Table of Contents

About the Author: Scott Reynolds

Avatar Of Scott Reynolds
Scott Reynolds is in his 28th year of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the vice president, publisher and senior Bucs beat writer for PewterReport.com. Author of the popular SR's Fab 5 column on Fridays, Reynolds oversees web development and forges marketing partnerships for PewterReport.com in addition to his editorial duties. A graduate of Kansas State University in 1995, Reynolds spent six years giving back to the community as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for his sons' Pop Warner team, the South Pasco Predators. Reynolds can be reached at: [email protected]

[adrotate group=”1″]

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!

FAB 1. 3 Ways Brady Can Succeed As A Fox Analyst

Tom Brady is set to make more money in 10 years after he’s done playing football than he did playing football for 23 years. That’s due to his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports that will see him in the broadcast booth once his playing days are done.

There is no doubting Brady’s iconic popularity or his savant-like knowledge of the game of football. However, there are some doubts about how entertaining he would be as a football analyst.

Bucs Qb Tom Brady

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s due to Brady’s bland press conferences where he usually talks in generalities and gives long-winded answers to limit the number of questions, trying to run out the clock on the allotted amount of time he gives the media

If Brady’s press conferences were a flavor, they would obviously be vanilla.

That obviously won’t work calling televised NFL games. Brady must be entertaining and thought provoking in bite-sized 8-12-second bursts of information between plays.

Yet, it’s not like Brady doesn’t have that witty, engaging side to his personality. He does.

He’s shown it on Twitter and Instagram over the last year or so where he’s poked fun at himself and, at times, others. And he’s also had some revealing moments during his Man In The Arena documentary series on the ESPN+ streaming service. He was also very candid as a guest on HBO’s The Shop when he said, “90% of what I say is not what I’m thinking. There’s a part of me that doesn’t like conflict, so in the end, I always just try to play it super-flat.”

NBC Sports’ Peter King gave Brady some advice in this week’s Football Morning In America column that I thought was pretty good.

“If I were Brady, and I understand the busy-ness of his life, I would find time, 10 or 12 times this fall, to sit down and watch a football game from start to finish,” King wrote. “Listen to the color guy. Think of what you like, what you don’t like. And think of the cadence of doing a game. Think of speaking in cogent eight-second bursts, because that’s the world you’ll be entering. Don’t start thinking about the gig a week after you retire, whenever that is. Think about the production meetings; you’ve been in a thousand of them. What line of questioning gets a smart coach or player to talk? You don’t have to do games now, or pretend to do them. But you can start to think about a style and the points you’d like to make that maybe are not made enough on TV.”

I have come up with three ways that Brady can succeed as a Fox analyst and am ready to bestow this advice on the G.O.A.T.

Practice During Press Conferences

Qb Tom Brady

QB Tom Brady – Bucs Zoom Call

Brady can use the upcoming season’s press conference to give shorter, more candid answers to the media. I understand not wanting to call out teammates or give bulletin board material for opponents. That’s fine.

But Brady can delve into the hows and whys of things regarding football more often. He can put his experience and football I.Q. to work and educate and enlighten the media on a weekly basis. He should spend some time this summer thinking about his upcoming weekly press conferences and injecting more of his personality in each to practice for his Fox career.

Be Critical Or Be Humorous – Pick One

I think the two top analysts in the game today are CBS’ Tony Romo and NBC’s Cris Collinsworth. Both are always smiling, so when they are critical, it’s not as harsh or personal – even when they are not on the screen and you only hear their words. Their criticism is blunted by their likable personalities. Brady has a likable personality, but will he choose to be critical of players and coaches?

Or will he end up not being confrontational, as that is not in his true nature? Brady has the gravitas with his future Hall of Fame credentials and Super Bowl rings to be critical in genuine way. He shouldn’t be afraid of telling the truth, even if the truth hurts for a player, coach, team or fan base. One team is going to win each week and one team is going to lose. Brady can’t be afraid to verbalize why the losing team lost. That’s part of the job he’s signing up for.

