FAB 3. Rewind Week 1 – Fast Forward Week 2

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 1 AT NEW ORLEANS

Bucs OLBs Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Did you notice how Tampa Bay outside linebacker Shaq Barrett played almost exclusively at left defensive end in Week 1? That was a new wrinkle we saw in training camp that we were not allowed to report. Barrett played left defensive end instead of right defensive end where he played most of last year en route to racking up 19.5 sacks to lead the NFL. Barrett was held sackless on Sunday, and had one sack last year against San Francisco in the season opener before having three at Carolina in Week 2. Will the Bucs continue to play Barrett at left end and Jason Pierre-Paul at right end? Or will defensive coordinator Todd Bowles go back to using Barrett at right end last year and JPP at left end where the duo racked up a combined 28 sacks in 2019?

• Sunday’s game held some clues as to why rookie Antoine Winfield, Jr. got the start at free safety and why second-year safety Mike Edwards did not. Winfield, Jr. played a fantastic game in his NFL debut with six tackles and one pass defensed, earning a 77.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Edwards made a key mistake on special teams, using poor judgment to run back and try to field a pooch kick in the second half, which resulted in a muffed attempt and a key turnover. Winfield has quickly earned the trust of the coaches by playing smart football and not making mistakes, and that’s why he’s starting – even as a rookie.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and HC Bruce Arians – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Way too much was made by the media this week about Bruce Arians criticizing Tom Brady publicly for his pick-six after the game. In today’s click-bait, hot-take world – especially on social media – the media was trying to make too much out of nothing. No, Brady is not in rapid decline at age 43, and no, Brady is not miffed at any of Arians’ public criticism of his play from the New Orleans game. End of story. Time to move on. “We’re on to Carolina,” as Brady’s former head coach Bill Belichick would say.

FAST FORWARD: WEEK 2 VS. CAROLINA

• Look for Tampa Bay’s tight ends to be more involved in the passing game without Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin in the lineup and with wideout Mike Evans not being 100 percent. O.J. Howard had four catches for 36 yards and one touchdown last week at New Orleans, while Rob Gronkowski was limited to just two catches for 11 yards. The Bucs’ tight ends were targeted just 10 times last Sunday, where the wide receivers were targeted 19 times in New Orleans. Raiders tight ends Darren Waller and Justin Witten had success against Panthers linebackers Shaq Thompson, Jeremy Chinn and Tahir Whitehead in coverage. Look for the Bucs’ more talented trio of tight ends, including Cameron Brate, to have their way down the seam on Sunday. And the Bucs will also make more use of the screen game against a young, and inexperienced Carolina defense.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and WR Justin Watson – Photo by: Getty Images

• Godwin will miss this Sunday’s game against the Panthers after being a Wednesday addition to the concussion protocol from a fourth quarter hit to the head he suffered in New Orleans from a hit by safety D.J. Swearinger. While Scotty Miller’s role will likely increase with Godwin out of the line up, don’t look for Miller to move inside to the slot. Instead, look for Justin Watson to take most of Godwin’s reps in the slot, as that position is crucial in the Bucs’ run-blocking game. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Watson is bigger and a more effective blocker than the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Miller, who will continue to get most of his reps playing outside receiver.

• Led by third-year cornerback Carlton Davis III, the Bucs secondary deserves a lot of credit for holding Saints wide receivers Michael Thomas (three catches for 17 yards) and Emmanuel Sanders (three catches for 15 yards, one touchdown) to a combined six catches for 32 yards and one TD. However, the Saints receivers are slow, as Thomas is a possession receiver, and the 33-year old Sanders, who once ran a 4.4, has lost a step over the years. The match-up against Carolina presents a much different challenge for Tampa Bay’s cornerback trio of Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean, in addition to safeties Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Jordan Whitehead. The Panthers receiving corps of Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel has speed to burn, and this Sunday figures to be much more of a track meet than last Sunday’s game in New Orleans.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Getty Images

• There was a reason why the Bucs only gave left tackle Donovan Smith a three-year contract extension in 2018 with just two years of guaranteed money attached. You saw the reason on Sunday when Smith had a hand in giving up two sacks and multiple pressures in New Orleans. The Bucs were absolutely miffed at Smith’s poor play in the first game of his sixth season in the league. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht is no stranger at drafting offensive linemen, having selected seven O-linemen in seven years running the team’s draft, including right tackle Tristan Wirfs in the first round this year. Licht won’t hesitate to target a tackle in the early rounds in 2021 to replace Smith if he doesn’t show marked improvement as the season progresses. Smith gave up sacks to reserve defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Carl Granderson last Sunday and will go up against another underwhelming opponent this Sunday in Carolina’s Stephen Weatherly, who only has six career sacks in five seasons. Smith’s bounce-back must start against the Panthers this week.