Another Tampa Bay Title Prognostication
July 5th, 2014
Glory days Bucs assistant coach Herm Edwards, who after stints as Jets and Chiefs head coach now works for BSPN, is already on record calling a Super Bowl for Tampa Bay this season.
Some might find that to be roguish commentary, but not one top NFL Network analyst.
Former star Patriots defensive end Willie McGinest likes what he sees from Lovie Smith and his “good enough” quarterback in Josh McCown, yesterday’s birthday boy. McGinest believes the Bucs will win the division this year, their fourth NFC South title, the most of any team since the group was formed in 2002. The Panthers, Saints, Bucs and Falcons all own three division crowns right now.
You can catch the NFL Network video discussion here. Colleague Jamie Dukes picks the Saints.
Joe’s loving all the optimism. Hey, it’s early July, why not? But it still doesn’t feel grounded in reality. Not yet.
McCown has such a tough job ahead in finding a way to get his offense firing hot out of the gate against two nasty defenses in Weeks 1 and 2, Carolina and St. Louis. And there’s going to be a learning curve for the Tampa Bay defense, too.
For the Bucs to win the division, they’re going to have a find a way to start the season very strong, given they have three division games in their first five weeks, as well as a tough early schedule. That’s simply a gigantic hurdle for any team in transition.
July 5th, 2014 at 7:41 am
“For the Bucs to win the division, they’re going to have a find a way to start the season very strong, given they have three division games in their first five weeks, as well as a tough early schedule. That’s simply a gigantic hurdle for any team in transition.”
That’s right. I don’t see how anyone can predict a team that’s been pretty overhauled, win a division let alone a SB.
July 5th, 2014 at 7:51 am
I think anything is possible. Remember the late great Chris Thomas of TV8 and WDAE fame. He used to call the NFL the No Freaking Logic league.
Teams are so evenly balanced anything is possible. I’m optimistic based not just one what the Bucs have done, but what the other teams haven’t done.
The Dixie Chicks and Stinkin Panthers have some major problems or their own. And New Orleans has to figure a way to placate Jimmy Graham and find a replacement for Sproles.
July 5th, 2014 at 7:58 am
Unti the Bucs figure out how to solve Drew Brees, I don’t see them any better than second in the division.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:12 am
This obsession with calling out predictions is mind-numbingly idiotic.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Willie McGinest…. Another Genius/visionsry!!! Bucs are freakin stacked, people. Thay’s why some people can’t resist picking us.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:17 am
StPeteBucsFans is right. In the modern NFL you an go from the OUTHOUSE to the PENTHOUSE in one season. We have seen it, each season has one or two “Cinderella Teams” Chiefs and Cardinals come to mind.
Bucs can be that this season but they will have to have some balls bounce their way.
On defense, its a matter of gelling. I think we have the pieces in place and the coaching is a PROVEN commodity.
On offense, there is the matter of gelling, but the O-line is a concern and the coaching (OC Tedford) is an enigma.
The cannons on the ship can either rust in place from continued non use or run out of powder from overuse.
We just don’t know.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:18 am
Car, sorry for typos…. Predictions are kinda silly in general at this time of year, but I love to hear people high on our talent & potential.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:59 am
I remember a certain team a few years ago being in a new coach, New assistant coaches, and several new pieces to the offensive puzzle and win it all. Gruden with journeyman QB ‘it’s gotta be the hair’ brad johnson.
July 5th, 2014 at 9:04 am
Somebody has to break that 4 team 4 way tie of division titles in the NFC south. The Bucs can do it, but I can’t predict they will. The way to solve Brees is with a hellacious rush and tight coverage on the receivers, an offense that scores more often than not can knock the Aints for a loop too.
July 5th, 2014 at 9:22 am
Randy Moss seemed confident that even he could throw TD passes for the Bucs in the redzone with the weapons we have.
July 5th, 2014 at 9:34 am
Anything can be predicted and anything can happen!
July 5th, 2014 at 9:39 am
Crown the paper champs!
Seriously though, love the optimism, it’s nice to see the Bucs getting some attention.
July 5th, 2014 at 10:03 am
Pairing Lovies defense/ST’s with an offense that can score points makes this team scary (on paper)…that said, games aren’t played on paper; we have to prove it on the field, and to do that we need to come out the gate smokin…
July 5th, 2014 at 10:11 am
While I like the sound of TB and Super Bowl on the same sentence Herm has been bullish on his preseason Bucs predictions for the past two seasons even before this one. I think Herm still has some Pewter love and suffers from a bit of ‘homer-ism’ like the rest of us, but we can all hope for the best and see how it all unfolds come December/January
July 5th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Lovie is going to rock the house.
