FAB 3. Rewind Week 2 – Fast Forward Week 3

Not having open locker room at One Buccaneer Place and restricted media access to players this year due to COVID-19 has forced me to do less feature segments on players and more analysis on the games. So I’m beginning a new weekly Fab 3 section called Rewind – Fast Forward where I’ll share some observations from the Bucs’ last game as well as my analysis in previewing the next one. Enjoy.

REWIND: WEEK 2 VS. CAROLINA

Bucs K Ryan Succop – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Have the Bucs (finally) found a kicker? The team hopes so. Through two weeks, Succop, a 12-year veteran who played in Kansas City and Tennessee, has made 8-of-9 of his kicks, including eight straight after his first attempt, a 54-yarder in New Orleans in Week 1, was blocked.

Succop has made all six of his extra point attempts and has connected on his latest two field goal attempts – both of which were inside 40 yards. So far, so good for the Bucs’ new kicker. Succop is the 10th different kicker the Bucs have had over the past 10 seasons.

• It’s not always fair to grade defensive linemen from the stats sheet but defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh showed that he still has some pass rush left as he recorded two sacks against Carolina on Sunday. Suh is tied for the team lead in sacks with outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, who has notched a sack in both of Tampa Bay’s games this year.

What’s significant is that Suh recorded only 2.5 sacks in 16 games a year ago and he’ll surpass that total with his next QB takedown. Defensive end Will Gholston also got his first sack of the season, which matched his mark from a year ago. Now if only Vita Vea could join the sack party up front …

• Another Buccaneers defender who is filling up the stats sheet is inside linebacker Devin White, who has 26 tackles in two weeks to lead not only Tampa Bay, but the NFL. White had a career-high 15 stops last week, including 11 solo tackles. His previous best was 13 tackles against New Orleans in the Saints’ 34-17 win in Tampa.

FAST FORWARD: WEEK 3 AT DENVER

• With five sacks in last week’s win over Carolina, Tampa Bay now has six sacks on the year and is averaging three sacks per game. If the Bucs keep up that pace they will finish with 48 sacks in 2020, which would be one more than the team recorded last year. Generating 48 sacks this year would supplant last year’s total of 47 as the second-most QB captures in a single season in Bucs history. The most sacks Tampa Bay recorded was 55 in 2000.

Denver’s offensive line didn’t surrender a sack in Week 1 against Tennessee, but allowed seven last week at Pittsburgh, and is fourth in the league with 46 pressures allowed in two weeks. Look for Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to bring the house at Jeff Driskel, who is a good athlete with a good arm, but doesn’t go through his progressions very fast.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Have you noticed how Shaquil Barrett is rushing exclusively from the left side this year after playing more snaps and generating more sacks at right outside linebacker last season? According to Pro Football Focus, Barrett had 479 snaps at right outside linebacker and had a pass rush grade of 74.5, a win rate of 14.4 percent and a pressure rate of 11.6 percent while notching 13 of his 19.5 sacks against left tackles.

From the left side of the line, Barrett played 382 snaps against right tackles and had a higher pass rush grade of 82.4, according to PFF. He also had a win rate of 21.1 percent and a pressure rate of 18.3 percent. Barrett notched 6.5 sacks at left outside linebacker.

So why would defensive coordinator Todd Bowles want to move Barrett from a spot where he recorded 13 sacks last year and insert Pierre-Paul against left tackles instead?

“It wasn’t Coach Bowles, it was me and JPP,” Barrett said. “I honestly do prefer the left side better – the side that I’m on now. I think my right arm is my strong arm, so it helps me with my power moves a little bit better. And JPP prefers the side that he’s on now, so it actually worked out perfectly. Just last year, me and Carl [Nassib], Carl liked the side that I’m on now and I went to the other side. I have no preference … although I like the side I’m on better.”

Barrett has yet to record a sack this year, but Pierre-Paul is tied for the team lead with two, including one up the middle on an interior pass rush and one from the right side of the line.

• Expect Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski to be more involved in the passing game this week. Why? Because the media says so.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski – Photo by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week, the pre-game talk centered around getting wide receiver Mike Evans more involved in the offense and at least 10 targets. So what happened? Evans had 10 targets and responded with seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. The same talk happened regarding Leonard Fournette, who actually finished with more touches than starter Ronald Jones II and had his first 100-yard rushing game and a pair of rushing touchdowns.

This week the focus has been on getting Gronkowski, who is making $9.25 million, more involved in the offense. Despite Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and other coaches saying to “block out the noise” from the media, they do listen, they do pay attention and often they heed what the media says because the line of questioning has merit.

“We brought him in to just play tight end,” said Arians when asked about the team’s lack of use of Gronkowski in the passing game so far. “If that means no catches, that means no catches. If it means 10 catches, it means 10 catches because he’s open and that’s where the ball goes.”

Expect a few targets and a touchdown for Gronkowski, and a few more balls to tight end O.J. Howard this week, too.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• The Buccaneers debut their new all-pewter uniform ensemble this week at Denver and the players were excited about it. Evans said he plans on “swagging out” the new-look uniforms on Sunday.

“Oh they look good,” Evans said. “I’m going to swag them out, too. I’m excited to wear these new uniforms. … I’ll rock the black cleats and the black gloves. We had a [photo] shoot and I wore the black cleats and the black gloves.”

Barrett also loves Tampa Bay’s all-pewter look.

“It looks really good,” Barrett said. “I love them. I just need to make sure I got the right cleats to go with them and the right gloves to match.”