FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• NEW (BETTER) SCHEDULE FOR THE BUCS IN 2020: The 2020 NFL schedule was released Thursday night and it’s markedly better for Tampa Bay than last year’s brutal schedule, which had too much travel away from Raymond James Stadium in the month of October (over an entire month). Here are my initial takeaways, which should set the Bucs up for a 10-6 or 11-5 record if the team can stay moderately healthy.

BUCS’ 2020 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Week 1: at New Orleans: Sept. 13 – 4:25 p.m. FOX
Week 2: vs. Carolina: Sept. 20 – 1:00 p.m. FOX
Week 3: at Denver: Sept, 27 – 4:25 p.m. FOX
Week 4: vs. Chargers: Oct. 4 – 1:00 p.m. CBS
Week 5: at Bears (TNF): Oct. 8 – 8:20 p.m. FOX
Week 6: vs. Packers: Oct. 18 – 4:25 p.m. FOX
Week 7: at Raiders (SNF): Oct. 25 – 8:20 p.m. NBC
Week 8: at Giants (MNF): Nov. 2 – 8:15 p.m. ESPN
Week 9: vs. Saints (SNF): Nov. 8 – 8:20 p.m. NBC
Week 10: at Panthers: Nov. 15 – 1:00 p.m. FOX
Week 11: vs. Rams (MNF): Nov. 23 – 8:15 p.m. ESPN
Week 12: vs. Chiefs: Nov. 29 – 4:25 p.m. CBS
Week 13: Bye Week
Week 14: vs. Vikings: Dec. 13 – 1:00 p.m. FOX
Week 15: at Falcons: Dec. 20 – 1:00 p.m. FOX
Week 16: at Lions: Dec. 26/27 – TBD
Week 17: vs. Falcons: Jan. 3 – 1:00 p.m. FOX

Bucs defense – Photo by: Getty Images

Outside of a very tough opener at defending NFC South champion New Orleans, Tampa Bay has a chance to win the next four games against Carolina (home), Denver (away), L.A. Chargers (home) and Chicago (away). The Bucs can even be 5-0 with an upset in the Big Easy in Week 1. Of course I thought last year’s easiest game would be against San Francisco at home in Week 1, considering the 49ers were 4-12 the previous year. Who knew San Francisco would create some early momentum off that win in Tampa Bay and go 12-4 en route to the Super Bowl?

There is a big group of five prime time games in the middle of the schedule, starting at Chicago on Thursday night and continues two weeks later on Sunday Night Football at Las Vegas. The Bucs travel to face the New York Giants the next week on Monday Night Football before hosting the Saints on Sunday Night Football the following week on November 8. Following a 1:00 p.m. road game at Carolina, Tampa Bay then hosts the L.A. Rams on Monday Night Football on Nov. 23. That’s the Tom Brady effect, folks.

Another notable is the Bucs’ bye week in Week 13. In my 24 years of covering the Bucs I can’t recall a bye week this late in the season. That late bye week could help Tampa Bay rests its legs and gear up for a playoff push in December. A strong finish could be in the cards if this team can figure out how to win at home and convert Raymond James Stadium into a home-field advantage.

Five of the Bucs’ last seven games are at home, where the team was 2-6 last year. Tampa Bay hasn’t had a winning record at home since going 6-2 in 2008, which was the last year Jon Gruden coached the Bucs, finishing 9-7 that season and missing the playoffs by one game. The best record Tampa Bay has posted at home since was 4-4 under every year Dirk Koetter was head coach from 2016-18.

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• BIEHL ON SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT, 2021 DRAFT: The COVID-19 pandemic could have an effect on both the 2020 NFL Supplemental Draft and the 2021 NFL Draft because there is so much uncertainty regarding the viability of the 2020 college football season. Will it happen, and if so, when will it start?

“It’s hard for me to tell you where the strengths and weaknesses [in the 2021 draft] are going to be right now,” Bucs director of college scouting Mike Biehl said. “Trevor Lawrence will be one of the top guys in next year’s draft and there will be some other good quarterbacks. I think it’s going to be an interesting year because of the uncertainty. We don’t know how the college football season is going to look next year. Does the NCAA give guys another year of eligibility? Does that change the crop of guys that are coming out of that class? Does it force more underclassmen to come out early or do they go back to play that extra year? There is so much uncertainty right now, and the drafts are so underclassmen-driven these days. It’s hard to predict who will come out and who won’t.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht (grey suit) and director of college scouting Mike Biehl (blue suit) – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Usually NFL teams like Tampa Bay could at least look at the expected crop of college seniors and make some initial judgements about the depth and talent at certain positions, but if college football doesn’t happen in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the NCAA is willing to grant an additional year of eligibility to seniors that could change everything for the 2021 senior class – and underclassmen.

Will the uncertainty about the 2020 college football season force a mass exodus of highly touted players into this summer’s NFL Supplemental Draft?

“That’s a great question and someone brought that up the other day,” Biehl said. “It makes sense. I don’t know if that will be the case or not, but I could see why players would consider that right now with the uncertainty. To me, I hope they all go back and try to continue their education and try to get as much out of that as possible and finish out their careers, but I would understand if that was the case.”

• BUY NEW BUCS GEAR – AND SUPPORT PEWTER REPORT! The Bucs unveiled new, improved uniforms, which are a throwback to the Super Bowl era look, and have been a huge hit with the Tampa Bay fan base. Personally, I love the all-pewter look.

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• GRONK WAS THE BEST, COULD BE AGAIN: Here’s an interesting tidbit about new Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was a five-time Pro Bowler (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017) in New England, from PewterReport.com’s Jon Ledyard. Gronkowski battled injuries in 2018 and retired from football in 2019 to join the WWE.

Rob Gronkowski was PFF’s #1 ranked TE every season from 2011-2017.

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) May 6, 2020

• BUCS SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN ON THE PEWTER NATION PODCAST: Pewter Reporters Mark Cook, Matt Matera, Taylor Jenkins, Jon Ledyard and yours truly recorded a new episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast on Thursday, May 7 where we discussed the Bucs’ 2020 schedule and offered up our analysis and the chances of Tampa Bay prevailing in each game. Some of the records we forecasted might surprise you! Give it a listen!

Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 191: Bucs Schedule Breakdown

Cook, Matera, Jenkins and yours truly recorded a post-draft episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast on Wednesday, April 28 where we discussed the Bucs’ 2020 draft class and also about Jameis Winston landing with the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints. Make sure to give this one a listen!

Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 190: Bucs Draft Recap; Winston A Saint

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• NEW BUCS WR PEARSON DOMINATED SMALL SCHOOL COMPETITION: One of the undrafted free agents that Tampa Bay is really excited about is Jacksonville State WR Josh Pearson, who is a 6-foot-4, 203-pound athlete with a 41.5 vertical leap. Pearson used his 4.44 speed to catch 67 passes for 1,123 yards (16.8 avg.) and 17 touchdowns as a junior and 59 receptions for 943 yards (16.0 avg.) and 13 TDs as a senior.

Pearson gives the Bucs eight receivers that are 6-foot-1 or taller, giving Tampa Bay one of the tallest receiving corps in the NFL. The only receivers that aren’t 6-foot tall are Scotty Miller (5-11), Jaydon Mickens (5-11) and Cyril Grayson (5-9). The Bucs added three big undrafted free agent receivers in Pearson, Travis Jonsen (6-4) and John Hurst (6-2) this offseason.

Here are some highlights from Pearson’s junior season at Jacksonville State.

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