The PR Bucs Monday Mailbag is where PewterReport.com’s Mark Cook answers your questions from our Twitter account. You can submit your question each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.

This week, with the sad news of the passing of star NBA player Kobe Bryant and all those aboard the helicopter that crashed north of Los Angeles on Sunday, we decided to switch it up a little. Aside from the normal Bucs questions solicited, we asked that our readers share their favorite athlete who inspired them and why. Below are couple questions from readers that included the athletes that inspired them.

Question: How much does the coaching staff get involved with scouting? My inspiration was Muhammad Ali – he made me feel like a million dollars when I met him as a boy. He was so great and human at the same time. He made you believe you can do anything.

Answer: Part of the postseason meetings with Bruce Arians and his staff include grading each player in each unit with the position coaches recommending where the team needs to improve, whether the upgrade comes from free agency or the NFL Draft.

Ultimately general manager Jason Licht, director of college scouting Mike Biehl, director of player personnel John Spytek and and the area scouts do the heavy lifting during the information gathering, tape watching and interview process, and then they share that information with the coaching staff after the end of the regular season.

The assistant coaches mainly get involved at the NFL Scouting Combine, as only run game coordinator Harold Goodwin and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert attended the Senior Bowl. Assistant coaches will then attend some pro day workouts and make their recommendations based on the game film they watch during the months leading up to the draft.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/P

At the end of the day however, it is Licht and Arians’ call, with the final word coming from Licht – although he looks for consensus in the war room before making his selections. All things, and all opinions are considered, but in year’s past Licht may have given too much consideration from previous coaching staffs when it came to drafting certain players. He and Arians seem to really be on the same page, evidenced by a great draft in 2019.

The fact you got to meet Muhammad Ali had to have been a thrill. One of the most iconic sports figures of the 20th century, Ali was a powerful figure throughout the sports world and beyond the ring. Not without controversy, but even those who may not have agreed with his political views had to have respected his convictions. I am a little jealous you got to meet him.

Question: I will start with the Mailbag question. I know when the dates are for free agency etc. but, when do you believe the Bucs will start making a move on signings?

Well, thank you for listening and taking the time to care so much! Cheers to you and you family who I am sure you are hugging them a little tighter today.

Answer: At any point the Bucs players who are scheduled to become free agents on March 18 can be re-signed by Tampa Bay. (The “legal tampering period” opens on March 16, but no deals can be signed until March 18.) While there has been no confirmation, there likely has been some dialogue between the Buccaneers and the players agents, especially some like outside linebacker and pass rusher star Shaq Barrett. Both parties would like to get a deal done as soon as possible, and both would prefer it be a long-term contract as opposed to the franchise tag. But as of now things are likely a ways off until the organization makes a decision on quarterback Jameis Winston.

If the Buccaneers decide to bring Winston back then – like with Barrett – a multi-year deal is probably in their best interest in terms of salary cap ramifications. But from what we understand, a decision has not been made as of last week, and there has been no dialogue with Winston’s reps. The fear inside the organization is Winston’s camp coming in with very high numbers – north of $30 million per season. And had Winston not thrown 30 interceptions, then a contract around that mark wouldn’t be out of the question. The problem is, there is no precedent in terms of a salary number for a quarterback who threw for 5,109 yards but also tossed 30 passes to opposing teams.

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo by: Mark Cook/PR

As suggested by Scott Reynolds on last week’s podcast, the Buccaneers could take this to the eleventh hour, or even allow Winston to test the free agent market in March. That is a risk however, as once the 4:00 p.m. start of free agency comes on March 18, Tampa Bay no longer has any say. At that point Winston can go to the highest bidder and the Buccaneers would have to hope Winston’s camp allows Tampa Bay to match whatever offer might be out there. This, of course, is based on if the Bucs even want Winston back.