Please don’t run him out of town if we win the Division and lose a tight game in the first round.
July 5th, 2014 at 10:22 am
In this perfect fit defensive system we have players eager to learn and coaches able to teach. I’ll be surprise if by the time we face Brees (week 5) the defense is not firing in all cylinders.
Tedford will have plenty of opportunities to show case the “up-tempo” offense. Not everybody sees it this way but I still believe our offense can benefit from being the unknown to our opponents. Quick release by McCown will be the key in the first half of the season.
Remember we weren’t supposed to beat Philly (below 40 degrees temp) in the playoffs in 2002 according to history. But in the same token according to history the last time we changed uniforms we went 9-7 which I’ll be proud to start this way.
One thing is for sure we are about to experience FOOTBALL in Tampa Bay again!!!
July 5th, 2014 at 10:22 am
Lol. I agree with Randy Moss…. One of the main reasons I’m so high on McCown having a successful tenure here is bcuz we have SO MANY weapons. It’s crazy. I seriously don’t know if anyone will be able to stop us.
July 5th, 2014 at 10:27 am
These optimistic predictions are like fingers on a chalkboard for DallasBuc. Hahaaaa, people with more football knowledge than you are picking us to win the division n stuff
July 5th, 2014 at 10:44 am
I know the defense will be good…the offense is stacked for the first time in team history…good TEs, RBs, & WRs…all we need from the QB position is some consistency…with all the weapons Mccown has at his disposal we should be able to keep defenses guessing the whole game…we could line up in the shotgun with Evans & Jackson outside, Murphy in the slot, and Martin and Sims in the backfield together, or double tight single back formation with Seferien-Jenkins and Wright as your TEs and Jackson and Evans outside with Martin as the loan back, the possibilities are endless…I’m not ready to put us in the SuperBowl just yet but I definitely believe our window of opportunity to make that happen just opened…
July 5th, 2014 at 10:54 am
BucHater- your poor reading comprehension skills are like nails (not “fingers”) on a chalkboard!
July 5th, 2014 at 10:58 am
Db, u got me again… Damn, I need to start proofreading my comments before I post. I do have a 150 IQ, though, so don’t get it twisted bro
July 5th, 2014 at 10:59 am
Luther Says
“Unti the Bucs figure out how to solve Drew Brees, I don’t see them any better than second in the division.”
The Bucs have beaten Brees on a number of occasions. If you are a new fan, study their history. If you are not…well…shame on you.
July 5th, 2014 at 11:04 am
150 IQ? I see. So you choose to employ only 50 of that to dumb it down for the rest us? Your delusional and embarrassing commentary continues. Entertaining as hell. Keep it up you wizard!
July 5th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Not delusional at all actually. I only speak the truth/optimistic insight. I know I make some grammatical errors that me look stupid, but I blame it on haste & multitasking.
July 5th, 2014 at 11:31 am
Buc the Haters Says:
July 5th, 2014 at 10:58 am
I do have a 150 IQ,
_____________________
Yeah, and women confuse me with Brad Pitt all the time!
July 5th, 2014 at 11:31 am
Buc the Haters Says:
July 5th, 2014 at 10:58 am
I do have a 150 IQ,
_____________________
Yeah, and women confuse me with B.rad Pitt all the time!
July 5th, 2014 at 11:42 am
Is 150 that hard to believe? Ok, I rounded up. It’s actually 147… I only brought it up bcuz DB thinks I’m stupid… Normally, I would never talk about it.
July 5th, 2014 at 11:55 am
You’re the first person with a so called high IQ to talk about it. Just sayin.
July 5th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
I used to get excited about these types of predictions but every offseason since 2011 our expectations have gone up to possible playoff contender to absolute failure.
Yes lovie smith is now here but we still had skepticism at the qb and although we hauled in a bunch of talent, there still will be rookie learning curves and growing pains and chemistry humps with new players in new defensive scheme. I can see the defense struggling a bit out of the gate until they grow together and start gelling towards the bye week.
The offense, well we don’t have an established qb.
