SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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Important To Note Before Reading This Edition Of SR’s Fab 5

Now that the headline has grabbed your attention, I’m going to start out by saying “hate” is a strong word. And actually, it’s the wrong word to use in this instance when talking about some members of the Bucs football team.

“Hate,” which by definition means “feel intense or passionate dislike for (someone),” has become an overused term in today’s society. And the term “hater” simply means that someone dislikes someone else. With the way it’s thrown around, the term “hater” has become watered down and doesn’t even mean intense dislike anymore.

“Dislike” is such a better, more polite, more civilized term rather than “hate.” So, I’ll use that going forward to discuss some currently unpopular Buccaneers. And there are a handful of Bucs who even some of the most die-hard Tampa Bay fans currently have an issue with.

Let’s list the reasons why they are unpopular – and what they can do about it to turn things around.

One more thing – I decided against doing a pre-draft SR’s Fab 5 because we’ve had so much draft content on PewterReport.com over the last month. However, I will be doing a SR’s Bucs Draft Insider article next Wednesday, April 26, prior to the kickoff of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 27. So please be on the look out for that.

FAB 1. The Bucs You Love To Dislike: LB Devin White

Devin White’s Trade Request Has Caused Quite A Stir

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: USA Today

Chief Complaints: Well, there are two chief complaints right now with Devin White, who might be public enemy number one these days with a majority of the Bucs fan base. The first is that while White is a tremendously talented linebacker, he’s also very inconsistent. He thinks he’s a better linebacker than the film suggests he is right now. And that belief has him wanting a lucrative contract extension right now rather than playing out his fifth-year option, which is worth $11.706 million.

White wants to be the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league, but has leaked to the media he’s only looking for between $18 – $20 million per season. Baltimore’s Roquan Smith is currently the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL with a salary that averages $20 million per season.

That leads to the second complaint, which has fans up in arms. White doesn’t want to play on the fifth-year option and asked to be traded instead. The 25-year old former first-round pick skipped right over the option of holding out of the offseason and training camp and went right for the trade request.

That didn’t sit too well with Bucs fans, who like their players to be loyal to the team they love. Even when Bucs legend Derrick Brooks wanted a new contract extension in 2001, he didn’t want to leave Tampa Bay nor did he request a trade. Instead, he held out of camp for 11 days instead.

But in a recent Pewter Report poll with over 3,000 respondents, 62% want the Bucs to trade White away and be done with him.

Meanwhile, 32% want the Bucs to make him play his fifth-year option. Only 5% – White’s loyalists –want to see him get a big contract extension that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league. Ouch!

What White Can Do About It: The Bucs have the upper hand in this situation. The team knows it, the fans know it – everybody but White seems to know it. But Bucs fans have been taking White to task over his repeated chirping on social media over his contract dispute. Apparently, White’s instincts about his trade request would be perceived as being as questionable as some of his instincts on the field. The backlash from Bucs fans on social media has caught White off guard.

Bucs LB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

No NFL team will want to trade a premium pick for him and then pay him $20 million per year with boatloads of guaranteed money. And what if White gets a lucrative extension and then two years into his new deal he’s been leapfrogged by another linebacker? What if he decides to hold out or request another trade if he’s not made the highest-paid linebacker again? This could be a perpetual issue for the Bucs or any team that signs him to his next contract.

The best thing White can do is to immediately change his attitude, stop publicly griping about his next deal on social media and make amends with general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and his teammates. Instead of skipping the mandatory mini-camp or holding out of training camp, White needs to show up for his fifth season in Tampa Bay and play his ass off – consistently. That’s the only way he’s going to receive a mega contract from the Bucs or another team.

Why You Should Cut Him Slack: White is young – just 25 – and still has some maturing to do on and off the field. If he decides to suck it up and play on his fifth-year option, White will suit up in red and pewter as a member of the Buccaneers for at least one more year. Root for him and hope he plays lights-out so that one of two things happen.

Either all will be forgiven and his stellar, consistent play in 2023 earns him a lucrative, mega deal in Tampa Bay and the Bucs have a star middle linebacker for the foreseeable future. Or White leaves in free agency and gets rich elsewhere and the Bucs get a third-round compensatory pick in the following draft.

