Keys to Success vs. the Saints | Bucs Insider

where we take all of your questions. So if you have one of those for us, make sure you head on over to the Buccaneers Facebook page and underneath our live video that is where you can put your questions so as we give people a chance to start so many those we figured we would start, of course where I'm sure most of those questions will start, which is with injuries. That has been the storyline for unfortunately a while now for this season. So what do we feel

like we might know this week? And when might we know it? What are what are we thinking? Is there is there some optimism for for once getting guys back instead of losing losing more people. Well, today we'll be really telling because it's the first practice of the week and it will be interesting to see if a couple of guys are back out there on Monday. UM head coach Bruce Arian said he was hopeful that we could get Rob Gronkowski and Lavante David this week, which would

be huge, and maybe Richard Sherman. I think he's probably the longest shot of those three. Also hopeful that the guys that got hurt most notably Dee Delaney and Jamal Dean more cornerbacks that got hurt in the Chicago game, will be okay. Um, they didn't seem overly concerned about those guys, but even an injury that could keep him out of week would be trouble for the Bucks right now because they're just so thin and we're already down so far on the depth chart at quarterback. Uh, you know,

you just keep pasting over the next injury. And the guys are doing a fantastic job, and so is Todd Bowles putting those guys in position. And you can't say enough about what guys like Dee Delanney have done, but at some point you just run out of good options, you know. So this will be a good day to see if anybody's back on the practice field, in particular

Lavante and and Gronk. Yeah, and uh, we had some questions about Sean Murphy Bunty that you know, he's one of those guys we haven't heard much about in a long time. That's kind of what happens once you've go on that i R list that you don't tend to hear a lot for a while. So is there any way that we would know a little bit more about or when might you know more about his situation? Yeah? You know, the last thing that Bruce has said is

that both him and Carlton are always away. So I don't think we're to the point yet where we're starting to think about, Okay, they're returning in a week or two. I think we're still a bit away from that. So at the moment, we're just gonna have to consider those two guys kind of often the future. Hopefully some reinforcements later in the season, but not really in the plans

at the moment. Okay, And we also had people asking about Scottie Miller, um and when we think he could potentially come back, and um, I also just wanted to hear what you thought about overall with him being out a b being out this last week, what our wide receiver group has has looked like in or is there a chance we see more of guys like Tyler Johnson

because of that? Well? As for Scottie Miller, the thing is he has a turf toe injury and that's one of the most confounding injuries in the NFL, partly because it doesn't sound like much, um, you know, but it is a bad injury. It's a ligament injury that it often takes guys a long time to come back from, and even when they do, they're often struggling with it because it's very painful. So, um, we don't have a

timetable on Scotty yet. Now asked for the receivers going into that game, before A B was down, you had those You had A B and Mike Evans and um, Chris Godwin, all with almost identical stats. And you also had guys like Leonard four Nette and O. J. Howard,

especially in weeks six, catching a lot of passes. So uh, it's kind of been what is the defense giving you, and Tom Brady has been taking what they give and go into the open man, and sometimes like in Philly, that was really more the tight ends and backs than

it was the receivers. But with Brown out this last game against Chicago, you know, it went back to kind of the way it was in the Jamis Winston years when almost everything went through Evans and Godwin, and those two guys accounted for almost all the teams passing yards in this game. Both of them had great games. Obviously, Mike Evans had three touch downs and you know, Casey are our streak was broken because this was our fourth home game and after every home game of the first

three a Buck. We've been able to talk on Wednesday about a Buccaneer being in a Player of the Week, and we had a shot with Mike Evans and three three touchdowns, but it went to that Alvin Kamara guy that we're gonna have to deal with this week. So uh. In any case, the point is the Bucks have a lot of weapons in the passing game and and there's a lot of different ways that the Bucks offensively can approach a game, and in that in this last one,

it was leaning on those two star receivers. Okay, And Matt had asked, he said, I see that the Cardinals are number one in the power rankings. Do you think that's more to do with the Bucks strength of schedule or purely that the Cardinals are seven? And oh, do you think head to head healthy we beat them? Well, I think it would be a fantastic game. I think the Buccaneers can beat any team in this league when

we're fully healthy. Um it's if I'm making a power pool, which are you know they're they're kind of like um raids right after a draft. We all know that they don't mean anything and they're a little bit silly. But I mean, why do you need to power rank teams when you have standings that kind of shows you who's winning, who's the best teams? But we also all love them, right We read them every week and we love when

our teams near the top. If I'm making a power raking right now, and I'm being an objective about this, I gotta start with the team that's seven and up, and they haven't had an easy schedule. They've beating the Rams, they've beaten the Browns, they've had the Cardinals are killing it and they deserve all the accolades that are getting. Do I think the Buccaneers at full strength are a better team when Cardinals? I'm biased, probably, but yeah, I think so, And we may be finding the stuff come

to the Plasts. It would be an exciting game, that's for sure, with playing against Kyler Murray and with the offense that we have, Yes, I agree, that would be a very fun game. Um So looking at We had a couple of questions about trades um, but might get asked, are there any trade options you think the Bucks would be looking into before the trade deadline. I gotta believe that that Jason light is is taking any calls comes his way, and his staff is his pro personal staff.

Rob McCartney, you and all those guys are scouting everybody that looks like they might be available. You look at the teams that are probably out of it and should be selling in order to gain some draft assets probably, and you see who might they be willing to let go? And and some of it has to do with with what their salaries are. And the Bucks don't have a

lot of salary cap space right now. They have some and generally you can make some more by restructuring contract and pushing some cap hit into years to come, which we've been doing for the last two years. But um uh, you know who would it be? I mean, you look at those teams, does anybody have a cornerback that maybe could shake loose? Obviously that's something the Buccaneers could use, but it's all speculation at this point. I think we have until next Tuesday. If I'm not Yeah, next Tuesday

four is the trade deadline. You know, I never would put money down while I can't anyway, but I never would bet on us making a trade over not making a trade. But also the last two years have taught me that you can never say never with Jason Lette, the way they're constructing this roster to try to win championships,

I agree. Uh So, now looking to the Saints game this next week, you know, whenever it's a division team, you feel like there's so much familiarity, but now this is, uh there's some uniqueness to it, and some familiarity in the sense that all of a sudden, for the first time and forever and ever and ever, it is not a Drew Brees led Saints team, but there's still some

familiarity there with Jase, with with Jami's at quarterback. So what do you think is going to be the keys to this game, both offensively and defensively, and then just how it could look similar different to two previous years of facing the Saints. Well, this Saints team has two

really gigantic strengths. One of them is albu Kamara, and coach Arean said on Monday's six days away from the game, But he's already thinking about how the Buccaneers have to stop Kamara better than they did Khalil Herbert, and it was it was strange to see a running back get a hundred yards against our rush defense, which even after that is still ranked number one in the league. But

Kamara can hurt you in so many ways. He's just like they hadn't even hardly been using him as a past catcher through the first five games, which was surprising. And in this last game against Seattle, he caught like eleven passes for a hundred twenty yards or something like that, and they were the Seahawks in the second half, We're

double teaming him and they still couldn't stop him. The second strength for the Saints is a really really good defense, one of the best ones we're gonna face all season. And what's good about him is they're just good at every level. Um Tomorrow Davis, their middle linebacker, might be one of the most underrated players in the entire league.

He absolutely does it all, rushes the passer, is a great cover linebacker, makes all the tackles, knows which gaps to fill when you when you're in the running game. He's just fantastic. They got good safeties, good corners. Um, it's it's gonna be a really tough challenge. Uh So, I don't know if it's gonna be like Week one in two thousand and eighteen with that record setting shootout. I think it's probably a little more low scoring than that.

But it's gonna be a tough one. But it's one that the Buccaneers need because they need to get over this divisional hump. The Saints have won the last four. The Bucks want it all last year, but they didn't win a division. And if you want that easier route to this to another super Bowl with the first round buy or at least a first round game at home,

you gotta win the division. Yeah, I agree, especially you know the winning the division is always something you want, but it seems like this year, with how stacked the NFC is, I think it makes it even more important for a just to know you for sure have a playoff spot. But even just we saw I mean, of course it was incredible they were able to make it all the way as the wild card team, but it would be nice to have have some whole playoff games

as well. So all right, well that is going to do it for us on this edition of Buccaneers and Sadur Live presented by Miller Lte. Thanks as always for those questions, and we will see you right back here next week