FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• It’s been an interesting week in BucWorld as it pertains to Tampa Bay’s controversial quarterback Jameis Winston. Not only did he help engineer a comeback win against the Colts – despite throwing three interceptions – by passing for a career-high 456 yards with four touchdowns and rushing for another score, he also played the second half with a slightly fractured right thumb.

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

But that’s not all.

NFL legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre chimed in on Winston and his future. Favre said: “I think, with Jameis, there’s such a huge upside. “We don’t get to see him much but I think that there’s just a tremendous upside and you’re willing to try and work through that and I think that Bruce [Arians] will do a wonderful job. He’s super productive, aside from the interceptions, and maybe it’s one of those things, I’m sure Bruce is scratching his head. He knows Jameis doesn’t mean to do it, he’s not doing it on purpose so he’s trying to find that happy medium.”

And CBS Sports stoked some controversy on Twitter when it tweeted out a graphic comparing Winston’s current stats in 2019 at age 25 to the statistics that a 25-year old Peyton Manning put up through 12 games of the 2001 season. Winston supporters had some new ammunition to debate with, while Winston detractors suggested that the stats were out of context and not apples to apples.

WOW

JAMEIS ’19* PEYTON ’01
25 AGE 25
26 PASS TD 26
4,115 PASS YDS 4,131
23 INT 23
5 PICK-6’s 6
6 WINS 6
84.9 RATING 84.1
61.3 COMP PCT 62.7

*thru 13 games pic.twitter.com/PliPyftUpp

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) December 9, 2019

• It’s crazy to think that despite having a brutal schedule this year that featured six weeks away from Raymond James Stadium with five straight road games (including a “home game” in London against Carolina) from late September to early November, Tampa Bay could finish 5-3 on the road this year. The Bucs started the season 2-0 on the road with wins at Carolina in Week 2 and at Los Angeles in Week 4, but then proceeded to lose the next three actual road games, as well as the Panthers game in London.

Bucs HC Bruce Arians – Photo by: Getty Images

Yet after an overtime loss at Seattle, Tampa Bay rallied with road wins at Atlanta and Carolina. One more victory away from home this week in Detroit would give the Bucs a winning record on the road this year, and would be Tampa Bay’s fourth straight victory.

“If you go 5-3 on the road, you’re usually in the playoffs, said Bucs head coach Bruce Arians. “That’s kind of the anomaly of this season – to have the chance to be 5-3 on the road says a lot about our guys.”

Should Tampa Bay win in Detroit on Sunday, the Bucs would have a 7-7 record and a chance to finish at .500 with an 8-8 record or posting a winning record at 9-7 with two more victories at home against Houston and Atlanta. The last time Tampa Bay finished with a winning record on the road was in 2010 when the Bucs went 6-4 away from home to finish 10-6 that season.

• THE BUCS ARE GOING STREAKING! – Can the Bucs make it four in a row with a win in Detroit on Sunday? Will Bucs QB Jameis Winston start and finish the game? And more importantly, will Winston be back in Tampa Bay in 2020? Tampa Bay Times veteran Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud joined the PR Crew on Thursday to discuss those topics in the latest Pewter Nation Podcast. Make sure you give this one a listen.

Pewter Nation Podcast 168: Debating Winston’s Future With Rick Stroud

If you missed our previous podcast which recapped the Bucs’ third win in a row – a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Indianapolis Colts – make sure you give this one a listen and relive the glory. Click below.

Pewter Nation Podcast 167: Bucs Persevere To A Three-Game Winning Streak

And if you missed our Pewter Nation Podcast with Bucs defensive tackle Rakeem “Nacho” Nunez-Roches at Ford’s Garage in Brandon, make sure you listen to that one. Plenty of good scoop on Ndamukong Suh, Todd Bowles and former Bucs cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. For those wanting to know – yes, Nacho ate the nachos at Ford’s Garage. He had to.

Pewter Nation Podcast 166: Nacho, Nachos And The Colts

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 Monday afternoon following the Bucs’ game at Detroit.

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.

• Despite having the league’s second-ranked passing attack (298.2 ypg) led by Jameis Winston’s 4,115 yards through the air, Tampa Bay has the chance to make some strides in the running game this year if it can finish the season strong. Last year, the Bucs rushed for 1,523 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Peyton Barber led the way with a career-high 871 yards and five TDs.

