“A Respite From The Dark Days”
December 3rd, 2019
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
So what are we to make of these Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the three-quarter pole?
For one thing, they’re playing good football, particularly in the past two weeks on the road. They kicked Atlanta’s butt, then humbled the Jaguars amid strong indications this defense has jelled.
You can appreciate the improvement — or wonder why it has taken so long for this team to come together. Both sides of the equation have their merits.
Given the remaining schedule, there’s a decent chance the Bucs finish at 8-8. That would feature quite a reversal of fortune after a 2-6 start that dashed any credible postseason hopes.
A 6-2 mark in the second half would naturally generate some momentum toward 2020, especially if this inexperienced secondary continues to ascend, but Buc history tells us to curb our enthusiasm. Let’s not forget how the 2016 Bucs closed at 6-2 after a 3-5 getaway in Dirk Koetter’s first year on the sidelines.
Then the Hard Knocks cameras started rolling and Swaggy Baker started trolling Tampa Bay kickers competing for a job. It was a bad look for a suddenly chic franchise that had national pundits drooling.
An ensuing 5-11 record showed everyone that the Bucs were not who we thought they were. The same thing could happen in 2020.
An 8-8 Tampa Bay team would be seen as a playoff contender entering Year 2 of the Bruce Arians regime. Jameis Winston would be entering his prime years, with gifted targets in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Hold on, folks.
The magic of LeGarrette Blount & friends dried up fast
Flash back to the 2011 offseason. The Bucs were coming off a 10-6 mark with a young, dynamic quarterback named Josh Freeman. Mike Williams caught 11 TD passes while LeGarrette Blount topped 1,000 yards on the ground.
Freeman and Williams were 23. Blount was only 24. The future looked so bright, Raheem Morris purchased an extra set of shades. Ticket sales ticked up. Raymond James Stadium was set to party.
Not so fast.
The Glazers have fired four head coaches since those heady days, so let’s not get carried away. The Bucs have a knack for breaking your heart, so let’s just enjoy this run for what it is — a respite from the dark days.
On solid ground, writes Ira Kaufman.
Arians isn’t going anywhere, unless he decides to ride off in his golf cart. Buc Nation continues to believe he is one of the league’s elite coaches and this current surge has reinforced his credibility among the players.
Winston has likely given Arians enough ammunition to endorse him to the Glazers during their January sit-down. That leaves the nagging question: how best to retain Winston’s services?
Evans and Godwin, the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL, aren’t going anywhere, either. The running game has slowed to a crawl for the fourth consecutive season and there’s virtually no chance Demar Dotson returns as the starting right tackle next fall.
Devin White won’t beat out Nick Bosa for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he’s made an impact in every game for the past month. Lavonte David is the perfect mentor — smart, dedicated and productive.
Besides determining Winston’s fate, the offseason intrigue revolves around the front 7.
Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh and Carl Nassib could all walk, leaving Vita Vea virtually all by his lonesome. Vea’s young and Vea’s strong, but he’s not Hercules. The man needs help, but uncertainty reigns supreme.
It’s been fun watching Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting grow up before our eyes, but all that progress could be stalled if the 2020 pass rush evaporates. Yes, huge decisions loom at One Buc Place heading into the final turn of this roller-coaster season.
Meanwhile, enjoy the ride.
All 2019 vehicles must go! Prices have been slashed at Bill Currie Ford. Your trade-in will be a full year older in January. Get the most for it now!!
Ira Kaufman launched his professional NFL coverage in 1979, back when Earl Campbell was the toast of the league and Lee Roy Selmon was defensive player of the year. After a lifetime at The Tampa Tribune, “The Sage of Tampa Bay Sports” joined JoeBucsFan.com in July of 2016. His twice-weekly podcast and three columns per week appear here year-round and are presented by Bill Currie Ford. Tampa Bay’s only Hall of Fame voter is a regular on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio and a part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday show, in addition to his other appearances. You can hang out with Ira during every Bucs road games at Buffalo Wild Wings. His schedule is linked here.
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:38 am
yep it has been a topsy turvy affair for sure
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:41 am
Better than playing for the draft…….I’m enjoying it….3 out of the last 4….let’s do that again and we are 8-8……improvement….GO BUCS!!!
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:44 am
Cant let a good pass rush walk. And yes momentum doesnt carry over until next year, or next week. Gota play good weekly. And lets not pencil in 8-8 yet after beating 2 bad teams. Winston at home is never pretty
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:45 am
Enjoying the ride of a WOW 2 game winning streak.
Go Bucs!!
Make it 3 in a row!!!
Go 6-7.
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:49 am
“Better than playing for the draft”
Amen brother, amen!
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:53 am
What an awful column. Just because past groups of men failed doesn’t mean the current group will. Ira’s been covering the Bucs too long 😉, but he’s smarter than this.
December 3rd, 2019 at 12:11 pm
its December and chances are low we make post season yet I am Happy to even have these thoughts and not so much on the draft.
December 3rd, 2019 at 12:11 pm
3-1 or 4-0 down the stretch is very doable.
Those free agent pass rushers have plenty of reasons to stay. All but Suh seem like team first oriented guys. Suh is more like a hired gun while Nassib has many reasons to be loyal to the city that immediately embraced him, the team that claimed him off the scrap heap last season voted him a captain in his second season. Barrett’s career has taken off due to coaching, opportunity, or whatever. And JPP is from Florida, played college ball at the stadium, you don’t think he prefers playing here over New York or somewhere else? He’s also had great success here playing for a team that took a chance on him and did him a favor by granting him free agency after the season.
