SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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FAB 1. Bucs Off To Torrid Sack Pace In 2022

The Bucs are off to a torrid pace when it comes to getting to the quarterback this season. With 19 sacks through the first five games of the season, Tampa Bay is on pace for an astounding 64 sacks in 2022.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The franchise record is 55, which happened back in 2000. The Steelers led the league with 55 sacks last year.

Under Todd Bowles, the Bucs have recorded 47, 48 and 47 sacks over the past three seasons. Right now, Tampa Bay ranks third in the league behind San Francisco (21) and Dallas (20) in team sacks.

The Bucs are off to their hottest start in terms of sack production under Bowles. The team had 11 sacks in 2019 through five games. Tampa Bay had 17 sacks through five games in 2020 and produced 10 last year through the first five weeks.

What’s remarkable is that the Bucs’ leading sacker, inside linebacker Devin White, only has three sacks. It’s not like Tampa Bay has one player with a bunch of sacks like in 2019 when Shaq Barrett had nine of the team’s 11 sacks.

Tampa Bay’s 19 sacks are comprised from 11 different Buccaneers.

BUCS’ SACKS – 2022

ILB Devin White – 3
NT Vita Vea – 2.5
DL Logan Hall – 2
OLB Shaq Barrett – 2
S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – 2
OLB Anthony Nelson – 2
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – 1.5
ILB Lavonte David – 1
OLB Carl Nassib – 1
S Mike Edwards – 1
NT Deadrin Senat – 1

The Bucs have gotten sacks in bunches this year, especially in the division. Tampa Bay had six sacks in a Week 2 win at New Orleans, and notched five sacks in last week’s victory over Atlanta.

“There’s enough food on the table for everybody,” said Bucs rookie defensive lineman Logan Hall, who got his second sack of the season on Sunday. “Everybody’s getting production, everybody’s getting in the backfield good and I love to see it. It makes my life easier for sure. Being able to come out of the game and have anybody, a slew of people come in and be able to get the job done. Fresh legs are better legs, so it’s really awesome that we have guys who can get to the Q like that.”

Bucs DL Deadrin Senat – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs’ sacks are spread around between starters (13) and backups (six). The outside linebackers lead the way with 6.5 sacks, but the defensive line isn’t far behind with 5.5, followed by inside linebackers with four and the secondary with three.

“It’s fun, it’s really, really fun to play in,” Nassib said. “It’s all out. Everyone’s got to be on the same page. It’s exciting to see lots of players get production. It doesn’t just fall on one guy, or one position group, which is exciting. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

Last year, the Bucs had 14 players with at least half a sack. In 2020, Tampa Bay had 13 different players with a sack. There are 12 games left and the Bucs already have 11 defenders that have gotten to the quarterback. And Will Gholston, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Akiem Hicks, Patrick O’Connor, Logan Ryan, Keanu Neal nor any of the cornerbacks have joined the party – yet.

“It’s big,” Edwards said. “It’s always good when the coverage can complement the rush and the rush can complement the coverage. It helps us out a bunch. It slows the quarterback down a lot, has him thinking a lot and makes our job a lot easier. When you’ve got guys coming in as backups getting a sack, that’s crazy. Logan [Hall] got a sack, and then you got DBs getting sacks, me and Antoine – it’s just a phenomenal job by the defense and [Coach] Bowles set us up for getting plays, making plays like that.”

Bucs co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said that Bowles does a great job of getting a lot of players involved in the pass rush, from inside linebackers to safeties to cornerbacks, which makes it fun for the entire defense.

“It’s fun to play in a Todd Bowles system because everybody gets an opportunity to get after the quarterback,” Foote said. “We line everybody up everywhere, so guys get excited – they look forward to Thursday mornings when we put the third-down packages in and see if their number is called. Some people gripe a little bit if their number is not called as much, but it’s fun playing in this system.”

Bowles is a former safety who had two career sacks, in addition to 15 career interceptions. He loves getting the secondary involved in his blitz scheme.

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett and S Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s very special, it’s special because Bowles trusts in us a lot,” Edwards said. “He expects us to make those types of plays, that’s why he sends us on blitzes. He has a lot of safety blitzes, a lot of nickel blitzes with Antoine being there. He’s a great blitzer, so you’ve got to blitz him. He makes a lot of plays. [When] you got guys like Antoine and safeties that can interchange and blitz or cover and whatever, it messes up the offense a lot.”