White can be a dynamic playmaker, and he’s well-liked by his Bucs teammates. Hopefully this experience will humble him and he will learn patience. With four years worth of experience in Bowles’ defense, it would be beneficial to both him and the Bucs to turn over a new leaf and have a better, more consistent version of White man the middle linebacker spot for years to come.

FAB 2. The Bucs You Love To Dislike: QB Kyle Trask

Kyle Trask Has Yet To Have A Real Chance To Succeed In Tampa Bay

Bucs QB Kyle Trask and Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Chief Complaints: The Bucs spent a second-round pick on quarterback Kyle Trask in 2021, the year after the team won Super Bowl LV. The thinking was that Trask could sit behind Tom Brady and learn the offense behind the scenes and then step in as his successor whenever the time arrived. Some fans groused that Trask wasn’t worth a second-rounder coming out of Florida, and that the team should have prioritized a different position instead of selecting what would be a third-string QB over the last two years.

While there was some consternation over Trask’s selection in 2021, the real dislike came last year when he couldn’t beat out Blaine Gabbert for the backup job in his second season in Tampa Bay. But offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen preferred the veteran Gabbert to back up Brady and didn’t put a lot of time in developing Trask within the offense behind the scenes.

That approach is just one of the reasons why Leftwich was fired this offseason. Christensen would’ve been fired too had he not retired at age 66.

Trask has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions playing without a stellar supporting cast in the preseason. And he was an underwhelming 3-of-9 passing for 23 yards in his NFL regular season debut at Atlanta. Simply put, he just hasn’t given Bucs fans a reason to believe he’s a starting-caliber quarterback yet with what is on his game film so far.

Some fans have already given up on Trask, instead hopping on the Baker Mayfield train in Tampa Bay, or hoping the Bucs draft another quarterback who can come in and win the job. Some even want Trask to be traded if he doesn’t earn the starting job.

If Trask doesn’t develop into anything more than a backup quarterback in his two years left under contract, then he will go down as one of Jason Licht’s worst draft picks. Time is ticking.

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

What Trask Can Do About It: Simply put, if Trask wants to quiet his critics, he can rise to the occasion and beat out the veteran Mayfield for the starting job in training camp. Unless the Bucs wind up spending a premium pick on a rookie quarterback, even winning the No. 2 job this year won’t be seen as much of an achievement. And if a Day 3 rookie QB comes in and beats Trask out for the backup job – then heaven help him.

Although both he and Mayfield will be learning Dave Canales’ offense together at the same time, Trask has a bit of an advantage in that he has developed relationships with the Bucs players on offense over the last two years. That gives him a head start over Mayfield.

The winner of the starting job could come down to whoever turns the ball over less in camp and in the preseason. If Trask can protect the football and avoid interceptions in August, he could win the job despite having less experience than Mayfield. Especially if Mayfield tries to come in and be a playmaker and it backfires with him throwing more interceptions than Trask does. Trask had 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2019 at Florida, and then led the SEC with 43 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 2020.

And if Trask does win the starting QB spot, he needs to carry that momentum over into the regular season and perform well and win some games to get his “haters” off his back.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask and LT Josh Wells – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Why You Should Cut Him Slack: In two preseasons and in some late, garbage time in the fourth quarter of the Bucs’ Week 18 loss at Atlanta, Trask has yet to have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin – or even No. 3 receiver Russell Gage – to throw to. Nor has Trask had the benefit of playing behind the starting offensive line.

The Bucs had to balance getting Tom Brady ready to start the regular season and trying to develop a young quarterback over the last two training camps and preseasons. And the reps naturally tipped in Brady’s favor, of course.

The reduction of preseason games from four down to three didn’t do Trask any favors. It greatly reduced his opportunities to play against other teams in game situations and gain experience. So, before coming to the conclusion that Trask can’t cut it as a starting NFL quarterback, let’s see what he can actually do while playing with the starters in training camp and the preseason first.

