FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Despite not being in pads yet nor having contact allowed in the team’s OTA (organized team activity) practices this offseason, the buzz continues to grow around offensive lineman J.R. Sweezy, who was sidelined all of last year with a lower disc injury that required surgery after signing a lucrative deal in free agency. The former Seattle Seahawks starter is finding a home at right guard in Tampa Bay with Ali Marpet’s move to center.

“Sweezy is a fun guy,” Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith said. “He’s quiet, but you definitely feel his presence on the field and his tenacity. He’s a veteran. He’s been in the league six years now and I’ve sat down and talked with him and having a guy like that is huge for us, especially in the run game. Can’t wait to see what he can do for us when the pads come on in training camp.”

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• The newest addition to Tampa Bay’s secondary, cornerback Robert McClain, has had a seamless transition to the Bucs’ defensive scheme, thanks to his time playing for defensive coordinator Mike Smith in Atlanta. He’s made a good impression on secondary coach Jon Hoke, who likes McClain’s versatility.

“He’s a corner and a nickel,” Hoke said. “He can play both spots. You like to find as many guys that can play both spots as you can. You like to have that multiple position flexibility. He has that for us. He’s a pro. He’s played in the league. He’s played in big games. He’s played in Carolina and one of the players I coached in Chicago, Charles Tillman, speaks very highly of him as a person and as a man. It’s a good fit. Of course he played for Mike in Atlanta. Mike has a good feel for him, so we brought him in and let him compete.”

McClain is competing with Ryan Smith outside for the third cornerback spot, and with Jude Adjei-Barimah and Javien Elliott inside for starting nickel position.

• Big thanks to Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate, who signed free autographs for fans at the International Diamond Center’s Tampa location last Saturday. Brate signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked Bucs football with over 75 fans and International Diamond Center shoppers for an hour.

Bucs TE Cam Brate – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

At the conclusion of the signing I had the chance to ask Brate a few questions about the newest weapons in Tampa Bay’s offense – wide receiver DeSean Jackson and tight end O.J. Howard. Brate had seen Jackson play on TV several times, but couldn’t believe how fast he was in person until watching him during the OTAs.

“It doesn’t even look like DeSean trying, that’s the thing,” Brate said. “There is such an ease with which he moves. The way he runs – he just moves at a different speed than anyone else on the field. The guy I would compare him to is Brent Grimes – kind of an ageless guy. They are freak athletes in their own right. DeSean definitely has not lost a step. He definitely has that extra gear that no one else has. DeSean likes to go deep whenever he can. He’s going to add a whole new element to our offense this year, which is going to be awesome.”

As for Howard, Brate said there is no animosity at all over the Bucs spending a first-round pick on the Alabama tight end. The two get a long great and Brate is excited about how Tampa Bay’s offense can impose its will on opposing defenses in two-tight end sets with he and Howard both on the field at the same time.

“He’s a big dude, and obviously a great athlete,” Brate said. “He can really run. He catches the ball very easily, and the thing I like about O.J. the most is he is a really down to earth guy with no ego at all. He takes coaching very well. He’s trying to learn the position and learn the nuances of our offense from guys like Luke Stocker and I who have been in this offense now for three years. He takes whatever pointers we give him and he only has to hear it once. He doesn’t make the same mistakes again. I think he’s going to be a heck of a player for us this year.”

• I’m excited to announce a new advertising partner has joined the ranks at PewterReport.com. You’ll be seeing banner ads for Northwestern Mutual’s Keith Moseley for the next year, and if you’re like me and you are behind on where you need to be from a life insurance and retirement standpoint, I urge you to give Moseley a call.

Over the past month I’ve gotten to know Moseley, who lives near me in Wesley Chapel, quite well and we’ve become friends in addition to doing business together. I’ve become a Northwestern Mutual client and am working towards a better financial plan for my family with life insurance and for my eventual retirement (which isn’t coming anytime soon because I love what I do).

Give Moseley a call and have a conversation about where you’re at with your life insurance and your retirement and ideally where you want to be. Even if you don’t know the answer, Moseley’s friendly nature and expertise can help find the right insurance and retirement solution for you – and there is no pressure to buy anything. Should you become a client, you can trust that the long-standing reputation of Northwestern Mutual will help you make the right call with your retirement investments.

Please call Moseley a call today at (813) 482-1678 or visit Moseley’s website by clicking on his Northwestern Mutual banner ads, or by clicking here.

• Pewter Nation – thank you for getting the @PewterReport Twitter account over 25,000. If you haven’t followed us on Twitter yet and want everything from breaking Bucs news updates, live tweets during Bucs practices, press conferences and games as well as notifications about new PewterReport.com, please click here to do so. And you can join the increasing number of PewterReport.com Facebook fans by clicking here.

• The brand new Pewter Nation Podcast is out today on PewterReport.com. We taped it on Thursday at One Buccaneer Place after the Bucs’ final OTA of the 2017 offseason and have some great practice observations plus a few old stories from Mark Cook and I about some heated locker room arguments we’ve observed – and been apart of! This could be our best one yet. Let me know what you think. Check out Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 13: New Sheriff In Town.

Be sure to check that out, leave your comments for this week’s SR’s Fab 5 below, and visit PewterReport.com all weekend long for more Bucs news. Thank you, Pewter Nation, for supporting our efforts here at PewterReport.com. We greatly appreciate it.

• And finally, the PewterReport.com Summer Bowling League at PinChasers on Armenia kicks off this Wednesday. We are offering a 10-week league and the cost is just $10 a week. It is a great way to fill the void until the preseason, talking and having fun with other Bucs fans. Mark Cook will have a team and will be on hand each week, so get a group together and call Ethan at PinChasers today at (813) 465-4076 to reserve your team. There will be some great prizes, including four tickets to our luxury suite for the final preseason game against the Redskins, along with gift cards and autographed Bucs merchandise.