Are The Bucs Better?
March 23rd, 2021
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians.
An interesting angle amid all the chatter of the Bucs “Going for Two.”
There is a popular phrase that says if you are not getting better, you are getting worse. So what are we to make of the Bucs, Super Bowl champions, staying status quo?
For Kevin Seifert of BSPN, that’s not such a good thing.
In sort of a roundtable discussion, a question was posed asking if the Bucs are favorites to repeat after the smart re-signings of key free agents who got the Bucs over the hump to win the Super Bowl.
Seifert wasn’t going there. Yet.
Eh. I can’t necessarily name a team at this moment I think has a better chance to win the Super Bowl, but getting the gang back together isn’t usually good enough in football. What can they do to make themselves better, and have they done it yet?
Joe sees Seifert working there. But where do the Bucs get better? Does the team even have a weakness?
If you want to argue the Bucs need to depth at linebacker or secondary, OK but where?
On offense, the only place Joe can see where the Bucs may be able to make an upgrade is if Travis Ettiene falls to the Bucs at No. 32, but even then, it’s not like the Bucs are hurting for running backs (if Playoff Lenny returns).
Joe understands there are some on the James White bandwagon. For Joe, that would be very much a blah signing. The Bucs averaged 30 points a game last year including in every postseason game. How exactly does White make the Bucs better?
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:28 am
Apparently Joe doesn’t understand how good James White is on 3rd down with Tom Brady especially when the defense will be busy with all the other weapons on the field.
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:30 am
Najee harris vs etienne
Difference with those guys is they can catch a football
Lenny has just ok hands
Rojo has concrete stone hands
We could have that choice
Only one running back taken in last year (2 seasons ago) first round – and went last the chiefs at pick 32
Other then that we are stacked. Kick returner in 5th round ?
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:30 am
If they can draft 2 or 3 high impact players this year it’s over.
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:33 am
Yah. Who wants a third down back who catches third and short for a first down to move the chains. To continue a drive to score more points …even 7…Thats overrated. Catching 87 balls in one year with 12 rushing and receiving tds in same year is so blah
😂
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:49 am
On another note, I read where the NFL may consider a change to the onside kick rule, where a team behind on the scoreboard can opt for a 4th & 15 play on their own 25 to retain possession.
I’d be totally down for that rule change. I’d rather have the drama of a QB making a super play than watch a kicker make the perfect on-side kick.
March 23rd, 2021 at 8:54 am
ONCE JL gets the band back together, the only weakness/issue will be depth…along with every other team…
GO BUCS!!!!
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:06 am
We can look at KC as a recent example.
What new guys did they get after they won the Super Bowl 54. No one really outside the draft. All they did is go 14-2 and get to the Super Bowl the next season.
Not a horrible outcome for them.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:12 am
The offense and the secondary were getting steadily better the last half of the year, and that continued all the way through the Super Bowl. Even without upgrading personnel there’s still going to be even more improvement. Absent massive injuries I don’t see this team NOT reaching the Super Bowl
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:15 am
Getting better doesn’t always mean shuffling players. Getting better is also execution, cohesion, and player development. No season will be status quo for all players. You cannot predict injury impacts, suspensions, illnesses, someone doing some stupid. No team arrives at the playoffs exactly the same as the previous year. The question is can you repeat regardless of the things you cannot control, but can adjust to?
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:18 am
In order to determine if a player makes you better….you have to consider who they are replacing….
If White is replacing Lenny……nope..
But if he is replacing Shady…..of course we are better….Shady was rarely used and when he was, he was nothing special.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:26 am
Good point.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:26 am
Yeah okay re: not improving, but they still have a draft to add talent.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:27 am
How is this team going to get better? By playing together for another full season. They were just getting warmed up at the end of last year. They really don’t have any glaring weaknesses. Where things are a little sketchy, it is covered up by complimentary football. D takes over when offense slows down. D-line takes pressure away from secondary. Succop makes long field goals when the offense stalls. etc. etc. Everything is clicking and there’s no reason to believe it will stop.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:31 am
The main area the Bucs can get better is where the Bucs have a weakness, right? Where are the Bucs weak? They rank at #26 on special teams. We don’t have a threat of returning a kickoff to the house. NONE.
Adding a player that can do that would be huge. Even if they don’t return it ALL THE WAY, just getting Brady better field position is HUGE. Look at the playoff game against the Aint’s. The D set up TB with great field position and we scored each time.
Want to have an impactful player; get us a kick returner Mr. Licht. 2nd rd pick maybe?
