SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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FAB 1. Leftwich Showed Creativity In Bucs’ Best Opening Drive Of 2021

Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has had all offseason to script the team’s opening drive against the Cowboys. Tampa Bay opens the 2022 season at Dallas on Sunday Night Football. But Leftwich could take some cues from last year’s 30-10 victory over the New York Giants when preparing to face the Cowboys.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In my opinion, the Bucs’ opening drive against the Giants on Monday Night Football was the team’s best drive of the year. Tampa Bay drove 73 yards in eight plays, picking up six first downs en route to scoring a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. Leftwich, who can be predictable with his play calling at times, showed plenty of creativity on that opening drive. I’d like to see some of that creativity on Sunday night in Dallas. Not just on the opening drive, but throughout the game.

New head coach Todd Bowles told me that the offensive coaching staff has come up in the Bruce Arians offensive system. That’s the only system Leftwich and most of the staff knows. But during the offseason, Bowles implored Leftwich and his staff to venture out and study what other teams are doing. This approach, combined with the successful staple plays from Arians’ offense, could make Tampa Bay’s offense even more dynamic in 2022.

I liked several things that Leftwich did in attacking the Giants early on – mostly through the air. The Bucs had success throwing the ball against the Cowboys’ secondary last year. Tom Brady completed 32-of-50 passes for 379 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions versus Dallas. Brady was just as effective against the Giants, completing 30-of-46 passes for 307 yards with a pair of TDs and just one INT.

The Bucs opened the 2021 season with a three-and-out against the Cowboys last year. Tampa Bay is obviously looking for a better start to this year’s game in Dallas. So, let’s take a look at Leftwich’s most creative opening drive of the 2021 season and see if the Bucs can be equally successful against the Cowboys on Sunday night.

PLAY 1: First-and-10 at Tampa Bay 27

Right off the bat, Brady uses play-action and starts the drive off with a 10-yard pass to tight end O.J. Howard for a first down. Howard would be one of five different Bucs skill position players to touch the ball on this opening drive.

PLAY 2: First-and-10 at Tampa Bay 37

The Bucs come out in 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends), which usually signals a run on first down. But Leftwich avoids being predictable on first down again. Brady throws a quick smoke pass to Chris Godwin, who is lined up off the line of scrimmage in the slot for a gain of eight yards. Godwin is aided by a great block from Mike Evans on the perimeter.

PLAY 3: Second-and-2 at Tampa Bay 45

Second-and-2 is an obvious run, and the Bucs do run the ball. But Leftwich shows some creativity by calling for an end-around to Godwin, who goes in motion from the slot. It’s the perfect play call as the Giants are run-blitzing their middle linebacker. That’s one less defender that can flow to the perimeter to stop Godwin, who picks up seven yards.

PLAY 4: First-and-10 at New York 48

Byron Leftwich! What are you doing, calling back-to-back end-arounds?! Who are you?! An opening drive genius, apparently. The play-action misdirection fools a Giants defense that doesn’t see this play coming. The execution by the left side of Tampa Bay’s offensive line is nearly flawless as Evans takes the handoff from Brady and scoots for a gain of 10 yards. Another first down for the Buccaneers.

PLAY 5: First-and-10 at New York 38

Then, for another change-up, Leftwich has Brady go into hurry-up, no-huddle mode immediately after Evans’ run. This also catches the Giants’ defense off guard, and there are a myriad of open Bucs receivers on this play against zone defense. Brady wisely takes the seam shot to tight end Cam Brate, who hauls in a 15-yard strike.

PLAY 6: First-and-10 at New York 23

Brady and the Bucs are still in hurry-up, no-huddle mode. Leonard Fournette touches the ball for the first time and dashes to the right for a gain of seven yards. He picks up a key perimeter block from receiver Breshad Perriman.

PLAY 7: Second-and-3 at New York 16

Tampa Bay is still in a no-huddle attack for the third straight play. The Bucs’ least successful play in terms of yardage on the drive is a quick, three-yard pass to Fournette out in the flat. But thanks to Fournette lowering his shoulder, he still picks up the first down.

PLAY 8: First-and-10 at New York 13

Leftwich’s creativity continues to shine on the Bucs’ first touchdown of the night. Godwin is motioned from left to right and Brady uses play-action for the third time on the drive. Brate is key on this play, chipping the edge rusher before jetting out into the flat to be a perimeter blocker for Godwin. After a play-action fake to Fournette, Brady immediately rifles a wide receiver screen pass to Godwin. After making a defender miss at the 7-yard line, Godwin outraces defensive tackle Leonard Williams to the end zone.

