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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions. @PewterReport Twitter accounts are added to the Bucs Mailbag weekly. Submit your questions to the Bucs Mailbag weekly via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucks questions we chose to answer in this week’s issue.
Question: How many losses does Todd Bowles have to lose before his seat starts to heat up?
Bucks HC Todd Bowles and OL Nick Leverett – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: That’s a good question. The answer is that there will be more losses. Todd Bowles’ record as head coach in Tampa Bay is 11-12, with one loss in the playoffs. Tampa Bay is currently 3-3 with two losses to very good NFC teams in Philadelphia and Detroit, and a really bad loss in a winnable game against Atlanta on Sunday.
The Glazers give every coach they hire a minimum two-year appointment. And I’m curious to see what they think of last year, when Bowles was chosen by Bruce Arians to be his successor. The Bucs lost 8-9, but won the district championship. In Week 18, they held a 10-point lead against Atlanta, but they pulled their starters at halftime and lost the game, finishing with an 8-9 record instead of 9-8.
The Bucks then lost to the Cowboys in the home playoffs. So if the Glazers consider last year a success, as Tampa Bay won the division and made the playoffs, Bowles has a longer lead. Raheem Morris and Dirk Koetter were given a three-year reprieve for both as Morris’ 2010 team went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs, but the 2016 team was similarly one of Koetter’s. Despite having a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, they missed the postseason.
The good news for Bowles is that time is on his side. The Bucks are currently .500 and still have a lot of football left to play. After Thursday night’s game, Tampa Bay still has 10 games left in the season and will look to get back on track, score more points and try to win the division.
Question: Accountability! Where is it? How many losses will it take for Todd Bowles to get fired? He took the job because his best friend gave it to him. Jason Licht and the owners should have interviewed other people like they would any other job.
Bucks GM Jason Licht, co-owners Darcy Glazer Kassewitz and Joel Glazer, head coach Todd Bowles, and senior football consultant Bruce Arians – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: There is no question that Todd Bowles has taken over the head coaching job from Bruce Arians. Bruce Arians suddenly retired on March 30, two weeks after free agency, handing over the team to defensive coordinator. However, the Glazers and general manager Jason Richt approved the move. All political parties supported Bowles’ promotion.
At the time, the move didn’t seem like a bad idea. Tampa Bay posted a franchise-best 13-4 record in 2021, and Bowles’ defense played a big role in those 13 wins. Not to mention the Bucks’ victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV and keeping Patrick Mahomes out. end zone.
As mentioned above, Bowles is currently 11-12 as Tampa Bay’s head coach and 3-3 on the year. His defense has been Tampa Bay’s best unit over the past two seasons and has played extremely well this year, especially in the red zone. The Bucs defense is allowing just 17.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. The weakness of Bowles’ defense is third-down defense, which ranks last in the league.
Let’s see how the Bucs do going forward and if they win enough games to keep him off the hot seat and get hired in Tampa Bay for another season. If the Bucks lose their next two games at Buffalo and Houston, it will be their fourth straight loss and five of their last six. If that happens, I think Bowles will be squarely in the spotlight at that point.
Question: Can we please stop acting like Baker Mayfield is the future? Todd Bowles needs to go and Dave Canales is overrated.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and HC Todd Bowles – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: We covered Todd Bowles in the previous two questions, so let’s focus on Baker Mayfield. He has thrown an interception in each of the last four games, which is just as alarming as Tampa Bay’s 1-3 record in those games.
Still, Mayfield, who has eight touchdowns and four interceptions this year with a 65.2 percent completion percentage, isn’t the problem, and it’s not the reason the Bucks can’t win.
At the same time, outside of his three-touchdown performance in New Orleans, Mayfield hasn’t exactly been a solution either. Is he a difference-maker as a quarterback? Either way, I don’t think we have enough information yet.
Mayfield looked very good as a playmaker in road wins at Minnesota and New Orleans. For some reason, that play didn’t translate at home, where the Bucks were 1-3. We’re not even halfway through the year yet, so I’ll hold off on making a decision on Mayfield’s future in Tampa Bay for a few more weeks.
