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.
Below are the questions we chose for this week’s edition of the PR Bucs Monday Mailbag.
Question: What would Phillip Rivers bring to the Bucs? What would Andy Dalton bring to the Bucs? Who would you rather have? Jamies Winston, Rivers or Dalton?
Answer: Philip Rivers would bring experience – lots of it – and not throwing 30 interceptions – perhaps. Rivers is the sixth-leading passer in league history with 59,271 yards, 397 touchdowns and 198 interceptions in his 16-year NFL career. However, no one can predict if Jameis Winston would throw 30 in his second year with Bruce Arians or cut that number down to say 15 or 20. And who is to say Rivers wouldn’t throw more than 20 in 2020 in Tampa Bay?
History suggests, at least in the case of Winston and Carson Palmer, that the first year in an Arians offense, the interception numbers are pretty high. So if Rivers, who had 20 in 2019 for the Chargers could theoretically surpass that, I can’t see how Rivers would be an upgrade. A 38-year old quarterback, who might have two years left, is a better alternative to a 26-year old, more mobile quarterback than Winston? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Andy Dalton is another head-scratcher as well. There hasn’t been any direct links to Dalton and the Bucs, so like most of the scenarios we are playing out, it is just speculation right now. While he has had moderate success, Dalton finished last season as the quarterback of the NFL’s worst team and was benched after an 0-8 start. Dalton’s numbers weren’t very good, as he threw for just 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing less than 60 percent of his passes.
How is he an upgrade over Winston? Would Dalton throw 30 interceptions in 2020 for Tampa Bay? Most likely not, but I also don’t believe Winston would either.
If the Bucs do choose to walk away from Winston, in my mind there is only one guy to consider to replace him, and that of course, is Tom Brady. Raymond James Stadium would be full, the Bucs would be on the national radar again for the first time in a while, and honestly, as a reporter, it would be a blast covering the greatest quarterback of all time.
But the problem is, even if Brady does choose to leave New England, the Bucs won’t be the only suitors or the top priority, as Las Vegas, Tennessee and Indianapolis would be more desirable locations for the 42-year old legend. And Tampa Bay could be left with a guy like Teddy Bridgewater, who may not make as many plays as Winston, but also not turning it over as much, or giving up draft picks to trade for someone else or to move up in the draft. Bucs general manager Jason Licht indicated he would be against drafting and starting a rookie quarterback in 2020.
Question: Hearing that Matthew Stafford is not available, meaning he probably is! Would Bruce Arians and Jason Licht be interested? What would fair compensation be?
Answer: When looking at Matthew Stafford from a just statistical view, of course Arians and Licht would be foolish to not be interested. And if it were strictly a decision that could be made on stats alone, Bucs fans should be overjoyed to have a player with Stafford’s resumé under center. Stafford reached the 40,000 yard mark the fastest of any player in NFL history. He also is one of the “magical eight” quarterbacks we talk about who has thrown for over 5,000 yards in a season. He is gunslinger, fairly mobile and from all accounts a solid leader.
However, Stafford also suffered a significant injury in 2019, a non-displaced fractures in his upper thoracic spine, and missed the last eight games of the year. Basically a broken back. As someone who currently suffers from a compression fracture of the back, just getting out of bed some mornings is a chore. Obviously I am far from a world-class athlete, but we are talking about the spine which is essentially the highway to the entire body.
I have no idea of Stafford’s recovery, but if it were considered career-threatening, then most likely we would have seen reports suggesting that is the case. So Stafford is planning on playing somewhere in 2020 it appears, and if the Bucs were 100 percent sure it is healed and the reoccurrence risk is very low, then dealing for Stafford, if he came on the market, would be something to explore.
Bucs outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul came back from a broken neck and played extremely well and at a high level. The difference is, Pierre-Paul plays a position that teams presumably have some depth or a backup plan and if he hadn’t been able to return, the Bucs had some decent bodies to fill the role. And Pierre-Paul was also already under contract, so it isn’t like Tampa Bay traded a ransom for him while he as recovering.
In the case of Stafford, if a team trades for him, it most likely comes with at least a No. 1 draft pick plus other compensation and teams are saying you believe he can stay healthy. That might be a pretty big gamble. But if he is healthy he may be a better option than even Brady as far a fit with the Bucs’ scheme.
Question: Free agent offensive tackle Jack Conklin, yay or nay?