Tampa Bay never had a third down on this drive and six of the eight plays picked up first downs. We saw Leftwich use play-action, misdirection and the no-huddle in genius fashion. A hat tip to Brady and the offense for near-perfect execution. Brady was 5-of-5 for 49 yards on the drive. Godwin had two catches for 29 yards and a seven-yard dash, which illustrates just how vital of a role he plays in the Bucs offense.

If Godwin doesn’t play against the Cowboys in the season opener, look for Russell Gage and Julio Jones to take turns operating from the slot. But whoever is on the field, let’s hope Leftwich uses them as creatively as he did on that opening drive versus the Giants in 2021.

What Leftwich Should Do Against Dallas

The Bucs had great success throwing the ball against the Cowboys’ secondary in 2021. With Tampa Bay’s offense being pass-first and wide receiver-driven, I would expect Brady to have another 300-yard day with at least a couple of touchdowns at Dallas. Leftwich is smart enough to play to the Bucs’ strength, especially when it worked so well a year ago.

Yet, Brady dropped back to throw 50 times against the Cowboys. He wasn’t sacked, but that’s because he had a trio of Pro Bowlers in front of him in right tackle Tristan Wirfs, center Ryan Jensen and left guard Ali Marpet. Wirfs is battling an oblique strain, Jensen is on IR and Marpet retired this offseason. It seems like risky game-planning to have Brady drop back that many times with a rookie left guard in Luke Goedeke and a first-time starter at center in Robert Hainsey.

Head coach Todd Bowles wants the Bucs to be a bit more balanced and run the ball more efficiently than a year ago. Establishing Leonard Fournette early could help Goedeke and Hainsey get into a rhythm early and aid Brady’s play-action passing game as well. Also, Leftwich mixing in an end-around or two to the speedy Scotty Miller might catch the Cowboys’ defense off guard. Dallas will want to focus on attacking the middle of the Bucs’ offensive line, and hitting the edge of the Dallas defense could result in a big play or two.

FAB 2. Matchups To Watch: Bucs Offense vs. Cowboys Defense

Each week, you can find five matchups to watch on offense and defense in my SR’s Fab 5 column. Here are the five key Bucs to watch on offense in the season opener.

LG Luke Goedeke vs. LB Micah Parsons/Osa Odighizuwa

Odighizuwa had a decent rookie season last year and got quite a bit of playing time. The 2021 third-round pick notched a pair of sacks and wins with quickness. He’s undersized at 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, but has good strength to make up for his smaller stature. Odighizuwa could give Goedeke some problems, and if he doesn’t, Parsons will. The Pro Bowl linebacker will do his fair share of blitzing up the middle. And he’ll be targeting the rookie in an effort to get to Tom Brady.

Goedeke isn’t the athlete that Ali Marpet was, nor is he nearly as polished. The former Central Michigan right tackle will get his first NFL start at left guard. He had his ups and downs in his last two preseason starts and will have some growing pains on Sunday Night Football. He’s a better run blocker than he is a pass protector at this stage. So, look for offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to try to help Goedeke get settled in with some early called runs for Leonard Fournette.

ADVANTAGE: Odighizuwa/Parsons

RT Tristan Wirfs vs. DE DeMarcus Lawrence

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This is another good-on-good, strength-on-strength battle. Lawrence was Dallas’ top-ranked PFF defender last year with an 90.9 grade. At 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, Lawrence can win with either power or speed. He’s still an elite athlete at age 30, but he needs to bounce back from a down year in which he only notched three sacks. Lawrence will face another tough round against Wirfs. He actually had five hurries and a 91.4 PFF grade in Week 1 a year ago.

Wirfs is coming off a strained oblique injury that kept him out of the preseason. We’ll see if that affects his play in the 2022 season opener. While Lawrence didn’t register a sack against Wirfs a year ago, he was a handful. Lawrence finished with five tackles and a fistful of hurries, while Wirfs had one of his lowest-graded games of the year with a 66.7 grade. This one will a tussle from start to finish.

ADVANTAGE: Push

C Robert Hainsey vs. NT Quinton Bohanna

At 6-foot-4, 360 pounds, Bohanna is a huge nose tackle. And he moves well despite his massive size. Like Odighizuwa, Bohanna was a 2021 draft pick, selected in the sixth round. He’s coming off a great training camp and will provide a real big challenge – literally and figuratively – for Hainsey, who is getting his first NFL start at center.

