touchdowns, which also set a new team record for a single season. While he still needs to make strides in downfield accuracy, he did improve from a 58 percent passer as a rookie to a 60 percent passer last year. What made Winston share the MVP honors with Evans was not only his QB play, but his leadership. Winston’s letter that he penned to his teammates was viewed as a big catalyst for the team’s five-game winning streak, the team’s longest since the Super Bowl season in 2002, in November that keyed a potential playoff run for the Bucs.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS:

2015 QB Jameis Winston
2014 WR Mike Evans
2013 LB Lavonte David

2012 LB Lavonte David

2011 DE Adrian Clayborn

2010 CB Ronde Barber

2009 FS Tanard Jackson

2008 WR Antonio Bryant

2007 DE Greg White

2006 WR Joey Galloway

2005 DE Simeon Rice

2004 DE Greg Spires

2003 DE Simeon Rice

2002 LB Derrick Brooks

2001 CB Ronde Barber

2000 LB Derrick Brooks

1999 FB Mike Alstott

1998 FB Mike Alstott

1997 DT Warren Sapp

1996 FB Mike Alstott

1995* RB Errict Rhett

Alexandermvp

Bucs MLB Kwon Alexander – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2016 BUCCANEERS DEFENSIVE MVP (Season MVP Runner-Up)

MLB Kwon Alexander

Because Evans and Winston, an offensive player, gets the honors for PewterReport.com’s 2016 Buccaneers Season MVP, we always flip to the opposite side of the ball for the other MVP award, which in this case is the 2016 Buccaneers Defensive MVP. After starting the season with 17 tackles and a sack in a 31-24 win at Atlanta in Week 1, Alexander went wire to wire as the team’s leading tackler, and finished with a career-high and team-best 145 stops this season. He had five double-digit tackle games, including three straight to end the 2016 campaign. Alexander’s 21 tackles and a forced fumble against Dallas came in a nationally televised game and led to him being named a Pro Bowl alternate for the first time in his career. Alexander finished the year with three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and the first pick-six of his career. Perhaps more importantly, his knowledge of the game grew immensely under new defensive coordinator Mike Smith and he became the true quarterback of the Bucs defense.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS:

2015 LB Lavonte David
2014 LB Lavonte David
2013 WR Vincent Jackson

2012 RB Doug Martin

2011 RG Davin Joseph

2010 QB Josh Freeman

2009 TE Kellen Winslow

2008 MLB Barrett Ruud

2007 QB Jeff Garcia

2006 CB Ronde Barber

2005 WR Joey Galloway

2004 WR Michael Clayton

2003 WR Keenan McCardell

2002 QB Brad Johnson

2001 WR Keyshawn Johnson

2000 RB Warrick Dunn

1999 LB Derrick Brooks

1998 LB Derrick Brooks

1997 QB Trent Dilfer

1996 LB Hardy Nickerson

1995* LB Hardy Nickerson

2016 BUCCANEERS SPECIAL TEAMS MVP

P Bryan Anger
Anger was one of the less heralded free agent signings in Tampa Bay at the beginning of the 2016 season, but an argument could be made that he was the team’s best free agent addition. Anger, who also served as a holder for field goals and extra points, averaged 45.9 yards per punt with an impressive 42.7 net average. He teamed with Josh Robinson, Russell Shepard and Ryan Smith to have 37 punts downed inside the 20-yard line with just five touchbacks. Anger’s deep punts helped set up a safety by defensive end Robert Ayers in a victory against Chicago, and an interception by linebacker Lavonte David that was returned 10 yards for a key touchdown in a win at San Diego. Anger, who was named a Pro Bowl alternate, was rewarded for his stellar season with a five-year contract extension worth $17 million and averaging $3.4 million per season.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS:

2015 WR Russell Shepard
2014 K Patrick Murray
2013 LB Adam Hayward

2012 LB Dekoda Watson

2011 K Connor Barth

2010 K Connor Barth

2009 KR-PR Clifton Smith

2008 KR-PR Clifton Smith

2007 P Josh Bidwell

2006 K Matt Bryant

2005 P Josh Bidwell

2004 LB Keith Burns

2003 P Tom Tupa

2002 K Martin Gramatica

2001 RB Rabih Abdullah

2000 K Martin Gramatica

1999 K Martin Gramatica

1998 LB Shelton Quarles

1997 PR Karl Williams

1996* Entire Special Teams

Dcmikesmith

Bucs DC Mike Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2016 BUCCANEERS ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith

When Dirk Koetter was named head coach last January, replacing Lovie Smith, his first call to arms was to improve Tampa Bay’s defense in 2016. While assembling a tremendous staff of assistant coaches, Koetter tabbed former Atlanta head coach and Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith to run the Bucs defense. Mike Smith’s multiple defensive scheme was refreshing after Lovie Smith’s predictable, vanilla coverage schemes that led the Bucs to allow opposing QBs to complete 70 percent of their passes. As a result, Tampa Bay ranked 30th in third down conversions allowed in 2015. Under Mike Smith, the Bucs improved mightily on third downs and ranking first with a league-low 34.4 conversion percent in 2016. The Bucs also improved in points allowed, going from 26th in 2015 to 15th last year. Tampa Bay also produced more takeaways with 29, which ranked third-best in the NFL, and the Bucs’ 17 interceptions, ranked fourth-best in the league. The Bucs tied their mark of 38 sacks from a year ago despite suffering several injuries at the defensive end position. Over the final eight weeks of the season Tampa Bay ranked fourth in points allowed with 17.1 per game, while leading the league with 13 interceptions, tying for a league-low six touchdown passes allowed and holding opponents to a 72.9 passer rating, the second-lowest mark in the NFL during that span. Tampa Bay recorded 21 sacks during the final eight weeks of the season, tied for the fifth-most in the league during that span. Smith, who interviewed for head-coaching vacancies in Jacksonville and San Diego this offseason, signed a contract extension with the Buccaneers and remains committed to improving the team’s defense in 2017.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS:

2015 OC Dirk Koetter
2014 LBs Hardy Nickerson
2013 STs Dave Wannstedt

2012 WRs P.J. Fleck

2011 STs Dwayne Stukes

2010 OC Greg Olson

2009 STs Rich Bisaccia

2008 STs Rich Bisaccia

2007 DBs Raheem Morris

2006 STs Rich Bisaccia

2005 QBs Paul Hackett

2004 WRs Richard Mann and DL Rod Marinelli

2003 DBs Mike Tomlin

2002 DC Monte Kiffin

2001 DC Monte Kiffin

2000 DL Rod Marinelli

1999 DC Monte Kiffin

1998 DBs Herm Edwards and DC Monte Kiffin

1997 DL Rod Marinelli
1
996* STs Joe Marciano

2016 BUCCANEERS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

DE Noah Spence

Spence takes the 2016 Buccaneers Rookie of the Year honors ahead of cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III due to his playmaking ability. Hargreaves had just one interception during his rookie season. Yet Spence, who showed grit and determination in playing with a shoulder injury for most of the season that required surgery last week, recorded 5.5 sacks during his first season in the NFL, which ranked fifth among all rookies. Spence had 22 tackles, three forced fumbles (which was second on the team) and two passes defensed in 2016. Spence was a key player during Tampa Bay’s five-game winning streak as he recorded 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles while being named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in November. Spence recorded 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the team’s 14-5 win over Seattle and showed the ability to possibly become a double-digit sacker in the future.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS:
2015 QB Jameis Winston
2014 WR Mike Evans
2013 QB Mike Glennon

2012 LB Lavonte David

2011 DE Adrian Clayborn

2010 WR Mike Williams

2009 WR Sammie Stroughter

2008 CB Aqib Talib

2007 FS Tanard Jackson

2006 G Davin Joseph

2005 RB Cadillac Williams

2004 WR Michael Clayton

2003 CB Ronyell Whitaker

2002 FB Darian Barnes

2001 FS John Howell

2000 LB Nate Webster

1999 K Martin Gramatica

1998 LB Jamie Duncan

1997 RB Warrick Dunn and CB Floyd Young

1996 FB Mike Alstott and CB Donnie Abraham

1995* LB Derrick Brooks

*Indicates the first year that the award was given by PewterReport.com (formerly known as Buccaneer Magazine and BucMag.com in the 1990s)

On Tuesday, PewterReport.com will feature its 2016 Pewter Player Awards with more honors for the team’s other notable performers, including Most Improved Player and Most Disappointing Player awards.

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