Bucs Monday Mailbag: Which Rookies Impressed?

Managing your loved ones’s wealth means extra to Amuni Monetary than merely allocating your property. It means legacy planning, brokerage & advisory companies, retirement accounts, faculty financial savings accounts and insurance coverage companies. With 40 years of expertise, let Amuni Monetary provide help to plan forward and keep forward.

Name Amuni Monetary at (800) 868-6864 or go to Amuni.com.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds solutions your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account every week within the Bucs Monday Mailbag. Submit your query to the Bucs Monday Mailbag every week by way of Twitter utilizing the hashtag #PRMailbag. Listed here are the questions we selected to reply for this week’s version.

QUESTION: Have been there any performances that shocked you on the Bucs rookie mini-camp – both in a great way or a foul method?

ANSWER: I believe there are 4 gamers that actually stood out to the Pewter Reporters who watched the Bucs’ rookie mini-camp. Logan Corridor, the workforce’s first decide, seemed larger than anticipated. At 6-foot-6, 290 kilos, he’s not the sunshine, undersized defensive sort out that was written and talked about earlier than the draft. Corridor admitted that he performed final yr at 270 kilos for Houston. However he’s beefed up for his rookie season and seemed very athletic and fluid when doing the bag drills and in 11-on-11s.

Operating again Rashaad White simply appears the half. His construct and the best way he strikes simply resembles an NFL operating again. White has pure palms and catches the ball effortlessly. When he runs the ball, he simply glides on the sphere with lengthy strides. I’ve maintained that White will beat out Ke’Shawn Vaughn for the No. 2 operating again spot behind Leonard Fournette this yr. After watching White in rookie mini-camp, I really feel even higher about that prediction.

Cornerback Zyon McCollum is as athletic as marketed. The 6-foot-2 cornerback seemed easy and quick on the observe subject, and felt snug selecting up the primary set up of the Bucs’ protection. He’ll star on particular groups as a rookie, however he has the psychological make-up and bodily traits to be a starter at some point. How rapidly that occurs will depend on how quickly he learns the playbook and if he maintains his confidence after taking a number of lumps going in opposition to the workforce’s beginning receivers.

The final rookie who actually impressed is undrafted free agent receiver Jerreth Sterns. He’s not as quick as Deven Thompkins, however he will get open and catches the whole lot. He makes it look straightforward. He’s a “regular Eddie” in the best way Adam Humphries was popping out of Clemson, though I believe Sterns is faster. Second-round decide Luke Goedeke received rave critiques from the workforce over the weekend, however I’ve a tough time evaluating offensive linemen with out pads on.

The Bucs are anticipated to signal three tryout gamers from the rookie mini-camp, too.

QUESTION: When the rookies lastly go full velocity in opposition to the vets, which one-on-one match up are you most excited to see from our 2022 draft class?

ANSWER: Nice query. Despite the fact that the pads gained’t be on throughout OTAs, it is going to be enjoyable to see a few of the rookies sq. off in opposition to the veterans. Logan Corridor going in opposition to a veteran like Shaq Mason will actually take a look at the rookie’s capacity to remain low. Corridor is 6-foot-6 and must have excellent knee bend to keep up correct pad degree. Mason is 6-foot-1, and the low man wins in soccer within the trenches. How Corridor anchors and handles double groups from Mason and middle Ryan Jensen will even be fascinating to look at.

Luke Goedeke will likely be competing at left guard and likes to get after defensive linemen. However he’s by no means gone up in opposition to the likes of a 347-pounder that strikes the best way Vita Vea does. His first couple of matchups in opposition to the Professional Bowl nostril sort out will likely be fascinating to look at. Vea has at all times been sturdy, however now at age 27, he’s getting a few of that “grown man power.” The 23-year outdated Goedeke is constructed like a block of granite, however will likely be examined in opposition to Vea.

Cornerback Zyon McCollum is tall and quick. He’ll get totally different assessments from veteran receivers Mike Evans and Russell Gage. Evans is 6-foot-5 and the Professional Bowler will current a problem from a measurement and bodily standpoint. McCollum’s agility and athleticism will likely be examined by Gage’s velocity and shiftiness off the road of scrimmage. Plus, it is going to be fascinating to see Gage in motion in purple and pewter for the primary time in OTAs.

QUESTION: Given his new position with the workforce, do you count on to see Bruce Arians on the sphere at practices, or hanging out with Jason Licht to assist consider the expertise and work in direction of the ultimate 53? Or do you assume his position is extra behind the scenes and searching in direction of subsequent yr’s draft?

