FAB 5. SR’s BUC SHOTS
• Here are some more nuggets from Bucs general manager Jason Licht, beginning with his take on his own scouting department. Every year since he’s been in Tampa Bay there have been comings and goings in the Bucs’ scouting department, which isn’t unusual.

When NFL teams make changes to their scouting departments it usually comes right after the draft.

“No scouting changes. I love my staff,” Licht said. “I love it. I have it the way I want it now.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht and Joel Glazer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• I asked Licht if the Bucs had started contract talk with Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and his representatives yet.

“No,” Licht said. “We want Mike Evans to be here long term, but we typically don’t get into that this early right after the draft.”

Will those talks begin during later this summer before training camp?

“There’s a possibility,” Licht said.

I also asked Licht if Tampa Bay would be pursuing any other contract extensions with free agents-to-be, such as offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile or running back Charles Sims.

“We’ve put some thought into it and we have a plan here,” Licht said. “We forecast out two or three years out. We are in phenomenal cap shape. We are in a great position to keep our best players – keep our great players. If you are a core player it’s going to be hard for me to try to not keep you here. Some of these conversations will come a little bit later.”

In other words, outside of extending Evans (likely during training camp) the Bucs will wait and see how 2017 plays out for the other Tampa Bay players that are entering a contract year.

• I asked Licht which Buccaneers players stood out in the conditioning phase of the offseason at One Buc Place.

“DeSean Jackson looks phenomenal,” Licht said. “We’re not lying when we say Doug Martin looks as good as he’s ever looked. There really isn’t anyone who looks bad, which is a good thing.”

• And finally, I asked Licht for his opinion on some of the various football analytics websites, such as ProFootballFocus and FootballOutsiders.

“These analytics websites are unbelievable,” Licht said. “I don’t understand how after a game on a Sunday they have the grades already. It’s oftentimes a bunch of young kids that are grading them and they don’t know. It’s entertaining in a need-it-now world and people want information immediately, but they just don’t know what’s going on during a play and who missed an assignment. We don’t even have our final grades as a staff until later in the week. It’s just not realistic.”

The Bucs do believe in analytics, but have their own in-house analytics department at One Buccaneer Place.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

• Speaking of analytics, here are some interesting Bucs-related statistics that I found this week on Twitter and wanted to share. The first is from ProFootballFocus:

“The Buccaneers were 0-7 when their O-line allowed more than 13 QB pressures in a game. When they allowed 12 or less, they were 9-0.”

The next one is from Chris Raybon from the 4for4.com fantasy football site:

“Btw, Jameis Winston has 2nd-highest deep attempt rate (22.9%) of 51 QBs over last 5 seasons…He should have fun with DeSean Jackson.”

And finally, this from Pro Football Reference:

“Jameis Winston led the NFL in deep passes last year with 129. 59 of them were to Mike Evans, who led in deep targets”

• Mother’s Day is this Sunday and International Diamond Center is the place to turn for your Mother’s Day shopping. Guys, it’s time to treat your wife and the mother of your children to a gift she truly deserves. Whether it’s a necklace, a bracelet, earrings or a ring, International Diamond Center has a tremendous selection that can fit any budget with many popular pieces of jewelry starting at $99.

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• Father’s Day is right around the corner in June, and to help assist you in your shopping for your dad or grandfather International Diamond Center has enlisted the help of Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate, who will be signing autographs at the N. Dale Mabry IDC store on Saturday, June 3 from Noon – 1:00 p.m. This is a FREE autograph event brought to you by International Diamond Center, so stop by and do some early Father’s Day shopping or prepare a wish list for your wife with IDC’s tremendous selection of watches and men’s jewelry and meet Brate next month.

• And finally, thank you, Pewter Nation, for helping the @PewterReport Twitter account surpass 25,000 followers! If you want to stay current on the latest Bucs news, observations from the PewterReport.com staff, reports from Bucs press conferences and notifications of the latest PewterReport.com stories, I encourage you to join the other members of Pewter Nation and follow @PewterReport and help us continue to grow our following on Twitter. And if you are on Facebook, please follow our Facebook page by clicking here.