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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions. @PewterReport This week’s Twitter account can be found at Bucs Mailbag. 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: Would you rate the performance of Baker Mayfield and the offensive coordinator? You’re quick to blame Todd Bowles and the defense.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Raiders DE Maxx Crosby – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: Yes, Baker Mayfield didn’t play well right after starting. sunday’s game 9 of 11 completion for 110 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions. Mayfield’s QB rating in the first quarter was 147.9. But then his situation started to unfold. He finished the game 18 of 29 for 295 yards, including three touchdowns and two interceptions, but after the first quarter he was 9 of 18 for 185 yards. He only had two interceptions and one fumble. All three times the results were disastrous. 2nd Q – And late in the game, Jaylen McMillan scored.
After building a 14-0 lead, Mayfield looked very uncomfortable in the pocket, had difficulty scrambling, rushed for 12 yards on two carries, and was sacked four times. The offensive line was OK, but the pass protection wasn’t great. The main reason was that Mayfield couldn’t find open receivers and looked spooked after having a screen pass intercepted in the second quarter. The play seemed to scare him for some reason. Mayfield, who has thrown a combined four interceptions in the last two games, took responsibility for his poor performance after the game.
“I think I was probably the worst player offensively so far, but our guys stepped up when we needed to and they executed,” Mayfield said.
Todd Bowles’ team played pretty well in the game, holding a struggling Raiders offense to just 13 points on Sunday. Tampa Bay’s defense has allowed just 43 total points in the three games since the bye week, which equates to an average of just 14.3 points per game. That’s a far cry from the 31.3 points per game the Bucks defense was succumbing to during the team’s four-game losing streak prior to the bye, which resulted in the team slumping to 4-6 on the year.
Tampa Bay hasn’t played the high-powered offense of late that defenses played earlier in the season like Detroit, Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia, all top-10 units, but the unit limits the offense of lower-ranked teams. Score for doing what you need to do. Bowles and the Bucks’ defense deserve a lot of credit for their work since the bye week.
As for your criticism of Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen, we’ll discuss his role in Sunday’s victory in the next answer.
question: Is Liam Cohen outthinking himself by taking himself out of the running game for long games?
Bucks OC Liam Cohen and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen did Baker Mayfield no favors in the second quarter, calling just four 19-yard run plays and 11 pass plays for a 14-0 lead. He recorded three sacks, two interceptions, and one pass play. Forced fumble. Now that I think about it, I think that was a mistake considering the results, right? Tampa Bay had built a two-touchdown lead, so it seemed like it would be a good idea to rely on the running game.
But there’s nothing wrong with sticking with what’s working. Mayfield started the game by completing nine of his first 11 passes. Lo and behold, after the first quarter, he was on pace to gain 440 yards and eight touchdowns. In my 30 years of covering Bucs football, I’ve seen far too many offensive coordinators actually help the opposing defense instead of stupidly working before the defense can stop it. I’ve seen it.
Mayfield’s first interception came on a screen pass, a very athletic play by Raiders edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. He then fumbled the ball after being sacked on a blitz. Mayfield’s worst turnover came just before halftime when he threw a very ill-advised pass to tight end Cade Otton, who was double-covered in the end zone. The Bucks gave up at least three points in a game that was 14-10 at the time.
So Cohen probably could have called more runs in the second quarter. But that was also the time when Bucky Irving’s back and hip injuries worsened, and the coaching staff wasn’t sure if he would be available.
This is what I say about Cohen: Even though he and the offense struggled with penalties and some poor plays in the second and third quarters, Tampa Bay still gained 420 yards, including 152 on the ground, completed 41.7% on third down, and had no touchdowns. He gave up 4 knockdowns. I settle for any field goal. Cohen is still a rookie NFL play caller and is learning some lessons each week. If you want to criticize him, it’s hard to argue with Sunday’s final results and the results of the 2024 season as a whole. Tampa Bay ranks fifth in scoring. 27.9 points per game.
Question: Is Trey Palmer in someone’s doghouse, or has his role just diminished with less shooting downfield under Liam Cohen?
Bucks WR Trey Palmer – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: Indeed, Trey Palmer’s role in Liam Cohen’s offense has diminished. Cohen’s offense doesn’t have a lot of verticality, which kind of negates Palmer’s ability to attack deep with his 4.3 speed, which is what he does best. Palmer, the team’s sixth-round pick in 2023, caught 39 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season as the team’s No. 3 receiver last year. However, this year’s work falls short.
