FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is off to a great start this season and is on his way to his sixth Pro Bowl. Along with fellow defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, McCoy has recorded sacks in back-to-back games against New England and Arizona, and both are tied for the team lead with two. McCoy has 35.5 sacks since 2013, the most of any defensive tackle in the NFL.

• If you didn’t think the Bucs made the right decision in firing former head coach Lovie Smith after two seasons and an 8-24 record, I’ll have you know he’s floundering again at his current head coaching job at Illinois. Here’s this nugget from SI.com’s Albert Breer.

“It seems as if ex-Bucs and Bears coach Lovie Smith will soon be fighting for his job. He’s 2-10 in the Big Ten since arriving at Illinois and has lost six straight conference games. Worse, Rutgers came to Champaign on Saturday and snapped its 16-game Big Ten losing streak on the Illini’s home field. The Scarlet Knights were coming off a 56-0 home loss to Ohio State.

Former Bucs greats Hardy Nickerson and Donnie Abraham are on Smith’s staff at Illinois. Nickerson, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, is the team’s defensive coordinator, while Abraham, the second-leading interceptor in Tampa Bay history, serves as the Illini’s secondary coach.

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Pick up some Gentry’s BBQ – Cakalacki Gold Mustard Sauce at Just Grillin, which is located at 11743 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood, just 15 minutes north of Raymond James Stadium. Or shop online at JustGrillinFlorida.com

• Congratulations to Tampa Bay safety Chris Conte and his girlfriend Stephanie Everett, who welcomed the birth of their daughter Charlotte on Sunday – during the third quarter of the Bucs vs. Cardinals game. Conte was in Arizona on Saturday night when he found out that Everett, a former Buccaneers Cheerleader, went to the hospital when her water broke.

Conte could not find a flight out of Arizona to get to Tampa in time for his daughter’s birth, so he stayed and played in the game. Conte found out on the sidelines in the third quarter that he became a father when Everett contacted Duke Preston, the team’s director of player development, who relayed the message.

“It sucks that I wasn’t there because it’s a once in a lifetime event,” Conte said. “I just couldn’t find a way to get back in time.”

• We are nearing 28,000 Twitter followers for our @PewterReport Twitter account thanks to you, Pewter Nation! If you want to stay current on the latest Bucs news, observations from the PewterReport.com staff, reports from Bucs press conferences and notifications of the latest PewterReport.com stories, I encourage you to join the other members of Pewter Nation and follow @PewterReport and help us continue to grow our following on Twitter. And if you are on Facebook, please follow our Facebook page by clicking here.

• Bucs tight end Cameron Brate has caught 15 touchdown passes over the past two and a half years, and is well on his way to surpassing Dave Moore (24 TDs) as the team’s second-best touchdown producer at the tight end position, and possibly even Jimmie Giles, whose 34 touchdowns are still a Tampa Bay record for both tight ends and wide receivers. I spoke with Brate about what he remembers from his first touchdown on a pass from Jameis Winston in a victory at Atlanta in 2015.

Bucs TE Cameron Brate – Photo by: Getty Images

“I remember pretty much everything about that week,” Brate said. “It was really the first week they really tried to get me into the game plan. I was sitting next to Andrew DePaola, who is on the Bears now, and I was like, ‘I think I might get a couple catches tomorrow.’ It was right before halftime and we got the look we wanted. It happened really fast. It was a perfect pass by Jameis and that made it really easy. The ball kind of caught me. That was pretty special for me and something I’ll always remember.”

Bucs wide receiver Adam Humphries, who is Brate’s roommate, also remembers that game well and the tight end’s first career touchdown.

“That was my first game back off the practice squad when Louis Murphy went down,” Humphries said. “It was me and Donteaa Dye, and Mike Evans was healthy. We went into Atlanta as heavy underdogs. Young guys thinking, ‘We’ve got to get this win.’ For Cam to score was really cool. It was his first touchdown. We were all out there trying to prove ourselves. That was a fun game I’ll always remember.”

• Speaking of Brate, he made NFL history on Sunday with his fourth touchdown of the season. When Brate, who went to Harvard, caught that scoring strike from Harvard alum Ryan Fitzpatrick, it was the first time in league history that there has been a Harvard-to-Harvard touchdown connection.

Fitzpatrick was asked about whether he knew he and Brate made history last week.

“I assumed, because I’m the only Harvard quarterback that’s ever completed a pass in the NFL, that it was probably the first Harvard to Harvard touchdown,” Fitzpatrick said with a sly grin.

Fitzpatrick has the ball from that touchdown and plans to send it to Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, who has coached the Crimson for 24 years.

• After recording what might be our funniest Pewter Nation Podcast last week, we’ve been told by some Pewter Nation fans that the latest episode features our funniest opening ever. Listen for yourself and get the insight and analysis on the Bucs from PewterReport.com’s Mark Cook, Trevor Sikkema and yours truly as we look at the Bucs vs. Bills game and guess whether or not Jameis Winston plays in Buffalo. Here is a link to the latest Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 37: Will Jameis Winston Play?

If you haven’t listened to yet, do so on your lunch hour or on your way home from work. We’ll be taping another Pewter Nation Podcast Sunday night after the Bucs play the Bills in Buffalo to try to improve to 3-3. 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.

• The holiday season is rapidly approaching and the place to buy Bucs gear, college football apparel and gear for the NHL and NBA is Fanatics.com. When you make those purchases through the link below, you’ll be supporting our efforts here at PewterReport.com at the same time! PewterReport.com has partnered Fanatics.com, the leader in sports apparel and fan gear and receives a commission from each sale made through our site.

You might have seen the red Bucs Gear tab on PewterReport.com’s menu bar at the top of the website. Clicking on that link or any Fanatics.com banner on PewterReport.com, including the one to the right contributes to the continued development of our website.

Now you know where to go if you are looking to buy a new DeSean Jackson or O.J. Howard Bucs jersey. And remember this when it comes to the holiday shopping season, too. Visit PewterReport.com first then click on the Bucs Gear tab.

We appreciate your support, Pewter Nation. It’s help like this that continues to fund our efforts to provide you with the best Bucs coverage on the Internet.

• And finally, Join yours truly and Mrs. Reynolds for a night of fun, casino gaming and bourbon tasting at Bespoke & Co.’s Casino Royale 2017 Signature Event next Wednesday, October 25 from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. at Oxford Exchange in Tampa. The cost of the event is $150 per person and includes a gift bag that features a Bespoke & Co. custom tailored shirt, a black silk diamond bow tie, select men’s accessories, a bottle of spirits with drink recipes and more. The value of the gift bag alone exceeds the cost of admittance.

Hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and craft bourbon will be served during the casino gaming event and there will also be giveaways for those in attendance. Formal wear is encouraged, but not required.

The ladies and gentlemen at Bespoke & Co. put on a tremendous event and I hope to see you there. Act now and RSVP by this weekend (they prefer by Friday, October 20) by clicking here to purchase your tickets.

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There’s no better fit than a custom fit when it comes to dress clothes, so why waste your time and hard-earned money buying shirts, pants and suits off the rack at expensive department stores? Over 95 percent of the visitors to PewterReport.com are men, and we all need suits and business attire, don’t we?

Call David Kahn at Bespoke & Co. to schedule a free fitting and to get your measurements. Bespoke & Co. caters to Bucs fans and has hundreds of colors, styles and patterns to choose from when it comes to shirts, pants and suits. Bespoke & Co. is conveniently located at 3305 West Bay To Bay Boulevard in Tampa. Visit their website at bespokeandcofl.com or call them at (813) 857-7876. Be sure to tell them that PewterReport.com sent you.