The Bucs have actually blitzed less this year than in years past. That’s because they’ve had success with a four-man rush thanks to the addition of more athletic defensive linemen like Hall and Senat upfront, along with the growth and maturation of Tryon-Shoyinka.

“It just throws offenses off. They’ve got to prepare for all that and understand that we’re an attacking defense,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “It’s nice. Everyone can get to the quarterback, everyone can make plays on this defense, so it just adds to the value of us.”
Bowles and his aggressive defense will likely have some serious pressure packages in store for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh this Sunday. With pressure coming from everywhere, look for the Bucs’ sack total to continue to climb in Week 6.

FAB 2. Bucs’ Lack Of Point Production (So Far) Is Frustrating

Bucs fans have been spoiled by the team scoring nearly 30 points per game in each of the last three years since Bruce Arians’ arrival in 2019. The Bucs players themselves have been just as spoiled.

In the 58 games from 2019-2021, including the postseason, the Bucs have scored 30 points or more in 31 of them, including eight games over 40 points.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Points have been at a premium this season due to a plethora of new faces on offense. In a Week 3 14-12 loss to Green Bay, the Bucs offense only had three of the same starters – quarterback Tom Brady, right tackle Tristan Wirfs and running back Leonard Fournette – from Week 3 back in 2021.

Gone are Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet (retired), Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen (injured), future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski (retired) and potential Hall of Fame receiver Antonio Brown (out of football), in addition to three-year starting right guard Alex Cappa.

Throw in the fact that future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans was suspended for the Packers game, Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin missed two games due to injury, and injuries to wide receivers Julio Jones, Russell Gage and Breshad Perriman have either kept them out of action or stymied their production, and it’s no wonder the Bucs have averaged 20.6 points per game. That ranks tied for 19th in the league.

The Bucs have only scored over 30 points just once this season, and over 20 points just twice.

So, it’s natural that some frustration would set in for the veterans like Brady, who are accustomed to the Bucs offense being quite prolific.

“I think there’s always a degree of frustration in football, period,” Brady said. “You want it to go right all the time – it doesn’t do that. They’re really good on other side of the ball – they’re forcing you to do things you’re not so good at. We’re trying to win the game and we’re trying to improve. It’s not always going to be your best quarter of football every single time out. You’ve just got to have patience and you’ve got to do your best to stay focused and try to execute as well as you can based on the circumstances.”

Patience is not always Brady’s strong suit. He’s chucked a Microsoft Windows tablet or two already this year after some lackluster offensive drives. As people age, it’s only natural that they lose their patience. An elder statesman like Brady is no different.

“I think he’s been great,” Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said. “He’s 45 though, right?  I lose patience at 42. He loses patience sometimes, but that’s part of it, that’s what we’ve got. He understands that, though. That’s the amazing thing about Tom. I tell you guys all the time – when you really see him upset, most of the time it’s at himself.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“That’s the thing that people don’t understand. He’s a football junkie. He knows all the nuances of football, he knows how every situation is going to be – he’s been in these situations before where he’s played with people that may have been younger around him. He understands everything about the game, so that always gives us an opportunity. [There’s] nothing that’s new to him – he understands and has been through everything.”

Brady knows that the Bucs offensive line has a pair of young starters in rookie left guard Luke Goedeke and second-year center Robert Hainsey, both of whom have just five starts in their young NFL careers. He’s also playing with two rookie tight ends in Cade Otton and Ko Kieft and a rookie running back in Rachaad White.

“I think it’s always tough to put too much on the rookies. It’s just a lot to … I just remember when I was a rookie, it is a very challenging time,” Brady said. “You just don’t have the experience to kind of make all the right decisions. So, when you play with veteran players, there’s a degree of confidence you have just because, even though you may not have talked about something, they’ll still do it basically the way that you want it. It may not be exactly right but pretty close. Rookies, it’s hard. There’s a huge learning curve.

