FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• STEVEN CHEAH BREAKS DOWN ROJO’s BIG NIGHT: Our good friend (and rabid Bucs fan) Steven Cheah had a great film breakdown of Tampa Bay running back, who had back-to-back 100-yard games against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Chicago Bears. Check out his analysis of RoJo’s big night against the Bears, and make sure you tune into Cheah and former NFL offensive lineman Willie Colon on the Going Deep Podcast on Barstool Sports.

Ronald Jones (@rojo) has taken the next step in his career development. He’s running hard and is a different player the past two weeks. What changed? Check out my latest breakdown to find out. #Bucsfilm2020wk5 pic.twitter.com/amLDyChuo1

— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) October 13, 2020

• NO WAY THE BUCS WERE GOING AFTER BELL: While some Bucs fans were open to the idea of Tampa Bay pursuing free agent running back Le’Veon Bell, who was released by the New York Jets this week, it was never going to happen. The reason? Lack of cap space.

The Bucs have just under $2.3 million worth of salary cap space, and despite needing a reliable pass-catching running back, they just couldn’t afford Bell, who signed a one-year deal with Kansas City for an undisclosed amount. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay already signed two veteran running backs this summer in Leonard Fournette, who accounts for $2.5 million worth of cap space, and LeSean McCoy, who is set to make $750,000. The Bucs already have $1,928,707 invested in Ronald Jones II and $864,727 in rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn, the team’s third-round pick. That’s over $6 million the Bucs have invested in their backfield this year.

Former Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell – Photo by: Getty Images

While replacing the aging McCoy with Bell might seem like a good idea if money wasn’t an issue, it is an issue with the cap-strapped Buccaneers. Because McCoy is a vested veteran, his $750,000 salary is fully guaranteed, so the Bucs are already on the hook for that – even if they cut him.

Keep in mind that Bell hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2017 in Pittsburgh, and is now on his third team in four years. Bell’s time in New York was literally underwhelming, and he did sit out the entire season in 2018 due to a contract dispute with the Steelers. While talented, he’s a headache the Bucs don’t need right now. What the Bucs need is for Fournette’s ankle to get healthy so he can form a 1-2 punch with Jones.

• THE NEW LOOK PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS: You might have noticed that we have changed our format and name of our podcasts. We have rebranded the Pewter Nation Podcast as the Pewter Report Podcast and are now live-streaming our podcast on YouTube multiple times per week. Starting this Sunday after the game, the Pewter Report Podcast will be coming out four times per week with additional episodes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to recap all of the action from the previous Bucs game and get you ready for the next one.

Pewter Report Podcast

Feel free to watch us live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and I encourage you to subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. All of our Pewter Report Podcasts will be posted there so you can go back and watch the recorded episodes if you missed it live.

The audio versions of the Pewter Report Podcasts will continue to be found on iTunes and Soundcloud. Here is a link to the three most recent episodes to get you ready for this Sunday’s Bucs vs. Packers game.

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 220: Brady Must Outduel Rodgers (With PFF’s Timo Riske)

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 219: How To Attack The Pack

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 218: Who’s To Blame For This Bucs Loss?

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Report Podcast than right now or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands. The next Pewter Report Podcast will be recorded Sunday night after the Bucs vs. Packers game, followed by three more live podcasts next week on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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.

• DROPS? WHAT DROPS? This week I asked Bucs head coach Bruce Arians about the fact that several NFL stats websites have Tampa Bay leading the league in drops or close to it. Dropped passes are a subjective stat, and not an officially kept stat by the NFL.

Bucs WR Cyril Grayson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Arians wasn’t having any of it.

“I don’t know who makes up these stats,” Arians said. “I don’t see us dropping the ball that much. We had a game where we did, but I don’t put any stock in it. Our guys can catch, and we don’t say [crap] about it.”

Arians is talking about the Panthers game, in which Pro Football Focus had the Bucs tagged with seven dropped passes. PFF has the Bucs with 13 drops on the season, which is tied for the lead with Dallas, and surprisingly none in the Week 5 loss at Chicago. NBCSports.com has the Bucs tied for the lead with Dallas and Detroit with nine drops, and HostedStats.com has the same numbers. FoxSports.com has Tampa Bay tied for third in the NFL with 12 dropped passes.

• PEWTER REPORT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Amuni Financial

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