Answer: In a salary cap-free world, it is an easy yay, as Conklin, a former first-rounder, is a dominant right tackle. But that isn’t the case, so I would say nay. The main reason being he plays right tackle – not left – and this draft class is loaded with offensive line prospects that Tampa Bay could draft, and would cost a quarter of what Conklin would command salary-wise. Last year’s No. 14 pick, offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom, counted just $3.3 million against the cap, where as Conklin is likely to get a deal over $14 million a season.
How much better would Conklin be over a first- or second-round rookie right tackle? Probably better in 2020, as there is a learning curve for every rookie offensive tackle, but $8 million per year better? I wouldn’t do it – at least not for a right tackle. I am not saying the position isn’t important, but if anyone thinks the Bucs missed the playoffs last year because of the play of right tackle Demar Dotson, they are a little crazy.
And the plan almost has to be that the tackle Tampa Bay drafts, if in the first round, eventually ends up succeeding Donovan Smith, who is in the final year of the guaranteed portion of the contract he signed last offseason. Most teams aren’t drafting right tackles in the Top 15 without the intention of moving them to the left side at some point.
Question: Do you see a scenario where the Bucs take a blue chip WR that falls to 14, like Henry Ruggs?
Answer: No chance. Not with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the roster and still in their prime. And not with the depth of this wide receiver class that some are saying is the best in the last two decades. Players that might have been later first- or second-round selections in years past will be found in the third and perhaps even the fourth round. Third-round guys last year are likely late fourth-round or even fifth-rounders in 2020, and so on because of the sheer depth at the position.
Add in the fact Bruce Arians raved about this year’s class last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, and tells me that, while the Bucs most likely add a receiver, it will come on Day 3. The third wide receiver in the Bucs offense can easily be found later in the draft, and I would be shocked to see the Buccaneers take a wide receiver before Day 3.
Tampa Bay would still love to see Breshad Perriman back in red and pewter in 2020 and will make an attempt to re-sign him, but won’t break the bank to do so. Partly due to the fact that this class is very deep and the pecking order of the weapons in Arians’ offense.
Bucs have made it a priority to improve the entire team while keeping the defensive core together. I find the QB talk interesting but it has clouded other discussions regarding the team. Right now from what I am seeing the Bucs have enough cap space to re-sign their defensive core and still find some vet upgrades in FA. We assume the Bucs would need to sign a first wave FA to upgrade this team. But like last year showed those 2nd wave and 3rd wave FAs actually ended up being more than enough upgrades for this team. I anticipate a… Read more »
Any QB willing to come to Bucs would be better than Jameis,
How many times I heard how Jameis was a franchise
An old famous coach once said to rate a QB
TDs are good Ints are bad
to subtract 1 TD for each INTS
do the math pewter genius
33-30 +3 counted TD
If only it were so easy…
The math is much more complex 😉
The Giants are open for business with the 4th pick. If Burrow goes first, and the Fins take Tua I’d be willing to trade up for Herbert. The kid killed it at the combine, and I’d love to see him as the new face of the franchise. We have a staff of QB gurus. Bring back Gabbert, and Griff is still here, get the kid up to speed, start him on opening day. It’s time to move on. New uni’s, new young QB, new day in Tampa Bay. Rate this item:Thumb UpThumb DownSubmit Rating+26-43 Rating: -17. From 69 votes. Please… Read more »
But how much would the 4th cost? 2x First and 1x Second rounder? More? Less?
If you want to be sure you have to go an 3th or wait until draft day. But then everybody knows you want a QB and that will make it more expensive to trade
Herbert killed it in the combine? So what? Underwear Olympics are not a reflection of NFL success. Herbert played in the weakest of the so called Power 5 conferences. If you think he could walk onto the field as a rookie and grasp Arians’ system better than the current QB who has a year under his belt, you are delusional. My guess is you also play Madden football online.
IMO: We really don’t know anymore than we did a month ago. As far as Winston goes I thought BA came here to coach him? I really don’t know what to think about BA coments regarding Winston.
Not sure I’d jump up for Herbert. His physical skills are all there, and I’ve only watched him in a handful of games, but he’s just never wowed me. Great arm no doubt, but he played in the Pac 10[12], not the greatest competition. He underwhelmed in the opener last year, losing to Auburn and a freshman QB in a neutral site contest. Lots of draft hype now with the combine finished. Will be interesting to see how things get spun.
