Welcome in to Buccaneers Inside a live presented by Miller, Li, Casey Phillips and Scott Smith. Here and as always, we are excited to take all of your questions. If you're not already watching on Facebook, head over the Buccaneers Facebook page. Leave all of your questions, thoughts, comments, all that underneath our live video. That's how we'll be able to find them. And you know, we haven't reminded people of listen a while.
We like hearing where people watch from. So if you're gonna ask a question, to leave a comments, say where you're watching the show from. We did that in training camp and then we kind of got away from it. It It was school here, so yeah, leave in there where you're watching from. And as we start letting those questions roll in, just uh starting off, we know that now. Uh yeah, we're already starting to get some which is awesome.
But um, we're we heard the news that Jamis is going to be the starter for this week, so I just want to hear your thoughts on what about that game and his performance lead you to believe that this really could be a good decision and and and turning point for him. Well, the only interception that he threw was was I think completely defensible. You your twenty three seconds left, no time outs, back in your own twenty
taking a shot down the field of sewn. It was worth the try and there there was a very low percentage situation period, so it was worth to try. And I don't think you may blames him for that one. And otherwise, um, he protected the ball fairly well. I mean, I guess we got lucky when he was forced to fumble into the end zone that ended up being a touchdown.
But that's what it's all about. No matter who we've had under under center, it's been everybody can move the ball on and I mean those two guys can both move the ball on this team, but somebody's got to stop turning the ball over. And because that's the story of the season, playing and simple, and everybody knows that, I'm not telling you anything you don't know. The Buccaneers are native twenty three in turn of a ratio, which is worse in the NFL. Um and when you aren't
generating any on offense on defense, you just can't. You got to match that on offense because you can't put yourself in a hole. But that's what the Bucks have done repeatedly this season, put themselves in a hole with the turnover problems, in the lack of takeaways, and then you know, have to frantically try to climb out of it. But as for going forward, um, it makes sense to me three and seven is not You're not eliminated from the playoffs. But it would be disingenuous of us to
suggest that it's like Lee. It's a really tough path from three and seven to the playoffs. First of all, you gotta win out, there's no way, and even nine wins may not do it. So that's true. Um, I already saw. We had a question from Toby about if O J has gotten a second opinion on his ankle yet. Yeah, and I think what he meant. I think when he when Coach used the word second opinion opinion and his answer yesterday, I think what he meant was further testing
and further examinations of the test are been done. Uh. You know, when you hear the word second opinion, it's usually from a guy who got some injury or health news he didn't like and wants to go to another doctor and maybe possibly get a better answer. Solnder has a negative connotation to it. What they meant, what he meant was more tests or more examination of him, And uh no, we don't have that answer yet as of
today's Tuesday. At one coach said yesterday that we probably wouldn't have the answer until at least late today or maybe even Wednesday morning. Uh And then, of course, because of the way the new cycle works here and when he speaks to the press, the first time he would have an opportunity to address that would be after practice on Wednesday, So that's probably when we're going to get our answer. It's obviously a big concern because of all the players who have made a huge step forward this year.
I think he's probably the number one guy in his second season, and it's just looking to see him lose some opportunities to continue that growth. I know that we were trying to think, just starting to think about how we can maybe get this guy some more attention for the Pro Bowl learning and so to derail that or or put a little hold on it is unfortunate. But you know, the injuries have started to pile up for
the Buccaneers. So that's that's story number two about this season, and the the turnovers are the main thing, but the sort of piling up of injuries in recent weeks is on top of that made things even more difficult, right which Our next question is from David asking about Lavonte
and Kindle back with and what we know about them. Okay, Well, we know Kendall's not coming back this season, um, and I think that shouldn't come to as a huge surprise to anybody that's listened to us, because we've talked about it.
I've tried to make a point of saying, even when they activated him and started that twenty one day window where he could practice with the team without counting against the roster, that was no guarantee that that meant at the end of that that window he would definitely be activated. They were hoping so, and actually I think they didn't start that that three week window with a really optimistic feeling. But as it went on, I saw a pretty good improvement from him, and by the end of it it
was close. I think they were relatively close, but it just was determined that he's not going to be able to play just yet. So he's when you just when you make that decision, you either have to activate him and use a roster spot on him. What you're not gonna do if he's not gonna be playing or he stays on n f I for the rest of the year, and that's what's going to happen. So he uh, he will not play this season? Lavante is The answer is gonna be similar to O J and that our first
real clue on that will be practice. What does he do in practice or not do on Wednesday? And then what's his status on the injury report after that? Okay, and Austin watching from Colorado love when people there we go that was we got one from Colorado wants to know what the team is going to do with Kwan and is a one year contract and option pay him his deal? Just how his injury affects what they might be able to do with his contract. Yeah, well that's
the first thing that's gonna have to be determined. What's what's how what's the effect of this injury? Um, how long is the recovery and so on it. It certainly didn't come at a good time for him, regardless of what team he's going to be with us or another team in the future. But I would be surprised by
a one year contract to be honest with you. I mean, um, you presume he is going to eventually recover from this injury and be the same player, And I don't think I don't think his side would want to do a one year deal. I guess the idea is it's it's a one year deal, I think while things are a little uncertain, and then you revisit it again later. I mean, I guess the team wouldn't mind doing that, but I don't see why quand side would want to do that, right,
Which is a very good point. And uh Nicholas was asking about the chances of our defense being able to give up fewer points, and I feel like this week in particular was interesting. I know we're gonna be talking to someone from the forty niners for our crossfire segment, and one of the things we're going to bring up to them as the idea of these two teams and
the turnovers and lack of takeaways. What are your thoughts on this weekend in particular in terms of the Bucks ability to cut down on offensive turnovers and the ability to get a few more yes, so they have. It's a matchup of the two teams that are last in the NFL. Internover ratio. We're last there next, and then the two teams that have the fewest takeaways, we actually have one more than they two, if you can believe that. Um, it seems like it's impossible that we can only have
six and yet they have one fewer. UM. So that still highlights the issue, though I agree, the chances of coming out on top and keeping from falling into a hole as the Bucks have done a lot, and and from hopefully as that listeners said, giving a fewer points is going to come down to not giving them easy scoring situations, not giving them a pick six. You know, one of the scores by the Giants was on defense and not giving them short fields, which was a problem
against Washington. So it's still gonna be it's still gonna be turnovers. And that's that's what it is. You know. The fact of the matter is the Buccaneers are very banged up on defense, especially in the middle, which will be in particular problem in it's their leading receiver, uh, George Kittle, the tied end. But you know, Washington the fewest yards and points we've allowed, and that was with
these guys injured, and then this last game. Um, obviously it wasn't good but points wise, but again one of those was a pick six, and the yardage total allowed three and fifty nine is one of the lower ones. The last couple of weeks there have been some signs of good defense. Don't think you can quite say good defense just yet, but it's possible. And then the same friend, not the most dynamic office. They do run the ball
very very well. There. They have a young quarterback who's looked promising and Nick Mullins buddy is a guy who started two games. So it stacks up as a game that if you can stop the run, you might have a chance to have one of your better defensive efforts. Okay, And I saw someone brought up the idea of purposefully playing the quarterbacks part of the game, of that being your game plan. That was my idea, and yeah, and so I wanted to hear the thoughts of somebody actually
had this name. Yes, pro pros and cons of this idea of you know, and I think a lot of Sampa they raised fans especially, have been making them Harrison's to this idea. The raids, the way they kept doing what did they call them and called them openers, I think instead of starters. Yeah, you know, the revolution in baseball, and some teams really um embraced it with uh you know,
less traditional starter roles. And the game that came to mind to me was Game five of the Dodgers Brewers series in the playoffs when the Dodge when the Brewers started a guy I think it was Wade Miley and let him pitch to one batter and then as plan pulled him and put in a picture, who threw the opposite So is either going from right here or lefty or vice versa in order to get them in order to get the Brewers, the Dodgers to um uh start with a certain lineup right and then not want to
have tom at least about it's not the same thing in football. But I was really just joking. But I thought, since the second guy that comes in has generally done very well after the first guy had turnover problems. We're talking about Fitzpatrick and Winston, Um, why don't we just start one of them and then before we have to deal with the turnover problems, go to the second guy, like after one series, and just start Adam Humphreys. Let throw one pass, he's our emergency quarterback. And then put
in Winston or Fitzpatrick. Let's see if that works. That's pretty funny. I'm just never going to do that. Probably not. There's a reason teams have not typically done this in the past. I guess Paul said the offensive line has had some struggles this year. Is there any chance they take a look at Alex Kappa to actually get in there.
I mean there's a chance, but um, I don't think so. Probably. Um. You know, the guy that's been active since Evan Smith went on interro Reserve, the guy that's been active as your extra interior guy is Mike Lidkey, So I would think he'd be the next one that would get a look. Yeah.
I know that coach has talked about that on the radio show several times, that it is so much about the fact that you can only have seven active on game day and basically one has to be able to play all three interior positions, and that Alex is still learning the center position. More so, it's not just about at guard, it's who can really do the most in terms of being able to move to all the different positions.
Somebody asked him, I think it was last week, early last week, what the contingency plan is because you have one at center, and he listed three. This is coach caut and the third one was Kappa. But he said that's like the distant third, that's the one that has to come the farthest. So I think that's the answer there. Let me know if we have any Adam Humphreys questions, because I got a nice little note to throw out there. Oh well, then just go ahead throw it out there.
I mean, I I don't know, I haven't got a scroll through all of them, or We're behind a little bit of questions as I'm reading some of them, but yeah, sure, go for it. Okay. So I just got this. One of the PR guys had looked this up. And this may surprise you that in the last six or since we came back in Week six from the bye, in that spanning games, and I'm Humphries is fifteenth in the NFL and receiving yards. Would you guess that receiver in the NFL in that span right there? I mean, I al,
he's done well. I mean we've all been talking about how Adam is is. Really it's good for him because he's going to become a free agent. Yeah, which the timing is fantastic because he's playing fantastic. Fantastic for him, maybe not great for the Bucks all of a sudden now where they're gonna have to step their game up if they want to keep him exactly man good for him, he's like so sneaky good. I feel like, like you
said that, you wouldn't think he's done the well. And I almost feel like that's why he's so successful, as he's sneaky good, even to the defense that they're like, yeah, this guy, we've got so much to worry about all these other wide reisa right well, and then he does a lot of little things well, like remember a few weeks ago when he made that amazing diving like leaping diving catch on a slant and traffic. I mean, everybody's like, was that Adam Humphries. My goodness, he's even better than
we thought. And then in this last game he broke he came back and made a good effort to break up what could have been an interception. That's that's something you like to see from your receivers too. So he does a lot of the little things right as well. Alex from Punta Punta Gorda, Florida. I think um wonders why Ryan Griffin hasn't gotten a chance yet. Well, mainly
because and I think they're still in this mode. The Buccaneers right up through last game, I've been trying to win their trying to get back in the playoff race. Now we already said that's unlikely at three and seven, but that's what they've been trying to do. And you have already had two guys that have demonstrated that they can really produce a lot on this offense. Obviously the turnovers have been the problem, and Ryan Griffin would be
the unproven option there. So if you're trying to win games, you've got two guys that, if they could just clean up the turner issues, are a lot more proven and experience, why would you go to your third option? Now? I think that question is can be asked a lot more going forward, and maybe there's maybe there's a chance for that.
But that's why it hasn't happened to this point. Um. I've seen some people bringing up Peyton Barber and how well he played, but there was this scen area that we didn't run him on, you know, some fourth and one. There were just some some things that fourth down, so thoughts on his performance last week and some of the
ways that they did and did not use him. I'm glad that Payton got that hundred yard game, yeah, because I feel like in the previous three or four outings for him, he was running very well, but at the end of the game, the numbers would be like sixty one yards or seven yards, and he'd have a nice per carry like four point seven or something, but they
weren't numbers that jumped out on you. But then it was really situational, Like in the Washington game, he basically didn't play in the fourth quarter and we were playing quiz as your third down back, good past protector, good pass catcher on the backfield, and so his numbers end up being like sixty one yards or so. This one, there was more opportunity for him throughout the game, and
he really took advantage of it. And so he I think personally that he has progressed to a notable degree in terms of how dynamic is a run as a runner. You know, early on it was like he'll get you four yards, he'll fall forward, he'll make some arative to contact. But I thought he had some nice cuts in that last game open field moves. Uh So I thought it was a nice thing for him. And the fourth and one that I'm thinking of was the one on our very first drive of the game, which first of all,
I totally believe was the right decision. Um and it did end up being a shootout game, Um, I thought it was, and I thought the call was right. I always think if you're inches away, the quarterback sneak works of the time. I still think that's true. I think if we ran that play ten times, we'd make it eight or nine times. They got us on that one. They they beat us on that play. But I think
the call was right. And I don't personally like on fourth and inches taking the ball back a few ards and handing off to the running back because making it four and three just making it harder. I mean, he can get a running start, but there's all you see a lot of those fourth and shorts where your hand off and because there's time for a defender to make a great play, he sometimes gets him in the backfield
and there's no shot. When you do a quarterback sneak, you've always got a shot and you generally make it. And also now the rules are the running back if you're in a single back set and your quarterback sneaks, the running back can't run up and push and that often helps too. So if your hand off, you got nobody to run up behind the running back and push if it's a mess. So I think the quarterback sneak is the perfect call. If there was another fourth and one, um,
I don't really recall it. I mean, I guess the touchdown that fits ran in. It was a fourth down, But that was an interesting call that was I wouldn't want to see. I thought we're gonna throw on fourth and one, and it looked like it was a designed run for Fitzpatrick to pause for a second and run up the middle, and then when that didn't develop, he kind of had to make it up and he ran around the end and I thought he was going to
run around there and throw. We had one guy in the end zone that was a potential targ there, but he thought he could get in and he did. Uh And Michael, there's two parts of his question. One I know we're not going to be able to answer because he talks about any potential big name free agents we can sign in the off seasons. This is where we give our disclaimer that because we worked with the team, we're not really allowed talk to individual people. All there
still under contract. So I've seen a few different questions about potential free agents. And that's why if you're one of the people asked talking about that in November, I know that's that's also very true. But he said, what is the cap space going to look like next year? Then I wish that I had had a little time to uh prepare between next week I've come back to
watch we can. My understanding is we have a decent amount of cap space, but there are a couple of potential moves that that if we made them, could put us in a whole lot of cap space. But I also I was reading that in an article. I also read that there are a lot of teams with a lot of cap space, and because you have to spend and I remember the exact number of of the cap
in a I think three or four year window. You don't have to do it every year, but by the end of that window, you have to have spent that. And there are a number of teams that are in position going into this offseason where they pretty much have to sign, they have to spend somebody they can resign their own people. They don't have to bring somebody else in. But there are some teams that are gonna have a lot of cast space and a motivation to spend it. So I think there will be a lot of competition
for the really good UM free agent. So I'll answer that question by saying, Hey, let's resign Adam huntreason Court. There you go. I like that. All right, that's gonna do it for us. In this edition of Buccaneers Inside a Live presented by Miller Lide, Thanks so much for being with us, and we'll see you back here next week.