If Brady doesn’t want to be critical, then he needs to be willing to tap into his humor. The kind of humor we’ve seen glimpses of social media. That needs to become Brady’s calling card when it comes to his booth persona. Brady has a funny, snarky, self-deprecating side that we’ve seen on Instagram and Twitter. It’s similar to the style of humor that works so well for Peyton and Eli Manning. Let that side loose, Tom.

Like A Pre-Snap Read, Be Anticipatory

If Brady stays in the lane of generic commentary that lacks criticism and humor, he can avoid being a disappointment by being anticipatory. Perhaps this is where he can get his feet wet initially while he lets his personality show as he grows more comfortable and gains experience as each game goes on.

Brady will be calling NFL games, and he’s a bona fide expert on every situation in football. No one is better at pre-snap reads in football than Brady. He knows where the ball will be going and which matchup he’s going to attack before it’s snapped. Whether it’s verbalizing what he thinks should happen offensively or defensively because the situation calls for it, or what he believes will happen after studying each team and their players during the week and knowing their tendencies, being anticipatory is something that not many analysts dare delve into. Why? Because they don’t want to take a chance and be wrong on air when what they guess will happen ends up not happening.

Nbc Sports' Chris Collinsworth

NBC Sports’ Chris Collinsworth – Photo by: USA Today

Romo is phenomenal at this at the NFL level when working with Jim Nantz. “Okay, Jim, it’s third-and-2 and they typically like to run here. But with the number one cornerback out of the game with an injury, look for them to go play-action and take a shot downfield right here.”

At the college level, no one is better at anticipating situations or plays than CBS’ Gary Danielson. He worked with Verne Lundquist for years and now works with Brad Nessler calling SEC football games. I’ve never learned more football from listening to anyone more than Danielson. Brady would be wise to tune into games called by Danielson, Romo and Collinsworth this year and during the 2023 offseason.

FAB 2. Bowles: “I’m Not Going To Handcuff The Offense”

Todd Bowles has said repeatedly this offseason that he’s not a defensive-minded head coach. He’s just a head coach now.

Bowles is right – to a degree.

However, he is still Tampa Bay’s defensive play-caller. So to suggest that he’s not a defensive-minded head coach is a bit unbelievable.

Bucs Dc Todd Bowles

Bucs DC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Yet, Bowles has made it known that he will be involved in the Bucs offense. He trusts offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. And he isn’t going to meddle in the plays that are put in the game plan or the ones called on game day.

But what Bowles will do as head coach is provide some direction the offense – in the game planning and during the game.

Do the Bucs need to throw the ball to win or can they take advantage of a weak secondary? Does a particular game lend itself to a more balanced approach? Should the Bucs run the ball at a less-stout front seven?

“My attitude is to win the game any way possible,” Bowles said. “If we have to throw the ball 50 times to win, that’s great. If we have to run the ball 30 times to win, that’s great. We’ll take what they give us – we’ll always have shots for big plays.

“Obviously, [Tom] Brady is a great passer. We want to equal that with the running game, if we can. But, if they’re taking away the run and we have to throw the ball 60 times – and [Brady] throws five or six touchdowns – I’ll take the win. If we’re running the ball pretty good, and we can guard about 25 to 30 times, I’ll take the win.”

In other words, Bowles may not be as beholden to the passing game as Bruce Arians was. In the final season with the “quarterback whisperer” directing the offense, the 44-year old Brady attempted 485 passes. That led the league, as did his 5,316 passing yards and his 43 TD passes.

Bowles doesn’t seem opposed to doing that again – if that’s what it takes to claim victory.

And why would the Bucs want to change much on offense? They were second in the NFL in points per game (29.9) and yards per game (405.9) last season. They also led the league with 307.6 passing yards per game, and that was even with crucial injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin, as well as Antonio Brown’s departure. Tampa Bay won a franchise-record 13 games with its high-octane offense.