Through 13 games, Palmer only had 10 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. In 2024, he will share the No. 3 receiver role with rookie Jalen McMillan. Palmer, who didn’t have a single target in Sunday’s win over Las Vegas, was an inconsistent route runner and inconsistent pass catcher during his two years in Tampa Bay, but he ultimately became his true form. I think it’s a figure – wide receiver on day three.
I’d like to see more vertical elements in Cohen’s offense, but Tampa Bay is only averaging about 28 points per game and ranks sixth in passing yards with 241 per game, so the results are debatable. There isn’t. Baker Mayfield has completed 70 percent of his passes and has 28 touchdown passes, which is currently the third-most in the league. He’s already tied his career high with four games left.
So Cohen isn’t necessarily going to fix what isn’t broken, and alluded to that when asked about the lack of deep shots in Thursday’s press conference.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” Cohen said. “I think we have enough ways to get the ball where we want it, and yeah, I’d like to be able to throw it a lot down the field. [but] That’s still not quite our MO. I don’t know if that will be consistent over the next four or five weeks. I think we’ve definitely been able to put the ball deeper, but so far it hasn’t had a big impact on our system. ”
question: Why don’t we see more of Sean Tucker? He produces every time he plays.
Bucks RB Sean Tucker – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: The answer to this question is very simple. It’s not like Sean Tucker is playing more. Bucky Irving and Rathard White are simply better and more well-rounded Bucks at this point. Irving led the team with 735 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. The rookie also had 36 catches for 300 yards in the passing game. White stepped up with 90 yards rushing and two catches for 19 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-13 win over Las Vegas, but Irving was sidelined early with a hip and back injury. I left.
White has rushed for 509 yards and three touchdowns this year, averaging a career-best 4.2 yards per carry. Perhaps more importantly, he is the Bucs’ best receiving back, with 41 receptions for 322 yards and five scores. And with his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame and desire as a blocker, White is clearly the best back in terms of pass protection.
As for Tucker, he made the most of his three carries against the Raiders, gaining 47 yards, including an explosive 34-yard jump. In limited action, Tucker rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Looking at average-like rushing numbers, everyone wonders how many yards Tucker could get if he took more attempts, right?
But when a player is a third-string running back, he has to do everything right to continue to earn the coaching staff’s trust. Tucker fell on Sunday and fumbled the ball at the goal line against New York. Unfortunately, these little things relegate him to the role of No. 3 running back. But offensive coordinator Liam Cohen trusts him enough to use him cautiously. Tucker just needs to play perfect football when he’s in the game with a limited number of touches, and should be able to get more carries and catches in the future.
Question: The defense against the Raiders was terrible, but I want to be fair to Todd Bowles. Yesterday, how much was it because we really didn’t have anyone who could play on defense sometimes? We were more “duct tape fanatics” than the Buccaneers. Additionally, while Tampa Bay’s defense struggled against Carolina, so did Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: Bucs head coach Todd Bowles deserves a lot of credit as his defense has had to deal with a myriad of injuries this year. In fact, it was ridiculous, especially in the secondary. Every starter except Zion McCollum has missed at least two games due to injury. The safety position is ravaged by injuries, with Antwon Winfield Jr. missing four games with a foot injury and now with a knee injury. Jordan Whitehead is on injured reserve with a pectoral muscle injury, while substitute Mike Edwards is out with a hamstring injury.
As it stands, Christian Isien and Kayvon Merriweather are likely to start next week against the Chargers in Los Angeles, with practice squad safety Ryan Neal promoted to backup. Thankfully, Tykie Smith was able to return for Sunday’s game against Las Vegas after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
when healthy, or at least healthier – Tampa Bay’s defense played a huge role in the team defeating the likes of Washington, Detroit, and Philadelphia. All of these teams are in the top eight in scoring, averaging over 26 points per game. The Commanders were held to 20 points, the Lions were held to just 16 points against the Bucks, and Bowles’ unit held the Eagles to just 14 of Philadelphia’s 16 points.
Despite being without Whitehead, Edwards, linebackers KJ Britt and JJ Russell, outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Soyinka and Winfield for much of the game on Sunday, Bowles’ defense was He held the Raiders to just 13 points. Getting the job done with backup players and duct tape is quite a feat.
