FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• BUCS RUNNING GAME RANKS LAST: ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked the offensive weapons for all 32 teams and listed Tampa Bay as having the fourth-best unit overall. He didn’t factor in contracts and he wasn’t looking past 2020, either.

Barnwell also stated that wide receivers matter more to him in his rankings, and he’s justified in that statement by the fact that the NFL has clearly become a passing league over the last decade or so. So it’s no surprise given the fact that the Bucs have two Pro Bowl receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Bucs RB Ronald Jones II – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But one thing Barnwell did state in his analysis was that Tampa Bay had the league’s worst-ranked running back stable, and it’s hard to argue against it. Here is Barnwell’s take:

“As was the case a year ago, though, the Buccaneers have the worst group of running backs in football. Roanld Jones improved after a dismal rookie campaign, but his issues with fumbles and pass protection make it difficult to expect Bruce Arians to give the 2018 second-rounder significant volume. The only players of note behind Jones are rookie third-rounder Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Dare Ogunbowale. This is a team crying out for a veteran back such as Devonta Freeman, Lamar Miller or LeSean McCoy.”

In case you are wondering, Tampa Bay ranks behind Kansas City (No. 1), Cleveland (No. 2) and Dallas (No. 3) in Barnwell’s rankings of offensive weapons.

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• BALDY RECOGNIZES WHITE’S PLAYS OVER THE LAST SIX WEEKS: I love Baldy’s Breakdowns on Twitter. Former NFL offensive lineman and current FOX NFL analyst Brian Baldinger often breaks down the film of players via his Twitter account, and Tampa Bay inside linebacker Devin White was in the spotlight this week. Sit back and relive some of the best plays during White’s rookie season down the stretch.

.@Buccaneers @DevinWhite__40 made more “plays” than any ILB in the @NFL over the last 6 weeks. Can’t wait to see how he produces next to #LavonteDavid in year #2. What a tandem they could be. #NFLLSU #GeauxTigers #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/xQAffrjoSH

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) July 14, 2020

• SIKKEMA RECOGNIZES DAVID’S GREATNESS: Former Pewter Reporter Trevor Sikkema had a great Twitter post about Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David this week. Sikkema had David’s career stats and compared them to former Panthers great Luke Kuechly and Seattle’s perennial Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner. Spoiler alert: David’s numbers are better.

pic.twitter.com/JanXE1L6C6

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) July 15, 2020

• NEW PEWTER NATION PODCAST COMING ON MONDAY: We’re inching closer to the start of Bucs training camp, which is set to begin on July 28 with rookies and quarterbacks expected to report to the AdventHealth Training Center next week. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re recording Pewter Nation Podcasts on Mondays for the time being, although that is subject to change once camp begins.

Our latest Pewter Nation Podcast featured yours truly, Matt Matera and Taylor “Grizz” Jenkins talking about Shaq Barrett’s situation in Tampa Bay and other big decisions the Bucs have coming up this year – and in 2021. Be sure to give it a listen if you haven’t already.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 199: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Here is a link to last week’s episode that featured yours truly, Mark Cook, Matt Matera and Jon Ledyard talking about how the COVID-19 virus will affect Bucs training camp.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 198: What We’re Missing With Limited Training Camp

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast than right now or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be recorded next week. Stay tuned!

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.

• WHERE IS SHAQ? ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted a Tweet about the Top 10 pass rushers on Madden 2021 this week and something was certainly missing. Bucs outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who led the league with 19.5 sacks last season. Click the Tweet below to see who was actually rated higher than Barrett.

What’s right and what’s wrong….? pic.twitter.com/8WSu8qVvg4

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2020

• BUCS’ MADDEN RATINGS ARE OUT: Speaking of Madden 2021, the ratings are out for the 2020 Buccaneers and Nick Sitro published the Top 10 highest rated Tampa Bay players. It was interesting to see tight end Rob Gronkowski rated higher than Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, especially since he retired for a year and missed the 2019 season.

Here are the top 10 rated Buccaneers in Madden 21 according to @Maddenschool

Rob Gronkowski – 95
Mike Evans – 92
Lavonte David – 90
Tom Brady – 90
Ali Marpet – 89
Chris Godwin – 87
Vita Vea – 87
Ndamukong Suh – 86
Shaquille Barrett – 85
Ryan Jensen – 82

— Nick Sitro (@nicksitro) July 14, 2020

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