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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Monday Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Monday Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Do you think this is the start of the offensive explosion we’ve all been waiting for, or just enough to get us into the dance and Byron Leftwich to revert back to the previous 15 games?

ANSWER: The Bucs showed what can potentially happen when things click offensively. They put up 30 points on the Panthers, but also had to deal with a fumble by Chris Godwin and a Godwin holding penalty that wiped out a 30-yard catch-and-run by Cade Otton. Then throw in a failed two-point conversion, a missed extra point, a missed 53-yard field goal and a blocked 26-yard field goal and there were plenty of miscues that left points on the field rather than putting them on the scoreboard.

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The reason why the Bucs offense erupted was two-fold. Quarterback Tom Brady stood in the pocket longer and took some hits as he waited for some downfield passing plays to Mike Evans to develop. And then Brady put the ball on the money to Evans, who hauled in 10 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns covering 63, 57 and 30 yards. Brady was sacked three times and hit eight other times by a fierce Carolina defensive front, but the difference was him being more willing to take those hits on Sunday.

Otherwise, Byron Leftwich’s offense was the same as it usually is – struggling on third down (4-of-15, 26.7%), struggling in the red zone (1-of-3, 33%), and struggling to run the ball with just 67 yards on the ground, while averaging 2.7 yards per carry. The successful downfield passing attack was the difference, and those big plays in the passing game – which have often been missing this year, hence Evans’ three touchdowns coming into the Panthers game – made up for the struggles in the aforementioned areas.

That’s not to say that the Bucs can’t have a similar game with explosive plays downfield. But the Panthers played a lot of Cover 1 and Cover 3, which allowed Evans to be singled up in coverage. Tampa Bay’s downfield passing game hasn’t been as successful this year when the team has to face Cover 2 or Quarters coverages, so we’ll see who the Bucs will face in the playoffs and what the future holds for Leftwich’s offense.

QUESTION: Why haven’t the Bucs implemented more of an up-tempo, no-huddle offense when it seems that that’s what has been working?

ANSWER: That’s a great question, and I wish I had a better answer for you. I used to buy into what head coach Todd Bowles was selling about why the Bucs don’t use the hurry-up, no-huddle offense as part of the team’s regular offensive attack instead of out of necessity to play catch-up late in games. Bowles argued that if the offense went three-and-out even quicker, then his defense would be rushed back out on to the field too soon and be more apt to wear down quicker over the course of the game.

But the reality is that Tampa Bay’s offense only works consistently well in the two-minute offense. The risk might actually be well worth the reward and there is actually a better chance of the offense sustaining drives employing an up-tempo attack that way. Proactively using the no-huddle instead of using it as a reaction might improve Tampa Bay’s point production and increase the odds of winning.

Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich seems to be less involved when Tom Brady initiates the no-huddle offense and takes more control of the play-calling in those instances. And given Leftwich’s track record this year, that seems like a good thing.

QUESTION: With nothing really to play for next week, what are the chances that the Bucs sit most of their starters, and we see Kyle Trask at QB against the Falcons?

ANSWER: The problem with the notion of sitting a team’s starters is that the Bucs must have 47 players active on game days with six inactives. Taking the three special teams starters in kicker Ryan Succop, punter Jake Camarda and long snapper Zach Triner out of the mix, Tampa Bay will only have 44 players to use. So it’s not like preseason where the team has an expanded roster to comprise a backup offense or a backup defense. Some starters, especially along the offensive line, will have to play because there are not enough reserves to pull all of the starters.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Quarterback Tom Brady said he would like to play against the Falcons in Week 18 because he hasn’t missed a game since he was suspended the first four games of the 2016 season. The guess here is that Brady plays at least a half at Atlanta, and then we might see Blaine Gabbert or possibly Kyle Trask in his first NFL action.

The same could be said of players dealing with injuries. Cornerback Jamel Dean was limping pretty bad after Sunday’s win against Carolina due to a sprained toe that caused him to miss the Arizona game. Left tackle Donovan Smith played through a foot injury and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has been battling through an ankle injury. Receiver Julio Jones has been dealing with a knee injury this year that has caused him to miss some time, but he might want to play against his former team this week in Atlanta.

