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

QUESTION: Where in the hell has this performance been before today?

ANSWER: That’s a great question. I predicted a bounce-back, 10-win season for Tampa Bay this year because of the talent that the Bucs had on their roster this year. Not that I expected this team to necessarily be capable of winning games 43-13 like what happened on Sunday in Carolina because I didn’t.

I was as surprised as anyone by this team’s 1-5 start because the talent was underachieving – and the coaching was so bad. So I don’t have any real answers to explain what happened versus the Panthers, yet it was a welcomed sight. It certainly beat watching another close loss, didn’t it?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately I think Sunday’s win was an outlier – an exception and not a rule. Everything that could go right for the Buccaneers did, and everything that could go wrong for the Panthers also did. Tampa Bay’s only other win this year came at Dallas and that was because the team won the turnover battle 3-0. On Sunday in Carolina it was a 4-0 advantage. Bryce Young, who came in throwing 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions threw picks to Zyon McCollum and Tykee Smith, who got their first interceptions of the season.

The Bucs recorded five sacks for the second straight week, this time with Yaya Diaby getting his first three sacks of the seasons on the heels of myself and others calling for him to be benched in favor of David Walker. What a way to respond. Vita Vea got his first sack of the season, Calijah Kancey came through on a scoop-and-score touchdown and Al-Quadin Muhammad got his second sack of the year and forced the fumble that Kancey scored on. Ko Kieft also recovered a muffed punt deep in Carolina territory.

I don’t think the Bucs can expect this type of performance from its very good defense on a weekly basis, let alone the Bucs running for over 240 yards again. Dallas and Carolina had two of the league’s worst run defenses, but Atlanta has a top 5 run defense and Chicago has a top 10 run defense. Does Tampa Bay have the passing game that can win a game if the ground game falters and rushes for less than 100 yards? That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?

QUESTION: Great win in Carolina – long-time coming! What if the Bucs wind up winning this crappy division at 8-9? Would the Glazers still keep Todd Bowles?

ANSWER: That’s a very interesting question, and one I don’t have an answer for, as my last name is Reynolds – not Glazer. I can only make an assumption. As good as it was to see this Buccaneers team play up to its full potential on Sunday in Carolina it doesn’t erase what happened on five other losing Sundays where this team underachieved and lost. Those losses happened, and this team is still 4-12 since the bye week last year under Todd Bowles.

And while Tampa Bay is actually still in the NFC South divisional race after Week 7, the Bucs still have a losing record at 2-5. So Bowles remains on the hot seat and is not going to get off it until Tampa Bay has won more games than its lost this season. If I’m the Glazers I’m relieved and happy that the Bucs played as well as they did in Carolina on one hand, but on the other hand I’m mad, wondering where this type of performance has been all year.

Steelers HC Mike McCarthy and Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Through Week 7, every team in both the AFC North and the NFC North has a winning record, which is astonishing. Meanwhile, through seven games no team in the NFC South has a winning record. That’s why I affectionately refer to this division as “crap hill” because all it took to win it was an 8-9 record in 2022 (Tampa Bay) and last year (Carolina) to win the NFC South. And the way this season is shaping up with 3-3 Carolina still on top for the time being, there is a chance that eight wins could win the division again in 2027.

If the Bucs somehow manage to get to 8-9, and in your scenario come out on top and win the division again, I would implore the Glazers to move on from Bowles. Back-to-back losing seasons only to get another hat and t-shirt and another divisional banner to hang up in the indoor practice facility shouldn’t be the standard in Tampa Bay. That’s just embarrassing and shouldn’t be tolerated. This team has greatly underachieved during Bowles’ tenure with too many close losses to count over the last five seasons.

If I were the Glazers I would demand at least a 9-8 record in 2027, which would be a one-win improvement over last year, coupled with the division title and a home playoff victory in order for Bowles to keep his job. Anything less than that and it’s time to try a different head coach to level up this team.

QUESTION: Wanting your thoughts on Brad Idzik being the next potential head coach after what the Panthers offense has done this season. But a little scared after how bad the Bucs made them look today. Still interested in that potential move?

ANSWER: If Todd Bowles is going to be fired after this season I’m sure general manager Jason Licht would cast a wide net to look for his replacement. And when you look at the two head coaches Licht actually hired – Dirk Koetter and Bruce Arians – both were offensive-minded head coaches. That’s the current trend around the league. If you look at all the teams with the best records – Buffalo (5-1), Cleveland (5-2), Pittsburgh (5-2), Kansas City (5-1), Denver (5-2), Jacksonville (4-2), Minnesota (6-0), Chicago (5-2) and San Francisco (6-1) – all of them have offensive-minded head coaches and most of them call the plays.

I’m sure Licht would consider Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, whose offense was averaging 29.2 points per game and averaging over 400 yards per game before running into the Bucs’ buzzsaw defense. Idzik was Tampa Bay’s receivers coach under Dave Canales in 2023, so there is certainly some familiarity there. Now Idzik is calling plays for the first time and we’ll see how he fares over the course of the season before passing full judgment.

Panthers OC Brad Idzik and QB Bryce Young – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

It would be interesting to see if Licht would consider a brilliant young offensive mind that doesn’t have any play-calling experience. Jacksonville’s Grant Udinski, who has worked under Kevin O’Connell and Liam Coen, comes to mind, as does Sean McVay protégé Nate Scheelhaase, who hasn’t called plays at the NFL, but did for one season at Iowa State in 2023. Or would Licht help secure a proven head coach with a track record like Mike Tomlin or Sean McDermott?

I don’t think Licht would necessarily go the college route because of a lack of overall success college coaches have the NFL, but that’s where a lot of offensive innovation happens. And I’m not sure the Glazers would be keen on that either after the brief Greg Schiano tenure from 2012-13. But what if Georgia’s Kirby Smart was actually interested in making the leap to the NFL and found the Tampa Bay job appealing? Who knows?

QUESTION: Assuming the Bucs win next week, should they trade for a WR? Who could they target?

ANSWER: No, I don’t think Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht will be trading for a wide receiver. Emeka Egbuka will return shortly, likely next week. Jalen McMillan should return in a few weeks. Ted Hurst III is still on this team but he just needs more targets to gain experience. Tez Johnson has already proven to be a capable big-play receiver on occasion.

If the Bucs beat the Falcons this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium then Tampa Bay could be just half a game out of first place in the NFC South depending on what happens with Carolina, which plays in Green Bay on Thursday night. Yet the Bucs will only be 3-5 with nine more games to go and still a hole to climb out of. But a 2-0 record in the division would be something, right?

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If the Bucs were to be 5-3 instead of 3-5 then it might make more sense for Licht to acquire a receiver although that’s not really his style. But it doesn’t make sense to trade for a receiver when this season could be lost. If the Bucs lose to the Falcons – and remember that Tampa Bay has yet to win at home this year – they will be 2-6 on the season and just 1-1 in the division.

In order for Todd Bowles and Co. to just get to 8-9 – assuming that could win the division again – the Bucs will have to finish 6-3 down the stretch. That would require winning back-to-back games, which is something this team hasn’t shown it can do yet in 2026.