Bill Polian Names Hidden Win For Bucs
March 25th, 2021
Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian
There is one critical component to repeating as Super Bowl champs that few if any teams are able to master.
Hall of Fame GM and living NFL sage Bill Polian talked about it last night on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Rest. Rest. And more rest. It’s vital for any club “Going for Two,” and it’s challenging to make happen in most years given all the partying and endorsement opportunities available to Super Bowl winners.
Polian doesn’t blame players for taking advantage of everything, but he also believes the current COVID environment will benefit the Bucs because the victory party won’t rage on like it normally would.
“The players have all kinds of opportunities in the offseason and you can’t expect them to turn it down. I mean, it’s human nature for goodness sake,” Polians said. “So there’s a long period almost until you get to OTAs, where everybody’s still in a celebratory mood and mode instead of getting on with the job of getting ready for the next season. There isn’t that much going on because of COVID, so in many respects it may provide a bit of a break for the Bucs and an opportunity for them to get some much-needed rest that they would not otherwise have.
“That run to the Super Bowl takes a lot out of you. Those four additional games really take a lot out of your team. And Bruce Arians will do a phenomenal job of getting them ready and keeping them rested. But it’s hard; it’s a hard go and the players don’t realize it until they hit somewhere around Thanksgiving. And then, wooo, now those four extra games begin to take their toll.”
Polian also added that no travel for the Super Bowl and far less “pregame hoopla” would benefit the Bucs in the long run, along with a lower salary cap that Polian claims helped keep free agents home.
It sure feels like the Bucs were gifted a perfect storm of an offseason to repeat as champs. Joe recalls Chiefs players saying that cancelled spring practices and lockdowns last season were a blessing of rest to help them recover for another run — one that ended with a beating in Tampa.
Yes, Joe realizes any Bucs player can party every day like a maniac if he wants to, but Polian is right that opportunities are limited by The Sickness. Just think of how many clubs and businesses would have paid Bucs players to sign autographs, guest DJ, attend corporate events, etc., in a normal year.
All-new episode of The Ira Kaufman Podcast, presented by Bill Currie Ford.
March 25th, 2021 at 7:28 am
He can be a cantankerous, curmudgeon but gives out nuggets sometimes
March 25th, 2021 at 8:13 am
Polian may have a point about the COVID situation reducing the partying.
However, one only needs to go into most any Bar around here to see that COVID has not slowed most of them down.
Social Distancing is a joke around here in many Bars,
March 25th, 2021 at 8:15 am
Rest….and keeping both coordinators are key
March 25th, 2021 at 8:47 am
All signs pointing to a repeat! The football gods have finally bestowed their favors on our team.
March 25th, 2021 at 11:18 am
Injuries are the other key factor. If we lost an OT, QB, ILB or Edge for a length of time (6-8 games), it could be over. That’s what gets a lot of teams.
March 25th, 2021 at 11:27 am
I agree that the sports climate for the Buccaneers definitely favors the chance for the team to repeat as champions. I think the only teams to give the Bucs any problems would be the Packers and Rams. The Bucs are the favorite to repeat according to most “experts”. I see the Bucs repeating easily to a second and even a third Super Bowl. GO BUCS!!!!!
March 25th, 2021 at 12:55 pm
Knowing how to do it is helpful. Since entering the league in 2000, Brady has played the equivalent of almost 3 additional regular seasons of postseason football with 45 games under his belt.
March 25th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
I felt bad for Ira when he said he hasn’t met Brady. But now after reading this, Ira is just gonna have to suck it up. Lol. It’s a small price to pay
March 25th, 2021 at 2:26 pm
I am really tired of hearing that our only competition in the NFC will be the Packers or Rams. This is the NFL and there are surprise teams in both conferences every year. Our own division will be no cake walk although I hear we have already won next years division championship. Teams that think this was get beat. Our team is sitting at home just like you are watching the media pundits and even looking at fan comments about how we are just going to roll right back into next years Super Bowl without even breaking a sweat. The problem sets in because if you here it enough you start to believe and subconsciously you don’t work as hard, you don’t do all the little things it takes to win again. Don’t get me wrong I firmly believe we have a team that could win another Super Bowl but a lot of things have to take place. The Captains and leaders of this team have to ensure that the other players don’t think they can just show up and win. The chemistry has to be right again, there can’t be any of this I got to get my yards or my catches or whatever, it has to be team first. And we have to stay away from the injury bug. If we do all of that we can bring home another Lombardi trophy next year.
March 25th, 2021 at 6:44 pm
Polian has incredible insight and intelligence about the game. But, it is very difficult to listen to him, he is a horrible orator. I can only handle about 10 minutes when he is on Sirius/XM…
March 26th, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Polian once publicly claimed he had a first round grade on Tom Brady coming out of college. Yet he fell to #199. Sure ya did, Bill.