FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• BUCS BEGIN ROSTER CUTS: Tampa Bay began its roster earlier in the week when the team cut kicker Elliott Fry in favor of veteran Ryan Succop, and again on Thursday when the team released veteran nose tackle Kyle Love, who was beaten out for spot on the depth chart by rookie Khalil Davis, the team’s sixth-round pick. But the Bucs truly didn’t make a cut, as Love’s roster spot was filled with the signing of running back Leonard Fournette.

Former Bucs K Matt Gay – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

However, early Friday morning the team truly began paring its roster down from 80 players, and needs to get down to 53 by Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET. Kicker Matt Gay, last year’s fifth-round pick, who started all 16 games, was released as the team opted to go with Succop instead, and the Bucs also cut running back Dare Ogunbowale, who was the special teams captain in 2019, and safety D’Cota Dixon.

The Bucs like all three players and they could make a return to Tampa Bay on the practice squad. Stay tuned to PewterReport.com and Pewter Report’s Twitter feed @PewterReport for the latest roster transactions all weekend. The Bucs will assemble their 16-player practice squad on Sunday afternoon after the waiver process is complete.

• BRATE IDOLIZED GRONKOWSKI: Bucs tight end Cameron Brate was a big fan of former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski while he was in the Northeast going to school at Harvard. Brate liked Gronkowski so much he adopted the “Gronk spike” as his own way of celebrating touchdowns in Tampa Bay. During training camp, Brate shared a story of how he recently came across a Gronkowski Patriots jersey.

Bucs TE Cameron Brate – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I was cleaning out my closet in Chicago this summer and it was in the back of my closet, so I sent him a picture,” Brate said. “I asked him if I should donate it to Goodwill or throw it away, so I donated it to Goodwill. I figured someone would want it.”

Instead of admiring Gronkowski from afar, Brate has welcomed him in to Tampa Bay’s tight end room and has already learned a lot from the five-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer. Having Gronkowski on the field has elevated Brate’s play, and the play of fellow tight end O.J. Howard.

“Arguably one of the top tight ends in NFL history – someone that I personally looked up to when I was in college being up there in New England when he was playing there and really dominating,” Brate said. “It’s going to be awesome for O.J. and I to kind of just run things through him and really just see the way he works and plays.

“He’s huge. People were talking about how he’s gotten smaller in the offseason. Then, I met him and he’s so much bigger than I am. He’s just a massive dude, and really funny – just as advertised in that regard as well. We had a ton of fun working together this spring and I’m just excited to see him actually play football against other people. We played New England on a Thursday night in 2017 and I was pumped to see Gronk play, but he was actually inactive that game. I’ve never gotten to see him play in person, so I’m looking forward to that.”

• Bucs rookie wide receiver Tyler Johnson, the team’s fifth-round pick, has missed most of training camp with a soft tissue injury. Whether he starts the year on the 53-man roster, the practice squad or even injured reserve if he succumbs to the injury, the Bucs have big plans for the former Minnesota star, who is a favorite of Pro Football Focus.

Highest yards per route from the slot among rookie WRs:

1. Tyler Johnson – 3.5
2. Jerry Jeudy – 3.4
3. Jauan Jennings – 3.3 pic.twitter.com/Gh4geikuLK

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 3, 2020

• NEW PEWTER NATION PODCAST ON FOURNETTE: The big news at One Buc Place this week was the team’s signing of former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. Pewter Report’s Mark Cook, Jon Ledyard, Matt Matera and I recorded a new Pewter Nation Podcast on Thursday to analyze the Fournette signing and provide some insight. Check out the latest Pewter Nation Podcast for the inside scoop.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 206: What Fournette Brings To The Bucs

If you missed our previous Pewter Nation Podcast, check it out below, as the Pewter Report staff reviewed the final Bucs training camp practices and offered our insight on quarterback Tom Brady and the best training camp battles.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 205: Brady’s Brilliance, Best Training Camp Battles

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 twice 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.

• FOURNETTE A THREE-DOWN WEAPON: New Bucs running back Leonard Fournette had 58 combined catches in his first two years in the league while playing for Jacksonville. But last year, Fournette had a career-high 76 receptions for 522 yards, which led the Jaguars in receiving. It’s a rare feat for a running back to achieve that mark, but Fournette wasn’t alone in that category last year.

Fournette was 1 of 2 RBs to lead his team in receptions (76) in 2019. The other is Christian McCaffrey (116)

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 3, 2020

• BRADY IS A COACH ON THE FIELD: Despite not having as much familarity with Tampa Bay’s playbook as the Bucs players that were in the offense a year ago, Tom Brady is operating like a coach on the field. No, he’s not necessarily sharing intracacies of the plays so much as he is sharing details about proper route-running.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“He just gives us so many specifics, in where he wants us to be, so many details,” Bucs receiver Scotty Miller told SI.com. “So when I know those things, and I know exactly what I’m doing out there, and what he wants me to do, I think that really helps me go out there and play fast, and be myself and make plays.”

Brady has 20 years worth of experience to draw on and has read every defense and thrown every kind of pass on every route imaginable. He’s been a wealth of information for some of Tampa Bay’s younger receivers, running backs and tight ends, including O.J. Howard.

“How to get open on certain routes, how he’s expecting the defender to play certain coverages vs. certain routes, and what he expects out of us as receivers and tight ends, all of that has allowed me to play fast,” Howard told SI.com. “It’s definitely been really helpful for me.”

• PEWTER REPORT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Benedetto’s Italian Restaurant
After remodeling the restaurant during the month August, Benedetto’s in Land O’Lakes re-opened on September 3 and will be celebrating 20 years in business on Sunday, September 6.
There will be live entertainment on the patio and at the baby grand piano all week to welcome diners back to one of the finest seafood, steakhouses and Italian restaurants in the Tampa Bay area.

Not only does Benedetto’s source most of its seafood directly from Florida, but they also have their own farm. Chef Ben tends to the 6,000 plant garden that provides the lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and many other items directly from their own farm and other local area farms. Benedetto’s is located near the intersection of SR 54 and US Hwy 41 in Land O’Lakes.

Visit them online at ItalianRestaurantTampa.com or call (813) 909-9694 for reservations. Online reservations will resume on September 10.

• FOLLOW PEWTER REPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Thanks to a lot of new Buccaneers fans due to the signing of Tom Brady and the trade for Rob Gronkowski, PewterReport.com has reached 37,300 followers on the @PewterReport Twitter account! Thank you to all of our Twitter followers. We’re also at 10,000 followers on Facebook, so if you don’t follow us on Twitter or Facebook please take the time to do so, Bucs fans.

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