Bucs RB Ronald Jones – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This season, Tampa Bay has rushed for 1,230 yards with 14 touchdowns, averaging 3.6 yards per carry with three games remaining. If the Bucs average 100 yards per game on the ground they will barely surpass last year’s total, but the team has already rushed for more TDs than it did a year ago. Tampa Bay’s rushing attack ranks 24th in the league, averaging 94.6 yards per game.

With Jameis Winston’s throwing thumb slightly fractured, the emphasis this week in Detroit – and in the other two remaining games this year – will be to establish the ground game to take some of the pressure off Tampa Bay’s injured QB. Ronald Jones II leads the Bucs in rushing with a career-high 518 yards and five touchdowns and a 3.8 average, while Barber has 430 yards rushing, a career-high six touchdowns and a 3.2 average.

• PEWTER REPORT IS 100 TWITTER FOLLOWERS AWAY FROM 34,000 – HELP US GET THERE! 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. With 33,900 followers thus far, we are only 100 Twitter followers away. If you haven’t already, please follow us today. The PR staff cover Bucs practices, Bucs press conferences, Bucs games and break news on our @PewterReport Twitter account.

So if you aren’t one of the 33,900 Bucs fans that follow PewterReport.com on Twitter join us so you don’t miss out on our Bucs coverage, including injury updates, breaking news and notifications about the latest stories and columns on PewterReport.com. Follow us right now and help us get to 34,000!

• There was a big statistical change to the official NFL stats this week as the split sack that was credited to both defensive end Will Gholston and outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett was fully awarded to Barrett after the league reviewed the Bucs’ win over the Colts. Barrett entered the game with 14.5 sacks and now has 15.5 QB takedowns on the year.

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

Not only does Barrett lead the Bucs in sacks, but he also maintains his lead over the entire league. Barrett is 1.5 sacks ahead of Arizona’s Chandler Jones, and that’s important for Pro Bowl consideration as well as Barrett’s case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. Barrett also leads the NFL with a career-high six forced fumbles and recorded his first career interception this year, too.

With 15.5 sacks, Barrett is one sack away from tying Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp’s single-season Bucs record of 16.5 sacks, and he’s 1.5 sacks away from breaking it.

• I’ll be taking a week off from my SR’s Fab 5 column next week as my father, Steve Reynolds, visits our family before Christmas. I haven’t seen my dad in five years, so you’ll have to excuse me while I spend some precious time with him during the holiday season. I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

My SR’s Fab 5 column returns for the 2019 finale on Friday, December 27 before the Bucs end the season with a home game against the visiting Atlanta Falcons. Then I’ll kick off my 25th year covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a new SR’s Fab 5 column on January 3, 2020 – and with a new exclusive sponsor. Stay tuned, Bucs fans – 2020 is going to be an even better year for your Buccaneers and PewterReport.com.

• And finally, if you are looking for tuxedo for the perfect gift for the holiday season or if you are in need of a tuxedo for New Year’s Eve, turn to the fine folks at Bespoke & Co. – the official clothier of PewterReport.com. David Kahn and his staff at Bespoke & Co. have been outfitting the PewterReport.com staff in custom-fit suits, shirts, slacks and blazers for years, and are also the clothiers for several members of the Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning, too.

Bespoke & Co. have several packages for the holidays that let you give the gift of fine, custom-fit suits and dress clothes – or treat yourself. Visit the BespokeAndCoFL.com website to view the packages and selections available and then call (813) 902-1963 to set up an appointment for measurements.

Whether it is wardrobe consultations, wedding and event wardrobes or custom alterations, Bespoke & Co. provide unparalleled service and quality in the Tampa Bay area and across the state of Florida. Kahn and his staff of clothiers are the top professionals in the tailor and custom-fit clothing business.

Scott Reynolds joins WFLA’s Dan Lucas and Annie Sabo on Bucs Bonus

I trust them for my wardrobe needs for game day and my appearances on WFLA News Channel 8’s Bucs Bonus show, and with one visit to the Bespoke & Co. showroom at 3305 W. Bay To Bay Boulevard in South Tampa you’ll feel the same way, too.

If you’re looking for more casual attire, Bespoke & Co. also has custom-fit denim so you’ll have the perfect-fitting jeans, as well as collared polo shirts and custom-fit shoes, too. Bespoke & Co. gift certificates are available and make great stocking stuffers, too.