Bucs Oc Byron Leftwich Jaguars

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I don’t think it would be no different,” Leftwich said. “But how I feel – as the head coach, you do what you want. Whatever you say, we’ll try to do it to the best of our ability. I don’t see too many changes coming. Each year is different, though.

“We played a little different in 2020 than we played in 2021 just by the way teams played us, so it looked like a different team. We were able to do it in two years, two different kind of ways to be really honest with you. Will there be some subtle changes? I think it is every year according to what personnel truly ends up out there each week.”

“Whatever we have to do to win the ballgame,” Bowles said. “Nobody’s putting handcuffs on the offense from that standpoint. We’re going to do whatever we have to do to win the game.”

FAB 3. I Think The Bucs Will Run The Ball More In 2022

I just have a hunch that the Bucs will emphasize running the ball a little more in 2022. With one more year of the greatest quarterback that’s ever played and a receiving corps that features Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and possibly Rob Gronkowski, throwing the ball is never a bad idea, of course.

Especially when the Bucs lead the league or are near the top of the league in passing as they have been for the last three years with Byron Leftwich calling the plays. And Tampa Bay has been in the top three when it comes to points scored, too.

Bucs Oc Byron Leftwich And Rb Leonard Fournette

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich and RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I’ve written about this topic before in a previous SR’s Fab 5. So, I’m not going to rehash the statistics when it comes to the Bucs’ ground game. It has ranked in the bottom-fourth of the league since 2019 while Tampa Bay has been a pass-first team.

But the $7 million per season investment in Leonard Fournette and the Bucs spending yet another third-round pick on a running back in Rachaad White tells me the team is more serious about being a more effective and efficient running team. Trading for a better run-blocking right guard in Shaq Mason, drafting a mauling offensive lineman in Luke Goedeke and a blocking tight end in Ko Kieft is further proof.

Here’s how the Bucs’ running game has performed over the last three years – generally speaking.

Tampa Bay’s Ground Game Under Leftwich

2019: 24th-ranked rushing attack (95 avg. per game), 3.7 average per carry
2020: 28th-ranked rushing attack (94.9 avg. per game), 4.1 average per carry
2021: 26th-ranked rushing attack (98.4 avg. per game), 4.3 average per carry

It’s been good to see the average per carry tick up each year. That could have played a role in the Bucs’ win total rising from seven to 12 to 13 victories in each of the last three seasons.

Where the Bucs have needed the running game the most is in the postseason. It was a huge, vital piece to winning Super Bowl LV. Tampa Bay rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown at Washington, 127 yards and a TD at New Orleans, 76 yards and a score at Green Bay and 145 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City in Super Bowl LV.

The Bucs rushed for an average of 122.5 yards per game in the 2020 postseason. That was 27.6 yards higher per game than during the regular season.

Bucs Rb Leonard Fournette

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Last year, Tampa Bay rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-15 win over Philadelphia without Fournette. When Fournette returned the next week in a 30-27 loss to Los Angeles, the Bucs ran for only 51 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average of 78.5 yards per game, and 20 yards below Tampa Bay’s season average.

The Bucs want to have a more potent run game during the playoffs, and that starts by laying the groundwork during the season. Especially against the Rams and the Saints. I’ll cover that next in Fab 4.

But I also think Bowles wants the Bucs to be better at running the ball for next year during life after Brady. Whether it’s Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask or someone new, the Bucs simply won’t be as good or as efficient at throwing the football as they are right now with Brady. The Bucs offense will have to be more balanced in order to win in 2023.

And as Tampa Bay showed in the 2020 playoffs and in Super Bowl LV, having a more balanced offense with a stronger ground game is not a bad thing.

FAB 4. Bucs Need To Run To Beat Rams, Saints

The Bucs have a seven-game losing streak to the Saints in the regular season, dating back to 2018. Tampa Bay has a new rivalry brewing with the Los Angeles, having played the Rams in four games over the last three years. The Rams have won three straight, including twice last year when they beat the Bucs in the regular season and the playoffs.

Obviously, the Saints are on the Bucs’ schedule twice this year as division rivals. But Tampa Bay will face L.A. for a fifth time in four years, too.