I agree with your assessment of Herbert. But let’s not kid ourselves. SEC teams rarely play neutral site games. Those games are usually in the south with a favorable crowd. Hell, Alabama hasn’t played a non-conference ROAD game in years. NCAA needs to step in and do something about scheduling.
Can the Bucs sign Conklin? If the new CBA is signed yes that gives the Bucs extra play money to sign Conklin, but it also gives other team extra play money too. My feeling is that once the new CBA is signed that a lot of the dominoes for the Bucs and NFL start to fall into place.’ My gut feeling is this team wants to improve in the trenches and have a tougher mentality for 2020. Just my educated guess from what Arians and his staff has said thus far. Rate this item:Thumb UpThumb DownSubmit Rating+8-2 Rating: +6. From… Read more »
How would you quantify a pick 6? Any how I think its pretty clear that BA & Jason Licht are not sold on Winston. BA was quoted as saying “I don’t care who the QB is for 2020 I just want keep this defense together”…. My take on this is that Jamies Winston has an opportunity in FA to $$ cash in on all that Talent that many people believe that he has. I don’t see the need to keep debating on what his value is because the market is about to tell us what his value is. We spent… Read more »
SpotTrac is currently setting Winston’s value at $26.7 million per year.
Winston or Brady I’m ok with. Dalton is a joke and a backup in this league. Rivers is old and won’t be an upgrade over Winston. Stafford broke his back last year so I don’t see any reason to trade draft picks for a broken player. Winston haters will take anyone over Jameis. I get the whole Brady thing because he would sell tickets and bring instant credit but Jameis is probably the best option.
The Face of the Franchise will be Shaq Barrett!
The only QB period that would be an upgrade over Winston and worth it is the G.O.A.T. Brady. It still would be a big gamble with money and all things considered. At 43 there is a good chance especially since we aren’t a great O line he gets hurt. If anyone really thinks that literally Any QB bought in would be better than Winston your an idiot. Dalton sucks. Stanford would be interesting if not for a broken back and his age. I’m sure Rivers would be a disaster. Rate this item:Thumb UpThumb DownSubmit Rating+23-14 Rating: +9. From 37 votes.… Read more »
I doubt that Brady still has the arm strength to make all the deep throws for the whole season that this offense requires. At times, towards the end of the year this past season, Brady’s arm looked weaker than it has in the past. He would be a better fit in Indy if he left NE because they don’t throw the ball down field too often.
If Brady comes to Tampa he will bring 4-5 dream team players that will magically get signed, there will be lots of NFL stars that would like to get a ring.
2 may be more real O lineman
This isn’t basketball. If the Buc’s signed 43yo Brady, the only “dream team” players that would be signed would be washed up, over the hill, cheap A** cap space castoffs. Give me a F***King break.
I don’t want to trade up. I want to trade down and get some picks for Howard. We could end up with a late first round pick and multiple picks in rounds two through six.It’s a deep draft y’all. One of the best drafts in years. The more picks the better. Spread that risk around. I do not want to spend a small fortune in free agency. As was pointed out earlier in these comments. Bucs could actually do better with a second or third tier signing. Bruce and Jason are very good at signing players other teams have overlooked.… Read more »
As it should be. Funny how the Bucs won its 1st superbowl with a kick butt Defense and an..average QB.
I know a lot of people like Philip Rivers. I like him as well. However, I watched a lot of Chargers football last year and Rivers was not that impressive. Yes, Rivers threw for 4615 yards last year, but 1289 of those yards were to his running backs Eckler and Gordan. As our current line-up looks, where will Rivers get those extra 1289 yards from? It is not likely anyone currently on the Bucs roster. Rivers did have two 1000 yard receivers in Williams and Allen, but he threw 23 TD and 20 INT. Those stats look familiar? I am… Read more »
Surfer trading up for herbert would be ridiculous. Youd have to mortgage at least 2 first round picks to move up. And so what if he looked good at the combine? Hes throwing to wide open recievers with zero pass rush. Terrible idea.
Nick Foles, Brock Osweiler, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning comes to mind. It could happen!!
Fledgling, absolutely sucks, old and broken down, needs to retire, are thoughts that come to mind when I read those QB’s names.
Conklin is rumored to be signing with the Jets.