“It’s just important and Byron does a great job of making sure when they are in there, they’re doing things that we’re all confident in them doing, and not putting people in positions to not do well. You’ve got to do the best you can do. Every team has young players, every team has veteran players, every team has guys who haven’t played much. It’s what everyone deals with, you’ve just got to do the best you can do. You wish that you’d have a veteran group that could play every play for 16 weeks, 17 weeks, but [that’s] not the reality. The guys we have in there are doing a good job, and we’re going to keep pushing and keep trying to keep the pressure on everybody to try to make us a better football team.”

Not every rookie can step in and play like a veteran like right tackle Tristan Wirfs did as a first-year starter in 2020, helping the Bucs win a Super Bowl. Once the team’s young players mature with more experience, the Bucs offense should begin scoring points at higher rate. Perhaps this week against a beaten up Pittsburgh defense that just gave up 38 points at Buffalo.

“I don’t know if frustration is the right word, maybe it is,” Wirfs said. “It is a little bit, but eventually it’s going to start clicking. There are 11 guys on the field and we all have to be on the same page. When we get there, we’ll be throwing up 30 points per game. It’s never a bad thing when you’ve got that many up on the scoreboard.”

While there may be some frustration among the players, Leftwich isn’t frustrated by the fact that the Bucs are averaging 10 points less per game than a year ago.

“No, I just think it’s a different team,” Leftwich said. “It’s a really different team when you really look at it. [There’s] a lot of different people in that huddle than was there in the past. All the things that you’re saying, I think we’re doing well. I think we’re close to playing really good football. If that means that we’re scoring a lot of points like we’ve done in the past, we’ll see – that’s why I said we’ll add them up at the end.”

FAB 3. Matchups To Watch: Bucs Offense vs. Steelers Defense

Each week, you can find five matchups to watch on offense and defense in my SR’s Fab 5 column. Here are the five key matchups to watch on offense in the Bucs’ road game at the Steelers this Sunday.

QB Tom Brady vs. FS Minkah Fitzpatrick

Pittsburgh’s secondary is really banged up and there is a chance that Fitzpatrick might not even play, as he’s listed as questionable. But without him, the Steelers defense would lose a valuable playmaker. Already without T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh needs its Pro Bowl safety to make some splash plays to give the Steelers any chance of beating a healthier, more formidable team like the Bucs.

Brady is the master of not only pre-snap reads and knowing where to go with the ball, but also looking off safeties. Fitzpatrick is one of the more difficult safeties to fool, and he’s a big-time ballhawk. He has 16 interceptions in his career, including three last year, with four of those being pick-sixes. Brady has only thrown one interception this year and the Bucs have been great at protecting the football. That needs to continue in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

ADVANTAGE: Brady

LG Luke Goedeke vs. DL Cameron Heyward

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

Heyward is still going strong at age 33. The five-time Pro Bowler is coming off a 10-sack season, but only has one sack this year through five games. He’ll need to have the best game of the 2022 campaign on Sunday against Goedeke, a rookie, if the Steelers are going to have any chance in upsetting the Bucs. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounds Heyward needs to stuff the run, as he usually does, and get to Tom Brady frequently.

Goedeke has faced a murderer’s row of great defensive tackles in recent weeks. In fact, Heyward is the fourth straight Pro Bowler he’s faced. He’s battled Green Bay’s Kenny Clark, Kansas City’s Chris Jones and Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett over the past three weeks. Heyward is the most experienced and perhaps the strongest defensive tackle Goedeke will face all year. Coming off his worst game of the year, Goedeke needs to rebound and be up for the fight.

ADVANTAGE: Heyward

LT Donovan Smith vs. OLB Alex Highsmith

Without T.J. Watt in the lineup, the Steelers’ pass rush has almost ground to a halt. Watt had just one sack before a pectoral muscle injury landed him on injured reserve. Highsmith is Pittsburgh’s leading sacker with 5.5. He has more than half of the team’s 10 sacks, which is a below-average number for team that’s used to being in the Top 5 in sacks annually.

Smith is playing with a hyperextended elbow, but is still quite effective. Just ask Atlanta’s Lorenzo Carter, who was rag-dolled by Smith several times in last week’s win over the Falcons. Highsmith is a decent pass rusher and perhaps better than Carter, but Smith should have no trouble handling him. And if he does, Smith can count on Leonard Fournette for some world class chips.

