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: Can we finally fire Todd Bowles into the sun? Let’s also end the Alex Anzalone experiment. I never thought I would see a worse tackling or coverage linebacker than Devin White, but boy, did we find one.

ANSWER: Todd Bowles is squarely on the hot seat after this team’s stunning 0-2 start to the season. Sunday’s loss to Cleveland was inexcusable on many levels, and Tampa Bay is now 2-9 over the last 11 games dating back to last year. Don’t expect the Glazers to fire Bowles at any point this season unless they want to break precedent. Raheem Morris lost 10 straight games after a 4-12 start in 2011 and didn’t get fired until after the season. It was the same thing with Greg Schiano, who started the 2013 season 0-8 and didn’t get fired until after the team finished the year 4-12.

Bowles is now 35-35 (.500) as head coach in Tampa Bay with two losing, 8-9 seasons sandwiching a 9-8 and a 10-7 season, in addition to this year’s 0-2 start. The Glazers have fired every head coach that has had back-to-back losing seasons since they took over as owners in 1995, and one would have to think that trend would continue with Bowles, who is unpopular with fans, if he can’t turn this season around by January.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As for Alex Anzalone, he’s struggled mightily in his first two games with the Bucs, missing two tackles in each game. One of those misses in Sunday’s loss to Cleveland was huge as he couldn’t wrap up rookie receiver Denzel Boston and he collided with safeties Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr., knocking them to the ground in a Keystone Kops-like play that led to a game-tying 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

But don’t look for Bowles to yank Anzalone from the starting lineup. He wears the green dot on his helmet and was voted a team captain at the start of the seaosn.

“Well, he wasn’t the only one that missed tackles,” Bowles said. “I mean, we had a few guys miss tackles in the second half that led to some plays. We’ve just got to tackle better. … [I am] still confident in him. Like I said, we’ve got a lot of guys that [have] got a lot of things to clean up. If you put somebody on the bench for messing up, then everybody is on the bench.”

Yet if Anzalone, who did have eight tackles versus the Browns, continues to make egregious gaffes, Bowles could turn to either SirVocea Dennis, last year’s starting middle linebacker, or newcomer Christian Rozeboom, whom he has an affinity for. We’ll see how bad things get – or if they turn around in the coming weeks.

QUESTION: Why are Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby still starting? If Bain isn’t ready then sub him in on packages. Bench him instead of hurting his confidence more than it is, play David Walker and Al-Quadin Muhammad more. I know that involves coaching but Todd Bowles can manage that.

ANSWER: On Monday, I questioned Todd Bowles if Rueben Bain Jr. still had a lingering shoulder injury that was still bothering him and affecting his play. Bain injured the AC joint in his shoulder at Jacksonville in a joint practice, and even though he was medically cleared to return to practice soon thereafter, he hasn’t looked the same.

“He says it’s not [hurt],” Bowles said. “I mean, I don’t think he’s completely healthy, but at the same time, he’s good enough to play, so we’ve got to get more production there.”

Bucs OLB Rueben Bain Jr. and Browns QB Deshaun Watson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Bain has recorded one tackle, two pressures and no sacks combined over the first two games of his Tampa Bay career, which has been disappointing for the first-round pick. I also asked Bowles the same question you are asking – does he need to sit down and not start and then sub in. Bowles responded with the fact that he rotated quite a few players in at outside linebacker, including David Walker, who got his first NFL sack on a key third down in the first half.

“We rotated a lot of bodies this week,” Bowles said. “We rotated a lot yesterday. Everybody got to play.”

QUESTION: I think every facet of this organization needs an evaluation from the top down. What happened vs. the Browns is inexcusable.

ANSWER: You are exactly right. More on that this Friday in SR’s FAB 5. Stay tuned.

QUESTION: SR, why is this offense horizontal? We talk about it being more Rams-like. The Rams don’t throw swing/screen pass three plays in a row. It seemed erratic yesterday that it was either horizontal or as deep as possible. I also saw that Baker Mayfield’s EPA is like 38/40. Is this what you saw at camp?

ANSWER: The Bucs want to lull defenses to sleep by having them come up and chase check downs to running backs and tight ends in the flat and then hit them over the top with a few deep shots. That approach, which is by design, backfired yesterday with running back Bucky Irving catching all four of his targets for just one yard. And Baker Mayfield only hit one of a handful of shots downfield, which was a 49-yard deep ball to Tez Johnson.

I did see Zac Robinson’s offense perform like this in training camp, so I’m not terribly surprised. I am somewhat surprised that it’s not more effective, yet it puts so much pressure on the player catching the ball – Irving, Kenneth Gainwell or Cade Otton – to make a move to shake a defender to get any yardage after the catch. Relying on a missed tackle from a defender is not a sound strategy.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Yet with how many times Mayfield fired passes down the line of scrimmage or behind the line of scrimmage in camp, I am not surprised about the lack of effectiveness on game days because of how often Robinson has dialed up these plays through the first two weeks. We’re entering Week 3 and they’re already predictable.

I was hoping to see more crossers and slants attacking the middle of the field – even if it’s at a shallow depth. There is more yards-after-catch ability on those type of routes as opposed to swing passes and quick screens to the perimeter. We’ll see how Robinson adjusts this week and in the weeks to come.

QUESTION: We had 45 yards passing in the first half versus Cleveland and against Cincinnati. We threw how many passes behind the line of scrimmage to the backs? I thought wide receiver was a position of strength. So from what you can tell, are the receivers not as good as we thought they were? Is Baker Mayfield just missing them? Is the offensive line to blame? Or is Zac Robinson’s scheme not getting them open? What is going on?

ANSWER: That’s a great question involving the passing game, and it’s a little bit of all of the above. There are times when the receivers aren’t separating. This offense does not have a true No. 1 receiver without Mike Evans. That’s just a fact. I think Tampa Bay has a couple of No. 2 receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. and a couple of true No. 3 receivers in Jalen McMillan and Ted Hurst III.

Despite not having a legit alpha receiver, this group has not been featured as much as it should be because it at least has strength in numbers. Godwin, Egbuka, McMillan, Hurst and even Tez Johnson have shown the ability to make some plays. The team needs someone to elevate and really separate himself from the pack and be that receiver for Baker Mayfield.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

The Bucs hope it’s Egbuka based on last year’s production and the first-round draft pick the team has invested in him. It might end up being Hurst down the road if he can develop. Who knows at this point? And it was curious to see McMillan only have seven snaps on Sunday in his return to action from a training camp knee injury.

Simply put, Mayfield hasn’t done a great job as a passer in the pocket. Some of that is on the inconsistent play of the offensive line, which has been an early season disappointment. Mayfield has been pressured quite a bit and sacked seven times through two games. A good deal of those sacks are on him for holding on to the ball.

Zac Robinson’s scheme seems too horizontal-based. There are too many swing passes and screen passes to the flat that just produce much yardage. Bucky Irving caught four passes for one yard against the Browns on Sunday, for example.