Welcome to Bucks Insider, coming to you from Bucks Studio, presented by Ticketmaster. I'm Scott Smith, and here with me is Brianna Dix. Not here today is Casey Phillips, but don't worry, she'll be back next week. So I don't know. We're just gonna stand here awkwardly and which somebody asks us questions.
We got it.
I trust We'll do the normal things, not exact a little twist because there's no game to talk about coming off the bye week, So we're gonna look back at the first ten weeks of the season coming up to the by hit on some of the major points up to there. We'll still talk about the Giants game in a little bit that's coming up on Sunday, hit some fantasy,
some trivia, injury updates, that's a big one. Yes, yeah, But before we do any of that, there's a little there's actually quite a bit of news regarding the Buccaneers cornerback situation this week. First of all, Jammel Dean had his twenty one day practice window open. He's on injury reserve, but he is now practicing with the team and can be activated at any point. I think there's a lot of hope he'll actually be back this week.
Yes, that would help solidify be back and we will.
Love to see it.
Yeah. And then also Troy Hill, another veteran with a lot of experience, because this has been a very young cornerback with Jamel Dean out and you know Carlson Davis now in Detroit and Zion McCollum is has been your number one, but he's he's only in his third year and his first year as a full time starter, So getting Troy Hill in the mix two. Both those guys, Troy and Jabelle are on the injury report though, so we still have to see how it all shakes out
by the end of the week. Yes, we'll talk about injuries in a minute. First of all, looking back at the first ten weeks of the season, we want to talk about our offensive and defensive MVPs to this point. Start with offense. It's probably a pretty obvious answer, but we can talk about the camp, right, so go ahead, you tell me first.
So I think one of the obvious options would obviously be Baker Fa and what he's been able to do, I mean just the theatrics, the tight windows, the scrambles, his insane.
Patrick.
I don't even want to say Patrick Mahomes esque arm with Nick Bosa.
That was just a sensational play.
But I think I'm gonna touch a little bit on Caate Aughton because I think with the injuries to Mike Evans, to Chris Godwin and what this offense has traditionally been predicated on is their production their ability in this offense.
But Kate Aughton, I'm gonna.
I'm gonna do a little bit of your thunder and do some stats. But he leads all tight ends with one thousand, five hundred and eighty three offensive snaps played since the start of the twenty twenty three season. That is two hundred and seven more than the next closest tight end. And I think it's really kind of unprecedented at what he's doing. I mean, really, other than Kate Aughton, probably other than George Kittle, there really aren't any Titans in the NFL that are.
Doing what he's doing.
He's on the field every single play and that is just a testament to not only his blocking ability. I can't even tell you how many times I've looked at runs on tape and it's Kate and that's ceiling off of edge or he's picking up a looping linebacker. But so not only his ability in the run game, but like you've mentioned, we're seeing a lot more of those routes that were traditionally given to Chris Godwin, and those are things that Cad has been able.
To do, we just haven't necessarily seen them.
So the option routes, the outbreakers, the wheel routes that he's doing at a high level now. But to not have your two top offensive weapons that this system is built around, but to not have a drop off with Caate Onton I think has been I think he's been kind of the big, a big X factor this.
Year for the Buck. I'm glad you gave Kate all that credit and it's certainly well deserving. I think the choice, though, if you have to pick one offensive MEP is a Baker may right. Anytime you have a top five scoring offense, which the Buccaneers do, and you have a quarterback performing at a high level, the quarterback is clearly MVP and
he's thrown twenty five touchdown passes. I don't know after the buye I forgot to check, but going into the buy that was typed for the league lead, still has pass rating over one hundred and three, And you said, kind of briefly, just the the plays, the wow plays that he makes when he like on this one we're watching now, where he's breaking free from what seemed like sher sacks and getting the ball off when he's scrambling for seven yards on third and six and not sliding
at the end, he doesn't making sure to get the pike. There's the stiff arm play, which is it's our play of the year. You know, it was funny thing. I was talking to Jeff Ryan about this on our podcast, The Salty Dog's Shameless Plug. Next Gen Stats gave this a forty two point nine percent not that one, but the stiff arm one. Forty two point nine percent expected completion rate. That seems way too high.
That he was just thinking, I don't think that's.
Taking into account that he's stiff arming the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year for about fifteen yards. Yeah, right, at the same time. So in any case, an amazing play. One other choice I'd like to throw out there, even though I woul think Baker's the obvious answer, and it's kind of gimmicky, but I would say, the offensive line as a whole. Ye, if this offensive line wasn't performing at the level that it has been, this offense wouldn't
be putting up these gun numbers. All starts there, and Baker Mayfield will be the first one to tell you that. So if you have to pick one guy, I guess Tristan Wurf's. I don't think he's been credited with allowing sack yet, So a lot of good options there, but it's Baker, right, Yeah, all right, let's look at defense. Then, who's your defensive MVP? So far?