FAB 3. The Bucs You Love To Dislike: OL Luke Goedeke

Luke Goedeke’s Rough Rookie Season Has Some Fans Thinking He’s A Bust

Bucs LG Luke Goedeke and Steelers DT Cameron Heyward – Photo by: USA Today

Chief Complaints: Luke Goedeke had three things working against him last year during a rough rookie season. First, Goedeke’s second-round draft status worked against him in two ways. The Bucs pressed him into a starting role to justify the premium pick they had in him. Goedeke and Nick Leverett both played well in the preseason, but the tie went to the second-rounder in 2022 over the undrafted free agent from 2021. Throw in the fact that Goedeke’s second-round billing put him under the microscope with fans, who zoomed into his subpar play more so than the play of other Day 3 picks like Zyon McCollum or Ko Kieft.

The second thing working against Goedeke was the fact that he’s not Ali Marpet, a former second-round guard in 2015. Marpet hit the ground running as a Day 1 rookie starter and looked like he had Pro Bowl potential from the start. The Hobart College product quickly rose to prominence in the league and became a fan favorite. Marpet’s early success spoiled some Bucs fans.

Third, Goedeke simply didn’t play well. He was pressed into duty and he wasn’t ready for the gauntlet of Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackles he faced early on. From Week 2 to Week 6, Goedeke faced New Orleans’ David Onyemata, Green Bay’s Kenny Clark, Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett and Pittsburgh’s Cam Heyward. That’s simply unfair, and even Marpet would’ve faced a real challenge if he dealt with that lineup out of the gate during his rookie year.

What Goedeke Can Do About It: For most NFL players, the biggest jump that occurs in their development is from their rookie year to their second season. By all accounts, Goedeke is a hard worker and takes pride in his play. He cares, and will certainly push himself to be a better offensive linemen next year. Goedeke had a stronger finish to his rookie season than he did at the start, so that’s encouraging.

The Bucs have yet to determine if Goedeke’s future will be at right tackle, where he started in Week 18 and played well, in addition to his two years at right tackle in college, or if he’ll stay at guard. If Tampa Bay doesn’t draft a left tackle, the team plans to move Tristan Wirfs to left tackle. That could prompt the Bucs to give Goedeke a shot to replace him at right tackle despite his shorter-than-ideal arms.

The Bucs can also do him a favor by keeping Goedeke on the right side – perhaps at right guard, where he could replace Shaq Mason. Part of Goedeke’s struggles came from the move from right to left due to stepping and punching with the opposite foot and hand. Goedeke could fare better at right guard and let newcomer Matt Feiler and Nick Leverett duke it out for the left guard spot.

Bucs LG Luke Goedeke and Falcons DT Grady Jarrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Why You Should Cut Him Slack: Goedeke didn’t do anything wrong last year. He just wasn’t ready to start as a rookie at left guard in the NFL after playing two years at right tackle at Central Michigan. His lack of success is as much on the coaches and the front office, who pushed him into the lineup and then left him in with the starters for too many weeks when he was clearly struggling and his confidence waned. Thankfully, his two best games of the year came in the last two weeks of the season starting at right tackle in Atlanta and left guard in the playoffs.

Not every Day 2 pick is going to step in and succeed right away. Some never do. Remember that legendary Hall of Fame Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber had a terrible rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. Barber was so bad that the team came back and used a second-round pick on another cornerback, Brian Kelly, in 1998. But Barber got better over time and turned into a Hall of Famer.

Sometimes it just takes time, and Goedeke deserves some patience as he enters his second year. He might end up being a bust – or he could wind up being a damn good offensive lineman. We’ll have a better idea after the 2023 season.

FAB 4. The Bucs You Love To Dislike: Head Coach Todd Bowles

Some Fans Think Bowles Has Ruined The Bucs’ Winning Culture Arians Created

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Chief Complaints: Where do we begin? Some fans think Todd Bowles’ press conferences are dry and boring. Some fans think he does not fire up the team on game days. Some fans are upset that Bowles just stands on the sidelines with his arms crossed all the time and doesn’t display any energy or emotion.

