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

QUESTION: Great win! Not to be a downer, but why burn timeouts and prevent a kneel down after the first stop? No way they don’t use a timeout before fourth-and-8, and if they don’t, why not let them lineup then burn it? Also what happened to Jake Camarda? Gutsy effort and great win!

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: It was a gutsy effort by the Bucs defense to hold the Lions out of the end zone – and off the scoreboard completely – in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 20-16 win at Detroit. I went back and reviewed the fourth quarter and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles called the team’s first timeout with 1:12 left. The Lions had gotten the ball down to the Tampa Bay 13-yard line and Bowles was preserving time for his offense to drive and retake the lead if Detroit had scored a go-ahead touchdown.

There was nothing wrong with that strategy and that was actually good clock management. Had the Lions scored a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left, it would have been a tall order to have enough time to mount a comeback for a game-tying field goal – even with three timeouts. If the Lions had scored and taken a 23-20 lead and kicked the ball through the end zone for a touchback the Bucs would have needed to pick up 30 yards to get down to the Detroit 40-yard line for a 57-yard field goal attempt. That’s tough with such limited time left – even with timeouts.

Yes, it was unfortunate that after the Bucs defense forced a turnover on downs that Tampa Bay needed another stop with 33 seconds left to finish off the Lions. I didn’t like the play-calling on the Bucs’ final offensive series, which included a pass that was batted down on third down that allowed Detroit to keep its final timeout rather than use it if Tampa Bay had just run the ball instead. That’s on offensive coordinator Liam Coen and quarterback Baker Mayfield – not Bowles.

As it pertains to Jake Camarda, I’m not sure what is going on. He had five punts for 230 yards (46 avg.) with a net average of 39.6 yards. He did have a 51-yard punt in the game, but his kicks seem to lack the power that they had in the past. Tampa Bay does have a punter on the practice squad in Seth Vernon, so Camarda needs to punt better or risk being replaced at some point.

QUESTION: Scott, what a call picking Bucs outright! But when the backs run for 40 yards on 17 carries there is still a serious issue with the run game. Any idea where they go from here with the run game?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Credit an incredibly tough, stout Lions defense for disrupting the Bucs’ rushing attack on Sunday. Detroit held the Los Angeles Rams to just 83 yards on 23 carries in Week 1, so Aaron Glenn’s unit is proving to be one of the stingiest run defenses in the league once again. Rams Pro Bowler Kyren Williams had only 50 yards on 18 carries (2.8 avg.). The Lions have the league’s fourth-ranked run defense, allowing an average of 76.5 yards per game on the ground. Detroit’s rushing defense ranked second in the NFL last year, allowing just 91.1 yards per game on the ground.

Throw in the fact that the Bucs were dealing with an early-game groin injury to starter Rachaad White and the Lions being in their base 4-3 defense with three linebackers – Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell – and it was tough sledding for Tampa Bay. Detroit used its base defense against both L.A. and Tampa Bay – even when both teams were deploying three-receiver sets. Detroit is just really good at making teams one-dimensional and it worked again on Sunday in Week 2 against Tampa Bay.

The Bucs’ run game is undoubtedly a work in progress. But after rushing for 111 yards in a Week 1 win over Washington, it’s too early to push the panic button. Center Graham Barton is a rookie and needs to gain more experience as he’s learning on the job, and the Bucs were playing without starting right tackle Luke Goedeke, who is one of the team’s best run blockers. Goedeke sets the tone up front with his physicality and his presence was missed on Sunday.

New offensive coordinator Liam Coen is smart and he and offensive line coaches Kevin Carberry and Brian Picucci will continue to make strides with the Bucs’ ground game this year. I have no doubt that Tampa Bay’s rushing attack will improve from dead last a year ago to perhaps ranking 20th or so – middle of the pack – in 2024. The offensive line needs time and reps together, and the tight ends need to do a better job of blocking. I thought Cade Otton really struggled as a blocker on Sunday in Detroit.

QUESTION: With Zyon McCollum having such a strong performance, what are the expectations for him this year?

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Well, Zyon McCollum stated that his own expectation this season is to have a team-leading six interceptions. He got his first career pick on Jared Goff’s first pass on Sunday, so that was a great start. And credit McCollum for shaking off last week’s concussion and rallying to play in Week 2 – and play exceptionally well.