Another play by the organization could be starting to sign the other free agents and let Winston’s side see the salary cap and available money start to shrink. If Tampa Bay gives Barrett an average of $18-$20 million then the pool of money decreases significantly. Bringing outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul back and another chunk of money is allocated. Then the dominoes start falling with some of the other unrestricted free agents and that might pressure Winston and his agent to sign for less than they originally wanted. This is all speculation on my part, but it is a potential scenario.

Thank you for sharing your story about Lee Roy Selmon. As a Florida native and having the pleasure of watching Selmon play and meeting and interviewing him a number of times, I totally get what you are saying and completely agree. The Gentle Giant label couldn’t be more true. And what a wonderful sentiment about the seven-year old student who has defied odds. As cliche as it sounds it is very true, not all heroes wear capes – or a uniform.

Question: Which all-time Bucs players had the Mamba mentality?

Answer: There have been a few that possessed that Kobe Bryant – “Mamba mentality” over the course of the team’s history. While I wasn’t in the locker room prior to 1995 or around the players before then, I am sure there were some guys who put in hours and hours of extra work on a daily basis. As you would expect there have been plenty of players who have been able to succeed based on their sheer athletic ability. Guys who were just naturally better than their opponents. But what is the difference between being really good and really great?

Former Bucs CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I think we have to look at the players who played in Tampa that are in the Hall of Fame – Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. Those three were supreme athletes, but all three wanted to be the best, and did the little things, like Bryant did, to become even better. All three would have had fine careers on their own without the “Mamba mentality” due to their athletic gifts, but they weren’t satisfied with fine careers. They wanted to be the best and worked towards that goal.

Then there were the players who were good, but knew they had to have an edge to excel by putting in extra work after practice, more time in the gym and more game film study. The first example that comes to mind of one of those types of players is Ronde Barber. While Barber is far superior athletically to the average fan, there were plenty of players in the NFL that measured up to Barber’s speed, size and so on.

But what made Barber great was all of the little things he did to gain an edge. No one studied harder, no one watched more film and no one took more care of their body year-round than Barber. And after 16 years in the NFL you can see how all of those things paid off. Barber is in the Bucs Ring of Honor and deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Question: We all know Jameis Winston throws INTs. Any other QB throws INTs and the national media says they are passing the ball too much. Why do the coaches (Dirk Koetter, Bruce Arians) continue to ask him to throw so much if they know the risk? I think his best year was when Doug Martin had over 1,400 yards rushing in 2015.

Answer: I think this is a fair question to ask, but the blame can’t be pinned on Dirk Koetter and Bruce Arians. Yes, Jameis Winston led the NFL in pass attempts with 626 attempts, but five total quarterbacks were asked to throw the ball over 600 times in 2019, and only one had more than 15 interceptions. Jared Goff of the Rams actually was tied with Winston for the most attempts, but threw just 16 picks – nearly half of Winston’s 30. And then you have Carson Wentz, who only attempted 19 less passes than Winston, but threw just seven interceptions all season. NFL offenses require a ton of passing and that is just the current trend. A total of 15 teams attempted over 500 passes last year.

In 2002, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay and attempted just 451 passes. To show even more how things have changed, in 1979 Doug Williams led the Bucs to an NFC Central title and the NFL Championship game and attempted just 397 passes.

Former Bucs QB Doug Williams – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There is no question that a guy like Winston that throws quite a few interceptions would throw fewer picks if he was asked to throw fewer passes. Arians isn’t changing his offense, instead he could attempt to find a quarterback that makes better decisions. Arians could hypothetically design a West Coast-style offense where Winston or any quarterback would throw less than 10 interceptions a year, but I’m not sure that is in Arians’ DNA. And would a downfield threat like Mike Evans thrive in that offense? Would the Bucs be Top 5 offense in a dink-and-dunk scheme? Likely not.

A dynamic running game would help any quarterback throw less interceptions, but the fact that of the teams that threw the ball over 600 times last year, Goff was second to Winston in passing attempts and threw nearly half the interceptions Winston did proves it can be done. But could Winston do it? Last year’s numbers suggest he can’t and will need to throw the ball less to prevent more interceptions.