FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• BUY NEW BUCS GEAR – AND HELP PEWTER REPORT! The Bucs unveiled new, improved uniforms on Tuesday, which were a huge hit with the Tampa Bay fan base. I shared my take on the new uniforms along with the rest of the Pewter Report staff in this PR Roundtable column, which you should check out if you haven’t already. Personally, I love the all-pewter look.

Naturally, Bucs fans are eagerly purchasing the new jerseys, including Tom Brady jerseys, and if you haven’t done so, you can click on the banner in this column – or any Fanatics.com banner on PewterReport.com – to make your purchase. When you buy anything from Fanatics.com – Bucs-related or not – and you do so by clicking on a banner from PewterReport.com we get a percentage of the sale through our affiliate program.

You, the customer, won’t pay a penny more by making your Fanatics.com purchases via PewterReport.com, and you’re still eligible for any sales, discounts or free shipping offers that Fanatics may be offering at the time. But what you are doing is supporting our revenue stream at PewterReport.com, which has taken a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. We rely on our advertising partners for our revenue, and nearly every business in America has taken a financial hit with the COVID-19 outbreak.

The revenue we get from your purchases on Fanatics.com via the banners on PewterReport.com help us a great deal, so we encourage you to shop Fanatics.com from now on via PewterReport.com. Not just now, but after the draft when the Bucs will have new jerseys for their rookies, and also as you gear up for the 2020 season this summer and fall.

And when the holiday season rolls around we want you to remember to do your holiday shopping at Fanatics.com by clicking on the Fanatics banners on PewterReport.com. Just one click can help your favorite website – PewterReport.com – in these troubling times. Thank you!

• ARE THE BUCS SUPER BOWL FAVORITES? I enjoyed catching up with Chris Simms, a former Bucs quarterback and current NFL analyst for ProFootballTalk.com, this past week for a 20-minute interview. Aside from talking about the arrival of Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and the need for the Bucs to upgrade their running game, Simms also shared his thoughts with me about the team’s playoff chances in 2020.

PFT’s Mike Florio, Chris Simms and Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Mark Cook/PR

Does Simms think the Bucs are Super Bowl contenders with the addition of Brady?

“I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility,” Simms said. “Not at all. Not in this day and age in the NFL. Am I going to say right now that the Bucs are going to win the NFC South? No, I’m not. I’ll pick the Saints. But would I be shocked at the end of December to see the Bucs win the division? No, I wouldn’t be shocked by that either.

“That front seven is as special as any front seven in football. They have to get the pass defense in order in Tampa Bay. They gave up too many big plays in the passing game last year. I think there is some real talent in that secondary – some real, up-and-coming stars in my opinion. I see some real potential with that football team. I don’t see many weaknesses. I would like to see the run game improve and see the secondary take the next step, and I think Tom Brady is going to instill a lot of confidence and detail and a more efficient style of play on offense to make Tampa very dangerous.”

• WINSTON STILL HAS PROMISE AS AN NFL STARTER Simms also commented on the future of former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston, who remains unsigned after Tampa Bay opted to sign Brady during free agency.

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I do like Jameis Winston and I think there are a lot of positives about his game,” Simms said. “If he could just clean it up a little bit he has superstar potential, but we’ve been saying that for four or five years now. That’s real, and I understand Tampa Bay not trusting whether or not he’s ever going to turn the corner or make those adjustments to clean up his game. From that aspect I understand the Bucs trying to find another quarterback.”

At the end of the day, those NFL-high 30 interceptions and seven pick-sixes last year have just scared off a lot of would-be suitors for Winston, who may have to wait until after the draft to sign with a team as a backup.

• SR AND JON LEDYARD DELIVER A PRE-DRAFT PEWTER NATION PODCAST! The Pewter Nation Podcast returned last week as yours truly and PewterReport.com’s draft expert and Bucs beat writer Jon Ledyard, and we 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

We have plans to do another Pewter Nation Podcast this weekend – or Monday at the latest – so stay tuned for that on PewterReport.com.

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.

• Not only is it amazing that general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians were able to land Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in modern day NFL history, in free agency, but also to get him on such a reasonable deal. Bucs salary cap wizard Mike Greenberg, the team’s director of football administration, was responsible for getting Brady’s contract done, and was able to sign him for $25 million per season.

That makes Brady tied for 12th in terms of average QB salary in 2020.

Patriots WR Julian Edelman and Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Getty Images

Highest Paid QBs In Terms Of Average Salary In 2020
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson $35 million
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger $34 million
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers $33.5 million
Rams QB Jared Goff $33.5 million
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins $33 million
Eagles QB Carson Wentz $32 million
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott $31.5 million
Falcons QB Matt Ryan $30 million
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill $29.5 million
Colts QB Jacoby Brissett $27.975 million
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo $27.5 million
Lions QB Matthew Stafford $27 million
Raiders QB Derek Carr $25.005 million
Saints QB Drew Brees $25 million
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady $25 million

It’s interesting to note than in Brady’s 20-year NFL career he has never been the highest-paid quarterback in the league – always taking a team-first approach when it comes to his salary. Brady knows that the more salary cap space he eats up, the less cap room the Patriots and Bucs have had to sign other players to help the team win.

• FOLLOW PEWTER REPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Thanks to a lot of new Buccaneers fans due to the signing of Tom Brady, PewterReport.com has surpassed 35,600 Twitter followers on the @PewterReport Twitter account! Thank you to all of our Twitter followers. We’re also approaching 10,000 followers on Facebook, So if you don’t follow us on Twitter or Facebook please take the time to do so, Bucs fans.

Here is a list of all of the PewterReport.com social media platforms. Make sure to follow us this offseason as we cover the NFL Draft this month, plus any breaking Bucs news or press conferences.

Twitter: @PewterReport

Facebook: PewterReport

Instagram: PewterReport

Soundcloud: PewterNation

• FINALLY, SOME CONTINUITY FOR GABBERT: The Bucs re-signed veteran Blaine Gabbert, who spent the 2019 season on injured reserve after suffering a serious shoulder injury last preseason. Gabbert will compete with Ryan Griffin for the backup quarterback behind Tom Brady this year, and I came across an amazing statistic on Twitter that I wanted to share with you.

Random: Blaine Gabbert is entering his 10th season in the NFL. After re-signing w/ the #Bucs, he will have the same HC in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career

11: Del Rio
12: Mularkey
13: Bradley
14: Harbaugh
15: Tomsula
16: Kelly
17: Arians
18: Vrabel
19: Arians

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) April 8, 2020

• HELP SUPPORT PEWTER REPORT: In these uncertain times, one of the few things that is certain is our commitment to you – the loyal Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and PewterReport.com reader. As you know, there is no paywall on PewterReport.com, nor is there a subscription fee to read our content.

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We’re all in this together. Stay safe, Pewter Nation.