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:34 am
Andrew Adam’s needs to be replaced, he made a lot of plays last year. Add another rotational O-lineman, hopefully Suh and gohlston resign as I see them as the hardest to replace among the remaining guys to resign.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:36 am
On the onside kick rule, would rather see the players on the line reduced to 2 on each side and require the ball to be recovered within 5 and 20 yards from the kick.
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:47 am
Could upgrade strong safety….additionally I’d like another pass rusher to take some pressure off JPP. Ryan Kerrigan? Melvin Ingram?
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:47 am
The Bucs will be better because they will have an off season to practice together
March 23rd, 2021 at 9:56 am
Thank you Tampabaybucfan for driving home the point we’ve all been trying to make for 2 weeks that perhaps is finally starting to be understood. Me, I want both Lenny and White for that exact reason!
In response to Seifert, look beyond personnel. Giving the band a full offseason of cohesion allows this thing to gel even further. Kinda like how coleslaw gets better after a day or 2.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:12 am
@Bird … “Other then that (RB) we are stacked.” Wow Bird, I wish I had your confidence. In my past profession (flying), we constantly played the ‘What if’ game. You know, ‘What if this happens?’ or ‘What if that happens?’.
The biggest ‘What if?’ with our Bucs relates to injuries & depth. Last year we really only lost 2 guys for any extended period of time: OJ & Vea. Our other 2 TEs, Gronk & Brate, both stepped up (as well as our WRs), and losing OJ really didn’t impact us. Losing Vea stung initially, but we added McLendon & RNR stepped up (plus we still had Suh) so we survived losing Vea quite well. And getting him back against the Packers & Chiefs in the playoffs was a huge bennie.
IOW, injuries in 2020 really had minimal impact. And being able to compensate for injuries is a key factor for any team making the playoffs & ultimately winning the SB. Bucs have an outstanding starting lineup IMO, plus a number of key rotational players. But IMO, we still need to improve upon our depth & versatility in multiple position groups to be able to withstand the really heavy ‘What if?’ situations.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:14 am
Upgrade strong safety???
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:16 am
To paraphrase Jimmy Johnson, Bucs don’t have to be better than they were last year. They only have to be better than everyone else this year.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:20 am
What team in the NFC got better? Certainly not the Saints.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:28 am
This was my arguement in one of these posts a few days ago. Where do they improve beyond depth?
Nearly every position group on this team has at least one or two of the best players in the NFL at their respective positions.
Sure, they could try to churn the bottom of the roster, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get better than the guys that already know your system.
All they can really do at this point is try to draft players that will eventually fill holes left by aging players when their time comes.
Time together is what will make this team improve. That’s basically it.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:30 am
When you have a team that can dominate on both sides of the ball and the team has great leadership and chemistry, you just want to maintain the status quo and keep the team together. The improvement or getting better can still happen as a result of more time together and being on the same page, opening up the playbook more, etc. And the draft can definitely bring a few impact players and more depth.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:36 am
If Lenny chooses to leave, and there is one of Etienne, Harris, or Javonte Williams still on the board at 32, the Bucs would have to at least consider drafting one. Would it be an improvement? I guess it depends if you’re talking about Playoff Lenny or Regular-Season-looks-like-he-needs-to-be-replaced Lenny. We’ll see.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:49 am
Bucs will get better via draft and cheap left-over from free agencies. Some players who can’t get what they thought they were worth will take a veteran 1-year minimum and a chance to win the Super Bowl.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:53 am
The 3rd down backs were a weakness last year. They all dropped numerous passes so White does make them better. Dline needs addressing.
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:23 am
Lets see, starting with the fact of Brady not even knowing where the Bathroom was at 1 Buc Palace until late July in Training Camp. This year they come in as World Champions, decidedly better. Last year they did not know how to win, that began to change after the Bear game and the Green Bay demolition the week after. They averaged 30+ a game offensively, this year should be 32-35 a game this year. It was not until the 2nd half of the first Falcon game that offensive things really began form for the Championship Run. Finally the mixture of Toms offense and BA began to happen with good results. Also Vita Vea missed most of the season, that is another upgrade. So for the so called “x-perts” The Bucs just began to get it together late last year. This year they will hit the ground running. It is a BUCS WORLD IN THE NFL IN 2021 and the rest of the NFL is living in it. Get used to it Media members from BSPN to Fox, and everyone else. GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:24 am
Did James White sleep with your wife or something ?
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:29 am
Mike … ‘Dominating’ is a rather conditional thing IMO. I still remember last season when we lost to the Saints 38-3. THEY dominated. And yet when we met them in the playoffs, WE dominated by-and-large.
