“Convinced” By Bruce Arians
July 8th, 2019
Will he make it a triple?
It’s always intriguing to learn what seasoned and reasoned football analysts outside Tampa think of the Bucs. And it’s more interesting when those thoughts appear on the Patriots’ official website.
Former Buccaneers and Vikings beat writer Don Banks, who later moved on to 15-plus years as an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated, now works part-time typing about national NFL stuff for Patriots.com. Last week, he shared pre-training camp assessments and one was all about how Bucco Bruce Arians will turn around a team immediately as head coach for the third consecutive time.
However, Banks isn’t sure that will mean much for Bucs’ bottom line in 2019.
“The Bucs have talent on both sides of the ball, but they’ve lacked direction and discipline for seemingly forever,” Banks wrote. “I’m convinced Arians will have instant impact once again, but in the rugged NFC South, with the Saints, Falcons and Panthers all being formidable, could Tampa Bay be vastly improved and still finish in last for the eighth time in nine seasons?”
Joe will answer the hypothetical question for Banks; Yes, the Bucs could be the fourth best club in the NFC South and still be greatly improved. That’s how talented healthy Saints, Falcons and Panthers teams are.
When the dust settles in January, Joe will be most concerned about what Banks called the “direction and discipline” of the Bucs.
If Arians earns high marks in those areas, then it really won’t matter if the Bucs are 7-9 or 9-7. A strong start to the regime will have happened.
July 8th, 2019 at 11:52 am
Agree Joe. I want to see a competitive, disciplined, fighting team on every snap that is in it at the end of every game. If we lose, I want everyone pissed. You smile or dance on the sidelines while we’re losing – go pack your crap.
July 8th, 2019 at 12:00 pm
They are all beatable. Complacency is waiting around the corner for each of our division rivals. See Panthers start last year and ending at 7-9 See Atlanta 7-9. The Saints are beatable too. we split last year with Saints and Panthers. Falcons swept (second game lost by 2)
New Coaches with a new scheme and attitude, should be enough to spilt across the board. They wont know what to expect from us. Panthers and Saints in first 5 weeks, element of surprise.
Screw last year’s records. Its a new season, lets establish an identity early and get it going!
In BA I Trust!
July 8th, 2019 at 12:02 pm
Teams fall off all the time. A couple ill-timed injuries and the division is wide open. The Bucs have been magnets for bad luck for the past decade, true, but statistically they can’t ALWAYS have bad luck, right? Eventually one of the other teams will take their turn as fate’s punching bag, right? Goooooo Bucs!
July 8th, 2019 at 12:06 pm
if we have another losing season, i doubt winston returns unless BA pounds the desk for him….7-9 wont keep everyone safe imo…..folks were talking that BS about how the bucs played hard for dirk during back to back 5win seasons…..how’d that work out for the team and the staff?….
GO BUCS!!!!
July 8th, 2019 at 12:13 pm
Let’s face it, the Bucs aren’t anything more than the 4th best team in the division right now.
But those 3 teams ahead of them aren’t without questions.
Carolina – Switching defenses/Cam’s shoulder
Falcons – New OC (Predictable Koetter)/still no impact players on D
Saints – Brees is one year older (check his stats down the stretch in 2018)
Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. None of those 3 teams are guaranteed to be anything. Just like the Bucs. That may sound like empty “hope” to Joe but its the truth.
July 8th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
While there really isn’t much that can be gained by losing or a losing record…..it does matter how you lose……I want to see fewer mistakes…..playing to the whistle…..fighting for yards & YAC……I want to see…….WANT TO……
July 8th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
@Tampabaybucfan
It breaks my heart how low our standards have become after the Decade of Futility…
July 8th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Going to be a very interesting season.
Drew Brees getting pretty old and his play was down at least statistically to end the season vs how he started. That is kind of true of a lot of QBs tho but he’ll be 41 next January.
Still – he could fall off the wagon at any point and Saints had minimal upgrades in the offseason.
Falcons might be the most dangerous actually if 100% healthy. Ryan in his prime, great O-line and weapons, plus a defense with some pieces to work with.
Panthers kind of re-tooling the defense and should be solid there, but Cam Newton is coming up with a new throwing motion and still is not great as a passer if they plan on him running less.
Bucs should have top 5-10 DT tandem in Suh/Vea
top 3-5 off ball LB crew in David/White
below average OLB/DE
? at secondary for now but potential for average or better
Top 5 receivers
Top 16 QB as of now with potential of top 5-10
Top 20 O-line (better in pass pro than run block)
Bottom barrel RB till proved otherwise
? at special teams
There’s some hope IMO
GO BUCS!
July 8th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
I’ve leaned to the optimistic side for 43 years now….
As a creature of habit, I see no reason to change
I do see real reasons for optimism this year
On paper, this may be the best coaching staff this team has ever seen
July 8th, 2019 at 12:31 pm
Tougest division in the league.
ITS ALWAYS BEEN COACHING!!!!
July 8th, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Ouch.
July 8th, 2019 at 1:12 pm
We open 6-0. Can’t screw that lead up.
July 8th, 2019 at 1:18 pm
If you want to slow the aging process, become a diehard NFL fan–especially a Bucs fan.