ADVANTAGE: Smith

RB Leonard Fournette vs. ILB Devin Bush

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Like Tampa Bay’s Devin White, Bush was also a first-round inside linebacker selected in 2019, drafted 10th overall. But Bush has not been nearly as good or dynamic as White has. In fact, this year, newcomer Myles Jack is Pittsburgh’s best linebacker, leading the team with 50 tackles. Bush has just 30 stops and zero splash plays. The Steelers will also substitute Bush for Robert Spillane in certain passing situations because of Bush’s deficiencies in coverage.

Fournette had a big day last week as a receiver with a career-high 10 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Add in another 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Fournette totaled 139 yards with two scores. Pittsburgh’s linebackers aren’t very good in coverage, so Fournette, who leads the Bucs with 26 catches, might have another day where he’s more effective as a receiver than he is as a runner.

ADVANTAGE: Fournette

WR Mike Evans vs. Any Steelers CB

The Steelers’ top three cornerbacks – Cameron Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace – are all  questionable for Sunday’s game. The same goes for safeties Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds. Pittsburgh’s secondary is as banged up as it’s ever been – and coming off a 38-3 beatdown in Buffalo in which Josh Allen torched the defense. Plus, the Steelers have three more safeties on injured reserve. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Witherspoon has the size to match up best with Evans, while Sutton (5-11, 188) is the team’s best corner. He typically plays on the right side and could draw Evans in coverage the most if he plays.

Evans is off to a hot start this season with 20 catches for 316 yards (15.8 avg.) and three touchdowns. As a rookie, Evans caught his first NFL touchdown in Pittsburgh in 2014, and the Bucs’ win over the Steelers was one of the team’s two victories that year. Evans could put on a show against Pittsburgh’s wounded secondary. Pencil him in for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Sunday.

ADVANTAGE: Evans

FAB 4. Matchups To Watch: Bucs Defense vs. Steelers Offense

Each week, you can find five matchups to watch on offense and defense in my SR’s Fab 5 column. Here are the five key matchups to watch on defense for the Bucs as they try to win two in a row after beating the Falcons last week.

DB Antoine Winfield Jr. vs. WR Diontae Harris

If the Steelers are going to have any chance of winning this game with a rookie quarterback, it’s going to be with the team’s receivers. Harris leads Pittsburgh with 28 catches for 267 yards (9.5 avg.), but he’s known for the occasional drop and lapse in concentration. Like all of the Steelers wide receivers, Harris has yet to find the end zone as Pittsburgh only has two passing TDs all year.

Winfield was the Bucs’ best defender on the field last week. He led the team with eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Splitting time between slot corner in nickel defense and free safety in base defense, Winfield is having another Pro Bowl-caliber season. He has the speed and quickness to hang with Harris and the physicality to shut him down.

ADVANTAGE: Winfield

CB Jamel Dean vs. WR Chase Claypool

Bucs CB Jamel Dean and WR Olamide Zaccheaus – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Claypool has been a disappointment this season, with just 16 catches for 129 yards (8.1 avg.) and no touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound receiver has had back-to-back 850-yard seasons and 11 combined touchdowns in his first two years in Pittsburgh. But that was with Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the ball. Claypool has yet to get in rhythm with Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, and has trouble getting separation.

Dean has been the best cover corner for the Bucs to start the season. At 6-foot-1, 206 pounds, Dean has enough size and wingspan to cover a huge receiver like Claypool. When Claypool is on, he can make acrobatic catches above the heads of defensive backs downfield. But Dean is a great leaper and can highpoint the ball and come down with 50-50 passes as well.

ADVANTAGE: Dean

CB Carlton Davis III vs. WR George Pickens

Pickens, the Steelers’ second-round pick, has already established himself as one of the most physical receivers in the NFL. On a couple of occasions, he’s literally knocked opposing cornerbacks over at the line of scrimmage to create separation. And Pickens, who has 17 receptions for 250 yards (14.7), has also made some crazy, one-handed catches through the first five games. Todd Bowles called Pickens a future Pro Bowl receiver – and for good reason.