I want to go with nose tackle Vidavea, and he leads the Bucks with five sacks, but he has the most sacks by a nose tackle since twenty nineteen with twenty five and a half. And I feel like at a position that's kind of been known for the guy of the eats up blocks, the guy that commands double teams,
the guy the two gaps. I think what he's able to do, how he penetrates the backfield, but really, I mean he kind of sets the tone for the Bucks run defense, but also just his his power to drive people back to press, just how he overwhelms centers and guards at the point of attack. I don't think there's a guy in the NFL that is quite as dominant.
And I always go back to when.
Jason Kelsey retired and one of the first things he said was, I just don't I have it in me to go against me to Bay one more time. And I think that just is kind of sums everything up of his ability in the Bucks.
One thing I want to point out, because we've been using these stats for several weeks, step in a row about nose tackles because we're about to play the Giants whatever these numbers are coming from, and previously I think we've said he leads NFL nose tackles and sacks this year, and we're using whatever stats service that's coming from has its players in certain positions. Dexter Lawrence must not be listed as a nose tackle in that because he has nine sacks and he is on the Giants dep chart
the nose tackle. So Giants fans, in case you're watching this, we're not short short of thing. Yes, Dexter Lawrence, if he counts as a nose tackle, then he definitely has to lead. But that doesn't mean Vida hasn't had a great season, and I agree, it's not as easy on the defensive side as it is on the offensive side, where there's a clear choice. It's been more of a group effort, and there's been injuries to a lot of different players along the line that have made it hard
to pick them. I think Elijah Cansi's made a real big impact since he got back, but we can't ignore that he missed four or five games, right. Oh, Also, I forgot to throw in an offense. If Chris Godwin hadn't got hurt, he'd be the closest competitor the crown. But the other guy I think I would just bring up is on defense, as Zion McCall. He started out really,
really hot. There's been a little bit of ups and downs in recent weeks, and maybe that has a little bit to do with jaml being out, but he's still dominated in some games. In the last couple of games before the bye, he just wasn't getting targeted, and that tells me that the opposing quarterbacks know that that's not the side of the feel I want to go to.
So he only got targeted eight times on seventy pass covered snaps in those last two games, So he's deserving in the mix, but I think I would also pick Betu when I.
Left what Todd Bowles has said too about just his ability and his growth in those open field tackles and not leaving his feet too early, because that was kind of one of the big things. I think his first years are going through that learning, but that's something that kind of has drastically gotten better for him, and I think you're kind of seeing the fruition of that.
Okay, all right, one more category about the first ten games, not about a player in particular. Just let this might be a cool exercise. What do you think has been the most consequential moment of the season so far? And that can be good or bad.
This was That's a tough one, but I think I'm gonna go with Chris Godwin.
Give him some love.
But Chris Godwin's fifty five yard touchdown against the Saints in Week six, and he had his second touchdown, so the second quarter is one I feel like.
We would all like to forget.
Baker Mayfield uncharacteristically through three interceptions, which two of them came off to flected passes, but then Chris Godwin kind of built that momentum back for the Bucks. We never relinquished the lead after that, but took the jet motion Baker Mayfield checked it down to Godwin who accelerated for fifty five yard touchdown. And I feel like to me, that was such a huge pivotal moment for the season in that game against a division.
Opponent, and it's what the offense has been lacking in the last few weeks. Right, Yeah, that's why you said there hasn't been a drop off. There has been a little bit of a drop off. It's still been pretty impressive of the way Liam Cohen and Baker Mayfield has still been able to make this offense work without Mike and Chris, but there has been a bit of a
drop off. I mean, our points scored have dropped from in the last five games from fifty one to thirty one to twenty six to twenty four to twenty So it's not a trend you like, right, But yeah, that play is really probably the best example of what the Bucks are missing without Chris. Maybe we'll get to the playoffs and we'll be back. He's mentioned it as a possibility. My moment is gonna go on the other side, Okay,
and it's not so great. And I'm gonna go with the game of the first game against Atlanta in Atlanta Levante, David had just intercepted a pass within two minutes to go, and it looked like that was gonna be it. It was on the Falcon side of the field and we had the ball. We ran once and then on second and
thirty eight lost three yards. On second and thirteen, Buckie E ran for seven yards, which would have made it third and six, and there was a holding call in one of our offensive linemen, and there was you can see on replay what seemed to be a pretty obvious face mask against Bucky, but the breast didn't see it. Either I'm seeing it wrong or they didn't see it. Yes, in any case, it wasn't there. It is I mean, that looks like a pace mass right in any case.
