FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• ESPN’S GREENBERG IS ALL DOOM AND GLOOM ABOUT BRADY AND THE BUCS: Listen to this guy try to sell the fact that the pairing of Tom Brady and Bruce Arians has been a disaster this year in Tampa Bay. You’ve read Fabs 1-2 and now you know better.

The clock is ticking on #Brady and the #Bucs and here are the facts. pic.twitter.com/EIWjyOnvfo

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) December 3, 2020

I’ve always been a big fan of Mike Greenberg – but Tampa Bay director of football administration Mike Greenberg, and not this hot-take clown on ESPN.

• PFF CONTINUES TO LOVE WIRFS: Pro Football Focus continues to sing the praises of Tampa Bay rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs. Here is their latest report from their NFL Rookie Rankings: 10 Highest Graded Rookies Through Week 12 column.

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs and RG Alex Cappa – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Wirfs netted 45 pass-block opportunities on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs and put up a goose egg in the total pressures allowed column for just the second time this season. Week after week, Wirfs has been one of the top pass-protecting right tackles in the league. He has yet to produce a single game pass-block grade below 60.0 – something only five right tackles have done this year.

“Wirfs is now tied for fourth at the position in pass-block grade on the season. Next week he and the Buccaneers have a bye, but when they return, Wirfs will face off against a Vikings team with the second-lowest team pass-rush grade in the NFL. Once again, it could be feeding time for the standout rookie.”

• GREAT BYE WEEK GUESTS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS! The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcast live four episodes per week – Sundays after the game with additional episodes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday – all at 4:00 p.m. ET – to recap all of the action from the previous Bucs game and get you ready for the next one. Next week we’ll be live on Sunday evening to recap the NFL action and break down the Bucs’ playoff picture, in addition to Pewter Report Podcasts on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to prep you for the Bucs vs. Vikings game next Sunday.

Watch us live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. All of our Pewter Report Podcasts will be posted there so you can go back and watch the recorded episodes if you missed it live.

The audio versions of the Pewter Report Podcasts will continue to be found on iTunes and Soundcloud. Here are links to a few of the most recent episodes in which we had some fantastic guests like TouchdownWire.com’s Mark Schofield and NFL Films’ Greg Cosell.

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 248: Breaking Down The Bucs’ Offense (With Greg Cosell)

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 247: Do The Bucs Have A Brady-Arians Problem? (With Mark Schofield)

Pewter Report Podcast Episode 246: How Can The Bucs Improve Heading Into The Bye?

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than right now 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.

• BRADY NEEDS A RB THAT CAN CATCH IN 2021: NFL writer Mark Schofield, who was a guest on a recent Pewter Report Podcast, agreed with me that the most disappointing aspect of the Bucs offense for Tom Brady is not having more reliable receivers out of the backfield in Tampa Bay. Pro Football Focus has both Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette each with five drops this season, and two drops apiece for both LeSean McCoy, who has just 14 targets this year, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who only has seven targets in the passing game.

Bucs RB LeSean McCoy – Photo by: USA Today

Last year, Patriots running back James White was targeted by Brady 95 times in the passing game in New England and responded with 77 catches and only had two drops. Fellow Patriots running back Rex Burkhead has 30 catches on 38 targets and only had one drop.

With Fournette and McCoy likely to not return to Tampa Bay in 2020, the Bucs will need to find a better pass-catching option for Brady out of the backfield either in free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft.