FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• The Bucs players aren’t the only ones that have been getting in shape during the offseason in preparation for training camp. New head coach Bruce Arians has also lost a great deal of weight from his previous coaching days in Arizona, which has benefited his health.

“Me? I feel great. A loss of weight helped a bunch,” Arians said. “The excitement level is building and building and building.”

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

The 66-year old Arians is no stranger to practicing out in the heat as he was the head coach in Arizona from 2013-17, and he’s used to the sweltering heat and humidity of training camps in the South from his days coaching at Mississippi State and Alabama. Arians, who has battled skin cancer before, has been playing it smart by getting out of the sun for the first couple of periods during warm-ups and some individual drills by sitting in a golf cart.

That preserves Arians’ energy and aids his tolerance to the heat and the sun so he has the endurance to leave the cart and oversee the installation periods and team periods during practice. Arians also uses that time in the cart to share thoughts and exchange ideas with Bucs general manager Jason Licht.

• PewterReport.com kicks off its partnership with WDAE 95.3 FM and 620 AM next week and will make regular appearances each Friday afternoon on the Ron & Ian Show at 3:30 p.m. and the Ronnie & TKras Show at 8:10 a.m. Our coverage on WDAE begins next Friday, July 26 when I join Ron & Ian to preview Bucs training camp. Be sure to tune in!

Here is PewterReport.com’s training camp schedule on WDAE:

Friday, July 26 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, July 29 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 2 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)
Monday, August 5 – Scott Reynolds (8:10am)
Friday, August 9 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, August 12 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 16 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)
Monday, August 19 – Scott Reynolds (8:10am)
Friday, August 23 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, August 26 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 30 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)

Scott Reynolds joins WFLA’s Dan Lucas and Annie Sabo on Bucs Bonus

• PewterReport.com’s partnership with WFLA News Channel 8 continues this Bucs football season. I’ll be making regular appearances on News Channel 8’s Bucs Bonus post-game show on Sunday nights, and we kick things off this Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. with my appearance on Sports Sunday to preview Bucs training camp.

• A-TRAIN JOINS THE PEWTER NATION PODCAST! We had the good fortune to have Bucs legend and Ring of Honor member Mike “The A-Train” Alstott join us on the new edition of the Pewter Nation Podcast this week. We talked about some of the Bucs glory days when Alstott was scoring 78 touchdowns for Tampa Bay, as well as previewed Bucs training camp with fellow Pewter Repoters Matt Matera and Taylor Jenkins. Be sure to give this one a listen!

Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 131: Previewing Camp; A-Train Visits

The previous week, Mark Cook and I had the pleasure of recording a Pewter Nation Podcast in the WDAE studio with 95.3FM morning host Tom Krasnicki of the Ronnie And TKras Show. TKras, Cook and I talked about the Bucs’ strengths and weaknesses heading into training camp, in addition to the ridiculous Instagram video from Jason Pierre-Paul, who is wearing a neck brace from his May car accident, actually getting behind the wheel again.

Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 130: TKras Previews Bucs Camp

TKras is the second WDAE personality that has been featured on a Pewter Nation Podcast this summer. I was out of town the first week of July, so Pewter Reporters Mark Cook, Taylor Jenkins and Matt Matera were joined by special guest and former Tampa Bay guard Ian Beckles to talk Bucs football on the Pewter Nation Podcast. Beckles, who is the afternoon host with Ron Diaz on WDAE 95.3 FM and 620 AM, had some choice words to say about the departure of Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and the arrival of Ndamukong Suh, who is his replacement. Don’t miss this episode!

Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 129: Ian Beckles

We want YOU to be a part of the next couple of episodes this summer! Submit your questions to us on Twitter by using the hashtag #PewterNation and we’ll answer them on the next episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast.

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than on your drive home from work on Friday or running around doing errands or at the gym on Saturday. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped next week, and we’ll answer some of your questions. Submit them via our @PewterReport Twitter account by using the hashtag #PewterNation

The popularity of the Pewter Nation Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Nation Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course the Pewter Nation Podcast is also available on iTunes. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• The Buccaneers only have seven cornerbacks on their current roster for training camp, and in years past, that number has been around 10 under former regimes. Considering that Ryan Smith will be suspended the first four games of the 2019 regular season, but is eligible to participate in training camp and the preseason, the Bucs are going to camp with only six cornerbacks that will be eligible to be on Tampa Bay’s opening day roster. Is this cause for concern?