When September rolls around-boom, boom, boom and 17 weeks fly by in the blink of an eye.
Then from early January (in the playoff-less Bucs case) until August, it seemingly takes five years to begin anew. Not much action except venom being spewed back and forth on this website.
Preseason in August is a taste, but usually a snooze-fest with most attention being given to the hopeful, continued good health of the starters.
Baseball, basketball and hockey–8-9 months on and 3-4 off.
Doesn’t seem fair …
July 8th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Delusional optimists preach on….. the nut punch will come by week 6 and reality will set in shory after that another basement is inevitable but it’s adorable all the optimism for a small market irrelevant minor league franchise …. preach on and by a cup to prepare guranteed nutpunch
July 8th, 2019 at 2:48 pm
Whether we are 9-7 or 7-9 matters to me as a fan. This shows a difference between being an analyst or reporter and being a fan. How well we played in losing efforts is not enough. The job of being “winners” means overcoming those competitors who are supposed to be better than you consistently.
Win now. Overcoming the odds is a key to becoming a champion in every sport.
__________________
Go Bucs!!!
July 8th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
Ah – maxi-beotch-pad….
Contributing to the conversation….
Don’t you have a Panthers blog to go troll maxi?
I’m sure those hardcore Carolina fans are already sick to death of reading “blah blah Cancer, blah blah loser” regarding your closet love interest GMC.
Cmon maxi – you can level with us – now that you are moving on… right? Tell it straight.
You fantasized often about you – and Gerald – um you know – together… Big Mac as you call him wearing his Batman suit with football cleats. Utility belt fully “stocked”…. You wearing…………
July 8th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
It breaks my heart too, Don_RyJo(e).
I will never give up! If I ever did I would go away and not call myself a fan anymore. Giving up is a loser’s attitude!
________________
Go Bucs!
July 8th, 2019 at 3:16 pm
Fans will be more optimistic after a couple of sacks/picks, a couple of long field goals are made and evidence of a running game shows up in pre-season.
July 8th, 2019 at 3:49 pm
The way we’ve been for soooooooooooooooooooo long just trying to win n playing with heart would be an improvement but there’s gonna have to be vast improvement with a winning record for me to have faith the Glazer boys wont clean house it’s been their MO for this entire lost decade. Or maybe they have finally learned their lesson n that’s why the gave koetter an extra season (doubtful but one can hope) If BA has this team come out the gate n dominant for 16 weeks none of that old crap will matter. As several fans that still have hope have been saying “IN BA WE TRUST” AS ALWAYS GO BUCS
July 8th, 2019 at 4:16 pm
If Arians can lay a foundation down like Dungy did way back when, then this year will be a success. Cam is breaking down, Brees has maybe 2 years left, and Ryan is good, but nothing special. We have a chance to grab this division by the balls and dominate it, if only Winston can pull his head out of his a$$. I’m mortified about the running game too, but I think the defense will be much improved with the changes that we have made. 2 out of 3 should get us close to .500.
July 8th, 2019 at 7:06 pm
Probably too late to this conversation (spent the day kayaking on the Rainbow River) but I just had to say ‘Thank You Joe’. I actually sensed a note of OPTIMISM in the way you ended this piece. Yup … OPTIMISM. And it opened the floodgates for more OPTIMISTIC comments. Well, except for Tmaxcon who’s convinced the Bucs are doomed in the NFC South.
Tmax, remember back when we were in the Black & Blue division? Had to annually play the Bears, Vikings, Packers AND Lions. Bucs have NEVER had it easy. Only one solution: Build a TEAM that’s better than theirs. We did it once before. We can do it again.
July 8th, 2019 at 7:40 pm
Tmax,
Tampa Bay Rankings
11th largest in TV (this is generally accepted as the rule of thumb for the NFL)
19th largest in Radio
There are 3,142 counties in the US
Pinellas and Hillsborough are in the top 50 in both measurements of population and density.
By what standard are you saying we are a small market?
Where is it that trolls live?….that’s fight under bridges. Now that would be a small market for a small-simple-minded-troll.
In BA I Trust!
July 8th, 2019 at 7:41 pm
Right. Not fight. Darn it…
July 8th, 2019 at 7:42 pm
Moderation…yeah! see u soon. Hey Joe, hope u had a good holiday!
July 8th, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Defense–
You’re trying to reason with him?
I have better luck talking bricks into being flowers …
Know this won’t be read, but had to overcome boredom on a Monday night …
July 8th, 2019 at 10:21 pm
By what game do we ponder the thought and consider it a race to the bottom? ..again
I’m with 74 Bucs fan on this one
July 8th, 2019 at 10:24 pm
I’m with you JA. I personally can’t wait every season for NFL training camps to start opening and then be getting a steady diet of NFL/Bucs info for the next few months (lately until the season has spiraled into an un watchable disaster) and then POOF! it’s over and I’m counting down until the the combine and the Draft. I think/hope things will be different this year ( I ALWAYS do ) but still I will NOT root for another team, EVER! Even though I’ve moved to Tennessee, the Bucs are my team. Oh, and Pickgrin….hilarious!
– Go Bucs!