An 11-5 Season For Mr. & Mrs. Buc Fan
April 21st, 2017
BY IRA KAUFMAN
I’ve been around enough Buc fans over the years to know what you’re thinking.
Coming off a 9-7 season, buoyed by the addition of DeSean Jackson, you have been crying, waiting, hoping for the release of the 2017 schedule since the leaves stopped falling.
On Thursday, you got your wish as the NFL detailed Tampa Bay’s path to the promised land.
Hope springs eternal for Buc die-hards who have endured too many losing seasons since Jon Gruden was told to take a hike.
With expectations ramped up, let’s take a peek into the minds of Tampa Bay fans who have already broken down the 2017 slate.
AT MIAMI: The Bucs send an early message to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross – you can take your $400 million in stadium renovations and shove it. Ryan Tannehill spends much of the afternoon on his sweaty rump while Brent Grimes torments his former teammates.
CHICAGO: In a rare 1 p.m. September matchup at RayJay, the Bears wilt in the fourth quarter. There’s no cool breeze coming off Lake Michigan for Mike Glennon and the overheated visitors as the Bucs open 2-0 for the first time since 2010.
AT MINNESOTA: The NFL’s No. 3 defense makes things difficult for Jameis Winston at the shiny new home of the Vikings. Hey, not even Big Nasty really thought the Bucs were going 16-0.
NEW YORK GIANTS: The last time Tampa Bay defeated Big Blue, the Bucs were defending Super Bowl champions and Kerry Collins was under center for the Giants. Today, Mike Evans shows Odell Beckham who’s boss.
NEW ENGLAND: Before a raucous prime-time crowd, the Pats let the Bucs know what NFL royalty looks like. Tampa Bay keeps it close before Tom Brady applies the deflating dagger.
AT ARIZONA: Dirk Koetter spends all week reminding his players about the desert debacle in Week 2 last season. Creaky Carson Palmer has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide against a vibrant pass rush.
AT BUFFALO: Home or away, this is an opponent the Bucs should beat. Kwon Alexander makes 15 tackles as Tampa Bay improves to 5-2.
CAROLINA: First division game for the Bucs and a midseason opportunity to let Cam Newton know what he’s up against. Two TD catches by DeSean Jackson seal the deal.
AT NEW ORLEANS: Big test for a Bucs pass rush that failed to show up at the Superdome last year. A battered Drew Brees still makes enough plays to put a damper on any Bourbon Street celebrations.
NEW YORK JETS: The floundering Jets don’t have a quarterback and Tampa Bay has Jameis Winston. Enough said.
AT ATLANTA: After a bye week, the Bucs invade Arthur Blank’s fancy new digs and show the defending conference champs there’s a new kingpin in the NFC South.
AT GREEN BAY: Aaron Rodgers and company are tough to beat on the frozen tundra as the Bucs turn for home at 8-4.
DETROIT: Matt Stafford pads his stats once the Motown men fall hopelessly behind as Tampa Bay fans go dancing in the streets down Dale Mabry.
ATLANTA: With Jon Gruden in the broadcast booth, the 10-4 Bucs complete a season sweep of the Falcons to essentially wrap up their first division title since Chucky stalked the sidelines in 2007.
AT CAROLINA: A bit of a Christmas Eve letdown in Charlotte makes the regular-season finale a key to postseason seeding.
NEW ORLEANS: The Saints have nothing to play for and it shows as the Bucs finish 11-5 and begin preparations for a home playoff game.
That’s the world according to Mr. and Mrs. Buc Fan, who can’t wait to order their playoff tickets. It should be a dynamic season, even if there will surely be some hard knocks along the way.
April 21st, 2017 at 10:52 am
Whoa! “Irv” is some positive today…I’ll be doing backflips if they go 11-5….season 42, dedicate it to Ricky Bell 🙂
April 21st, 2017 at 10:58 am
That was beautiful…..
April 21st, 2017 at 10:58 am
Yea… Were not losing to Minn though.
12-4
April 21st, 2017 at 11:04 am
The ceiling for us is if we have luck on our side, and don’t get hit much with injuries, is 13-3 in my opinion.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:10 am
I would like to see a retake on these predictions post-draft, pre-training camp and labor day weekend.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:11 am
That works for me!! Except I would love us to upset the Patriots.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:29 am
Can’t lose to garbage QB’s like Bradford
April 21st, 2017 at 11:30 am
The Pats game will be like the Bucs v. 49ers game, Brady leaves limping and Bucs let the NFL know, We’re Back….
April 21st, 2017 at 11:31 am
I like it. I think I had the exact same game by game prediction except for flipping Giants/Vikings
April 21st, 2017 at 11:40 am
Sounds good – on paper. Its not gonna be easy to beat Atlanta twice though.
Anything between 9-7 and 12-4 sounds realistic to me at this point.
Seems a bit early to be making specific predictions about wins, losses and the season record without knowing who the Bucs get in the draft though.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:47 am
10-6 a bounce or 2 and they go 11-5.
That’s …before the draft. Other teams have to draft too.
Not even close to final rosters. So just havin’ fun making these predictions.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:59 am
I see 7 losses, we always lose to a team that we should’ve and could’ve beat, IE rams
April 21st, 2017 at 12:00 pm
no way… give this season a pass. 7-9 at best.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Vamos a ver…
April 21st, 2017 at 12:04 pm
11-5…12-4…13-3….that’s what im looking for….NO EXCUSES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
April 21st, 2017 at 12:06 pm
WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU GIVE THIS SEASON A PASS?….please don’t say because of hard knocks…..GO BUCS!!!!
