Bucs Are In A Pinch
April 12th, 2020
Bucs chatter.
In the mind of one former Bucs player, there are two groups of teams that will be behind the eight-ball this season. And the Bucs are in one of those groups.
This sickness that has turned our world upside down has hammered what was a roaring economy and done a number on sports. There are no sports, outside of offseason NFL news and transactions.
There will be no OTAs. It is highly unlikely there will be minicamps. And right now, it seems training camps may not start on time.
And if training camps are delayed, you can just about kiss goodbye the preseason.
(It is sad that it takes the worst sickness the world has seen in over 100 years to possibly do away with the plague that is NFL preseason games.)
Former Bucs guard and current popular local sports radio personality Ian Beckles said the shortened offseason will badly hurt two types of teams:
One group is teams with new coaches. The other is teams that have new quarterbacks.
Yes, even a team that acquired arguably the best quarterback of all time.
“We are in trouble a little bit because we have Tom Brady coming in,” Beckles said on a recent edition of his podcast, “In the Trenches.” “As intelligent of a football player as he is, you can’t just pick up a system that quickly. Not for it to be second-nature. That’s not an easy thing to do.
“It’s going to be hard to do by the end of the season and that is in a perfect circumstance. This is hardly perfect for anybody.”
Joe believes there is some truth to what Beckles says. Remember when Chucky came in? He gave his Bucs’ offense a crash course on his offense that was watered down on purpose as not to overload his players.
The offense finally started catching on at the perfect time, right when the playoffs began.
And Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians has said it takes a quarterback at least a half-season to start catching on and maybe over a year to master his offense. And that’s with a full offseason, training camp and preseason games.
“Nobody is together,” Beckles said. “It’s going to be tough, OK? We have Tom Brady, and that’s good. But it is not like having Tom Brady and he would have three minicamps and offseason and working out with Chris Godwin and working out with Mike Evans and working out with O.J. Howard and Cam Brate.
Brady “doesn’t understand how Chris Godwin runs routes. That’s something you have to feel and training camp is not where it is supposed to happen. You better know it by training camp. Once you are in training camp, you have to be learning the system, the verbiage, the snap count, learning the feel of all your new teammates and trying to be a leader.”
Even though Beckles is scared it may take too long for the Bucs to get on the same page as their new quarterback, Beckles did admit if anyone could get a working knowledge of Arians’ offense in a hurry, it might be who the Bucs have at quarterback.
“If there is one person who could get it done, it is Tom Brady,” Beckles said. “I’m not worried about Tom Brady but it won’t be as smooth as what it would be in a normal offseason.
“He has to figure these things out. he doesn’t know how fast Cameron Brate is compared to O.J. Howard.”
How real is this delay? An official for the Santa Clara County (Calif.) administrators suggested last week it is unlikely California will host any sports events before Thanksgiving.
Santa Clara County happens to be where the 49ers’ stadium is located.
April 12th, 2020 at 12:46 am
Thanks Joe!
April 12th, 2020 at 1:05 am
Defense is coming back to Bowels year two. Brady and the offense will be able to take care of themselves after the season starts progressing. It’s not like every team isn’t going through this as well so Brady is by far all the best FA QB to be picked up.
Bucs defense will decide where this team goes and they’re pumped as hell about Brady.
Kinlaw round one.
April 12th, 2020 at 1:25 am
Welp that settles it….bring back JW for 2-3 mill for a year…(beat Ndog to it)
April 12th, 2020 at 2:43 am
Saints get to slap Brady and Bridgewater twice a year…. Cool
April 12th, 2020 at 2:43 am
2-3 million a year! GO kick rocks …see ya mouth drop when I dawn my Rays uniform!!!
April 12th, 2020 at 4:41 am
SOEbuc nailed it. Every team will be facing the same challenges when they do finally get back to work. Granted that it’ll probably be more challenging for teams with new coaches & new players (especially new starting QBs), but every position group on every team has similar challenges. It just takes time to work the bugs out, on offense AND defense AND special teams.
No one knows how this thing will ‘end’ and how/when things will get back to ‘normal’ (or some semblance thereof), but I tend to think that there’ll be a ‘transition period’ that could be several months long before any large-scale group activities (like actual football games with fans in the stands?) are allowed to take place. Despite their best efforts, many NFL players won’t even be close to being in ‘game shape’ when they do finally get back together for team activities. We’re all just have to let it play out and see where this thing takes us IMO.
April 12th, 2020 at 5:26 am
@5000, (JW) im good, dont care what you do….i was playing with one of the trolls here bruh! Do your thing. Baseball just might be your best move, cuz a starting NFL QB wont be in the cards anytime soon. Sayonara!
