It’s time for PewterReport.com’s 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game. Tampa Bay finished the preseason 2-1 after a convincing 24-14 win over Miami. The Bucs starters only played one series, but dominated with an opening drive touchdown on offense and a quick three-and-out on defense.

2 BIG STATEMENTS

STATEMENT 1. Perfect Start For Bucs Starting Offense

The Bucs’ first offensive possession in the team’s 24-14 win over the Dolphins in the preseason finale was an absolute thing of beauty.

We had waited all preseason long to see what the starters – minus 31-year old Mike Evans, who sat out the night along with 33-year old linebacker Lavonte David – could do in Liam Coen’s new offense.

On Tampa Bay’s first play from scrimmage, right tackle Luke Goedeke drove edge rusher Chop Robinson, Miami’s first-round pick, nine yards down the field and absolutely buried him in the grass at Raymond James Stadium. That’s five yards further downfield than running back Rachaad White gained on his four-yard carry on the left side of the line.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

But it was a sign of things to come and set the tone for the Bucs’ first drive of the night – and perhaps the season for the team’s retooled offensive line. Tight end Cade Otton, who was not known for his run-blocking his first two years, also drove outside linebacker Quinton Bell, a former Buccaneer, to the ground and then shoved him down again when he tried to get him.

On the next play, a five-yard run by White behind center Graham Barton and left guard Ben Bredeson, Goedeke was at it again, working from his right tackle spot to the second level where he and Barton helped push White an extra yard to set up third-and-1. Then on third-and-1, White ran behind right guard Cody Mauch and Goedeke, who opened up a hole for a three-yard gain and a first down.

On first down, Baker Mayfield threw his first pass of the preseason, a quick tunnel screen to wide receiver Chris Godwin, who picked up nine yards. Godwin followed left tackle Tristan Wirfs, Bredeson and Mauch, who didn’t execute clean blocks on the play, but created enough of a convoy to nearly pick up another Tampa Bay first down across midfield. This middle screen to Godwin figures to be a staple of the Bucs passing game and will likely be run at least once per game.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Mayfield went back to the screen game on second-and-1, this time off play-action to the left flat where he found White with a quick check down. Bredeson had his Dolphins defender in a vice grip and executed a perfect block at the point of attack. Wirfs did the same on his kickout block near the sideline. The hole for White was so big he could’ve driven a Tesla truck through it.

By the time White crossed the line of scrimmage, Barton was eight yards downfield picking on a Dolphins defensive back like a bully, while the athletic Mauch was looking for work nine yards downfield and shoved safety Siran Neal to the turf. White gained 17 yards on the play down to the Miami 32 and wasn’t touched until he picked up the first 13 yards. New Bucs offensive line coach Kevin Carberry was seen going nuts on the sideline after the play, extremely pleased with the execution of his lineman so far on the drive.

Mayfield stayed in attack mode on the next play, and threw a beautiful 28-yard pass to a leaping rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who high-pointed the ball above Neal for a big gain near the sideline.

On first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, White ran right behind Mauch and Goedeke into the end zone virtually untouched. Goedeke had driven his man a yard deep into the end zone to help pave the way as Otton’s block also sealed off the right edge.

Goedeke and Otton were two of the three Bucs I featured in my latest Pewter Pulse video on guys who had a remarkable, yet under-the-radar, training camp.

Baker Mayfield was 3-of-3 for 54 yards on the drive and head coach Todd Bowles had seen enough. The communication was excellent. The execution was nearly flawless. The cannons fired and the scoreboard changed from zero points to seven in the span of 3:05.

The Bucs starters were like 11 assassins – in and out quickly for the kill, and then done for the night.

Tampa Bay’s offense drove 70 yards in seven plays – averaging a first down per play – to take a 7-0 lead to start the game. It would be the first time the Bucs offense scored a touchdown on its opening drive in 23 games, including last year’s preseason. And it was certainly a welcomed sight.

Bucs OC Liam Coen and C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Miami didn’t have its starters in, so facing the likes of Calais Campbell, Jaelan Phillips and others would have proved to be more of a challenge. But Tampa Bay’s starting offense did what it was supposed to do in that situation – it made Miami’s backups look like a J.V. squad.

Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen showed a lot of diversity with his play-calling without a single personnel change on the opening drive. Tampa Bay stayed in 11 personnel with Otton as the tight end, and Godwin, McMillan and Ryan Miller as the starting receivers.