April 21st, 2017 at 12:08 pm
I’m going with 10-6, but that’s just shooting from the hip. There’s always a game here or there you drop that you shouldn’t have, but then you might win one or two that you didn’t expect to.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:26 pm
Irv The Nerve going out on a limb ( for him ) with an 11-5 mark! My concern is that the division is extremely tough and splitting with each team wouldn’t be shameful at all. I hope he’s right though…anything less than a playoff berth will be deflating ( insert Patriot joke here )…
April 21st, 2017 at 12:42 pm
IRA..you should have titled this little article..FANTASY ISLAND!!! Don’t matter what the schedule is or says, 31 other teams got the same problems. Either you do win, or you don’t, You will..or you won’t! To make predictions about games is like makin predictions what Trump will say next. Bucs just need to win and not let Hollywood/Hard Knocks be the distraction..it is..going to be.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:43 pm
I’m waiting to see the draft and how things play out afterward. Too soon to accurately predict.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:44 pm
14 -2 and we are sweeping the division.
Perine will have db’s going to the chiropractor making it easy for DJax to step into the end zone walking backwards.
FIRE THEM CANNONS!!!!!!!
April 21st, 2017 at 1:27 pm
I am confident we will have a better record if we fix our running game.
Our running backs last year were awful
April 21st, 2017 at 1:39 pm
NFL schedule makers are giving Bucs a good chance for a good start in the first quarter of season. Dolphins-Bears and Vikings are all teams that offensively the Bucs’s defense can handle. Giants game is going to be the most competitive but at home Bucs can take it.
Unlike last couple of seasons which the early games were vs playoff teams, these first 4 games are non playoffs.
April 21st, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I love it. I don’t think it will happen, but I do love it. Stilling thinking 9-7 is realistic, but if the Bucs roll out all those W’s early, then this is doable.
April 21st, 2017 at 1:44 pm
Irv what the he!! is wrong with you?! You know we only win when you pick us to lose! Am I the only one who remembers your Tampa Tribune days? Looks the the Joe’s bright outlook has rubbed off on you. Or you’re sucking cocktails (podcast greatness)
April 21st, 2017 at 1:48 pm
Losing to Minny but beating the Giants?
Losing at Saints but winning at Cardinals?
11-5 is do-able but they way it’s done will be different imo …
April 21st, 2017 at 2:22 pm
11-5 if NO ONE gets hurt, not even a turf toe, the planets align, Jameis throws for 5,000 yards, someone rushes for 1,200 and the defense sets a sack record…..once again, that is a very, very tough schedule…..but I do love the April overconfidence out there.
April 21st, 2017 at 2:29 pm
Please beat the Giants! Their NewYork fans are jerks. Im tired of the national media living on OBJ’s jock when our mega talented receiver gets little recognition. And there is no way in hell we should let old man Eli beat us. He’s old and he’s soft.
April 21st, 2017 at 2:35 pm
4-0 out of the gate. Lose a close one to the Pats. Win 2 out of the next 3 making them 6-2 at the half way mark.
Lose to the Saints at NO beat the Jets at home. Go to Atl and GB next. Those are losses. 7-5 at this point. That’s when they go on a 4 game tear to finish out the season 11-5. I might of missed one, so I put down 10-6 or…11-5.
April 21st, 2017 at 4:01 pm
We’ll beat the Pats. Atlanta should’ve killed em. We’re better that the Falcons. Expect a great season. Before the draft, after the draft, pick up of cast off’s, whatever. I’m callin’ it early. A great year awaits. Swag is what these Bucs have. And it will show up weekly.
April 21st, 2017 at 4:02 pm
” than the Falcons”…..need an edit option.
April 21st, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Lots of optimism in Bucsland. At this point (before the draft) 11-5 looks possible IF our offense really comes around & ends up ranked 10-15 on the season. Personally expect Bucs defense to end up in Top-10 assuming injuries are minimal. We’ve got the talent on both sides of the ball … Just need to put it all together & git ‘er done on the field.
April 21st, 2017 at 4:23 pm
I see here we’re beating Atlanta twice. Cool…
April 21st, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Omigod. Stick a fork in us, we’re done for. Out of the toaster, we’re burnt. The terrible has happened. The awful has occurred. The season now has a dark cloud over it, rain falling in buckets. Fox Sports online has a headline that says this; “2017 NFL predictions: How the Buccaneers will have the best record in football.” It’s by Nick Wright, whoever he is, and he is predicting us at 13-3. Does he hate us? All that is left is for Sports Illustrated to put us on the cover.
April 21st, 2017 at 5:19 pm
If Jameis is who we thought he was, should be a playoff team just about every year from here on out.
That’s why you get the franchise QB, right?
Let it be so.
April 21st, 2017 at 5:38 pm
With a couple nice additions that contribute well this year in the draft – this team certainly has the talent to go 11-5. Starting talent that is. Injuries at the wrong position at the wrong time could devastate this team’s chances of making noise in post season because our back up talent is weak in a # of places.
And don’t kid yourselves if you see this as not too difficult of a schedule. Its among the top 15 toughest schedules in the league for sure and there are quite a few teams on that list that will be in or at least legitimately vying for the playoffs.
April 21st, 2017 at 6:08 pm
Tough schedule. Hope they go 3 and 1 in both afc and NFC divisions matchups which is possible . 9 and 7 or better is the HOPE
April 21st, 2017 at 6:47 pm
I am all about what truth 2015 said!!!
April 21st, 2017 at 7:19 pm
That was supposed to be”tdtb 2015″ I don’t know how that came out to be”truth”
April 23rd, 2017 at 5:54 pm
@Ira
You gave the reason for our Bucs besting the Jets as the Jets not having a QB…So who does Minn have at QB?