FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Not only did Jameis Winston look awful during Thursday’s practice with the second-string offense, that poor play continued on Friday as the looming three-game suspension and the negative publicity surrounding the suspension appears to be having an obvious affect on his psyche and his performance. The Bucs need Winston needs to snap out of his funk quickly.

Here’s one final observation regarding Winston and the alleged incident regarding the Uber driver. On Thursday, Winston was asked about the statement he issued last November disputing the Uber driver’s claim, and if they were indeed factual.

Winston was asked: “In November, you put out a statement saying that the driver was mistaken – that this did not happen. Were you being truthful then or did your memory get better?”

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Winston replied: “Again, I don’t want to rehash the situation. All I can do is focus on moving forward and putting this behind me.”

Notice how he didn’t answer the question?

Back in November when he discussed the allegations with the media, Winston was asked if he clearly remembered the Uber ride: “Again, I’ve got to respect the process for the NFL.”

He didn’t answer the question then, either.

In my opinion, and from accounts regarding the level of intoxication Winston was under when leaving a party – which was why an Uber was called in the first place – I think Winston was too drunk to clearly remember exactly what occurred. Therefore he can’t clearly answer the question without saying, “I don’t remember, I was probably too drunk.”

If that’s the case in a he-said, she-said allegation like this one, Winston is put in jeopardy because more credence is put into what the sober female said over the fuzzy memory of a drunk male. And that wouldn’t help Winston in a potential criminal case if charges were filed or in a civil case if she sought financial gains due to his inappropriate behavior.

Winston is helping himself and protecting himself by being as vague as possible, and I don’t blame him. He wants to put this ordeal behind him and not have it linger on with any potential civil suit that he could inadvertently open himself up to by being more forthcoming.

• The Bucs Training Camp Diaries are an annual feature on PewterReport.com and we have two gems this year in veteran nose tackle Beau Allen, who will give PewterReport.com readers insight into the Bucs defense during training camp and the preseason, and rookie running back Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick, who will offer his perspective on the offensive side of the ball.

Bucs NT Beau Allen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

You can read RoJo’s first Bucs Training Camp Diary right here, and click here to read the debut of Allen’s Bucs Training Camp Diary. We’ll have two new diaries before Monday as the first day of pads takes place on Sunday as training camp is opened up to the fans.

I’m handling the interviews with Allen, and I’ve seen several comments from fans online and on Twitter saying, “I’d like to have a beer with that guy.” I feel the same way. Allen is a straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy with a good sense of humor. Here’s one snippet that I left out of his first Training Camp Diary about defensive line coach Brentson Buckner.

“My favorite thing about Coach Buck is that he’s extremely loyal,” Allen said. “He played in the league for 12 years, and my favorite thing about the guy is that you can’t fake that. He’s spent 12 years playing in the NFL at a high level. You know he’s an ass-kicker. You know he knows what it’s like down in the trenches – and the guy played nose! It’s nice to have a coach that has played and knows what it’s like to have played in the NFL and coaches you with techniques that he actually used and was very successful with.

“One thing I don’t think people realize about having a coach that was in the NFL for so long is that he knows what it’s like to be a part of a D-line room and to be a part of the locker room. He understands the pressure of playing in the NFL. He’s got a lot of wisdom and I appreciate how technical he is. I’m lucky to have him in Tampa Bay.”

• Speaking of PewterReport.com’s Bucs Training Camp Diary series, one of our participants last August, second-year tight end Antony Auclair, has really made some positive strides in the offseason. He looks leaner and stronger, but Auclair is actually bigger in size – even though he doesn’t look it.

“I’m up to 270,” Auclair said. “I got injured during OTAs, so I had to lift and stay with my conditioning even though I tore a ligament in my ankle. I did a lot of bicycling to stay in shape and work out.”

Auclair showed off his 4.8 speed on an impressive, nifty catch-and-run down the seam during Thursday’s practice. If you blinked you might have thought it was No. 84 – Cameron Brate – instead of No. 82.

“I had a nice play today, but blocking is my main thing for sure,” Auclair said. “I want to improve on route running for sure, and that’s been the case so far.”