The Bucs didn’t go out and sign a veteran center when Pro Bowler Ryan Jensen went down with a knee injury in camp. Instead, they believe in Hainsey, a 2021 third-round pick out of Notre Dame. At 6-foot-4, 306 pounds, Hainsey will give up a lot of size to Bohanna. But he’s spent the summer squaring off against the likes of Vea and Hicks – both of whom are at or above 350 pounds. Hainsey will have to win off the snap with quickness and great technique.

ADVANTAGE: Push

WR Mike Evans vs. CB Trevon Diggs

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Diggs was a Pro Bowl cornerback last year for Dallas, recording a league-high 11 interceptions. His first of the year came against Brady and he also broke up two passes in Week 1. While Diggs is a tremendous ball hawk, he’s a bit of a feast-or-famine cornerback, who can be beaten. Diggs committed two penalties a year ago, but only gave up one catch for 10 yards.

Evans was held in check last year, catching three of his six targets for just 24 yards. Antonio Brown had five catches for 121 yards and a TD, while Rob Gronkowski had eight receptions for 90 yards and two scores. Both are gone. And with Chris Godwin a game-time decision, it’s imperative that Evans rises up, has a 100-yard game and finds the end zone at least once. Whether it’s against Diggs or Anthony Brown.

ADVANTAGE: Push

WR Chris Godwin vs. SCB Jourdan Lewis

Lewis battled a hamstring injury throughout training camp, but is good to go for Week 1. He’s Dallas’ slot cornerback and struggled to defend Godwin last year. Lewis allowed five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown to Godwin a year ago. Whether or not it’s Godwin he’s facing or Russell Gage or Julio Jones, Lewis needs to rise up and keep the man he’s guarding out of the end zone.

Godwin is expected to be a game-time decision. If he plays, he’ll be a vital cog in Tampa Bay’s offensive attack. Godwin had nine catches for 105 yards and a TD in Week 1 in 2021. If Godwin doesn’t play, expect similar production in the slot from either Russell Gage and/or Julio Jones. Both are capable of playing in the slot, but Gage is better suited for it. In fact, Evans could also make a cameo in the slot, with Jones replacing him on the outside against Diggs at split end (X), while Gage plays the flanker (Z) position.

ADVANTAGE: Godwin

FAB 3. Matchups To Watch: Bucs Defense vs. Cowboys Offense

Each week you can find five matchups to watch on offense and defense in my SR’s Fab 5 column. Here are the five key Bucs to watch on defense in Dallas on Sunday Night Football.

OLB Shaq Barrett vs. LT Tyler Smith

Smith, a rookie from Tulsa, is Dallas’ first-round draft pick. While he played left tackle in college, he spent all of training camp being groomed to play guard. Now that Pro Bowler Tyron Smith is out, the rookie is forced to start his first NFL game against a Pro Bowl pass rusher in Barrett. And when Barrett flips to the other side, it won’t get any easier when he faces ultra-fast Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.

Barrett is coming off his second Pro Bowl season and 10 sacks in 2021. With Jason Pierre-Paul gone, Barrett will rush more often from the right side. That’s where he notched 13 of his 19.5 sacks in 2019, and it’s also where he forced five of his six fumbles. Barrett has feasted on backup offensive tackles before. He notched three sacks at Green Bay in the 2020 NFC Championship Game and got a sack and nearly a dozen pressures against Kansas City in Super Bowl LV. Expect another big game from Barrett.

ADVANTAGE: Barrett

NT Vita Vea vs. C Tyler Biadasz

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Biadasz was just terrible last year in Week 1, especially in pass protection. He surrendered five pressures and two QB hits and had a 27.9 Pro Football Focus grade. Biadasz had a 41.9 PFF grade against Vea and the Bucs, which made him the Cowboys’ lowest-rated offensive player. That was well below his 65.1 grade for the 2021 season. At 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, Biadasz is about 40 pounds lighter than Vea.

Vea had the highest PFF pass rush grade against the Cowboys in Week 1 last year. The Pro Bowl nose tackle had four tackles, three pressures and a QB hit, which earned him an 80.2 grade. He bull-rushed Biadasz and rag-dolled him a few times. That could – and should – happen again in Dallas.