Don’t forget Bucs fans, when Bruce Arians did tv for a year he once said he liked Phil Rivers. Then you factor in Rivers living 5 hours away in the panhandle. It all adds up to…nothing. Lol.
The only way Winston isn’t the QB is if he doesn’t want to play in Tampa. Bucs have riskier and weaker choices behind door 2.
twspin and captain sly: Gabbert is exactly the guy you’re looking for. He’s a game manager and knows the offense.
The new trend in the NFL is teams are signing inexpensive QB’s on there rookie deals and building up the team around him…. Russell Wilson has paid off but Now Dak Prescott will be interesting to watch and that’s only because he has not been able to lead his team Deep into the playoffs. Here in Bucville we are squabbling over a 1st overall pick QB who’s never even sniffed the playoffs and some even want to pay him Top QB $$$ which is mind boggling. Oh well That’s Life as a Bucs Fan!! Rate this item:Thumb UpThumb DownSubmit Rating+8-4… Read more »
Also 1st overall pick QB who’s never sniffed a good O-line, a good RB, or a good defense to put games away for him. Now, this same 1st overall pick QB was thrown into a new system, that from my understanding, was a bit more complicated than what he had been used to since coming into the league. I, like every other Buc fan, was very disappointed in the record setting Int’s this past season. One year or not in a new system is no excuse. But the talent is there. His problem is in his head with his thinking.… Read more »
@captainsly, joe flacco?! Seriously? Nick foles is still owed a boat load of money from jacksonville and showed why hes a backup at best. Eli is way over the hilland as fromvrock osweiler, well that one doesnt even deserve a though out response.
@cgmaster I think he was agreeing with twspin that a game manager can win in the playoffs…like Flacco, Foles, and Osweiller. The truth they are forgetting is those teams had the #1 defense and a top 5 rushing attack in the NFL the years they won. Manning is a dumb comparison because he was a top draft pick who signed 4 contracts with the Giants over his career for a bazillion bucks. What they really want is a former first round QB with pedigree and experience managing games. A salty old vet worked in 2002 for the Bucs with Brad… Read more »
Whoa Whoa! I’m not saying that the Bucs should sign Nick Foles, I’m simply pointing out that you could Win a Super Bowl with a Game Manager. My point focuses around paying Winston top QB money when there’s no other team willing to pay him. I have read reports about Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, Phillip Rivers getting interest from teams. I have yet to read about Winston getting any interest around the League…. Nothing against Jamies Winston but I would love for someone to post a report showing Winston is drawing interest on the open market. Rate this item:Thumb UpThumb… Read more »
Winston is who he is…a pick machine. You can’t consistently win with that happening. The comparison to Palmer’s first year under Arians, and his second year improvement, is not comparable here. Why? Palmer threw 22 picks in 2013. 14 of them came in the first 8 weeks. 8 in the second 8 weeks. And 4 of those 8 came against the eventual SB champion Seahawks that were getting turnovers left and right. Palmer had 4 games without a pick in the second half of the season and 2 games with just 1 pick. In other words, he got better as… Read more »
The difference between right tackle and left tackle is marginal at this day and age. Defenses are smart enough to match-up their best guys against our worst guys.
And don’t forget that we have another option with Conklin – signing him AND drafting a tackle. Doing that basically means that we’ll be moving on from Donovan Smith beyond this year. It’s ultimately just trading Smith for Conklin and I think it would be an upgrade.
Anybody but Winston. There’s several other QB’s worth drafting. If moving up is to steep, pick another one. I don’t know what the Chiefs gave up to move up for Mahomes, but tell me it wasn’t worth it? Lamar Jackson lasted till the end of the first round, so maybe moving back into the first for a QB you like is the way to go. Hurts should be there in the second round, he was being compared to Jackson at the combine. Kid played for two great programs, and coaches, could he be the next Jackson? So many in the… Read more »
BA’s comment that it started to “click” with Palmer, Luck and Ben in Nov/Dec, but it didn’t with Winston, seems to indicate he’s not as sold as some fans that Year 2 will show much improvement. Listened to a BA interview from Dec 4th, 2019 recently and it sounded like a given that Winston was being resigned or at the least tagged. BA didn’t have a negative thing to say. Amazing the effect that last month of the season had on Winston’s season. Believe BA was legit blind-sided by it, and is still shaken that the decision-making hadn’t improved. Rate… Read more »
In hindsight Winston got some bad advice from his agents!! Winston played with that broken bone in his throwing hand, torn meniscus, and bad eyes. He should have shut it down after Mike Evans went on IR, But I believe they were looking to catch the “Big Fish” with a huge extension and it backfired. Winston got progressively worse as the season went on and more & more players got hurt. Some try to use this as an excuse to say if Winston would have had Evans and Godwin that his stats would have been better towards the end. But… Read more »
Ummm Breshard Perriman comes to mind.