In any case, the point is that it wasn't called. So what would have been offsetting penalties is now a ten yard penny for the Bucks. So now it's second and twenty three back at the forty one yard line, whereas it would have been third and seven at the twenty four, which is well within Chase Mclock's range. The Buccaneers are leading by three at this point, right, they're really trying to run out the clock, but a score
would be nice as well. If you have that second down play run again and they were using they used all three of their timeouts after first, second, and third down, so when they got the ball back, they had no timeouts. If you have that third and seven run, maybe you get it maybe close enough to go for them four down or maybe a kick a field goal, which case
the Falcons need to get a touchdown. Uh, Instead we end up hunting and Kirk Cousins has just enough time to get in range for like a fifty two yard field goal and spikes the ball with one second to go. So you can see how just one more play, one more play could have ended that game for the Buccaneers. Not given them enough time or a field goal would have meant that Atlanta has to go the whole length of the field, and it doesn't seem like that enough
time to get there. I mean, they would have run the plays differently had they needed a touchdown, But I still feel like had that play stood or been allowed to be run again, there's a very very good chance
the Buccaneers win that game. Hold off and when they game thirty to twenty seven, and at that point we have a chance going into this weekend to move to five and six and be just one game out of first place with a and and then the tiebreaker with Atlanta is even cause we both would have won more game and so it's basically a seven week sprint to the finish between the Bucks and the Falcons, and it's pretty close, right, So to me, that's that was the
most consequential moment. To me, if I could go back and rev that one decision, I feel like things would be a lot better.
I think on a similar note, I would have to touch on the Anton Winfoo junior. Oh yeah, at the goal line where there was no goal on camera.
Yeah that's a good point.
Yep, because there was a camera.
But you know what, we're crying a little bit too much about spell milk. Right, let's get back to we digress. Let's get back to some positive talking. And usually when we're talking about injuries, that's not the most positive part of the show, but I think this week it is so give a yes, give it. We've had one injury report, we've had one practice. Give us an idea of how the injury report looks so the.
Practice window for Jamel Dean has opened, so he's back at practice. And then Mike Evans practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday, working his way back from the hamstring injury, and there is a chance he could be back this week and make his highly anticipated return. So he is certainly someone to watch to see how he works throughout the week. And then Zion McCullum was on the injury list with a hamstring injury and he did not practice on Wednesday.
Yeah, coach said that Zion and Tristan wirfs. So for that knee injury late in the last game that the Bucks actually in the second quarter of the San Francisco game, when he was limping off the field without being able to put weight on his knee, that looked really bad, right. Yeah, Well, the fact that he has a shot at playing this week, that he practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday, and that coach said it would be really close, he's the words really close for both him and Zion as game
day decisions now. As for Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield said he was talking to him on the breakfast field and said Mike sounded really optimistic about playing, so I think Bucks fans should be optimistic as well. He might be back. Yeah, that would be great, right, Yes, Jamell, Mike, maybe Zion, maybe Tristan. It's just the bye week helped a lot. So okay, well, moving on to trivia, and I've got a trigger question for you to read there and then we'll answer it at the end of the show.
Okay, who broke up the Giants two point conversion attempt with twenty eight seconds left in the Buccaneers twenty five, twenty three Monday Night football at MeTL Stadium during the twenty twenty season.
You were not with us yet, but I wasn't because it's Giant you were Cowboys, And.
Yes I do.
But and I will say when I read it, the person that I was thinking it probably was is okay good.