Davis is battling a hip injury he suffered last week, and it’s a good thing that Pickens isn’t a burner with deep speed. A physical player in his own right, Davis will have a real fight on his hands on Sunday against Pickens, who is a very tough receiver off the line of scrimmage. Davis has yet to get an interception, but Sunday might be the day as rookie Kenny Pickett will likely force the ball to Pickens one too many times.

ADVANTAGE: Davis

NT Vita Vea vs. C Mason Cole

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

Cole is one of the lighter centers in the league at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds. He’s struggled with some of the bigger defensive tackles in the league this year, and they don’t get much bigger than Vea. The Pro Bowl nose tackle is 6-foot-4, 350 pounds and can be a juggernaut when he’s on top of his game. Cole gave up his first sack of the season last week at Buffalo and is coming off his worst game of the year.

Vea has had a good, but not great start to the season. He’s been inconsistent against the run and the pass, yet has 2.5 sacks, which is second-best in Tampa Bay. Vea’s best sack production came last year when he notched four, so he’s on pace for a career-high in 2022 with 12 more games to go. He should win this matchup and perhaps collect another sack.

ADVANTAGE: Vea

ILB Devin White vs. RB Najee Harris

Harris has been a huge disappointment in Pittsburgh this year. He’s coming off a rookie year in which he rushed for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, in addition to catching 74 passes for 467 yards and three more TDs. Harris has rushed for just 222 yards and one touchdown while averaging a pedestrian 3.2 yards per carry. And he has 13 receptions for 64 yards (4.9 avg.) and one of Pittsburgh’s two TDs through the air. With a rookie QB under center, the Steelers will continue to lean on Harris and hope he improves.

At 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, Harris is a load to bring down. White, who often tackles too high, needs to tackle Harris much lower at the line of scrimmage to prevent broken tackles and big plays. White should have a decided advantage in the passing game when he faces Harris on blitzes and when Harris goes out for swing passes and screens. White has the speed to blow by Harris to get to Pickett and the speed to track Harris down as a receiver in the flats. The big key is wrapping him up on initial contact and not missing tackles.

ADVANTAGE: White

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• GOEDEKE’S GAUNTLET TO START THE SEASON: No other interior offensive lineman has faced a tougher task than rookie left guard Luke Goedeke. He’ll be facing his fourth straight Pro Bowl defensive tackle on Sunday in Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward.

• BRADY’S STILL BRILLIANT AT AGE 45: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady isn’t off to his most prolific start this season, but is still leading the league or near the top of the league in several categories, according to Tom Brady Facts on Twitter.

CELSIUS PEWTER REPORT TAILGATE PREGAME SHOW AT WALK-ONS

Bucs fans and Pewter Report fans can join the PR staff for a LIVE pregame show before each Bucs game – home and away – at Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux. The CELSIUS Pewter Report Tailgate Show is presented by Age Rejuvenation and is LIVE at the Walk-Ons in Wesley Chapel for the Bucs vs. Steelers game this Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:o0 p.m. ET and the PR Tailgate Show begins at 11:00 a.m. ET.

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Miller Lite pints are $3.99 and 22 oz pours are $5.49. Blue Moon pints are $5.00 and 22 oz pours are $7.00.

The CELSIUS Pewter Report Tailgate Show presented by Age Rejuvenation is an hour-and-a-half show and begins two hours prior to kickoff each week. Thirty minutes prior to kickoff, Matt Matera and Josh Queipo take over on the livestream and add their insight and pregame analysis. Then, Pewter GameDay begins as the Bucs kick off with Matera and a special guest providing insight and commentary throughout the game. Pewter Report’s Kasey Hudson joins Matera for this week’s Bucs game.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS-FALCONS PREVIEWS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. Next week’s schedule will feature PR Podcasts on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday as the Bucs begin preparations for Week 7 against Carolina next Sunday.

Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera discussed the Bucs’ 21-15 win over the Falcons on a Victory Monday.

Reynolds and Matera were joined by Pewter Report alum Jon Ledyard for a Bucs vs. Steelers preview on Wednesday.

Matera and J.C. Allen debate whether or not the Bucs will blow out the Steelers on Thursday’s show.

Watch the Pewter Report Podcasts live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. We archive all Pewter Report Podcasts. So, you can watch the recorded episodes if you missed them live.

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