All of these guy also know what it means to not have to pay state income tax in the state of Florida. I can definitely see a scenario where three out of four of these players is back with the team next season. $93 in cap space is a ton, plus it might only increase after contracts are adjusted or terminated. I don’t think Nassib is going to break the bank, he’ll definitely come in well under $10 million, JPP will come in over $10 and Barrett will be closer to $15. All in all, i can see the Bucs signing all three for $35 million… still leaving close to $60 million to work out long term deals with Godwin, Winston, and anybody else they would like to extend.
December 3rd, 2019 at 12:12 pm
Smitty’s Defense once had a 5 game stretch, and we know how that turned out.
Hoping it’s the real deal, not one of many Buc mirages….Big decisions looming, is the FO capable?
December 3rd, 2019 at 12:29 pm
Thanks for that last sentence there Ira. The Pass Rush is the Key! It always has been. Buc fans want to ohh and awhh about Jameis’s spirals. Great Defense wins championships. And WE of all the teams should know this. That’s how we won our 1st one. Pay those pass rushers and stock up on a couple more.
December 3rd, 2019 at 12:33 pm
gotta resign JPP, SHAQ and nassib….
offer suh 1year 6 mil with incentives….
draft trenches first 4 rounds….
GO BUCS!!!!
December 3rd, 2019 at 1:14 pm
Agreed with you there, 813.
Might have money to offer Suh a little more than that too, who knows.
December 3rd, 2019 at 2:48 pm
The problem with the 10-6 year was we thought we were really really good and didn’t realize easier schedule and a few breaks and didn’t improve anywhere. At 8-8 this year, stillneed to overhaul a few places or we sink.
December 3rd, 2019 at 2:51 pm
8-8 is on the way and Ba, #3, and Jason will be back to give it another shot next year.
December 3rd, 2019 at 2:54 pm
I don’t even care if we overpay shaq. with some of the FA’s this team has signed shaq would be well worth it. Let gholston walk, if Suh can be kept for a low cost keep him, let brate walk. Keep JPP. Draft/pay a safety and right tackle. and get a new QB I don’t care if you pay one or draft one just get one in here.
December 3rd, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Christopher Schiefen Says:
“What an awful column. Just because past groups of men failed doesn’t mean the current group will. Ira’s been covering the Bucs too long , but he’s smarter than this.”
.
.
?!
Boooo!
December 3rd, 2019 at 3:54 pm
“let’s just enjoy this run for what it is — a respite from the dark days”
That would be the pessimistic view Ira. And as a looong time suffering Bucs fan – I get it. We’ve learned to condition ourselves against too much hope because history says that hope is almost certain to be shattered…
I however, would prefer to think that the last few games – the last 2 in particular, represent a “turning point” in this team’s fortunes.
We can SEE the difference defensive improvements are making. We can see that element of complementary football kicking in big time. Jameis doesn’t HAVE to try and win games by himself – and thus create more turnovers by trying too hard. He can throw for 260 yards and no TDs (with no INTs) and put this Ferrari offense in cruise control mode and win a LOT of games with the defense making plays, getting 3 and outs and creating turnovers like they did Sunday in Jacksonville.
Hoping for playoffs this year coming off 2 straight 5-11 seasons was being overly optimistic. Vegas saw 6 1/2 wins for the Buccaneers this year and Vegas is usually close to correct about such things.
An 8 win season which includes a 6-2 finish would be REAL PROGRESS for this perpetually hapless franchise.
BA may have been overly optimistic coming in – and a 2-6 start is a pretty good kick in the nuts for everyone who cares – but the real work of real coaches IS showing itself clearly now. Most all of our young players are visibly improving over the course of this season. The TEAM is improving over the course of this season. Every player is 100% ‘bought in’.
Those are the signs of a well coached team – especially one that realistically squandered its chances for the playoffs prior to Halloween – AGAIN.
We can only hope that this late season “surge” by the Buccaneers – IF it continues – can become a springboard into next year’s success.
Making the playoffs for the first time in 13 years and then ultimately becoming the first franchise to play in a home field Super Bowl game would be appropriate karmic payback for all the suffering that long time fans of this Buccaneers team have had to endure. Hey a guy can dream right?
BA and Todd Bowles – keep doing what you are doing. It seems to be working!
December 3rd, 2019 at 9:00 pm
Pickgrin Says:
December 3rd, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Making the playoffs for the first time in 13 years and then ultimately becoming the first franchise to play in a home field Super Bowl game would be appropriate karmic payback for all the suffering that long time fans of this Buccaneers team have had to endure. Hey a guy can dream right?
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AMEN X 1M!!!
December 3rd, 2019 at 9:09 pm
Seeing how excited everyone is getting over the Bucs beating 2 terrible teams shows just how desperate that we, the Bucs fan base , are for any win we can get.
We have to keep things in perspective though, these are the same Bucs and Bucs team and QB that have really stunk it up most of the year. Beating 2 terrible teams who’s franchises are in turmoil does not change all of that.
December 3rd, 2019 at 11:17 pm
Yes I agree we need to beef up the trenches. The better we can make our Dline the better our DBs will play an same thing on the other side of the ball. Mean physical nasty beasts for the trenches plz