Probably a lot of Bucks fans that are in the case. He's gonna be mad at me because the one time she's not here I asked a trivia question about like just the last couple of years. Usually it's like from five h two, she's like, come on, she got here, thank you very much. She got it right last week though, yes, we can't let her have two in a row. Okay, Now, milestones, we like to look at some milestones that are coming up or could be achieved. And I noticed and did
the bath. Bucky Irving is on pace for one and fifty six yards from scrimmage, which is good, and it would be the first time that a Buck's rookie running back has topped a thousand yards from scrimmage since Doug Martin in twenty twelve. Bucks fans probably remember that season. Doug Martin, he actually had nineteen hundred and twenty four from scrimmage as a rookie, including two hundred and fifty one yards and four touchdowns in a win over Oakland
Raiders at the time, Wow, which was his hometown. So that was cool. The only Bucks that rushed for over I'm sorry, gained over a thousand yards from scrimmage as a rookie are now or Buckey not yet. But Doug Martin worked on Callack Williams, Eric Ratt and Langara Plant Wow, so pretty pretty exciting, nice sason for him. All right, now we'll move on to fantasy. This is the part where I usually do all the talking. Yeah, because you
and we're not with us today. Case you don't really care that much about fantasy football, so obviously, I think the big question for the Buccaneers in terms of fantasy football is the return of Mike Evans. Yes, and do you throw him if you have him on your team and you've obviously you've had to have him on your bench for weeks, now, do you throw him immediately back in? And I think this might be a point where you're a little cautious because the Giants pass defense has been
pretty good. Their pass rush is so good that it gives time, gives the a lot of opportunities for the back seven to make plays, and so you know, obviously, if you have a team where you don't have another receiver or two other receivers of the cowboy of Mike,
then you throw them in. But if you have three and you're trying to decide, you know, he's coming back from the injury, it's a tough defensive play again, and probably probably I would expect the Giants to double cover him as much as possible, So I'd be a little cautious with that one. But then if you're one of these people like I am who streams defenses, the Bucks have allowed the six most points in the NFL, so
they're not really getting streamed a lot. But they're playing a Giants team that is last in the NFL in scoring, and they're switching quarterbacks to Tommy DeVito, which we'll talk about a little bit, So this might be a good
time to pick up the Bucks stream them for the instance. Yeah, yep, okay, good, thanks for feedback on the fantast Okay, we'll talk a little bit about human interest stuff a little bit away from the football field, and then then turn this one over to you because you've had a lot to do with this.
Yes, So similar to the Jordan white headlong form that went out in week one, I thank you so much. The ya Ya d Auvi long form will be posted later this week. So little shameless ties, but I went to Atlanta and spent some time with ya Ya and his family, and so he spent the majority of his childhood in Guinea and is fluent in Minikita, which is one of the native languages of Guinea.
But just I mean his inspirational story was zero star recruit out of high school.
So we took a gap year and worked as a woelchair assistant at the Hartsville of Jackson International Airport, absolute purgatory, but worked as a wolchair assistant and then tried out at Georgia Military College, was a walk on gay to scholarship and then transferred to Louisville. And he had a lot of people in his life that were trying to tell him to give up on football, but he stayed
the course. So just absolutely cannot stress enough just what he has been through, but just what an uplifting story and what an honor it was to be able to go there and spend some time with his family going through some of their some of their pictures.
Did you go to his high school as well?
Mm, did you see a coach or we didn't, but it was funny so which he was laughing because it it's not exactly the best the best field, but they had a drum line that was just playing in the background, so it was a full it was the full atmosphere for.
You, a going back.
Very cool, all right, And finally let's talk about the Giants game coming up. Yes, both teams actually coming off of by both teams also trying to snap a losing streak. I mean the Bucks, you know, don't talk about it, but the Bucks have lost four in a row going into the by. The Giants had lost five in a row going into the by and had fallen to two and eight. So it's been a bit of a rough season for them, and now they've made a quarterback switch.
But before we talk about that, probably the greatest strength and we touched on a little bit already for the Giants in any category on either side the balls or a pass rush and Dexter Lawrence nine point zero seven getting that pressure up the middle. Dexter Lawrence has been double teamed, according to Next Gen Stats on sixty four point four percent of his pass RUSS snaps double teamed, and he still has nine sacks and twenty eight quarterback pressures.
So if you have a guy like sometimes that's the value of Videveya. Even when he's not getting to the quarterback, he's getting double team, which is freeing up you know, other but.
He's still even able to push to all guys to do.
Both to get double to soaka bubbles double teams and still be the best pass rusher on your team. They traded with Carolina for Brian Burns off the edge in the offseason. He's got six sacks, I think Aziz old Jilari has six sacks. They have a thirteen point zho nine percent sacks per pass play rate on defense that is number one in the entire NFL. So if there's anything that's a problem for the Buccaneers going in this game,
it's that. And Baker Mayfield was talking about that, how that's probably the number one concern, and it's obviously concerned for him. Having Tristan wurs in there would be very very nice, but Luke Gettiki just in school. If Tristan isn't playing, And then since they're getting so much pressure up the middle, you know, Graham Barton, that's a big test for Graham and he's had a really nice rookie season, but this is probably the biggest test that I'm open, yeah,
oh yeah. And then on the other side of the ball, the biggest news for the Giants obviously is they've chosen to switch quarterbacks and Daniel Jones is going to the bench, probably not gonna play again, because the obvious reason for them to bench Daniel Jones now is that they're considering moving on from him, yes, since there's no more guaranteed money in his contract and they are afraid of the twenty three million dollar injury guaranteed that he would be
guaranteed if he got hurt. That's kind of like what Denver did with Russell Wilson last year, and you see from time to time around the league. So whatever the reason for benching Daniel Jones, because they haven't said that, it's just conjecture. Tommy DeVito, Tommy Cutlets is back in the lineup. He was a really big sensation late last season. Tell that's what you know about him.