Bucs TE Antony Auclair – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With noted pass-catchers in Brate and O.J. Howard coming off a year in which both caught six touchdowns, Auclair has the chance to fly under the radar and be a surprise target in the passing game after catching two passes for 25 yards during his rookie season.

“Exactly,” Auclair said. “That’s what I want. They don’t expect the ball to go to me, but I want to prove them wrong and catch some balls. It’s a completely different world for me this year after being a rookie from another country last year. I only spoke a little bit of English. My first language is French. It’s so different now. I’ve got my car and my apartment and I know people in town – and I know the playbook. That’s the main thing. I’m more confident. I feel like I am a better player already than I was last year. I just have to keep improving.”

• We recorded our first Pewter Nation Podcast of training camp on Thursday, recapping all the action and news of the day. PewterReport.com’s Mark Cook and Trevor Sikkema and myself discussed Jameis Winston’s press conference and his poor play to start camp. We also highlighted some other aspects of Tampa Bay’s first training camp practice as well as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s encouraging performance. Click here to listen to Episode 83: Camp Is Open, Jameis Speaks.

If you missed last week’s Pewter Nation Podcast, catch up on it this weekend as the PR staff discussed the floor when it comes to the Bucs’ projected 2018 win total, in addition to the most important training camp battles in Tampa Bay. Click here for Episode 82: ‘Twas The Week Before Training Camp.

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. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• Bucs training camp is here and we gained nearly 100 new Twitter followers on the first day of camp! Make sure you are following PewterReport.com on Twitter. Become one of the 29,000 Twitter followers of @PewterReport prior to Tampa Bay’s 2018 training camp. If you want updates from Bucs press conferences, training camp practices and new PewterReport.com story notifications be sure to follow us on Twitter and help us grow to 30,000. To follow @PewterReport on Twitter please click here, and to follow us on Facebook please click here.

PewterReport.com will also be updating our @PewterReport Instagram account more regularly this season. Make sure you are following @PewterReport on Instagram and can do so by clicking here.

• If you haven’t read the comments by former Bucs quarterbacks Chris Sims and Jeff Garcia, in addition to wide receiver Joey Galloway about former Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden in a recent article on SI.com, I highly recommend it. It’s an interesting and fair look at Gruden’s time in Tampa Bay and what it was like to play for him.

• Just a reminder that PewterReport.com has official partnerships with WFLA News Channel 8 and 620 WDAE that begin during Bucs training camp. The PewterReport.com staff will be on News Channel 8 regularly with insight and analysis from Bucs camp. Here is Trevor Sikkema’s most recent appearance with News Channel 8’s Dan Lucas that you can view by clicking here.

PewterReport.com’s regularly scheduled appearances on 620 WDAE begin today with Mark Cook joining J.P. Peterson on-air at 4:30 p.m. Here is the full schedule of PewterReport.com appearnces during Bucs camp:

Friday July 27 – Mark Cook w/JP Peterson (4:30pm)
Monday July 30 – Scott Reynolds w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

Friday August 3 – Trevor Sikkema w/JP  (4:30pm)
Monday August 6 – Mark Cook w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

Friday August 10 – Scott Reynolds w/JP (4:30pm)
Monday August 13 – Trevor Sikkema w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

Friday August 17 – Mark Cook w/JP (4:30pm)
Monday August 20 – Scott Reynolds w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

Friday August 24 – Trevor Sikkema w/JP (4:30pm)
Monday August 27 – Mark Cook w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

Friday August 31 – Scott Reynolds w/JP (4:30pm)
Tuesday September 4 – Trevor Sikkema w/Ronnie & TKras (8:15am)

• It’s back to school season and PewterReport.com invites you to explore the possibilities at the University of Tampa. Featuring one of the most beautiful and picturesque campuses in the country, the University of Tampa resides in downtown Tampa right next to the Hillsborough River at 401 W. Kennedy Boulevard.

The University of Tampa offers a host of graduate programs year-round and I encourage you to click on the accompanying banner or visit the UT.edu website or call (813) 253-3333 for more on the school’s Master’s programs. Whether it’s getting an executive MBA or a professional MBA degree, or studying accounting, criminology and criminal justice, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, creative writing or pursuing a degree in education or the medical field, University of Tampa has a world-class education waiting for you. Go Spartans!