“He gets a ton of credit,” Bowles said of Coen for getting the Bucs’ ground game up to par after Tampa Bay was last in the league running the ball over the last two years. “[Offensive line coaches Kevin] Carberry and [Brian] Picucci as well – all of the offensive coaches because the receivers block as well. Again, it’s early – it’s preseason – but structurally they are playing faster and they are getting up to the second level. We have to continue that as the season goes, but structurally right now everything is in place and Liam [gets] credit for it.”

STATEMENT 2. Bucs Defense Makes Quick Work Of Dolphins, Chris Braswell Shines

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

The Bucs’ starters on offense looked to be in midseason form. So what would Todd Bowles’ starting unit, which was without the services of linebacker Lavonte David, outside linebackers Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and safety Jordan Whitehead, have in store on its first action of the preseason?

A three-and-out that was a sight to behold.

After a tunnel screen to speedy rookie receiver Malik Washington picked up seven yards, Tampa Bay’s defense bowed up. On second-and-3, Bucs defensive tackle Logan Hall knifed through a double team, while rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell fought off a chop block to team up to tackle running back Jeff Wilson for a gain of two yards to set up third-and-1.

On the next play, defensive tackle Vita Vea blasted center Jack Driscoll five yards into the backfield and flattened him. That immediate disruption blew up the running play as Wilson was tackled by linebackers Vi Jones and KJ Britt, Braswell and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for a 1-yard loss.

As we’ve seen in practice throughout training camp, especially in joint practices against the Jaguars and Dolphins, it is going to be awfully tough to run on this Bucs defense this year. And that’s exactly what Bowles wants – stuff the run on the early downs and get into third-and-long passing situations where he can reach into his bag of tricks and pull out some disguised coverages to fool quarterbacks or some exotic blitz packages to pressure them.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Or in the case of Friday night, two short yardage downs that produced just one yard – and a punt on fourth-and-2.

Braswell, the team’s second-round pick, got his third start of the preseason and had his best game. He finished with two tackles and also got his first sack of the preseason. Braswell, who is known for his bull rush and his long arm rush, changed it up and beat right tackle Bayron Matos with a speed rush to the outside to drop quarterback Mike White for a 9-yard loss on third-and-13. On the previous play, Braswell sniffed out a quick wide receiver screen and came screaming off the edge to get a hand up and force an incompletion.

Braswell was a game-wrecker on Friday night. He might not start at the beginning of the season, but he’ll get plenty of playing time as he develops. I’ve said it before, look for Braswell to take a Diaby-like path and become an eventual starter by the end of his rookie season.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Is This Kyle Trask’s Best Performance Yet?

Yes. Kyle Trask, Tampa Bay’s backup quarterback, completed 17-of-24 (70.8%) passes for 141 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the team’s 24-14 win over Miami.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/ PR

Most importantly, Trask didn’t put the ball in harm’s way as he had in Cincinnati and in Miami. Trask threw an interception against the Bengals and had one dropped in Cincy. And he could’ve had an interception at the end of the Jaguars game last week when he had to return to action late in the fourth quarter for the injured John Wolford.

Trask looked more comfortable, more in command and more decisive with where he wanted to throw the football. He had two beautiful fade passes in the red zone – a 10-yard touchdown in the end zone to Ryan Miller and a 2-yard loft to Tanner Knue. The former second-round pick who is in a contract year finished his preseason with three touchdown passes and just one interception. In four years in Tampa Bay, Trask has thrown six combined touchdowns, with half of them coming this August.

“Yeah, not only that but also just the sustained drives, the third downs, putting drives together, leading the guys down the field [and] then finishing off with a touchdown,” Trask said. “That’s definitely a confidence booster. It’s one thing to hit a big pass, and obviously, that’s ideal. But it’s more of a confidence booster when you can really put together drives, get into the right checks, [and] get the offense into the right plays. That’s probably the best thing you can do as a quarterback for your confidence at least.”

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is a big supporter of Trask and was really pleased with his performance in leading Tampa Bay to 17 points after Baker Mayfield exited after the first drive. With Wolford out due to a rib injury, Trask played virtually the entire game.

“Just from a maturity standpoint, adjusting to the schemes and the playbook and being confident out there making the right reads and playing well,” Bowles said. “Whether he’s behind the first line, second line or third line he makes plays. He gets receivers open – not necessarily throwing to Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] all the time. But he’s getting guys open, he’s directing traffic and he’s getting valuable experience.

“He’s played behind [Tom] Brady and he’s playing behind [Baker], sometimes you have the unfortunate opportunity to go behind a couple of quarterbacks, but we have a lot of trust in him. He really sees the game well. We would not have a problem playing him.”

When asked if there was any worry to have such an inexperienced backup quarterback behind Mayfield heading into the season, Bowles stood behind Trask and said: “Just because you’re experienced doesn’t mean you’re good. You might know the playbook, but if you can’t carry out the plays it doesn’t make it any better.”