April 12th, 2020 at 5:31 am
And its DAUN not dawn….TB12 would know that…pfft!
April 12th, 2020 at 6:40 am
The only thing that’s “in the cards” for NFL players in the foreseeable future Is solitaire.
April 12th, 2020 at 6:42 am
The Swami Buc Predictor sees a 8 game season because of the current situation. Jameis Winston will not have a job.In 2021 the Bucs bring him back to train with Brady. Bruce Arian says if he can’t learn from the best he will never learn.
April 12th, 2020 at 6:49 am
Haha, yall ingesting too much mainstream media narrative….everybody’s gonna die!! Um, NO!
This jit will be back to a different kind of normal in a few months…key word different…germ freaks and masks everywhere, but we’re no longer shutdown so much! Eventually the jig will be up with every death being reported as CV related….but not until people wake up, see the facts and demand a difference in the reporting!
April 12th, 2020 at 7:35 am
We will learn a lot from MLB…..there is a possibility that they will resume spring training with all teams playing in Arizona…..and that would be in early Summer….if they can do that then certainly NFL can hold modified practices….
Actually, Brady Evans & Godwin could work out together right now…….they would be a group less than 10 and would be 6 feet apart…..
I understand the doomsday posters…..but we are going to start opening back up in a couple of weeks in many parts of the country…..we will have football..
April 12th, 2020 at 7:46 am
I think there are some advantages with Brady as he’ll install TE plays and play action which there’s been no tape. Maybe that floats us 4 games….possibly 6 and by then the install is 75% complete.
April 12th, 2020 at 7:56 am
No we don’t have OTA’s, and mini camps now but remember the NFL has always taken the whole month of July off every year. Then there’s the whole month of August, and we don’t need all 4 preseason games. So no need to panic, the players will get plenty of time together. All of that still depends on what the virus is doing.
April 12th, 2020 at 8:20 am
Yeah I’m a troll, sure pal.
April 12th, 2020 at 8:25 am
We are going to return all of our defensive starters. The same system is in place. The D will carry the team untill the O gets up to speed.
April 12th, 2020 at 8:51 am
probably shorten season,go to a 10 or 12 game season?
April 12th, 2020 at 8:54 am
Is it really that difficult to practice social distancing while throwing passes and running routes, on a football field? Can’t they wear P.P.E. also? With P.P.E., even 7 on 7 seems plausible.
If there is going to be a NFL football season this year, it may only take place with P.P.E., as strange as that may seem. As a result, some guys might perform the way they do in the pro-bowl. Now wouldn’t that be fun? We just want to get Brady on the field!
My guess is that the mighty NFL (and it’s $) will find a way!
April 12th, 2020 at 8:59 am
This is another reason the Bucs need to draft a running back early in the draft – probably rounds 2 or 3. If our passing game struggles we better have a solid running game.
April 12th, 2020 at 9:14 am
Ndog your boyfriends no longer a buc get over it and quit crying everyday
April 12th, 2020 at 9:16 am
Danny Dimes is right on with all predictions and I say no NFL SEASON at all in fact there may be serious doubt if sports will even be played in 2021
April 12th, 2020 at 9:37 am
Ian Beckles. Purveyor of doom and gloom.
April 12th, 2020 at 9:41 am
You know, there is no rule saying they can’t just push opening day back by a month…
April 12th, 2020 at 9:42 am
Agree that ALL teams face transition and uncertainty. I don’t think the impact will be as much as they say for a very experienced QB. At worse, he can call his own plays I’m sure.
We could do worse at QB, much worse, and still have the same challenge.
And to my Devil Dog friend above, a solid running game can help a team transition more smoothly. Regardless, this HAS to be an area of improvement next year.
April 12th, 2020 at 9:43 am
Worst sickness in 100 years????? Paleaseeee
April 12th, 2020 at 9:56 am
Singapore tried to reopen too.
It failed and they closed back up yesterday.
Shutdown again.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:06 am
This covid nonsense has to end. No sports in California before Thanksgiving? Are f’ing kidding me.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:13 am
Jon
OK we’ll play along. Please feel free to name a sickness between the Spanish flu of 100 years ago and this current virus. Do you honestly recall a worse illness?
What Ian expressed has always been my greatest fear. I couldn’t agree more!
Just look at our own division. How many passes has Matty Ice tossed to JJ over the years? How about Drew Brees to Michael Thomas?
I have no fear about Brady mastering the offense…he’s probably already got all the terminology and plays mastered mentally. It’s his timing with receivers that needs to be worked out. No matter how great he is he hasn’t seen ME or CG or the TE’s running routes or catching his passes. He will have to learn their speeds and their catch radius..where to place the football for each target.