When ME and Chris Godwin got hurt, Winston certainly elevated Perriman’s game!!
As far as not having a good December, I think we can all agree, he was way worse than Palmer and Arians has said he was disappointed.
But calling Winston “Not Special” based on that argument alone, is not factual!!
The closer we get to free agency the more I’m inclined to believe Winston will be back in Tampa at a reasonable price. Many analyst are concerned that No other team would start him much less pay him what he wants. Of course this could all be a smoke screen common this time of year but for the fact if you search the websites of teams around the league his name just doesn’t come up. I can understand why coaches won’t comment but fans all have opinions about who is available and why they would fit on their team. Winston’s… Read more »
Good answers Mark thank you.
I am surprised but take seriously the top that Winston will not be back or given a franchise tag. What surprises me is how no one seems to think 30 interceptions was an aberration. I think he will do about 15 or 16 normally, But we act as if he will throw 30 interceptions every year.
Vinny didn’t do it after 88 I believe. Don’t risk long term deal but not doing a franchise tag seems crazy
I honestly think we can get him for far less than the Franchise Tag.
If nobody wants him, we basically name our price.
If we resign Winston for say $22 Million with an incentive laden deal, that difference would have paid for Perriman’s contract last year.
Every Million we save is worth it.
Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.
Great points BucHarbour. BA has made a similar observation. Winston showed himself the way out of One Buc with his appalling carelessness with the ball during the last half of the season. Sorry JW…it’s not us, it’s you
Look, this team is just a few pieces away from being one of the best in the league. IMO we (I say we like I have a say in all this) need to either upgrade or enhance just a few key positions: Upgrade: 1. O Line 2. Safety 3. Running back Enhance with better depth: 1. DT & DE (Suh and JPP need more breathers now that they’re older) 2. O Line (I can’t believe I’m saying this) Right now, Jameis Winston is the only QB on the open market that fits the coach and scheme that Tampa Bay is… Read more »
Winston is NOT the only QB for this scheme. Arians said he can win with this QB, or with another one. His pride and joy right now is the defense. The offense can run on autopilot with whoever he puts in place. Might as well trade up and secure Justin Herbert if that’s the case. Or go all in and throw everything at Cincy for Joe Burrows. An accurate arm with good pocket sense and this team goes deep next January.
If we trade up for Burrow, and he happens to start, he will get demolished behind this line. Plus he could throw 30 picks too. Why not fix what we know we need to fix, which is defense, O line, running back, safety. Give Jameis another year, especially on a low contract when no other team wants him. Then if he isn’t the answer, next year would be the year to mortgage the Farm for Lawrence etc. We would certainly be closer to Super Bowl ready next year. Of course if a team ends up offering Winston $25 Million and… Read more »
Draft the best OT available in Round 1, pick up Jalen Hurts in Round 2, and get a beast running back to make the defense honest. Or grab Jacob Eason in Round 1, and the best OT available in Round 2. IMO the OLine is better now than when Winston rookied and he survived. I’m telling you, this offense does not need Winston to thrive. It needs a strong arm, yes, but it doesn’t have to be JW3.
On the QBs available on the open market right now, here is what we know: 1) Phillip Rivers brings experience, but also decreasing arm strength. If you review the tape and see the longer throws last year, he was not particularly effective over 20 yards. Worse under pressure. Unless the pocket is really good, and the throws are quick, he is toast. Much better suited for the Colts than the long downfield passes Arians and the Bucs receiver set have and want. I see him not coming to Tampa – or Tampa having interest. 2) Teddy Bridgewater also brings experience,… Read more »
We need a QB that will break League and team all time records. Throw for almost 20k in his first 5 years even with a shortened season. Be one of the few that can pass for over 5k yards. Wont ever give up even when injured or getting sacked and pressured all game…
OMG that sounds an awful lot like Jameis Winston! Are you saying we should go after him in FA?? I dunno. Might be hard to steal that kind of talent away from his current team.