Far too easy for SB winners to forget what got them there, and probably a good reason why it’s so hard for SB champions to repeat nowadays. Also easy to forget that at one time last season our Bucs were 7-5, three-fourths of the way through the season. Our BYE week happened at just the right time IMO, and THEN we caught fire & stayed on fire. Nothing likean 8-game win streak to close out the season.
Nothing’s a given in sports IMO, and I think that Kevin Seifert makes a good point in his article. 2021 may well be even more interesting than 2020 was.
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:44 am
James white has great hands and can move the chains and catc h the ball!!! So blah nothing JOE …also he has great expirience …hes a damn good back and versatile..And he is better than Lenny bc he is consistent throughout the season as well as playoffs and SB..Improvement#1, If we keep Lenny , Rojo, add white it will be a triple threat at the RB game which will be phenomenal. Inprovment at RB there. IMPROVEMENT#2 ,The defense needs to play hard every damn game like we did in the playoffs and SB and well go undefeated!! IMPROVEMENT#3 , keep AB KEEP AB KEEP AB, hes one of the best receivers in the game and doesnt drop balls period. And hell have a full year this time to shine hell he had what 600 yards in 8 games?? ..also with that comes the execution during the season which will come with having the time playing together now and everything started clicking towards the end of last season. If we pick up where we left off LFGOOOOO GOAL THIS SEASON UNDEFEATED ALL THE WAY TO WIN SB AND GO FOR ETERNAL GLORY! Trust in TB12 for improvements he never settles. TAMPA BAY ALL THE WAY
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:45 am
Just like Clyde Christianson said after the SB win, he felt the Bucs were only getting better, and wondered what the Bucs would look like if they could have played 8 more games. The Bucs only scratched the surface late last year, again this year they will hit the ground running. Barring injuries this team is primed to continue their run in 2021. GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:52 am
Im calling it like i called last year tampa bay all the way but i see pats vs bucs in sb hell of a story
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:59 am
Bring Suh, playoff Lenny and AB back and we have a lot better chance. Otherwise the Rams and Seattle are getting better.
March 23rd, 2021 at 12:21 pm
Bucs are going to be better because we all saw Brady change the tendencies of the offense late last season. Run the football for more balance, find the check downs, and DONT TURN THE BALL OVER! This complements the defense because the extra ball control gives them time to rest. The four and five play scoring drives are great, but not if the defense only had a couple of minutes of rest before having to go out and defend a shootout. We have all seen poor play and are subject matter experts on what effect that has had on our lost decade. Dont be afraid to look at the upside. The schedule and road was much more difficult last year than it is this year. Back to Back Bucs sounds good to me.
March 23rd, 2021 at 12:42 pm
There’s also the draft. And they can still improve depth with a few late free agency signings. And 2nd year players like Keshawn Vaughn, Tyler Johnson, and Khalil Davis could make a bigger impact in year 2. It’s not like there’s no possibility for improvement. Frankly, we just couldn’t afford an impact free agent outside of our own.
March 23rd, 2021 at 2:00 pm
Can the Bucs go undefeated this coming season. A tall order but they are very capable. Brady last QB to have an undefeated season. Don’t think he doesn’t want to add an undefeated year to his resume.
March 23rd, 2021 at 3:16 pm
On the onside kick rule, why don’t they just do rock, paper, scissors. Best out of three wins the game. They may toy with it but I can’t see the NFL going to the 4’th and 15 thing
March 23rd, 2021 at 7:07 pm
We improve our depth everywhere possible, plus we either keep Fournette or go get White and definitely draft another RB (because Vaughn plays too tight and is going to get cut or traded in preseason).
Like others have posted already, we’re going to be getting better because, as Clyde Christensen said, we weren’t even close to peaking as an offense yet – and with all this extra time now for Brady and everybody else to get more familiar with one another it’s going to be lit next year like people won’t believe!
That’s what these talking heads don’t get. Now Brady has time to do the offseason right. And with these weapons, doing it right is going to blow people’s minds this next season.
Brady’s never had a group of players around him to work with like this before. I can’t even imagine how excited everybody in One Buc Place has to be about really reaching their full potential. Because they haven’t yet.
March 23rd, 2021 at 7:59 pm
Jim Hodges: The 2 times the Bucs won the Super Bowl, they got swept by my least liked team, the Saints, in the regular season. I don’t care about undefeated in the regular season, I want the Bucs to go undefeated in the PLAYOFFS again.