Gee, I remember the exact same complaints about former Bucs head coach and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy when he coached in Tampa Bay from 1996-2001. Dungy would just stand there emotionless with his arms crossed on the sidelines. Yet, all he did was turn the franchise around and lead the Bucs to the playoffs in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001 while building a championship defense. We’ll see if Bowles can rise to the occasion, as Dungy did, as he begins his second season as Tampa Bay’s head coach.

Bowles also gets a bad rap for having a losing season in his first year replacing Bruce Arians. The Bucs had a chance to finish 9-8 with a win over the Falcons in Week 18, but Bowles pulled the starters with a 17-10 halftime lead to rest them for the playoffs. Atlanta outscored Tampa Bay, 20-0, in the second half and the Bucs finished 8-9 instead.

Bowles does get credit for winning the NFC South championship, but his team had a quick first-round exit in the playoffs, getting trounced at home, 31-14, by Dallas. It was an unceremonious final season for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, and that also stung the Bucs fan base.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

What Bowles Can Do About It: Bowles will never be Arians, who was a feisty head coach on the sidelines with a personable demeanor. Fans love coaches like that – when they win. Arians and Jon Gruden were as animated as they come, yelling and screaming, and showing plenty of emotion on the sidelines. Both won Super Bowls in Tampa Bay.

But Greg Schiano was also like that and only won 11 games in two years with the Bucs before he was fired. So, getting fired up and showing emotion on the sidelines does not always translate to winning.

Bowles just needs to be himself – a better version of himself – in 2023. He needs to manage games better as a head coach and hope he’s picked the right offensive coordinator in Dave Canales, who replaces Byron Leftwich. Bowles’ defense was good enough to win with last year. Tampa Bay’s defense held opponents to 21 points or less in 10 games last year and won seven of them.

Leftwich failed to adapt an offense that no longer had Ali Marpet (retired), Ryan Jensen (injured), Rob Gronkowski (retired) and Antonio Brown (jettisoned) from the 2021 season. Under Leftwich, the offense was stale, predictable and not committed to running the ball enough for Bowles’ (and Brady’s) liking. Canales coached for a defensive-minded guy in Pete Carroll and will bring a balanced offense from Seattle that will complement Bowles’ defense. At least that’s the plan.

For Bowles to succeed in Tampa Bay and win over the fan base – and more importantly, keep his job in 2024 – he just needs to show improvement. Winning nine games or more is doable if Canales’ offense comes around, and would be a step in the right direction. Winning another division title, which is a doable in the wide-open NFC South, will only help Bowles’ cause.

Bruce Arians and Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Why You Should Cut Him Slack: Bowles had the unenviable task of replacing a very popular head coach in Arians with a far less talented Bucs team. Expectations were sky high this past season coming off a franchise-best 13-4 campaign in 2021. Yet, through plenty of turmoil (Leftwich’s ineptitude, Brady’s in-season divorce, injuries to Pro Bowlers like Jensen, Tristan Wirfs and Shaq Barrett), Bowles actually did a great job of keeping the team together. It would have been easy for the defense to show contempt for the struggling offense, but Bowles wouldn’t have any of it.

Bucs fans don’t think Bowles is a good leader, but ask any player on or off the record and they’ll tell you otherwise. Bowles is beloved by the players, especially the defensive ones who have known him longer and more intimately.

Remember, Bowles inherited Arians’ coaching staff in late March – two weeks after the start of free agency. He wasn’t allowed to make any changes to the coaching staff, and didn’t even get to hire the new outside linebackers coach, Bob Sanders. He was an Arians hire. After a rough year production-wise from the outside linebackers, Sanders would have been fired had he not retired in January.

When the Bucs fell to 3-4 on the season and Leftwich’s play-calling had become so bad, Bowles was allowed to fire him. But with no other viable options on the staff (wide receivers coach Kevin Garver and running backs coach Todd McNair would also be fired, and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen would’ve been fired if he didn’t retire), Bowles waited until the end of the season to find a new play-caller. Bowles gambled that his defense and Brady’s late-game heroics would be enough to win the division and make the playoffs. Even with a less-than-ideal 8-9 record, it was a calculated gamble that ultimately paid off with back-to-back NFC South titles.