Bucs DBs MJ Stewart and Carlton Davis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not really considering that the nickel cornerback position in Todd Bowles’ scheme could likely be filled by a safety instead. M.J. Stewart is listed as a “DB” on the Bucs roster, but is technically a safety this year after playing cornerback as a rookie last season. Stewart is in the mix for the starting nickel role, which will be involved in frequent blitzes in Bowles’ defense.

The Bucs have eight safeties on the roster, not including Stewart, and that’s a lot. Typically the team has gone to camp with six or seven safeties vying for four roster spots.

Those listed as safeties on Tampa Bay’s roster include holdovers Justin Evans, Isaiah Johnson and Jordan Whitehead, newcomers Kentrell Brice and Orion Stewart and rookies Mike Edwards, the team’s third-round pick, Lukas Denis and D’Cota Dixon. In addition to Stewart and rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, Edwards and Denis are also in the mix for the nickel role.

• Our next PewterReport.com event is our Pewter Nation Summer Event at WTR Pool & Grill at The Godfrey, which is located at 7700 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa this Thursday, July 26 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – the night before the start of Bucs training camp. Come talk Bucs football and meet the PewterReport.com staff, win some autographed Bucs gear, and enjoy the beautiful view of the waters of Tampa Bay with our private bar and exclusive Pewter Report party area.

This event is free for all Bucs fans and PewterReport.com fans. We’ll have a special PR Happy Hour drink list which will include $4 drafts, $4 wells and $4 wines. There will also be a special $5 Pewter Nation “Pirate Cocktail.”

For bigger groups or businesses, we have four cabanas that fit 6-12 people w/special bottle service and sponsorship opportunities, please call Greg Miceli for more information at 727-487-9004. We look forward to seeing you there, Pewter Nation!

• BUCS TRAINING CAMP IS ALMOST HERE – FOLLOW PR ON TWITTER! The PR Twitter account continues to grow in popularity and there are some big reasons why. We cover Bucs practices, Bucs press conferences and break news on our @PewterReport Twitter account.

So if you aren’t one of the 32,000+ that follows PewterReport.com on Twitter please do so right now so you don’t miss out on Bucs practice footage, press conference notes and video, injury updates, breaking news and notifications about the latest stories and columns on PewterReport.com. Follow us today!

• NFL reporter Evan Silva shared some data on Twitter this week that shows that Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans sixth on the list of wide receivers with the most receiving yards in their first five years in the league with 6,103. That’s just behind Torry Holt, Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Jerry Rice, Julio Jones and A.J. Green – select company.

Since the 1970 merger, most receiving yards within the first 5 seasons of a player’s career.

Check out @BigGame81 at the top. (h/t @pfref) pic.twitter.com/svFhPd6NWJ

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) July 18, 2019

• The Bucs did their homework on former Florida State pass rusher Brian Burns leading up to the draft and loved his speed off the edge, his bend and flexability and his production with the Seminoles. But one thing that didn’t sit well with Tampa Bay was his skinny frame. Burns played near 230 pounds at FSU, but raised his draft stock by bulking up to 253 pounds for the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

Florida State OLB Brian Burns – Photo courtesy of FSU Athletics

But Burns, who was drafted by the Panthers in the first round, hasn’t been able to maintain that weight and was just 243 pounds at the end of mini-camp. The Panthers would like to see Burns play at 250 pounds while not losing any of his explosiveness.

“I honestly do not know the answer to that question,” Burns said when asked what his ideal weight is. “I felt great at 250, 253. That was my max weight. I felt great at that weight. Now I just have to work on putting that back on. They haven’t given me a specific number they want me at. I’m pretty much putting that weight on for myself, because I think it will benefit me at this level.”

When the undersized Burns is on the field in Carolina’s defense the Bucs plan to run the ball right at him.

• And finally, PewterReport.com is excited to welcome Shooters World to our ever-growing stable of advertising partners. Located at 116 E Fletcher Avenue in Tampa right off I-275, Shooters World is the area’s largest indoor shooting range, training facility and firearms store. Shooters World offers gun safety classes as well as concealed carry permit certification classes.

I took my kids to the shooting range at Shooters World for Father’s Day and had a fantastic time, while introducing my teenagers to firing 9mm handguns. The staff is so friendly and knowledgable and has everything you need for your shooting or hunting needs.

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