FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• The Bucs wanted to find a speed receiver to replace DeSean Jackson, who was traded to Philadelphia along with Tampa Bay’s 2020 seventh-rounder in exchange for the Eagles’ sixth-round pick this year. The Bucs had some interest in New England’s Phillip Dorsett, but when he re-signed with the Patriots the team’s interest shifted to Cleveland’s Breshad Perriman.

One fast receiver that several media outlets had pegged to Tampa Bay because of his connections with head coach Bruce Arians was former Cardinals wideout John Brown. But that reunion was not destined to happen, and PewterReport.com knew it. The reason was that Brown was oft-injured and had grew tired of Arians’ tough practices.

“By that time, my mind was out of Arizona,” Brown said about his last season with the Cardinals in 2017. “I didn’t want to be there no more. I wasn’t happy. I knew I needed a fresh start. I wanted to find a new home.

Bruce Arians – Photo by: Getty Images

“Coach Arians is real old school. He wanted his guys to be tough and hardcore. I’m like, ‘Hey, Coach, my body’s different from others.’ I couldn’t handle it.”

Tough practices? Old school approach? I can’t wait to see Arians’ new practices. The Bucs will take the field for a pre-draft mini-camp in about a month, and PewterReport.com will be there to cover all the action.

• Our @PewterReport Twitter account continues to grow towards 32,000 followers. Thank you to those Bucs fans that recently followed us!

If you aren’t following PewterReport.com on Twitter please do so right now so you don’t miss out on Bucs press conference and interview footage as well as breaking news and injury updates. Bucs OTAs begin next month and there will be a pre-draft Bucs mini-camp. Don’t miss out on the action – follow us today!

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• NEW FREE AGENCY AGENCY PODCAST! We have a new Pewter Nation Podcast analyzing what the Bucs have done in free agency thus far. I fly solo in this podcast and offer up some biting commentary on Tampa Bay’s roster moves and preview what is to come in the next week in free agency. Give it a listen by clicking here to hear Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 112: SR Breaks Down Bucs’ Free Agency.

Make  PewterReport.com staff was reunited this week for a new edition of the Pewter Nation Podcast. Mark Cook, Matt Matera and I previewed the start of Bucs free agency, listed some players the team might target and discussed the re-signing of left tackle Donovan Smith and what it means to Tampa Bay moving forward. You can listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 111: Smith Gets Paid And Free Agency Speculation by clicking here.

I flew solo on a Pewter Nation Podcast live from Indianapolis where I broke down what Jason Licht and Bruce Arians had to say to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine. I called the team’s interest in keeping DeSean Jackson “B.S.” and was proven right in the end with Jackson being traded to Philadelphia. Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 110: SR Calls B.S. In Indy is must-listen podcast, and you can do that by clicking here.

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast than on your drive home from work on Friday or running around doing errands or at the gym on Saturday. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped during the middle of next week as Bucs free agency continues.

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 general manager Jason Licht has been knocked for some of his drafts, and looking at the 2016 draft, which featured kicker Roberto Aguayo and some potential busts in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and edge rusher Noah Spence, gives his critics plenty of ammunition. But as bad as the 2016 draft might have been in Tampa Bay, Licht’s 2015 haul looks pretty damn successful, as The Athletic’s Bucs beat writer Greg Auman points out.

So Bucs’ 2015 draft class now has four players making $10 million a year or more — Jameis Winston, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet and Kwon Alexander getting ~$58 million combined this season. (Adam Humphries was undrafted same year)

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 11, 2019

The Bucs’ 2015 draft class will be even more special if Winston has a career year and gets signed to a long-term extension after this season and if Smith steps up and plays like a Top 10 left tackle. Licht’s 2017 draft class also has a lot of promise with tight end O.J. Howard and wide receiver Chris Godwin leading the way, and will be even better if free safety Justin Evans can rebound and be a playmaker at free safety in Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme.

• PewterReport.com and the Bucs media didn’t have a chance to interview new Tampa Bay linebacker Deone Bucannon, whose flight was delayed on Thursday. Bucannon meets with the media at noon on Friday, but here are some revealing quotes about his final year in Arizona where his production dipped quite a bit as he was not an ideal fit in Al Holcomb’s scheme under Steve Wilks.

Bucs LB Deone Bucannon – Photo by: Getty Images

“It’s tough. I’m not going to sit here and act like, ‘Oh, it’s all cool,’” Bucannon said. “But it’s about the team. It’s not about me. If we’re going to go undefeated and it takes me sitting on the bench the whole time, that’s what I’ll take. That’s not going to be the case. I’m going to do everything I can to get on the field. I love this game. I love being out there. The coaches know that. My teammates know that.

“I don’t want to make it about myself. That’s not the type of guy I am. I’m not used to being in front of everybody. I just have to understand what’s expected of me so I can help the team. It’s about going out there, putting it on film and doing better. I don’t take none of this for granted. I’m here to work.”

Sounds very much like a team player and a hard worker, which are two key traits any team wants from a new free agent addition.

• Running backs and wide receivers aren’t the only positions where undrafted free agents can suddenly come out of nowhere. That happens from time to time on the offensive line, too. The Bucs have had a few starters come from the undrafted ranks throughout the years, including guard Jorge Diaz and offensive tackles Donald Penn and Demar Dotson. One name to keep an eye on is Ruben Holcomb.

Holcomb was signed out of the University of Indianapolis last May. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound Holcomb played left tackle in college and was making the transition to guard before being released at the end of the preseason. Tampa Bay brought him back on the practice squad and re-signed him this offseason. Word is that the new coaching staff liked his practice film and preseason game tape. I thought the same thing, which is why I had Holcomb making the final 53-man roster as an offensive line sleeper in my Bucs’ Battle Plan For The 2019 Offseason.

We’ll see how Holcomb and Tampa Bay’s young offensive linemen develop under the tutelage of Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert, who will bring a tough, old school mentality to the Buccaneers.

• PewterReport.com is excited to announce a new partnership with Edmonson Electric and Home Security, Tampa’s best electric company, specializing in residential wiring and home security. This Tampa-based business was founded by William “Bill” Edmonson, Sr. and is operated by a family of long-time Bucs fans, including Kevin Edmonson, Bill Edmonson, Jr. and Michele Eleyat. Edmonson Electric and Home Security will be sponsoring PewterReport.com’s 2019 Bucs Draft coverage and our live videocast on draft weekend in April.

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