FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Here’s one more defensive nugget for you when it comes to the Bucs’ playoff teams. You might think scoring points on defense is a necessity for Tampa Bay making the playoffs, especially after watching the 2002 Bucs team have four pick-sixes, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a safety during the regular season. Tampa Bay’s defense has also accomplished that feat in 1981 and 2000 – although without a safety in both years.

Yet the 1997 Bucs defense didn’t record a single point on defense that year. No pick-six, no fumble recovery for a touchdown and no safety. It’s interesting to note that Tampa Bay’s 13 interceptions that season were the fewest number of interceptions by Bucs playoff team in franchise history, followed by 14 in 1979 and 16 in 2007. Yet in those three seasons the Bucs had the most fumble recoveries of any Tampa Bay playoff team, recording 16 in ’97, 18 in ’79 and 21 in ’07.

Last year’s Bucs defense had only 17 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries for 28 combined takeaways, but did have four pick-sixes and did record a safety. That’s marked improvement in the splash play categories under Mike Smith from the 2015 season when Tampa Bay’s defense had just 11 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries for 23 total takeaways with one pick-six and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.

Hardcore Carnivore Red
 by Jess Pryles / Price: $12.99. 


Why we like it: If you’ve tried Hardcore Carnivore Black, you’ll like this one just as much. The “red” in this is to give your poultry and pork that color you’re used to seeing from other seasonings. The flavor is a great blend of salt, pepper, garlic and onion without being overpowering. This rub isn’t overly sweet. It allows you as the cook to customize your sweetness with honey/brown sugar in wraps or finishing sauces. Trust us, you’ll be happy you reached for this one.

Pick up some Hardcore Carnivore Red by Jess Pryles at Just Grillin, which is located at 11743 N. Dale Mabry Hwy in Tampa, just 15 minutes north of Raymond James Stadium. Or shop online at JustGrillinFlorida.com

• PewterReport.com is excited to announce a new weekly contest for Tampa Bay fans that visit our site to represent Pewter Nation with an opportunity to have your Bucs editorial content published on PewterReport.com. The PR editorial staff spends time each week reading posts on the PewterReport.com Red Board and has noticed the impressive editorial contributions from a number of Bucs fans.

So here’s your chance to have your opinions and analysis on the Buccaneers published on PewterReport.com.

Each week the PewterReport.com staff will scour the Red Board for the most well written, thought-provoking post that is at least 350 words in length and is in good taste. The best post, as determined by the PR staff, will have his or her story on anything Bucs-related published Saturday morning on the front page of the site as the winner of PR’s Bucs Fan Post Of The Week. The contest begins immediately and the first winner will be selected this week and the first Bucs Fan Post Of The Week story will be published next Saturday.

Two notable PewterReport.com Bucs Fan Post Of The Week winners from the past used this as a vehicle to gain employment with our company. Jim Flynn served as PewterReport.com’s editor-in-chief and Bucs beat writer for 10 years after winning several Bucs Fan Post Of The Week honors in 2000, and Andrew Scavelli served as a primary intern for his contributions to PewterReport.com’s Red Board over the years.

Each month the PewterReport.com staff will select one winner from that month’s Bucs Fan Post Of The Week winners. The Bucs Fan Post Of The Month winner will receive a prize pack with PewterReport.com swag and gift certificates from some of our sponsors.

• It will be interesting to see how the voting for the team captains shakes out this season in Tampa Bay. The team captains get to wear the “C” patch on their uniforms. Last year’s team captains were defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David on defense, wide receiver Vincent Jackson, quarterback Jameis Winston and wide receiver Russell Shepard, who served as the Bucs’ special teams captain. Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter also had a rotating weekly captain depending on who the opponent was, often letting a former player of the Bucs’ opponent be a captain that week.

Bucs LBs Lavont David & Kwon Alexander – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

On offense, Winston, the team’s unquestioned leader, will be voted as a team captain for a second straight season, while Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans is the obvious choice to replace Jackson as the other offensive captain – although veteran right tackle Demar Dotson or widely respected center Ali Marpet could get a decent amount of votes as well.

The biggest question comes on defense where McCoy and David are once again locks, but what about the unit’s quarterback, emotional leader and leading tackler, middle linebacker Kwon Alexander? He’s certainly deserving of wearing a “C” on his chest this year, too.”

Former Bucs head coach Lovie Smith did choose three defensive captains in 2014 with McCoy, David and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, a well-respected veteran, getting the honors. It only seems fitting that Koetter would do the same thing in 2017 and make sure that Alexander, David and McCoy are all officially recognized as leaders on defense.

On special teams, the Bucs will need to replace Shepard, and the likely candidates are punter Bryan Anger and gunners Josh Robinson and Ryan Smith. I think Anger gets the nod, although specialists don’t typically get the nod. If Anger isn’t selected, I could see Robinson replacing Shepard.

• The month of July is typically a slow one when it comes to Bucs news until the final week when the team reports for training camp. However, the PewterReport.com staff has plenty of great content in store for you this month. First up is PewterReport.com’s Bucs Fantasy Draft. Mark Cook and I did this a few years ago and since we brought Trevor Sikkema on board we decided to do it again because it’s more challenging drafting the ultimate Bucs fantasy team with three people rather than two.

On Monday we drew straws and Cook won, followed by Sikkema and myself, who had the third and fourth overall picks as we used the snake order to conduct our Bucs Fantasy Draft. This was incredibly fun and I believe our readers out there in Pewter Nation will really enjoy this series that starts on Monday and runs through next Saturday. We reveal the first five draft picks of all three of our teams on Monday, and then reveal five more picks each day until Saturday when we assemble all three Pewter Reporters’ teams and list them side-by-side with each writer stating the case for why his squad is the best.

In the Bucs Fantasy Draft, we each selected one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, two offensive tackles, two guards, one center, two defensive tackles, two defensive ends, two outside linebackers, one middle linebacker, two cornerbacks, two safeties, one kicker, one punter and one return specialist. Which Pewter Reporter had the best Bucs Fantasy Draft? You get to determine that next Saturday!

• Beginning on Monday, July 10, PewterReport.com will begin a new series called the Top 25 Greatest Buccaneers Of All-Time. This was a series that ran on the website four years ago and there have been several recent additions – Mike Evans and Jameis Winston most notably – that could be on the list, so we decided to revisit it and shake up the rankings.

We’ll be counting down the list with five Bucs players each day starting with 25-21 a week from Monday – and there will be some controversial as some of the names and where they are ranked my surprise you. You’ll find out why in the analysis section of each Buccaneer great.

These two series will run in addition to any other Bucs-related news items we find in the month of July. So if you’re going on vacation, like I am, you’ve got your mobile phone. Break away for a few minutes, check out PewterReport.com and read these two fun series over the next couple of weeks.

• PewterReport.com’s Twitter account – @PewterReport – is close to 25,400 followers, which is the most of any Bucs media site or media member outside of the team’s official account. Pewter Nation, if you’re not a follower of @PewterReport on Twitter, you can do so by clicking here. And you can also follow our @PewterReport Facebook page by clicking here.