Question: Is there a reason he hasn’t thrown any screen passes? How many points will Scott Reynolds score against Dave Canales this year?
answer: Now, let’s talk about Dave Canales. The Bucs offense has regressed in terms of touchdowns scored. After scoring a season-high 26 points and three red zone TDs in New Orleans. The Bucks are 0-4 in their last four trips to the red zone. They lost to Detroit and Atlanta. Tampa Bay can’t win unless they score a touchdown.
The Bucs’ red zone offense went 0-for-2 in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. The conversion rate dropped to 37.5 percent, tied with the Saints for 28th out of 32 teams. Only the Titans, Giants, and Jets are worse. Last year he was 22nd and in 2021 he was 2nd.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 23, 2023
The running game is terrible and there’s a lot of blame to be found. Run game coordinator Harold Goodwin and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert are holdovers from last year, when the Bucs had the worst rushing attack in the league. They deserve some blame.
Bucs RG Cody Mauch, C Robert Hainsey, LG Matt Feiler, QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Interior’s offensive line, which consists of center Robert Hainsey and guards Matt Feiler and Cody Mauch, hasn’t been pushed much. While offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke are playing good football, the tight ends can’t block, which hurts the perimeter run. The offense is predictable as Cade Otton is weak at the point of attack and Ko Kieft is a one-dimensional tight end.
And finally, the Bucs don’t have a running back with the ability to accelerate the hole or break tackles and gain yards after contact. To be honest, it’s more of a Jason Licht problem than a Canales problem.
Still, Canales is an offensive coordinator. He gets paid to figure out what’s working, do more of it, and do less of what isn’t working. The catch-22 is that if he avoids doing things the offense is bad at, it will never improve and, in some cases, will not be a strength for the team.
Canales wisely took advantage of the Bucs’ strength in the passing game against the Falcons, forcing Baker Mayfield to pass 45 times and running the ball just 17 times. Where Canales needs to improve the most is designing and calling plays that produce touchdowns in the red zone. My current rating for Canales is in the “D” range and is on a downward trend.
Question: Will we be trading for a running back or tank at this point in the draft? What we’re doing just isn’t working.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: I’ve been advocating for the Bucs to trade running backs like Denver’s Javonte Williams and Philadelphia’s Rashard Penny. From what I’ve heard, the Bucks will be taking over Penny, who is buried on the Eagles’ roster. I think that’s a mistake because he knows the offense from five years in Seattle and could be a late draft pick.
I want to see the Bucks trade. Broncos running back Javonte Williams He rushed for 82 yards against the Packers on Sunday, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Williams, the No. 35 overall pick in 2021, has a year and a half left on his rookie contract and could return the tackle-breaking, quick running back to the Bucs stable and give Tampa Bay’s run game a chance to make a splash.
But it would likely take a third-round pick to lure Williams away from Denver. He’s not necessarily on the trade block in Denver. General manager Jason Richt already spent two third-round picks on Keshawn Vaughn and Rashard White, but neither worked out.
A third-round pick invested in a proven runner like Williams could pay off quickly. He will enter a contract year next season and is highly motivated to enter his big year.
At 3-3, the Bucks aren’t ready for the draft. I can guarantee that. Despite Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, Tampa Bay is still very much in contention for the NFC South title. As a result, we do not expect any fire sale transactions by Richt.
Question: If Trey Palmer has speed, why isn’t he used on diagonal passes?
Bucks WR Trey Palmer – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: That’s a good question. Route usage typically depends on the type of coverage the attack is facing. Slants are rarely used in Tampa Bay’s offense. According to NFL Savant, the Bucs used the slant 7.18% of the time, and he completed 9 of 13 (69.2%) for 90 yards and a 6.92 average.
The two most commonly referred to routes are hitch and out. The Bucs completed 28-of-35 (80%) for 358 yards and a gain of 10.23 yards per reception. Hitch calls occur 19.34% of the time. Tampa Bay completed 24 of 32 (75%) for 216 yards and 6.75 yards per catch. Outs were used 17.68% of the time.
Trey Palmer has very good speed and taking the ball while moving at full speed is the right decision. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield missed two deep shots in the game against Palmer and the Lions. Perhaps a more complete throw to Palmer on the bottom who can gain yards after the catch should be called.