July 5th, 2014 at 12:27 pm
Don’t forget Joe that those offense we will face are in transition as well…
July 5th, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Yes…our resident wizard was forced into divulging his well guarded beyond genius IQ (99.99+th percentile) so as to quiet any question of his superior intellect. I think it’s working! What a toolbag …
July 5th, 2014 at 1:17 pm
DallasBuc,
When he said “fingers on a chalkboard” I knew, then, that we were dealing with the second coming of Albert Einstein.
July 5th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Lightning, just buc the haters man!
July 5th, 2014 at 1:32 pm
I love it when pessimism is passed off as “realism”. Yes the Bucs face two really good defenses…at least they were last season. It remains to be seen if they will in 2014…but Carolina and St. Louis have no idea what the Bucs offense will attack them with. Think of how Chip Kelly’s offense shocked the league the first few weeks. Further, neither team is upper eschlon and the Bucs get them at home. NFL is constant change, anyone who can’t recognize that isn’t a realist. They’re a pessimest.
July 5th, 2014 at 2:07 pm
I guess I set myself up for this with the fingers on a chalkboard comment, but 147 is not very high in my world… Most of my peers are in the 160-180 range (mensa above 160, genius above 140)… Oh well, at least I’m not reading the standard buc-bashing comments u guys normally post.
July 5th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
Why can’t we all just get along? I think we are all moving in the same direction even though it maybe on a different stream. It doesn’t have to be a pissin’ contest, especially when we are all striving for the same thing.
RELEVANCE …and RESPECT. When you have an opinion, remember others may not share it. Some because they simply do not agree and then there are those who are just complete @holes. You see, it’s OK to disagree as long as you can except the criticism. Personally, even I am guilty of being super critical, to JOE mostly, but I try to refrain myself from criticizing someone elses comment unless they are being hateful.
….and for all the heated debates I’ve engaged with JOE, …and all the warnings I have incurred, to this day JOE has taken it on the chin, and allowed me to stick around. The main reason is because I try my darndest to not exaggerate, and make personal attacks. …and when I cross that line JOE makes sure that I know about it, and for that I respect JoeBucsFan.com
July 5th, 2014 at 4:42 pm
The guy who sacked my groceries at Publix the other day has a 147 IQ. Wow, what a cooincidence.
July 5th, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Everyone talking about the Saints, the Bucs usually play them pretty good at least one game of the season, I believe that will happen again
July 5th, 2014 at 6:55 pm
Buc the Haters meant to say fingernails on the chalkboard. That was’nt hard to figure out. Cut some slack to the loftiest hope from a Buc fan.
July 5th, 2014 at 7:41 pm
@ Buccfan37
Thank you, kindly… These guys think I’m blindly optimistic or something, but I promise that all of it is based on sound logic.
July 5th, 2014 at 8:39 pm
Brees has a 1-4 record vs the bears which could translate to us having the upper hand
July 5th, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Joe, the optimism is definitely much better than sarcasm or pessimism about the Bucs. This is the time to feel good about things. Hopefully it makes its way to the regular season as well.
I tell you what though, this team will know its direction and what is expected of it from the first man to the last. They will go out there and fight hard for Lovey- something they only did sparingly for Schiano.
July 5th, 2014 at 11:12 pm
@getaclue The Bears always played the Saints tough in the Lovey era. Part of that was that they had the personnel to get to the passer and defend the pass. I think the Bucs will be able to do this also.
July 6th, 2014 at 1:03 am
Good stuff, Thomas. I agree that we have the necessary personnel to rush the passer, while covering the receivers & looking for the run on the way to the QB.
July 6th, 2014 at 2:04 am
No offense to anyone – but you guys must be sniffing some high quality glue to think these ‘weapons’ (i.e. anyone not named Jackson and Martin) are going to come in and set the world on fire. They are rookies, and they don’t come out playing like world-beaters, or even close.
Don’t expect miracles or top half rankings from this offense in 2014. Between the schedule and the growing pains of young players and a new system – it isn’t going to happen.
I love the optimism, but on that side of the ball you’re kidding yourselves if you think it’s going to be anything to write home about right away. Not to mention -that schedule is murder. They could easily start out 1-4 or even 0-5. And that’s okay as long as they start getting it together by mid-season – which I think they will.
July 6th, 2014 at 6:11 pm
I would bet that the Bucs don’t start the season 0-5. It aint going to happen.
July 10th, 2014 at 6:30 pm
If they can go 3-3 to start the season they have a shot