ADVANTAGE: Vea

DT Akiem Hicks vs. RG Zack Martin

Martin is by far the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman, especially with Tyron Smith sidelined. The seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro will be counted on to get some movement in the running game for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. He’ll have his hands full against the 6-foot-5, 350-pound Hicks, who can still stuff the run and rush the passer at age 32.

Hicks plays on the left side of the formation and will be dueling against Martin all night. The Bucs believe Hicks will actually be an upgrade over Ndamukong Suh, especially as a pass rusher. Hicks vs. Martin will be good-on-good, strength-on-strength. It will be interesting to see if either prevails or if this will be a draw.

ADVANTAGE: Push

CB Carlton Davis III vs. WR CeeDee Lamb

Bucs CB Carlton Davis III – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Lamb is the Cowboys’ best and most explosive weapon, and he’s really the only proven threat in the passing game. Amari Cooper, last year’s leading receiver, was traded in the offseason. Michael Gallup, the expected No. 2 receiver, likely won’t play as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. Lamb had the fourth-highest PFF grade on offense last year (84.1) and had 79 catches for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns. He’ll need a big night for Dallas to win.

Davis is Tampa Bay’s top cover cornerback. It will be interesting to see if Todd Bowles has Davis travel with Lamb in man coverage or just stay at his post at left cornerback. There’s a good chance that Lamb will also face Jamel Dean and slot cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. But when Davis, who had a pick against Dallas in Week 1 last year, draws him as an assignment, he needs to shut him down.

ADVANTAGE: Davis

ILB Devin White vs. RB Tony Pollard

Pollard had the third-highest PFF grade last year at 86 – even better than Ezekiel Elliott (69.3). He’s more of a receiving threat than Elliott is. The Cowboys will use him more on third downs coming out of the backfield on swing passes and screen passes. Expect offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to use screens to combat the Bucs’ pass rush and blitzes.

White has made huge strides in training camp and the preseason in pass coverage. That was an area of his game that really needed improving. In joint practices against Miami and Tennessee, he was blanketing tight ends and receivers coming out of the backfield. Let’s see if that carries over into the regular season, as he’ll likely match up with Pollard. Those two will also battle when White blitzes the A gap and Pollard will have to stay in for pass protection.

ADVANTAGE: White

FAB 4. Bowles Tells Dungy: “You Live For The Pressure”

New Bucs head coach Todd Bowles sat down with former Tampa Bay head coach and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy for an interview for NBC Sports. Dungy and Bowles have a lot in common. They first started off as defensive backs in the NFL and then coached the position before becoming coordinators. Each man was a head coach of two different franchises, but both coached the Bucs.

Dungy noted that Bowles was famous for being a high-pressure play-caller. The Bucs blitz the most of any NFL team and have finished in the Top 5 in sacks in each of Bowles’ three seasons in Tampa Bay. But Bowles threw Dungy a curve ball when asked about it.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I think I’m more of a cover guy than I am a blitz guy,” Bowles said. “It depends on the quarterback. When they (the blitzers) come, they come from everywhere. But really I try to look at most of the coverage stuff first and then I’ll add the blitzes on top of that. I know when we can’t sit back and we have to go get him. And I kind of know when he have to sit back and not go get him.”

Bowles noted that “the best pass defense is a pass rush” and talked about the importance of making the quarterback uncomfortable.

“He can’t sit there all day, whether it’s three, four, five, six, seven – we have to see,” Bowles said. “First, it’s the philosophy, it’s the quarterback. Does he look down at the rush? Are they a deep passing game or a quick passing game? It has to do with a lot of things.”

Dungy talked about the quarterbacks Bowles and the Bucs will face this year, especially early on. In the next Sunday Night Football appearance after Week 1 in Dallas, Tampa Bay will face Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in Week 4.

That will be a rematch at Raymond James Stadium of Super Bowl LV, which the Bucs won, 31-9. Bowles had a masterful game plan, holding Mahomes and the Chiefs’ explosive offense out of the end zone.

“He gives you every challenge you can have,” Bowles said of Mahomes. “Him and Aaron Rodgers. When you see them on the schedule it’s scary because he’s so smart. He learns from his mistakes. He can see things before they happen. And he’s athletic and has zip on the ball. He can throw all over the field. I was with Andy in Philly, and he’s got an outstanding coach. He knows the offense inside and out. He’s a joy to watch when you’re not playing against him. When you’re playing against him it’s a big headache.