QUESTION 2: Is There Going To Be A Surprise Cut Or Two?

Bucs DT Earnest Brown IV – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Possibly. I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to go with roster cuts this year – I gave it my best shot in Friday’s SR’s Fab 5 column before kickoff – but there will be a surprise cut or two. I predicted Christian Izien, who missed last week and Friday’s game with an injury, getting left off the 53-man roster in the Fab 5. Izien, who started every game at nickelback as an undrafted free agent last year, didn’t have a great camp and could wind up on the practice squad.

But there are some other candidates as well. Will Gholston, who is running out of gas at age 33, could be cut in favor of a younger defensive tackle. I had C.J. Brewer making the team, but Earnest Brown IV and Lwal Uguak both played well in the last two preseason games. For the second straight week, Brewer stuffed the run and had another tackle for loss. Brown almost had a sack-fumble, but it was ruled that Mike White’s arm was going forward and an incompletion. Still, that play occurred on fourth down and resulted in a turnover by Tampa Bay’s defense.

Two more surprise possibilities – although either would be a shocker – are wide receiver Trey Palmer, who didn’t play on Friday night due to injury, and punter Jake Camarda. Palmer was inconsistent catching the ball in camp, and both Cody Thompson and Kameron Johnson were more consistent in practice. If the Bucs want to keep Ryan Miller, who has good size at 6-foot-1, 221 pounds and is a great perimeter blocker, then Palmer may be in jeopardy. But I think Palmer has done enough to stick with Miller, who had a 10-yard TD catch on Friday night, on the practice squad again.

“[There are] still some decisions to be made,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “We got a good look at Kam last night for the first time – he did some really good things running and catching the football. Cody has been consistent all preseason. Miller has shown some things, as well. Those three guys…We’ve really got some decisions to make there.”

As for Camarda, the Bucs brought in punter Nolan Cooney after a disappointing showing in Cincinnati. Camarda averaged 42.3 yards on three punts versus Miami with a woeful net of 30.7 yards. While Cooney averaged 53 yards per punt, including a 63-yarder, with a 49.5-yard net.

“It’s not an area I’m very happy with right now,” Bowles said. “Obviously, Jake has to punt it better. That’s two weeks in a row where he didn’t punt well. Chase [McLaughlin] came back around [with a 51-yard field goal], and we’ll see about the punting situation or whether adding somebody to the practice squad – we definitely have to get better in that area.”

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1: Bucs’ Third Down Defense Will Be Better

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

Tampa Bay’s defense was dreadful on third down in Jacksonville last week, allowing 9-of-17 (52.9%) third downs to be converted, but the unit rebounded against Miami. The Bucs allowed the Dolphins to convert just 3-of-12 (25%) third downs on Friday night, and of course that was mostly with backups playing against backups.

But third down has been a point of emphasis for Todd Bowles and the defense all offseason and I think the Bucs bounce back this year with an improved pass rush and better coverage in the secondary due to fewer busts in coverage.

In 2022, Tampa Bay ranked eighth in the league, allowing a 37.7% conversion rate on third down. Last year the team slipped to 22nd, allowing teams to convert 39.5% of their third downs. Seeing Chris Braswell come through with a sack on third-and-13 was nice to see.

PREDICTION 2: Tampa Bay Will Go For It On Fourth Down More Often In 2024

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was a gambling man last year, going for it on fourth down 18 times and converting 12 times. Tampa Bay’s 66.7% fourth down conversion rate ranked second in the league behind only Philadelphia 73.1% (19-of-26) success rate.

The Bucs were 3-of-3 on fourth-down conversions on Friday night, and the team pretty much had to be as the offense was just 1-of-10 (10%) on third downs against the Dolphins. Tampa Bay was 1-of-2 on fourth downs at Cincinnati in the preseason opener. With increased confidence in his offense this year due to a leveled up play-caller like Liam Coen, Bowles could be tempted to go for first downs on fourth downs more often.

Kick Off The Bucs’ 2024 Season On PewterReportTV With Pewter Pregame & Pewter GameDay

Join Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera for a 30-minute Pewter Pregame LIVE at 9:00 a.m. ET on PewterReportTV. Pewter Pregame will always be at 9:00 a.m. ET on every game day this season regardless of the kickoff time. If you can’t catch the show live it will be archived on PewterReportTV for you to watch any time prior to kickoff.

Then tune in to Pewter GameDay as Matera and a member of the Pewter Report staff will offer up special LIVE in-game analysis for all three hours of the Bucs vs. Commanders game starting at 4:25 p.m. ET on PewterReportTV.