ANSWER: Bruce Arians will likely be at practices with basic supervisor Jason Licht to assist consider the expertise and maintain the very best 53 gamers. Arians was not on the Bucs’ rookie mini-camp, and it is going to be fascinating to see what number of OTAs he attends this offseason. I believe he needs to provide Todd Bowles some area to totally take over as head coach earlier than he begins roaming the sidelines with Licht and the workforce’s personnel scouts.

Arians informed me that he’ll most likely skip the primary week of coaching camp and hold again in Lake Oconee, Georgia. We’ll see if that’s nonetheless the plan. I believe it is going to be laborious for the 69-year outdated Arians, who has coached on the faculty or professional degree for 47 years, to not need to coach in OTAs or in coaching camp. Teaching is in Arians’ blood, in order that will likely be a special and distinctive problem for him.

The good factor is that Arians employed this teaching employees, so he can nonetheless really feel snug speaking what he sees from the sidelines to the assistants. Then, the assistants can talk that to the gamers after observe in workforce conferences whereas watching movie. Will probably be a special position for Arians for positive. However he and Licht have labored extraordinarily nicely collectively for the previous three years. I believe Arians’ focus will likely be extra on this yr’s roster than looking forward to subsequent yr’s draft.

QUESTION: Now that we all know the Bucs are bringing again the old fashioned unis, I’m wondering what sport it is going to be, if just one. A house sport or highway sport? And what combo will they use? Orange jersey and white pants? Or white jerseys and white pants – or orange on orange? Can’t wait!

ANSWER: The throwback sport will likely be one sport and it is going to be a house sport in 2023. Remember the fact that the Bucs’ alternate uniform is the all pewter look. So, the throwback sport with the orange Bucco Bruce uniforms will likely be a one-game affair. Probably in opposition to a former NFC Central opponent. Tampa Bay simply occurs to play the NFC North groups in 2023.

So, trying on the 2023 schedule, except for the Falcons, Panthers and Saints, the Bucs additionally host the Bears and Lions. My guess is that Tampa Bay can have the throwback sport in opposition to both Chicago or Detroit. That makes essentially the most sense. The opposite groups the Bucs will play in Tampa Bay are Jacksonville and Tennessee, along with a yet-to-be-determined NFC East opponent.

The Bucs’ first throwback sport got here in 2009 and resulted in a 38-28 upset over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Josh Freeman and Sammie Stroughter have been the heroes of that sport. The Bucs did such an ideal job on the throwback video games from 2009-12 with the appear and feel of the stadium from the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties music to the orange and white banners across the bowels of Raymond James Stadium. The workforce has solely worn orange jerseys and white pants for the throwback video games. I think that development will proceed. Can’t wait till the subsequent throwback sport subsequent yr.

QUESTION: Has Ali Marpet completed sufficient to earn Bucs Ring of Honor?

ANSWER: That’s an ideal query, and one which I don’t know the reply to. The one factor I do know is that regardless that Tom Brady is again, Ali Marpet will keep retired. The Bucs drafted his alternative in second-rounder Luke Goedeke. So, Marpet’s taking part in profession lasted solely seven years.

The Glazers are the one ones that know the standards to what makes a Bucs Ring of Honor inductee. They’ve by no means made that standards recognized to the general public. There have been some apparent decisions in recent times, comparable to Mike Alstott, Ronde Barber and Corridor of Famers like Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy and John Lynch.

I believe Marpet was an excellent offensive lineman for the Bucs. My standards for the Bucs Ring of Honor is as follows. Did that participant make an affect on the franchise by making his mark within the Bucs’ document guide? Have been the Bucs winners as a result of that participant’s contributions? Did Tampa Bay make the playoffs with that participant?

Marpet helped the Bucs win a Tremendous Bowl and make the playoffs in two seasons throughout his seven-year profession. He made a Professional Bowl in remaining NFL season, though he deserved to make it extra occasions than as soon as. I believe he’s been an excellent Buccaneer. However I wouldn’t race to place Marpet within the Bucs Ring of Honor.

I’m not going to say that Ali Marpet shouldn’t be deserving of the Bucs Ring of Honor. However I believe that Hardy Nickerson, Simeon Rice, Tony Mayberry and James Wilder need to be in there earlier than Marpet does. Mayberry was the primary offensive lineman to make a Professional Bowl and made three straight from 1997-99. He’s essentially the most adorned inside offensive lineman in Tampa Bay historical past. From an offensive lineman standpoint, Mayberry deserves to make the Bucs Ring of Honor earlier than Marpet does, for my part.