The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Bucs Radio Sideline Reporter Tj Rives Joins The Show Before Texans/ Buccaneer Match Up.

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

Bucs Radio Sideline Reporter Tj Rives Joins The Show Before Texans vs Buccaneer Match Up.

Yes, but Matt Thomas is out. Rosvia Rio with you. Chris Gordy here as well. Jonathan Allen producing on a Monday night football Monday in Houston, Texas. Your Houston Texans taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now pleased to be joined by T.J. Reeves at Buck's Buck sideline guy on Twitter. Appreciate the time, TJ. I want to take you in a time machine, TJ, to 2000. Yes, please.

There was this team called the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Do we have to start with that? Yes. Do we have to start with that? Yes, we do. I wanted to start with something else, but you can start with that. It's your show, go. Because I just want to hear something from you.

What were you thinking? You do understand I had to go in that locker room live, live after that. How was that? What you're about to talk about. Okay. Yeah, I always, it was exactly like you would say. think it would be, as I'm getting one death stare after another of don't come anywhere near me with that microphone.

Well, continue. I hate to derail the beginning of the interview. That's okay. At least NFL players aren't intimidating at all, so you're totally fine. Yes, but I just want to know what was going through your mind about how good C.J. Stroud was in those moments. And then how do we got to where we are right now with C.J. Stroud in Houston where some people, we literally had a call last segment saying that he's a nobody.

Right, of course. because all the callers, you know, have a five-minute attention span, but I digress. So, well, remember in the circumstance, this was a lot like what the Buccaneers did to the Falcons last week, except it was two years ago. Baker Mayfield, let us not forget, got the Buccaneers in the end zone in the final minute of that game with the go-ahead-out. And the sideline guy that you're talking to you right now as I go third person says, you know, I like that because we're going to get a happy post-game show. This is a wild win here for Bay. for Mike Evans, for the Bucks, only to have Stroud do what he did, and he was tremendous in the clutch in the final minute in that game. And over and over again, he has demonstrated,

especially with the game on the line that he can get things done. Now, I understand there's going to be criticism when you play poorly, but are we, seriously, are you writing him off now? Why would you be writing him off that he's not the guy after one game of this year? Now, it is a big stage. Let's see what this looks like tonight. But that's silly. That's silly to me. Just from the talent that I saw two years ago that's there, you guys would know better to me, better than me about this.

But this, I mean, this should be a highly entertaining game. I don't think it's unfair to say that the Texans are desperate to get a win. They don't want to be 0.2. Home opener for you guys. I still haven't figured out yet how the Buccaneers have won. the division four years in a row and won playoff games and they're on the road for the first two games. I don't, I don't ever recall like Kansas City and Philadelphia and the Patriots when they used to win ever having to open up with the first two on the road after they had one

and one and one. But I digress. Nonetheless, we are here and let's see what this looks like tonight against the Texas. Well, the Saints, Panthers and Falcons sucking have certainly helped Tampa Bay win that division a lot. But I digress. Are you familiar with the AFC East for the 20-year run of Tom Brady. Oh, yeah. Talk about sucking divisions. Go ahead. I wanted to flip up to the other side because Baker Mayfield, I mean, look, everybody

deserves a second chance. And we've seen this across the NFL over the years. Some guys just need a different change of scenery. And it has worked since ever since he stepped foot there in Tampa. He's been fantastic for them. But I go back to week one, TJ. I mean, they were very fortunate to get out of Atlanta with that victory. I still don't know how they want it because you look at the numbers.

and Baker 17 to 32 for 167. The leading rusher was Baker Mayfield were 39 yards. Bucky Irving got clogged up. How did they get that win? And is it just a tribute to gutting it out anyway, somehow, some way. That's it, the last part of what you said, because they took advantage of the opportunities. They scored touchdowns when they had to,

including in the red zone on three occasions. And look, I mean, one of the other. thing that we can get into for this game is the Bucks are without one of the best tackles in football, if not the best tackling football, Tristan works. He didn't play in the game last week. He is not going to play tonight. They hope to have him back after a knee procedure done in June. They hope to have him back for the home opener next weekend against the Jets. So that's Advantage Texans tonight for Will Allen coming off the end. But what it did is the Buccaneers had to shuffle the left side of the line. They elected to move the center

Graham Barton out to left tackle. He had played left tackle at Duke his last two years in the ACC. He played great at center last year, different position, obviously. Well, they moved him to left tackle for this game because they worked on it in training camp and liked what he could do. They moved the left guard to the center, and they plugged a brand new left guard in. So three positions were different on the offensive line, and that affected some things. But they held up pretty well in a hostile, loud environment, not being able to hear the

audibles and that kind of stuff. And it's going to be loud again tonight. And they are going to go with that same offensive line set for this game tonight. So I think it's admirable. They drove right down the field in the final minute in Atlanta to retake

the lead and then hold the Falcons off on the missed field goal at the very end that could have tied it. So anyway, you don't apologize for road wins. You boys know this. You don't apologize for road wins. And the bucks did gut it out. And I would look for Mayfield to have a better night tonight. We'll see against the Houston defense, but I think they figured some

things out here after week one. Remember, the Buccaneer starters basically didn't play the entire preseason. So week, I don't know what the case was for the Texans. You guys can educate me. So week one is almost like a full-scale dress rehearsal preseason game as a regular season game because you haven't been playing. It's like a rehearsal for the next 16 weeks. So let's see if the Bucs are better in that regard. Yeah, it was limited snaps for the Texans in the preseason as well. But I think mirrored in what you're talking about is the Texans shuffling a lot of their offensive line and going up a pretty formidable defensive line. How did you feel about the defensive performance of the Buccaneers in week one and how they can follow that up this week?