Yeah, so a little small sample size.
But when he made to start last year as undrafted rookie due to injuries to Daniel Jones Tyrod Taylor, he won three games, won the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Week when they beat Green Bay on Monday Night Football, and the win against Washington was the first time for Dable that a Giants quarterback threw three touchdown passes really in that game. Yes, so Tommy DeVito, but I think you've just seen how he's energized the fan base last
year with that kind of that underdog narrative. But just I mean, he has the present strong arm, good zip on those intermediate throws, So I think he's a guy that certainly brings intrigue for the Giants.
Apparently he does not any longer live in his parents' home twelve mile drive from the stadium last year, which was one of the reason why the fans loved him. So he's moving up in the world. Yeah, he won three games. A couple things to note about Tommy as compared to Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones is really an underratedly good runner and he picks up a lot of big
plays with his legs. Tommy DeVito probably is not that caliber runner, but he's still pretty mobile and both coaches several coaches have already noted this week that he does move around really well and is able to extend plays and get the passes off. The other big difference is that he is his numbers on passes outside the numbers
are significantly better than Daniel Jones. So if you're facing Daniel Jones, you're probably more worried about the middle of field, and when you're facing Tommy DeVito, you have to worry a little bit more about staff, which may be good for us because if the Buck Stefens has had problems this year, it's kind of been done the minute Anyway, Tommy DeVito back in the saddle, we get the first crack at him and should be fun. Yeah, So anyway, and then finally moving on from just Tommy DeVito to
the rest of the Giants offense. You can't argue with the fact that they're last in the league. Is scoring, they're pretty low, they're lasting the league and passing yards. I believe they're pretty low in a lot of categories, but they're not. The coupp doesn't bear there for Tommy DeVito, He's gotten elite neighbors who they picked sixth overall and has been really good as something like sixty one catches.
Hasn't been getting down the field a whole lot, only averaging ten yards of reception, but he runs really nice routes, could run all the routes and has had a very nice rookie season and coach Coach Bowles said yesterday that he thinks he has all the talents that are needed to at some point, not too long for now, be one of the best receivers in the league. And then emerging more recently is their fifth round pick, running back
Tyrone Tracy, who really has looked good. You know, they obviously they let sick on Barkley move on, and not every Giants fan is thrilled about that decision, especially since he's killing it in Philadelphia and Devin Singletary they brought in to be their number one, but this rookie has kind of taken over that role in recent weeks and looked really, really good. I know that mainly because I was able to pick him up on my fantasy team.
Nice. Yeah, one hundred yards in two of their previous three.
Games, and I feel like he just kind of has that elusiveness, the power, but kind of the lateral jump cuts and then with neighbors, I feel like one of the things that I remember.
Out him when we the Monk draft Scott.
Our favorite time of the year, but was the kind of the speed variations that whole use. But also he's kind of that that guy that could burn you with the top speeds. So I feel like, which if you get Jamaldine back this week, obviously his speed ability going up against their guys, but I am excited.
To see what that turns up for.
Yeah, it should be a fun game. All right. Well, we've got to the end here now, so I'll reveal the trivia answer now. You thought you had it, so why don't you go ahead?
It is.
Yeah, consistently, yes, I was like, you know, consistently. I was like, I'm just going to go with Antoine, and the insure was like, I can picture the play.
It was kind of like a shallow out along the goal line and he broke it up. It was Antoine Winfield. Denna Rookie broke up Daniel Jones's pass intended for Dion Lewis on a two point conversion attempt to preserve the Buccaneers Monday Night football victory in the Meadowlands. And that was the Super Bowl season and the Giants were a little bit down at that point like they are now. So the Bucks were favored in that game and it was really close, and it have gone the other way.
A Fantoine had made the big light at the end.
Hmm.
So he's been doing that a lot.
Uh.
I think the one, the one big one he made this year didn't count, unfortunately, but we expect some more of those in the future down the stretch heres Buccaneers trying to chase that playoff berth. Over the last seven weeks, okay, that's been Buccaneers or Bucks Insider for you Casey Phillips will be back next week, but for BREANNO Dixon, I thanks for tuning in.