Bucs fans would be right to wait and judge Bowles after this season now that he has his staff in place because he wasn’t dealt the best hand last year in hindsight.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

Join Us For The Pewter Report LIVE Draft Show – Streaming On April 27-29

The 2023 NFL Draft begins next week and once again, Pewter Report returns with its LIVE Draft Show, providing wall-to-wall draft coverage on all three days. Log on to PewterReport.com starting Thursday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET to watch our LIVE video draft show, hosted by Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera and Josh Queipo with special appearances by fellow Pewter Reporters Bailey Adams, JC Allen and Adam Slivon.

Bucs fans can tune into all three LIVE Draft Shows by visiting the PewterReport.com home page, or our PewterReportTV page on YouTube. The Pewter Report team will be broadcasting live from the Bucs headquarters at the AdventHealth Training Center and will have live reporting and reaction to the Todd Bowles and Jason Licht press conferences on each day of the draft.

As the leader in Bucs news and analysis and draft coverage, Pewter Report will focus its three-day coverage on the Bucs’ draft plans and draft picks, with a heavy emphasis on the team’s NFC South rivals, too. Yet, Pewter Report will discuss every draft pick made by every NFL team and offer up commentary and analysis on all of those selections as well.

The Pewter Report LIVE Draft Show viewers are encouraged to ask draft questions and sound off on all of the Bucs draft picks with the live commenting features that will accompany the live broadcast displayed on the home page of the site.

The Pewter Report LIVE Draft Show will begin one hour before the start of each day of the 2023 NFL Draft to make sure Bucs fans and NFL fans are prepared for the day’s action.

Pewter Report LIVE Draft Show Schedule

Thursday • April 27 • 7pm ET

Friday • April 28 • 6pm ET

Saturday • April 29 • 11am ET

Pewter Report’s 2023 Bucs draft coverage and the Pewter Report 2023 LIVE Draft Show are presented by CELSIUS – the official energy drink of Pewter Report.

Check out the new CELSIUS flavors – Sparkling Fantasy Vibe, Sparkling Lemon Lime, Sparkling Green Apple Cherry and Sparkling Oasis Vibe (found exclusively at Target). Order your favorite CELSIUS flavors on Amazon or on Instacart.

• MORE WORDS OF WISDOM FROM COACH CANALES: New Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales (@DcoachCanales) is a must-follow on Twitter. The dude even coaches when he’s on social media. Here’s a recent tweet on team culture, which comes from Jon Gordon, an author and motivational speaker based out of Florida.

• YET ANOTHER REASON TO BE LIKE MIKE: Bucs Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans teamed up with Sean Jensen to author a children’s book and inspire youth. Just another reason why Evans is incredible – on and off the field.

• BUCS LOST A HERO IN BLAINE: It was sad to see Blaine Gabbert, the best-looking quarterback in Tampa Bay, leave for Kansas City in free agency. Not only was he a good backup to Tom Brady, Gabbert was a hero, saving some boating accident victims a few months ago on his jet ski.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS DRAFT PREVIEWS CONTINUE ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. We’re in the offseason now, so PR Podcasts will typically be featured on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. ET and Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. ET. Subscribe to PewterReportTV on YouTube and click on notifications and you’ll be informed about when the next podcast will be broadcast.

Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds reacted to the Kyle Trask, Tristan Wirfs and Rachaad White press conferences on Monday.

Matera and Reynolds educated fans on the current Bucs’ pre-draft depth chart on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Matera was joined by Bailey Adams and JC Allen to do a live Bucs mock draft on the show.

On Thursday, Adam Slivon and Josh Queipo previewed the offensive linemen the Bucs could be targeting in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Watch the Pewter Report Podcasts live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. We archive all Pewter Report Podcasts. So, you can watch the recorded episodes if you missed them live.

There is no better time to listen to or watch a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than Friday afternoon on the way home from work. Or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Report Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Report Podcasts on PewterReport.com, you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course, the Pewter Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.