Even though the Bucs have clinched a playoff spot by winning the NFC South and can’t affect their postseason seeding with a win or a loss in Atlanta, Tampa Bay wants to finish with a winning record. Posting a 9-8 record gives the Bucs’ division title a little more legitimacy when it’s all said and done, and the team would rather ride a three-game winning streak into the playoffs than end the regular season with an 8-9 record.

QUESTION: Thoughts on who will be starting QB for next year, and specifically on Jimmy Garoppolo coming to Tampa?

ANSWER: I believe there is a better than 50-50 chance that Tom Brady wants to play a 24th season and that he will return to the Bucs in 2023. Football is Brady’s life and he still wants to compete while he’s physically able to. While he hasn’t had nearly as prolific of a season as he had the two previous years in Tampa Bay with 40 touchdowns in 2020 and 43 TDs last year, Brady has still thrown 24 touchdowns this year with only nine interceptions, which is three fewer than a year ago.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Plus, Brady is an icon, whose celebrity and popularity make functioning like an everyday person difficult in public. But in the locker room, Brady is one of the guys, which he loves. That’s a real important component to his life. The football field is Brady’s sanctuary. It’s a place where the outside world doesn’t exist and it’s a place where he’s in complete control.

Without having to see the permission to play from his ex-wife moving forward, I think Brady is more inclined to continue playing football. And because of the relationships he has in Tampa Bay, specifically with owner Joel Glazer, general manager Jason Licht and his teammates, I feel strongly that if Brady returns he’ll want to do it with the Bucs because of the comfort level he’s established here.

I don’t think Jimmy Garoppolo will come to Tampa Bay. Not sure the team wants him because he’s so injury prone and more of a game manager than a prolific passer. We’ll have a deep dive into QB options for Tampa Bay in the 2023 offseason, but I do know that keeping Brady is atop the Bucs’ wish list.

QUESTION: What are the chances Tom Brady stays with us next year and we get Sean Payton as the head coach?

ANSWER: I’ve already addressed my thoughts on Tom Brady potentially staying in Tampa Bay. But as for former New Orleans coach Sean Payton coming to the Bucs? Forget about it because it’s not happening.

Payton will return to coaching in 2023 after taking a year off from football outside of his gig on Fox as an analyst. But the Saints still own Payton’s rights because he’s technically still under contract and any team wanting Payton would have to trade for him. New Orleans certainly isn’t going to trade Payton to a division rival like Tampa Bay only to face him twice a year. I think the chances are better that Payton either returns to New Orleans next year and Dennis Allen goes back to being the defensive coordinator, or the Saints trade Payton to an AFC team.

The fact that the Bucs won the NFC South division with at least a 4-1 record is certainly enough to warrant keeping head coach Todd Bowles around. The Bucs’ 2022 season hasn’t been as good as expected, but the team has stuck together all season and is playing better football right now. A new offensive coordinator in 2023 should help the Bucs become more consistent when scoring points, too.

QUESTION: Will – and should – the Bucs sign Gerald McCoy to a one-day contract so he can retire as a Buc? His Twitter during game day looks like he really loves the Bucs and his old teammates.

Former Bucs DT Gerald McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Yes, I think they should. Gerald McCoy, who turns 35 in February, is done playing football. His body has broken down in the last two seasons he played in – in Dallas in 2020 and in Las Vegas in 2021. Both of those seasons ended early on injured reserve, and McCoy was out of football this year.

McCoy grew up loving the Bucs as a kid in Oklahoma, and he idolized defensive tackle Warren Sapp. It was a dream come true for McCoy to be drafted by the Bucs with the third overall pick in 2010. He played nine seasons in Tampa Bay from 2010-18 where he was one of the team’s better players before being released and signing a one-year deal with Carolina in 2019. While he never made the postseason, McCoy did earn six Pro Bowl appearances and did a lot for the Tampa Bay community.

Whether he’s done enough in his career to warrant a Ring of Honor induction is debatable. But he certainly deserves the opportunity to retire as a Buccaneer. I hope the team can make that happen sometime this offseason. McCoy only played with a few remaining Bucs from his day, including the likes of linebacker Lavonte David and defensive lineman Will Gholston, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, quarterback Ryan Griffin, center Ryan Jensen and left tackle Donovan Smith among others. But McCoy still roots for the team actively, especially on his Twitter page on game days.