Bucs Rb Leonard Fournette

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: USA Today

If the Bucs want to snap these losing streaks, they’ll need their defense to play well. It also won’t hurt to get a great performance from Tom Brady and the passing game. But Tampa Bay will also have to run the ball better, too.

I asked tight end Cam Brate why the Bucs just can’t beat the Saints or the Rams and he said the lack of success running the ball was the common denominator.

“That’s the million dollar question – trying to figure out why,” Brate said. “I’ll just speak to our offense – why offensively we struggle against those teams. I think schematically they do a real good job of taking away our primary weapons on offense. Sometimes we just need to be a little more patient on offense.

“You see the game we won against the Saints in the playoffs in 2020. We ran the football. I think that’s the number one thing you have to do against a defense like that. You have to have them respect the run. For whatever reason, against those teams, we couldn’t do it. We couldn’t get the run game going.”

Brate is right to an extent. Let’s examine the last three losses to the Rams over the last two years.

Rams beat Bucs, 27-24, in Week 11 in 2020

Tampa Bay’s offense was stymied by L.A.’s defense. Brady completed only 26-of-48 (54.2%) passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked once. The Bucs rushed for only 42 yards on 18 carries (2.3 avg.) and one TD. Jones had 24 yards on 10 carries, while Fournette rushed for 17 yards and a score on seven carries.

Rams beat Bucs, 34-24, in Week 3 in 2021

Brady passed for 432 yards and one touchdown, but he was sacked three times while completing 41-of-55 (74.5%) passes. Tampa Bay rushed for only 35 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Brady actually led the way with 14 yards and a TD on three carries. Leonard Fournette ran for eight yards on four carries, and Ronald Jones II had 11 yards on five carries. The Rams defense just took away the Bucs’ run game in Week 3.

Rams beat Bucs, 30-27, in NFC Divisional Playoffs in 2022

Bucs Qb Tom Brady

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brady completed 30-of-54 (55.5%) passes for 329 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was harassed all game without All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs and was sacked three times, fumbling once. The Bucs only ran the ball 14 times, with Fournette rushing for 51 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries (3.9 avg.). Tampa Bay had better success running the ball, but didn’t do it enough. The Bucs fell behind 20-3 at halftime, and trailed 27-3 in the third quarter.

The Bucs have averaged 42.7 yards rushing per game against the Rams in those losses. With the Bucs leaning on the pass too much, Brady has completed 61.1 percent of his passes with only five touchdowns and four turnovers in three games.

Now, let’s look how Tampa Bay has fared against New Orleans over the past two regular seasons.

Saints beat Bucs, 34-23, in Week 1 in 2020

In Brady’s first game with Tampa Bay, he completed 23-of-36 (50%) passes for 239 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of those INTs was a pick-six. Brady was also sacked three times. The Bucs ran the ball for 86 yards on 26 carries and scored a touchdown, which was QB sneak by Brady. Jones had 66 yards on 17 carries (3.8 avg.). Fournette had five yards on five carries in his first game with Tampa Bay.

Saints beat Bucs, 38-3, in Week 9 in 2020

The Bucs went three-and-out on their first four possessions and fell behind early. The game was over at halftime, with New Orleans up 31-3. Brady was pressured all night and completed 22-of-38 passes (57.8%) for 209 yards, with three interceptions and zero touchdowns. He was sacked three times. The Bucs ran the ball five times for just eight yards, which set a new record for rushing futility in a game.

Saints beat Bucs, 36-27 in Week 8 in 2021

Bucs Qb Tom Brady And Saints De Marcus Davenport

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Saints DE Marcus Davenport – Photo by: USA Today

Brady completed 28-of-40 passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions on Halloween. But he was sacked three times and fumbled once. The Bucs did a decent job of running the ball, rushing for 71 yards – but on only 14 carries. Fournette led the way with 26 yards on eight carries (3.3 avg.). Giovani Bernard had 30 yards rushing on two carries.