All right. So it was not great. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it was great. They were decent. They got to stop when they had to at the end. All right. So on the defensive line, the addition that you want to pay attention to is Hassan Reddick. Reddick, the former Philadelphia Eagle, Reddick, who had the nightmare hold out with the Jets last year,

and he only played half the season on the one-year deal, and then they allowed him to leave. So he has signed a cap-friendly incentive-laden deal with the Bucks, and he's an outstanding edge rusher. Let's see if he makes a difference. He got in for a sack on Michael Pennix last week. We're looking for this guy to be something like a 10, 12. staffed guy on this defensive line, and if he can be, it's going to help. You got two guys in the middle, Vita Vaya, who is as big as a school building at defensive tackle and is a Pro Bowl caliber player next to a number one pick and Kalaja Cancy out of

pit. That won two on the defensive line. That will be problems for the Texans and the run game. And then the Buccaneers are strong in the middle of the defense with Levanti David, future Hall of Fame caliber linebacker here that not a lot of the NFL across the board knows about, but the guys had 11-100 tackle seasons in his career. And then a guy from your area in Antoine Winfield, Jr., at safety, Pro Bowl caliber safety, in the middle of the defense, will knock your block off, and he's also excellent in coverage.

So the bucks are strong in the middle of this defense tonight against the Texans. Yeah, that was the one guy that worries me in that secondary, because there's always something about those hometown guys. When they come back here and they're on another team, they like to show up and show out. And Antoine Winfield Jr. Certainly been one of those that's, he's been great. I mean, ever since he fell to them in the second round, 2020, he's been a stalwart on that secondary. And just one of those guys that worries me if I'm C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense.

But is it as simple to say this, TJ, with two pretty good defenses? I mean, like, if the Texans can hold the bucks under, I don't say 20 points, like they have a pretty good chance of winning. this one in this one? I think that, yeah, that's fair. And it was, I mean, it was a low scoring back and fourth game in Atlanta. And obviously Houston lost, what was it, 14, 9 in a close game against the Rams. So I don't know. I mean, the game that you're referring to two years ago was in the 30s, right? It was what, 37, 31 or whatever ended up being. So I don't know that it will be that kind of game tonight. I look for Mike Evans. He had a good game, not a great game last week. Mike Evans could be a big deal with Houston try to double team him.

And this rookie that you haven't asked me about a Mecca, Abuka from Ohio State. Yeah, Stroud's former team. Okay, so there you go. And Stroud will be the first one to tell you. That guy comes out of the room with Marvin Harrison Jr. And Garrett Wilson and Jackson Smith and Jigba and all of those are NFL contributors. And I know it's only one game, but fellas, he did not look like a rookie at all last week. And yes, there may be some ups and downs in this rookie season, but he looks ready to go.

and he's a weapon. And the Buccaneers, again, have two backs in the backfield that are weapons that can both catch the ball. So Baker doesn't have a shortage of people to get the ball to. Let's see if he can get it to them tonight. Well, you also haven't mentioned the Texans' best offensive weapon. That would be kicker Kimi Fairbairn.

Well, he's been a weapon. You remember what happened in the game two years ago, though, when he got hurt, right? Dario Gungboale. Do you remember this? Yeah, Darry Gubo Wai, still on the roster. So he's ready to get some kicks in. And by the way, that's a former Tampa Bay buccaneer.

And the truth is I'm standing there in that game two years ago at halftime when Fairbairn had gotten hurt. And so they come out of the locker room and suddenly Daray is trying 25 and 30-yard field goals. And I'm like, that's not an accident. They're not screwing around two or three minutes before the second half kickoff. That's because they're going to have him kick extra points. And sure enough, that's what happened in the second half. And again, that guy's a former Buccaneer running back from back seven, eight years ago, still around in the league. So wild twist on that.

Who had that on the bingo card? That Dari was a kicker, but he was a couple of years ago against the bucks. Well, Kimey Fairbairns back and you should be scared, T.J. Buccaneers Radio, sideline reporter, T.J. Reeves. I appreciate the time. How do you feel this playing out before we let you go? Well, obviously, I do the postgame show, so I want a Buccaneer win. I'm going to say that every week on this stuff.

I'm looking forward to whether the Buccaneer defense could do a better job of getting after C.J. Stroud. And Todd Bowles loves the blitz with that. That'll be a factor in this game. Let's see. Should be entertaining. And again, if the Buccaneers get this two road wins to start the season, you talk about playing with house money, that would be the case. All right. T.J. Reeves, Buccaneers, Radio, sideline.

Appreciate the time. And I hope you lose. The feeling is mutual. You always be well on Monday. All right. Thanks, T. I appreciate it.