McCollum had a career-high four pass breakups, including that interception, and could have had two more. He had one in the third quarter where he jumped the route and dove for an apparent pick – only to have Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown rip the ball out at the last moment. McCollum nearly had another interception on a diving attempt in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t haul it in. All in all, it was a tremendous game for the third-year cornerback in Detroit.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht have a lot of faith in McCollum – I mean a lot of faith in him. So much so that the team traded away starting cornerback Carlton Davis III just to get McCollum on the field as a starter. The 6-foot-2 McCollum has the length, speed and athleticism to truly be a lockdown cornerback in the league. He made huge strides towards becoming that kind of shutdown defender in Week 2 and played a massive role in Tampa Bay’s upset win in Detroit.

QUESTION: Discuss the injuries please. Conditioning coach needs to chill – practices need to be more relaxed because we’re losing our best players week to week.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Each Bucs injury has a different story. There’s no common denominator between any of them and the Bucs’ strength and conditioning coaches aren’t to blame. Defensive tackle Logan Hall had a foot injury that kept him out of Week 1, and that happens in the trenches when bodies hit the ground and guys get rolled up on. It was the same thing with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and cornerback Josh Hayes during the Commanders game with players rolling up on their ankles. Things like that can’t be prevented.

Calijah Kancey missed the first two weeks of the season with a freak calf injury. Those types of injuries are typically freaky in nature. It’s the same thing that Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are dealing with. With Kancey, it’s his other calf – not the same one that kept him out of the Bucs’ first four games of last year.

And it’s not a hydration issue. The Bucs training staff closely monitor every player’s water and liquid intake with almost a maniacal approach. Even though he played college ball at Pittsburgh, Kancey is from South Florida and went to the same high school as Lavonte David did. He’s used to playing in – and training in – the heat and humidity in Florida.

As for Luke Goedeke’s concussion, we reported last week on Friday’s Pewter Insider for our YouTubeTV channel members that Goedeke actually suffered a mild concussion during Sunday’s game, but didn’t fully feel the effects until he returned to the practice field on Wednesday. He was almost halfway through practice when the concussion symptoms surfaced and the team pulled him from practice. He missed the remaining practices during the week and the team wisely held him out of the Lions game.

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s one thing for a cornerback like Zyon McCollum to return from a concussion within a week. But for a trench player like a right tackle to return so quickly is tough because every play is a collision at the line of scrimmage for offensive and defensive linemen. Bringing Goedeke back too soon could cause him to relapse and miss additional games as a result. Tampa Bay wants Goedeke back when he’s completely symptom-free – hopefully by Sunday’s game against Denver or the following week against Philadelphia.

And finally, nose tackle Vita Vea’s knee injury was a result of a friendly fire incident on Sunday. Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby accidentally rolled up on Vea’s knee while pass rushing. It looks like an MCL sprain and Vea will likely miss 2-4 weeks of action as a result.

QUESTION: If Luke Goedeke is out vs the Broncos, who can play right tackle? Justin Skule ain’t it!

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RT Justin Skule and Lions DE Aidan Hutchison – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: There’s no doubt that Justin Skule, who was filling in at right tackle for Luke Goedeke, struggled mightily against Lions Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who recorded 4.5 sacks. But not all of Hutchinson’s sacks were on Skule. The first one was on right guard Cody Mauch, who was late in picking up Hutchinson on an inside twist in the first quarter in the red zone on third-and-3.

One of Hutchison’s other sacks came against tight end Cade Otton, so really Skule gave up 2.5, which certainly isn’t ideal, but the tale of the tape before kickoff showed this was going to be a lopsided affair. Hutchinson was the second overall pick for a reason. He’s a dominant pass rusher, and dominant pass rushers are dominant because they are elite enough to beat double-teams and chips and still get sacks. Skule is a swing tackle – a backup. And he’s a former sixth-round pick.

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen tried to use Rachaad White and Otton to help chip and double-team, but against great players it can be futile at times. Four of Hutchinson’s sacks came on third down, when the Bucs were obviously going to try to throw the ball, so that helped. Plus Detroit was playing at home and that usually gives pass rushers an edge off the snap.

I think the Bucs will stick with Skule this week if Goedeke isn’t ready to return to action from his concussion. Tampa Bay will likely also ready backup center Robert Hainsey, who played right tackle at Notre Dame, and also reserve guard Elijah Klein, who played some right tackle at Jacksonville in the preseason for depth.