“I have a lot of respect for him. He can see all over the field. He can see behind him, he can see down the field and he can see the flat. He can do some amazing things.”

Dungy noted that the return of Tom Brady from his 40-day retirement means the Bucs’ Super Bowl window is still open.

Bucs DC Todd Bowles and ILBs coach Mike Caldwell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I’m expecting a Super Bowl,” Bowles said. “That’s the only reason you coach. It’s great when you have good players and you have high expectations. You don’t want to walk in the building and say, ‘I’m hoping we win five games.’ That’s not even what you want. You want the pressure. You want all the things that come with it. That’s what the game is every week anyway. You live for the pressure. You make decisions based on what you see, what you know, what your players know and you live with it. I’m all for that.”

Dungy and Bowles discussed Brady’s planned absence during training camp so that the 45-year old quarterback could attend to some personal matters. Bowles said that Brady’s absence actually benefitted the team in a few ways.

“I thought it was a good thing,” Bowles said. “And it kind of helped us develop our run game a little more. You know, it’s like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to play with Blaine [Gabbert] or Kyle [Trask], let’s develop things we have to do to win the ballgame.’ And I think in that process we got our run game going a little more because we spent a little more time on it, which we probably wouldn’t have had he been here. So I think it’s helped us on the long run. And we figured out that we’re a team – and not just one guy and a team.”

You can watch the entire Dungy-Bowles interview here.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• KING DAVID: Despite constant Pro Bowl snubs, Bucs linebacker Lavonte David is in rarified air statistically speaking, according to CBS’ Jeff Kerr.

• MIKEY LIKEY: Pro Football Focus has come out with the projected receptions, yardage and touchdowns for Bucs Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans. What do you think of these numbers?

• RAMS FALL IN WEEK 1: Bucs fans had to be rejoicing on Thursday night, watching the Bills stampede the Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles. The Rams, who are an NFC nemesis for the Bucs, start the season 0-1.

CELSIUS PEWTER REPORT TAILGATE PREGAME SHOW AT WALK-ONS

Bucs fans and Pewter Report fans can join the PR staff for a LIVE pregame show before each Bucs game – home and away – at Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux. The CELSIUS Pewter Report Tailgate Show is presented by Age Rejuvenation and is LIVE at the Walk-Ons in Lutz/Wesley Chapel for the Bucs vs. Cowboys 2022 season opener this Sunday night. Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET and the PR Tailgate Show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.

For those Bucs fans outside of the Tampa Bay area, the CELSIUS Pewter Report Tailgate Show presented by Age Rejuvenation will be streamed live on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

The Pewter Report Tailgate Show will feature a pair of Pewter Reporters and former Bucs tight end John Gilmore each week, offering up all of the analysis and matchups for that week’s Bucs game live on location. There will be CELSIUS and PR giveaways in addition to game day food and drink specials at Walk-Ons.

Miller Lite pints are $3.99 and 22 oz pours are $5.49. Blue Moon pints are $5.00 and 22 oz pours are $7.00.

The CELSIUS Pewter Report Tailgate Show presented by Age Rejuvenation is an hour-and-half show and begins two hours prior to kickoff each week. Thirty minutes prior to kickoff, Matt Matera and Josh Queipo take over on the livestream and add their insight and pregame analysis. Then, Pewter GameDay begins as the Bucs kick off with Matera and a special guest providing insight and commentary throughout the game. Pewter Report’s Kasey Hudson joins Matera this week for the Bucs vs. Cowboys season opener.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS-COWBOYS PREVIEWS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. Next week’s schedule will feature PR Podcasts on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday as the Bucs begin preparations for Week 2 at New Orleans.

Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera kicked off the week on Tuesday talking Pewter Predictions for the 2022 Buccaneers.

Reynolds and Matera are joined by Cowboys expert Rick Zois to breakdown the Bucs’ season opener at Dallas.

Matera and J.C. Allen discussed the lingering questions in Tampa Bay as the Bucs prepare for the 2022 season opener.

Watch the Pewter Report Podcasts live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. We archive all Pewter Report Podcasts. So, you can watch the recorded episodes if you missed them live.

There is no better time to listen to or watch a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than Friday afternoon on the way home from work. Or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Report Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Report 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 Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

FINAL VIDEO

• RE-LIVE THE MAGIC OF WEEK 1, 2021: You’ll have to watch this video on YouTube, but last year’s Bucs’ 31-29 win over the Cowboys in Week 1 was an exciting game full of big plays.