Saints beat Bucs, 9-0 in Week 15 in 2021

This game was a bloodbath, as the Saints took out receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans early, as well as Fournette in the third quarter. Tampa Bay’s offense needed to score 10 points to win, as the defense was dominant. Instead, the Bucs were shut out, and Brady completed 26-of-48 passes for just 214 yards with one interception. Brady was also sacked four times and fumbled once. Yet, the Bucs rushed for 118 yards on 21 carries (5.6 avg.). Jones led the way with 63 yards on eight carries (7.8 avg.). Fournette had 34 yards on nine carries (3.8 avg.).

Brady was sacked 13 times and averaged 40.5 pass attempts in those four games. Factor in the sacks and the times Brady scrambled, and he averaged 45 dropbacks per game against New Orleans. He threw eight interceptions and fumbled twice in those games, compared to producing just seven total touchdowns.

Tampa Bay averaged just 16.5 rushes per game, and some of those were Brady scrambles. So, the number of called runs per game against New Orleans was actually 15. The Bucs wound up with a 3:1 pass-to-run ratio against the Saints in those four losses, so they definitely could use more balance in order to be successful.

The Bucs’ lone win over the Saints came when it mattered most – in the 2020 playoffs. Tampa Bay won in New Orleans with Brady throwing the least amount of times and for the least amount of yards against the Saints. The Bucs ran the ball more times (35) than they threw it (33) to advance to the NFC Championship Game.

Bucs beat Saints, 30-20, in NFC Divisional Playoffs in 2020

Bucs Qb Tom Brady

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Brady completed 18-of-33 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked just once. The Bucs ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries (3.6 avg.). Fournette rushed for 63 yards on 17 carries (3.7 avg.). Jones had 62 yards on 13 carries (4.8 avg.)

“When those D-lines can tee off, and with the playmakers both of those teams have in the secondary, when you’re sitting back there throwing the whole game, you’re not going to score many points,” Brate said about the losses to the Rams and Saints. “Obviously, we’re going to have to establish the run game somehow, and try to establish our identity. Who do we want to be on offense? That’s a running football team. I think we’re going to try to look back at those games and really hone in on those game plans.”

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• BRADY IS A POINT-PRODUCER IN THE POSTSEASON: Tom Brady’s teams have scored 30 points or more in 20 out of the 47 playoff games he’s played in. Brady has helped the Bucs score 30 points or more in five out of six postseason appearances in Tampa Bay.

• BIG CHANGE COMING FOR NFL BROADCASTS NEXT YEAR: Pro Football Focus’ Ari Meirov interviewed the NFL’s Mike North, who helps assemble the schedule each year. North revealed that next year, CBS won’t televise just AFC games, and FOX won’t televise just NFC games.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS OTA COVERAGE ON THIS WEEK’S  PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. Pewter Report Podcasts typically air on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 4:00 pm EST in the offseason.

Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera kicked things off with a preview of the Bucs OTAs on Monday.

Reynolds and Matera analyze the first Bucs OTA of 2022, which took place on Tuesday and was open to the media.

Matera and J.C. Allen discuss which Bucs need a big training camp this year on Wednesday’s episode.

Matera and new Pewter Reporter Bailey Adams talk about which Bucs are ready to take the next step on Thursday.

CelsiusWatch 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.

There is no better time to listen to or watch a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than Friday afternoon on the way home from work. Or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Report Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Report 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 Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

FINAL VIDEOS

• BOWLES JOKES ABOUT TOM BRADY: Bucs head coach Todd Bowles had the media room laughing this week when he cracked a joke about Tom Brady. Watch below.

• BUCS TE BRATE IS JUST THE BEST: Folks, Cameron Brate is a national treasure. Just watch his press conference from Tuesday. I love this guy. He’s so good with the media. Brate will be missed when he’s gone.

Bucs Qb Tom BradyBucs QB Brady Pokes Fun At 'Retirement' In New Commercial
Bucs Wr Mike EvansWho Is Bucs’ Most Underrated Player?
Subscribe
Notify of
16 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments