FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• MORE ARIANS’ NUGGETS FROM BUCS’ BEAT WRITER CONFERENCE CALL: Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians spoke with the local media via a conference call last week. Here are some more quotes from Arians on Bucs-related topics.

Arians said that the COVID-19 situation that the world is facing has essentially brought free agency to a halt for the team. Outside of signing quarterback Tom Brady and offensive lineman Joe Haeg, Tampa Bay has spent most of its time in free agency re-signing its own players. That is in part by design as the team wants to keep its nucleus intact, but it has also been due to extenuating circumstances.

“I think with free agency it’s going to be tough because of guys who need physicals,” Arians said. “To go any further, you need to get a physical on him.”

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Arians said that after the Bucs signed Brady the team did have some free agents reach out to Tampa Bay and want to play with the greatest quarterback of all time, but the team’s current cap situation, which is just over $13 million, according to OverTheCap.com, is an obstacle.

“Yes, we had some guys call but there’s only so much money that can go around,” Arians said. “We wanted to get our defense fixed and we’ve had some other conversations with guys, and we’ll see what’s left in the cash box and be careful with who we bring in. We’re always searching, so yes, we’ve had some guys call in and say they’ll play for this, but we didn’t have that much money. It was a little bit less, but it wasn’t a hell of a lot less.”

Arians said that the coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing and stay at home orders from the government have made offseason training very difficult for the Buccaneers and other NFL teams.

“It’s a huge problem,” Arians said. “[Head strength and conditioning coach] Anthony Piroli handles each guy individually; each guy has a workout routine for them. Now it’s finding a spot for them to do them. Not everyone has a gym in their home, so that’s probably the hardest thing right now. For guys to stay in lifting shape and conditioning shape for this time of year because this is the buildup time for OTAs and we always like to build in March to get ready for April. It’s hard on them. Reaching out, some of the guys, one or two guys have gyms or stuff to workout with and they’ll share it.”

• Bucs general manager Jason Licht was on the Get Up! show with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg this past week to talk about the team’s acquisition of Tom Brady and discuss the effect that COVID-19 is having in the team’s draft preparations.

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

“We’re all affected by this,” Licht said. “The norm is no longer the norm. This is the new norm, and I’ll say that you try to find some advantages to any situation. I’m obviously working alone here. I’m not here with my staff. We’re using a lot of Zoom and a lot of FaceTime and a lot of phone calls back and forth. At least for me I’ve been able to sit and watch a lot of tape – more than I normally would at this time.

“Also being able to pick up the phone and call prospects. It seems like I’m a little more in tune to the draft this year than I ever have been and not rely on my staff, which is a great staff by the way. Maybe they’re not so happy I’m hyperfocused on it, but we’ll make the best out of it. There are not a lot of knocks on my door besides my kids, so it’s fewer and far between than it would be if I were in the office. There are some aspects to this that I’m kind of enjoying.”

The Bucs have had calls with a pair of offensive line prospects thus far, including Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones and Clemson guard John Simpson. Tampa Bay met with both at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, too. Jones was a formal interview and Simpson was an informal interview.

The Bucs are expected to draft at least two offensive linemen this year and the other offensive linemen the team interviewed in Indianapolis in a formal capacity are Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas, USC tackle Austin Jackson, LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU guard Damien Lewis and a pair of players that played offensive tackle in college but could make the conversion to guard at the next level in Louisiana-Lafayette’s Robert Hunt and St. John’s Ben Bartch.

Houston OT Josh Jones – Photo by: PewterReport.com

The 2020 NFL Draft will go on as planned from April 23-25 via video conferencing and networks like NFL Network and ESPN will still provide coverage, but the league has scrapped plans to have a live audience in Las Vegas. Top draft prospects will not be present at the draft, but will videoconference in to broadcasts when selected.

Reminder on the rules from memo a few weeks ago:

– Each call/FaceTime session capped at 1 hour
– No more than 3 in a week for one club with one player
– All must be reported to the NFL’s Player Personnel department

More: https://t.co/LH2lZF0r1C https://t.co/ZuzGyA6Hb0

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 30, 2020

• Washington draft prospect Nick Harris knows that his versatility to play both center and guard is a plus at the next level, but has made it clear to NFL teams that he wants to play center at the next level.

“I played right and left guard my true freshman year and I played right guard my sophomore year,” Harris said. “I moved to center my junior year. I enjoyed playing guard, but center fits my personality a little more. I love talking. I love being responsible for everything up there – making the calls and stuff.

Washington C Nick Harris – Photo by: University of Washington

“I’m an outgoing guy – vibrant. A lot of people are attracted to that. Being at the center position, I think that’s important, especially at the next level – being able to command the huddle and being able to run the show up there and tell guys what to do. You have to be able to show that in the interview, because you only get so many football reps to show it. So being able to present yourself as such is important. I want to make that known to them.”

Harris knows that his lack of size will hurt his draft stock. If he were two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, Harris might be a second-round pick. Yet he believes his superb technique will suit him well at the next level.

“The main thing for me is just having a more consistent anchor in pass-pro on bull-rushes,” Harris said. “I would like to shut down bull rushes faster. I mean, I think I do a good job of anchoring on bull rushes. But I want to do it more consistently and faster and not give too much depth in the pocket. That just goes back to technique. That doesn’t have anything to do with size.

• SR AND JON LEDYARD DELIVER A PRE-DRAFT PEWTER NATION PODCAST! The Pewter Nation Podcast returned this week as yours truly and PewterReport.com’s draft expert and Bucs beat writer Jon Ledyard spent an hour previewing the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft and the positions of need for Tampa Bay over a recorded Skype call. Nobody knows this year’s draft prospects like Ledyard does, and this episode is a must-listen for Bucs fans interested in the team’s draft plans.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 186: Bucs 2020 Draft Preview

The previous Pewter Nation Podcast where the PR staff discusses Tampa Bay’s signing of legendary quarterback Tom Brady, as well as the re-signings of outside linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett, who received the franchise tag was one of the most listened-to episodes we’ve ever recorded. If you haven’t listened to this epic podcast, do so this weekend.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 185: Brady Is A Buc

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than on your drive home from work on Friday or early Saturday morning at the gym or running errands.

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. And of course the Pewter Nation Podcast is also available on iTunes. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• The Bucs re-signed quarterback Blaine Gabbert this week to compete with Ryan Griffin for the backup job behind Tom Brady. But that doesn’t mean that Tampa Bay won’t draft a young quarterback to develop to be the long-term starter once Brady retires in a few years.

One of the QBs that have been linked to Tampa Bay is Washington’s Jacob Eason, who figures to be a Day 2 pick in the second or third round. Eason’s center, Nick Harris, praised the big, 6-foot-6 pocket passer when I interviewed him at the Senior Bowl.

Washington QB Jacob Eason – Photo by: Getty Images

“His arm strength is unbelievable,” Harris said. “He has the size. He has everything you need. I’m a firm believer in the success of Jacob Eason because he’s a damn good player and a damn good leader of the team, too.

“He grew tremendously in the two years he was there because he red-shirted when he first got there. He grew a lot as a leader and he earned a lot of respect from the team. He became a vocal leader this past year, he matured a lot and he’s a great player, as everybody knows. His ceiling is endless because of how he grew in one year. It’s crazy.”

Eason, a junior entry, spent one year as the Huskies starter, completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,132 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Eason spent the 2016-17 seasons at Georgia and transferred to Washington after losing the starting job to Jake Fromm.

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