Tampa Bay: Where Playahs Want To Play
May 3rd, 2021
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians
Has Tampa Bay become a mecca for the young and beautiful (Joe knows full he doesn’t belong in either category)?
South Tampa (specifically South Howard Avenue) and Clearwater Beach are magnets for babes. Big Storm Brewing is a magnet for beer lovers.
And The Licht House on Dale Mabry Highway? It’s where the playahs want to play.
That seems to be the common denominator when you look at several factors. Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht brought back 22+1 starters from a Super Bowl-winning team. That is virtually unheard of, specifically in the free agency era.
Then you look at the draft over the weekend. Fourth-round pick Jaelon Darden, seeing the wide receivers he can learn from and the quarterback who will be throwing him passes, said he couldn’t try to find a better place to end up.
Then there is this item from SI.com’s Albert Breer typing about new Bucs quarterback Kyle Trask.
While we’re on the quarterbacks, new Buccaneer Kyle Trask might’ve been the most polarizing guy in the class. Some thought he was an intriguing developmental guy, others thought he wouldn’t project to the NFL at all. I can say this, the place he went—Bruce Arians’ Tampa—is about as ideal a fit as Trask was going to find in the pros.
So let’s see: In recent years the Bucs were able to hold on to or outright acquire top-shelf free agents Ndamukong Suh (twice), Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett, Lavonte David, Playoff Lenny and furniture-tossing, bicycle-throwing Antonio Brown.
Oh yeah, and park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller-coaster-scared, numbers-rules-peeved, Bucs-Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Now you have draft picks claiming they couldn’t have found a better situation than the world champion Bucs (Joe likes the ring of that), to develop and to grow and be the best they can be.
Tampa Bay, the mecca of football? Sure seems that way.
May 3rd, 2021 at 5:25 am
Enjoying all this while I can. Who knows when the next lost decade will roll around.
Happily enjoying this off season as SB champs and in no rush to see next season begin. WIth that said, it would be unbelievable to still be on top of the mountain this time next year.
May 3rd, 2021 at 5:53 am
yeah baby… just win …
May 3rd, 2021 at 5:57 am
The Licht House aka Tom’s Temple is a mecca now
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:04 am
Ah Patriots, how the mighty have fallen. It appears players want to hear what Tommy Boy has to say. He brings that infectious winning vibe.
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:20 am
And we are going for two in a row….Baby!!!!
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:45 am
Tom Brady is scared of roller coasters?
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:58 am
Yup!!!! Cry more haters!!!!
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:59 am
this draft class is growing on me…
seems like a pretty good draft by boss licht…
i’m now leaning towards a solid B+ draft…
also the 2 most exciting new pieces could very well wind up being darden and stuard…
does BA see stuard as his new moneybacker in tampa.?..like bucannon was with the cardinals?…
these 2 guys have bucs fans buzzing already…
one thing i noticed about stuard is his mental…he’s extremely balanced, a good thinker, and seemingly has a grown man’s head for a youngster…mature mentality…
darden too…he’s super focused as well…
in fact most of our new guys seem to be fairly mature and smart after watching their introductory press conferences…
this group is growing on me fast with the more i learn about them…
and yes of course everyone wants to play for tampa bay right about now : )
somehow we have become the new “america’s team” (for the moment)
May 3rd, 2021 at 7:20 am
Joe…..you forgot Gronk…..he’s not chopped liver….
May 3rd, 2021 at 7:31 am
Let’s hope this kid doesn’t end up like a certain draft pick that Gruden took from Appalachian State. He was great until he got hit!!
Like all that have been before him, until you get lit up on game day, it’s all fun and games. I did see Darden get a nice lick in the highlights, and he was slow to get up, but he went back out there.
I hope this kid has what it takes!! Slow feet, don’t eat!!! Love that quote from him!!
Go Bucs!!
May 3rd, 2021 at 7:44 am
Wombat, if you listen to the kid you’ll know he’s not the App St kid. He’s small, but he comes off to me as a Steve Smith type. Small, but well put together, most importantly has that attitude. Licht likes tough guys that love football. This kid is going to be a baller.
May 3rd, 2021 at 7:58 am
Hey joes!! You don’t have to be young and beautiful to cover the young ans beautiful! Just keep doing your thing guys!!!
May 3rd, 2021 at 7:58 am
Wombat.. don’t forget Jaquez Green. I watched him from my end zone view literally run to the safety of the sideline 10yards before contact.
That said this guy I sense is different and lives for the spotlight and physically is really put together despite his height.
I am more concerned with his maturity off field, not sure why I keep repeating that.
May 3rd, 2021 at 8:01 am
Lest we forget, at the end of 2018 we finished 5-11, our coaching staff got canned and we brought in BA & a new coaching staff. At the end of 2019 we finished 7-9, no longer had a starting QB, and were missing a lot of pieces.
The turnaround from losing to winning all started with signing Tom Brady. Folks talk about Tampa as being a place “where playahs want to play” but you could easily change that to ‘where the GOAT is feeding’. Brady’s the magnet; ask Gronk & AB & Fournette & a bunch of others. He might be with us for 2 more years, or maybe just 1 more, who knows? And the same with many of those who ‘The Magnet’ attracted (most are on 1-year contracts this year).
Even after a lot of them depart, Bucs HOPEFULLY will still have the core of a winning team. The guys who we just drafted will most likely have the luxury of not having the same ‘pressure to produce’ that some of our current guys had (think White, Winfield, Davis, Whitehead, SMB & Dean, as well as Wirfs?). But they still represent our future … one day. HOPEFULLY though they contribute substantially this year (if given the opportunity of course).
May 3rd, 2021 at 8:23 am
both darden and stuard are kinda brolic…
they are sorta gym rats…
and they even have trained together and are friends previous to the draft…
#ThemBoysBeAllBrolicAndSheet
May 3rd, 2021 at 9:27 am
If they don’t grow up real quick around these vets they never will. Doubt that will be the case.
May 3rd, 2021 at 10:08 am
Tampa is soaking in the success brought on by the Brady Effect….We should not forget that this will be short lived.
Enjoy it, while it lasts…
May 3rd, 2021 at 11:13 am
Enjoy it while we can Bucs fans. Never thought we would have this turn around so quick, but I remember Chucky’s Bucs the years after their super bowl win, and things can go the other way very quickly too, and that will happen at some point.
BUT NOT NOW, LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOObitches0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
May 3rd, 2021 at 11:37 am
I agree Defense Rules. I am a fan of Licht and Arians but I think the number 1 reason for our turn around is Brady.
You can not be a Super Bowl winning team without a good coaching staff.
Yet Brady was the paradigm shift.
May 3rd, 2021 at 11:48 am
of course Geno, we aint winning squat without Tom. Essentially had the same team with Jameis.
May 3rd, 2021 at 12:22 pm
A bunch of sloppy drunk and coked up 20 year olds to take home. I think they found Freeman all f%cked up in SoHo. You continue to show me class sometimes, Joe.
May 3rd, 2021 at 4:31 pm
Continued success in the draft is now and should always be the priority. Tip of the hat to Licht for the outstanding job he has done and also the man who should be the Capologist of the Year, Mike Greenberg.
As long as Licht continues to add the right pieces to the roster (such as Evans, Godwin, Brate, Cappa, David, Davis, Marpet, Smith, Vea, White, Winfield, Wirfs), can sprinkle in a little flavoring with seasoned veterans (JPP, Suh, McLendon, Fournette, Barnett), and apologist of the year Mike Grenberg can fit them in, then frankly, what veteran QB wouldn’t consider coming to Tampa Bay when the GOAT retires?
So, I have no doubt that if Task is not ready or capable when TB steps aside, Licht will be dialing up the next best free agent veteran QB ready to move on to this very attractive, well-built team. (Hey Rodgers, go back to GB for a 1-2 more yrs. please, just in case).
Wow, after s-o-o-o-o many losing seasons, I still find I need to add extra hot sauce on my burritos, just to make sure I’m awake and not dreaming, because Tom Brady chose the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS and they are now THE 2020 NFL CHAMPIONS!!!
May 3rd, 2021 at 5:02 pm
79 defense I hope your not a Bucs fan. Your about as negative as they get. GO BUCS!
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:17 pm
“tampatown” , TB12’s not afraid of 300+ pound defensive players charging at him wanting to rip his head off , but yes he IS afraid of roller coasters . LOL !
May 3rd, 2021 at 6:27 pm
“adam from ny” , JL’s always considering mental football IQ’s as well as skill in deciding on a player . He got it right again I believe ! Time will tell as all of our picks were “luxury” picks and not a single one of “need” for the first time in the history of our Franchise that I can recall .
May 3rd, 2021 at 9:44 pm
Jaquez Greene, another Gator coming back to Florida! Everyone wants to play with Tommy!!!!
May 4th, 2021 at 7:42 am
Wouldn’t AB and Lenny make it 22 + 2?
May 4th, 2021 at 9:44 am
I just read the NFL scouting Report on
Kyle Trask. He is very accurate, he has a good arm, but not
a canon. He us a good game manager and reads defenses well.
He works very hard to prepare. He us a sturdy
6’5, 220+
I also read Kellen Mond’s NFL Report.
Has a very strong arm and he can run.
He is not very accurate and he is not very
durable. Kyle Trask looks like a better deal to me,
with more upside.