As someone pointed out…the redeeming part is that Bowles defense now has a year experience and some of these young guys needed to come on as they did last year to gain confidence and belief in Bowles defense. Hopefully they can carry us the first part of the season when the D will be ahead of O’s anyway but especially with limited prep time.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:14 am
You don’t think Brady isn’t absorbing every page of BA’s playbook and watching film. He looks at certain plays and then watches film to see it unfold. Same for his receivers. He can get a pretty good idea of how crisp and quick players run certain routes by watching film. What else has he got to do (well except for keeping Gisele happy). Sure, they’ll still need some practice (with the team, not Gisele), but I guarantee you, if there’s a season, TB will be as ready as anyone. The first few games will probably have some blemishes, but I suspect TB will pull it together quickly.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:18 am
DannyDimes Says:
April 12th, 2020 at 9:16 am
Danny Dimes is right on with all predictions and I say no NFL SEASON at all in fact there may be serious doubt if sports will even be played in 2021
Masters is scheduled for November.. nice prediction and facts
April 12th, 2020 at 10:21 am
Perfect a couple run plays, perfect a couple pass plays, and run the hell out of those plays until we learn more. Improvise a bit along the way as a team catch on to throw them off. The talent that we have on this team, no excuses!!
April 12th, 2020 at 10:30 am
B.D Says:
“probably shorten season,go to a 10 or 12 game season?”
May just start late too.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:33 am
There are options there and I know for fact they are being discussed. For one, they can test the entire team for COVID19 and quarantine any that are positive. They can also rent a hotel which they normally do anyway for camp, and have minimal employees there. They can even erect a pre-fab building with beds and use the One Buc facility showers, and take all meals at One Buc by a tested chef staff. All practices would of course be closed. But that is one way to stay on track. There is likely an abundance of test kits now, and the President has been very specific about hoping Sports could come back soon because it is so important to Americans. So done the right way, nothing has to be canceled.
April 12th, 2020 at 10:39 am
As of yesterday Roger Goodell said there would be NFL football this year and he said nothing about a shortened season. Am I to believe that some of today’s posters know something he doesn’t?
April 12th, 2020 at 10:49 am
Maybe NFL and Players Assoc can get together and allow for more training camp time. Get back to 2 a days, more contact in practice, etc. That would help these guys get in shape and on same page. Not having OTA’s and preseason games will mean crappy football for the 1st month or so in the league.
April 12th, 2020 at 11:01 am
@ Danny here is some good advise for you bro. IDK where i heard it “go do something productive on this Easter like spent it w your family or just give your fingers a break from typing on this post every day like a loser.”
April 12th, 2020 at 11:16 am
I heard MLB is talking about when to play and not filling the stadium. They are working on thing so the NFL I am sure is also. And Yes the PGA is looking at starting in August.
April 12th, 2020 at 12:20 pm
I could see if the virus is still spreading that the NFL could play games in sites with no fans and just televise, it would be weird but if everyone is avoiding close contact there would be many afraid to attend the games.
There has to be a way to test and come up with anything that can stop the spread.
April 12th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
At this rate, football starting by Thanksgiving would be a blessing. I’ll take it. 😜
April 12th, 2020 at 3:50 pm
Max
It’s actually “Don”
Just sayin
April 12th, 2020 at 3:51 pm
And Tom knows how not to throw picks, with or without practice.
We’re talking about practice 😂
April 12th, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Lets see if all the Jameis Haters give Brady a pass for this. No EXCUSES…It is all about wins and losses and nothing in between. The QB will either win or lose games for you, he is the only one on the team and that is what matters. D-Bags
April 12th, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Stpetebucsfan,
Every flu season
Malaria annually
Tuberculosis annually
AIDS
Hepatitis C
Should I continue?
April 12th, 2020 at 7:02 pm
I think even teams with QBs in place for a while will still have some growing pains. There are more new faces on each team than there are returned players.
Brady might even have an advantage over many teams, he will have film of all of his receivers.
April 12th, 2020 at 7:22 pm
There is no chance of a normal season. Either late start with no fans for scrap the whole thing for 2020.
April 12th, 2020 at 9:41 pm
Every team is in the same boat. That’s why we’re even more lucky to have Brady. Good defenses will dominate the first half of the season while these players get back in the swing of things. Hopefully ours can be one of those.
April 13th, 2020 at 1:06 am
Without testing or a vaccine, there will not be a season.
April 13th, 2020 at 1:41 am
@Jmark, i know, but i took it further to refer to the “Russian” version which means retarded….sorry, i shouldve been more specific.