The PewterReport.com Roundtable features the opinions of the PR staff as it tackles a Tampa Bay Buccaneers-related topic each week.

This week’s topic: Should The Bucs Start Fitzpatrick Or Winston vs. The Bears?

Scott Reynolds: Fitzpatrick Should Remain The Starter
Despite Tampa Bay Times columnist Tom Jones saying the Buccaneers should reinsert Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback this week after his three-game suspension concluded, it appears as if Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter will continue to start Ryan Fitzpatrick – and that’s the right call. What Fitzpatrick has done – aside from having the Bucs four points away from a 3-0 start – has been historic. Fitzpatrick has thrown for 1,230 yards in the first three games of this season, which is the second-most all-time in the first three games of any year behind only New England’s Tom Brady, who passed for 1,327 in 2011. In Monday night’s 30-27 loss at Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three consecutive games.

Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While it’s true that Fitzpatrick’s three first-half interceptions – including an ill-timed pick-six – contributed to the Bucs being down 30-10 at halftime and ultimately coming up four points short of victory, a review of Monday night’s game shows that Fitzpatrick was heavily pressured on two of those picks, and that Mike Evans stopped running his route on the other. Yes, Fitzpatrick helped dig the Bucs a hole in the first half, but he also helped Tampa Bay dig itself out in the second half, in which the team outscored Pittsburgh 17-0. Fitzpatrick has 11 touchdowns and a QB rating of 124.8 in the first three games of the year – second only to Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, who has 13 touchdowns and a QB rating of 137.4. There’s no reason for Koetter to go away from Fitzpatrick’s hot hand right now for a quarterback that hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game for five weeks dating back to the third preseason game.

Led by Fitzpatrick, Bucs offense is clicking and ranked No. 1 in the league in yards per game with 473.3 and passing yards with 400.7. Tampa Bay is tied for third in points per game, averaging 34 points. Why would Koetter – or anyone – want to rock that boat? Fitzpatrick is already a back-to-back NFC Offensive Player of the Week award winner, and has a 4-2 record as a Bucs starter dating back to last year. He’s thrown touchdown passes to five different receivers and has the trust and rapport of every offensive player. None of this is a knock on Winston, who I believe could have similar success at the helm of this Bucs offense, which is orchestrated by Koetter and play-caller Todd Monken. I’m just not sure I want Winston’s first game back to be against Khalil Mack and Chicago’s dangerous defense. Plus, there is still FitzMagic in the air, and as I said last week, as long as that continues, Fitzpatrick should remain the starter.

Mark Cook: This Is Winston’s Team
While FitzMagic has been magical for 10 of the 12 quarters he played this season, this is Jameis Winston’ team and he is the future of the franchise. Jobs are on the line here. If Winston isn’t the quarterback moving forward then GM Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter won’t be employeed much longer. You can’t draft a player No. 1 overall, then three years later have him sitting on the bench, and expect to keep your jobs.

I love what we saw from Fitzpatrick this year. I expected him to play well after watching

Bucs QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

him in camp and in the preseason, but no one saw three straight 400 yard games and the top QB in the NFL after three games. Even Koetter won’t admit he could have predicted this. However, long term, Winston is your guy, and every single snap he isn’t playing is another that stunts in his growth.

And when you go back and watch the preseason, it was Winston who performed the best. And it really wasn’t even that close. Give Winston the protection from the offensive line that Fitzpatrick has had and he throws for 400 yards in the first three games as well.

The Bucs know exactly what they have in Fitzpatrick. The other six teams he played for during his 14-year career knew what they had in Fitzpatrick. A good, to an above-average at times quarterback. Is there a precedent where a quarterback finally figures it out at age 35? Jim Plunkett? George Blanda?

I get it. The Bucs are humming offensively, well the passing game is anyway, but is it the Bucs offense that is humming or the guy who is puling the trigger? In my opinion it’s more about the system(scheme, protection, weapons) than necessarily the guy under center.

Trevor Sikkema: Yes, He Should
When watching the Monday night Football game live, I thought Fitzpatrick had a really bad night against the Steelers in the team’s first loss of the season. But, after going back and watching some of the All-22 footage, he certainly wasn’t as pin-point accurate as he was in the first two games, but he wasn’t terrible, either.

Because of that, I don’t think he should lose his job quite yet.

I think the silent plan all along was for Fitzpatrick to start until the Bye Week and then the real assessment was going to be made. All of that was baring a major collapse in the first three games, and that obviously didn’t happen.

The Bucs have the No. 1 offense in the NFL. How can you honestly say you’d pull the quarterback leading that charge? Because the guy behind him is better? You don’t know that that will be the case right away for this exact situation. Nothing is a guarantee in this league, even if Winston is more talented. You have to go with success that’s in front of you. That’s what I think, anyways.

Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Photo by: Getty Images

I also sort of like the idea of Winston coming back, not getting the starting job and him having to go through some mental adversity, even more so than before when the job really wasn’t available for him in the preseason — remember, this is a guy who you’re about to make the richest player in football if he’s still on your team a year from now. He better be worth it in every way; the ups and in the downs.

Start Fitzpatrick against the Bears, see how it goes and get into the bye week. Winston isn’t going anywhere. It’s not a “use him or lose him.”