FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots
• The Bucs unveiled this year’s My Cause My Cleats campaign at the AdventHealth Training Center this week, and one of the most touching moments was seeing Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek and his wife Kristen watch as offensive linemen Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa unveiled their cleats, which raised awareness for CMV – otherwise known as Cytomegalovirus, a common, yet serious and preventable virus.
Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek and his wife Kristin with Bucs RG Alex Cappa – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR
The Spyteks’ daughter and first-born child, Evelyn Grace, was born with congenital Cytomegalovirus, which caused brain damage, deafness, comprised vision and cerebral palsy. Evelyn Grace passed away in 2014 just before her second birthday. The Spyteks, who have two young boys, started the National CMV organization (NationalCMV.org) with the hopes of creating awareness and funding research that can end this simple, yet devastating virus.
Here are some important facts to know about CMV, especially for pregnant women:
• A whopping 91 percent of women don’t know they are infected with CMV
• One out of three pregnant women who become infected with CMV will pass the virus to their unborn child
• One child is permanently disabled by congenital CMV every hour
• One in 200 children are born with congenital CMV each year
On Sunday, Spytek and Bucs director of football administration Mike Greenberg will be wearing special sneakers similar to the cleats that Cappa and Marpet will wear to help promote CMV awareness.
Please visit NationalCMV.org to learn more about CMV or to donate for research.
• In 2019, the Bucs have $103,582,678 tied up in offensive player cap figures, while the cap charges for defensive players only accounts for $68,802,768. That’s nearly a $35 million imbalance between Tampa Bay’s offense and defense when it comes to the salary cap.
With cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III’s $9 million off the books for 2020 after being waived by the team in November, Tampa Bay’s defense accounts for just $39,987,472 in cap space next year, while the offense is currently slated to occupy $72,773,750 worth of cap room. That’s nearly a $33 million differential.
Bucs OLBs Carl Nassib & Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by: Mary Holt/PR
If quarterback Jameis Winston is franchised next year that number on offense will shoot up another $26 million to nearly $99 million, but re-signing the likes of pricey defenders like outside linebackers Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and either Carl Nassib or defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will definitely make the Bucs’ salary cap expenditures more even next year for the first time in a long while.
Here is where the Bucs currently stand with their 2020 salary cap:
Top 51 cap contracts: $116,712,665
Available cap space: $90,948,813
Offensive cap contracts: $72,773,750
Defensive cap contracts: $39,987,472
Special team cap contracts: $3,951,143
• I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs attempt to do an early contract extension with wide receiver Chris Godwin, too. After his 1,000-yard season this year he’s due for a pay increase – even though his rookie contract doesn’t expire until after 2020. Attempting to re-sign Godwin this offseason could prove to be wise should Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht and director of football administration Mike Greenberg pursue it.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Getty Images
Getting Godwin under a new contract before he hits back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons would keep his price tag from going up and save the Bucs some money and cap room in the future. Even though Godwin would command a contract at $10 million or more per year, Licht and Greenberg have paid two wide receivers that much money in the same season before. Pro Bowler Mike Evans was paid $18.258 million last season after his contract extension in 2018, and former Bucs receiver DeSean Jackson was also paid $10 million last year.
• THREE IN A ROW FOR THE BUCS – AND NACHO! – The PewterReport.com staff had the pleasure of hosting a live podcast with Bucs defensive tackle Rakeem “Nacho” Nunez-Roches at Ford’s Garage in Brandon on Monday and then added a segment previewing the Bucs vs. Colts game on Thursday. For those wanting to know – yes, Nacho ate the nachos at Ford’s Garage, and had some really revealing statements about Ndamukong Suh, Todd Bowles and former Bucs cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. Did any Pewter Reporter pick Tampa Bay to lose to Indianapolis on Sunday? Listen and find out!
Pewter Nation Podcast 166: Nacho, Nachos And The Colts
If you missed our previous podcast which recapped the Bucs’ win over the Jaguars as the PR crew documented the victory that gave Tampa Bay’s back-to-back wins for the first time this season then click below.
Pewter Nation Podcast 165: The Bucs Are Building Character
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 before college football begins. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be recorded Sunday evening following the Bucs’ game against the Colts at Raymond James Stadium.
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.
• Bucs outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett wants to stay in Tampa Bay next year rather than hit free agency. That’s good news for the Bucs regarding their top sacker, who leads the league with 14.5 QB captures as well as a league-high six forced fumbles. But before thinking about cashing in on his career season after signing a one-year, $4 million deal with Tampa Bay this past offseason, Barrett has some unfinished business to take care of in 2019.
Barrett has 14.5 sacks with four games to go, and he is close to breaking Warren Sapp’s single-season franchise record of 16.5 sacks set in 2000 when he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Barrett is in the running for that award this year, and needs just two more sacks to tie Sapp’s record and 2.5 more to break it. That’s high on his personal accomplishments list right now.
Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“It would mean a lot to have my name carved in stone anywhere, but especially down here because they brought me down here and gave me an opportunity and it’s working out for both of us,” Barrett said. “I would love to break that record. I’ve met Sapp a couple of times around here. I’m just taking it a game at a time because I’ve missed so many sacks this year that I get mad just thinking about it. I just try to take it one game at a time because I could have been there already.”
• PEWTER REPORT IS NEARING 34,000 FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER! Thank you to all of our Pewter Nation supporters for following the PewterReport.com Twitter account as we close in on a big milestone – 34,000 followers – during football season. We are near 33,900 followers thus far, and if you are not among them, please follow us today. The PR staff cover Bucs practices, Bucs press conferences, Bucs games and break news on our @PewterReport Twitter account.
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Scott Reynolds is in his 30th year of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the vice president, publisher and senior Bucs beat writer for PewterReport.com. Author of the popular SR's Fab 5 column on Fridays, Reynolds oversees web development and forges marketing partnerships for PewterReport.com in addition to his editorial duties. A graduate of Kansas State University in 1995, Reynolds spent six years giving back to the community as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for his sons' Pop Warner team, the South Pasco Predators. Reynolds can be reached at: [email protected]
