A Cool “What If… ?”
June 7th, 2021
Did workouts lead to title?
Watching the Bucs’ final three playoff wins yesterday on NFL Network revealed all kinds of “What ifs?”
What if Antoine Winfield doesn’t punch the ball out of Jared Cook’s arms in the win over the Saints?
What if Sean Murphy-Bunting didn’t pick off Aaron Rodgers to set up Scotty Miller’s 39-yard bomb from 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?
What if Miller doesn’t make that catch?
What if Rodgers takes off running for the goal line late in the game on the Packers’ final possession instead of throwing an incompletion on third down?
What if The Sickness would have hit Devin White much harder than it did?
What if Chiefs starting right tackle Eric Fisher didn’t blow out his Achilles in the AFC title game?
What if Vita Vea wasn’t able to come back?
You could go wild with the “What ifs?”
Albert Breer of SI.com had an interesting “What if?” What if, last offseason, Brady obeyed the orders of the NFLPA not to gather for off-site workouts like Brady had at Berkeley Prep? Would that have meant a lesser record?
Breer explores this “What if?”
Breer takes Brady’s quote about how he struggled with Bucco Bruce Arians’ offense in midseason and Breer offered this thought about Brady’s workouts at Berkeley Prep:
That’s just one piece of building toward the season for a quarterback, and it happened even though Brady was holding workouts at a nearby high school, Berkeley Prep, when COVID-19 rules kept him and his teammates out of the team facility during the spring of 2020. Obviously, eventually, the Bucs got where they needed to be. But it’s not bananas to think that without that spring work, it might’ve taken a little longer.
And if it took a little longer, maybe they would’ve been, say, 10–6 and not 11–5, in which case they’d have been the sixth seed, rather than the fifth, and going to Seattle for the wild-card round rather than Washington. And maybe then, rather than using a playoff game against a 7–8–1 division champion to get their footing, the Bucs would’ve been in a dogfight more than 3,000 miles away against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. And you catch my drift.
Yes, it’s a helluva point. Remember, not only were many Bucs playing in their first playoff game, the Bucs struggled against an XFL backup to start the playoffs. What if, rather than playing a scrub quarterback, they faced Russell Wilson? Then had to travel cross-country back home?
It’s an interesting thought. But here’s to happier memories that we shouldn’t soon forget. The stars aligned for the Bucs last season.
June 7th, 2021 at 11:44 am
The late bye, getting the 5th seed and playing Washington, and the fact home field advantage was reduced in all the playoff games due to capacity limitations all worked in the Bucs favor.
This year, winning the division is going to be MUCH more important than it was last year.
June 7th, 2021 at 11:49 am
What if Jameis only threw 10 interceptions instead of 30……you could “what if” the Bucs into a SB in 2019…..
What if TBBF had a winning lottery ticket?
What if Giselle liked him better than Tom?
What if Doninick had kept Michael Bennett?
The list could go on & on…..
My favorite….what if Bo Jackson became a Buc?
June 7th, 2021 at 11:55 am
What if , What if, What if ????????????
Well we know for sure that the Bucs knocked out Murderers Row on the Road and then home for the Super Bowl, Brees-Rodgers- Mahomes to finish an 8-0 run.
The What if I have thought about is… What if the Bucs lost the Super Bowl at home, and then every home game the Bucs would have been reminded of losing the Super Bowl. Not Cool..
I am Very Glad they won, and will be reminded every time they play at home that they won the World Championship there. Now that is a sweet reminder.
GO WORLD CHAMPION BUCS!!!!20-0 BABY!!!!! 28-0 Run to next years Boat Parade.
June 7th, 2021 at 11:59 am
There simply needs to be good bounces/lucky breaks to win it all. That’s why the undefeated talk and likely repeat sentiment seems a bit crazy to me. I certainly hope the Bucs can…but it will take more of the same good fortune to do so.
June 7th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
It is not crazy to think this Buccaneer team can set the modern day standard with a 20-0 undefeated season. SOMEONE WILL DO IT!!! It might as well be the BUCS!!!
June 7th, 2021 at 12:11 pm
I like your “can do” attitude August ‘76! If you’re not selling Amway…you should be! I’d buy from you!
June 7th, 2021 at 12:12 pm
August 1976…I agree as I believe the team was just hitting it’s stride at the right time on the way to the Super Bowl. I see no reason why this team on both sides of the ball won’t improve from 2020. As long as #12 is still standing…
They COULD go undefeated.
Remember us fans deserve this.
Go Bucs!!!(Back to Back Champs.)
June 7th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
lol lol Winny… No Amway from me lol Great response lol
I watched the totally defeated season 0-14, so an Undefeated season would be awesome. GO BUCS!!!!!!
June 7th, 2021 at 12:23 pm
OK Joe, I’m thinking that Ira needs to talk you down off the ledge. We could all ‘What If’ the 2020 season to death. Matter of fact, we could do the same for ANY season. You know full well that ‘Lady Luck’ plays a part in every championship season. But the same applies to her impact on our daily lives me thinks.
‘Making plays’ is what the NFL is all about IMO. A big part of the excitement of NFL games to me is that the margin between winning & losing is usually quite narrow, and it’s those ‘big plays’ that normally make the biggest difference. And those big plays aren’t always made by the biggest stars (evidence SMB’s & Scotty’s performances in the playoffs).
Of course, the influence of ‘Lady Luck’ is the primary reason I chuckle every time I read various JBFers going on about our ‘Dream Team’ and its prospects of running the table at 20-0 this season. MIGHT happen, but I wouldn’t be putting any money on it.
June 7th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
What if, right before the play-offs last year, a mile long meteorite hit and wiped out all life on planet earth? The Bucs never would have won the Superbowl. You could “what if” a million different scenarios. This is a stupid exercise.
June 7th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Hey DR as I posted …….
it is not crazy to think this Buccaneer team ‘CAN” SET THE MODERN DAY STANDARD with a 20-0 undefeated season.
SOMEONE WILL DO IT!!!
It might as well be the BUCS!!!
I live in “the glass is half” full kind of life, it sure beats the alternative.
“What if ” —they go Undefeated….. lol GO BUCS!!!!
June 7th, 2021 at 12:36 pm
It’s the hypothetical time of the year ,,,
June 7th, 2021 at 12:44 pm
Part of winning a title is catching a break or two. Finally, the Bucs benefitted from one
June 7th, 2021 at 12:55 pm
The single biggest and really the only “what if” of 2020 is …
What if Green Bay went for the TD and not the field goal?
That play may alter the NFC and NFL in 2021 and beyond.
June 7th, 2021 at 1:28 pm
“What if Rodgers runs…) is irrelevant. Zero chance he scores before getting blown up by Devin White. Watch it again and focus on Whites positioning.
June 7th, 2021 at 1:48 pm
Seriously Joe? Is this written by “negative ‘Oh my God the sky is always falling’” joe or is just click bait?!?
31 other teams have 100 “what if” moments from last season as well! What if Brady doesn’t throw one of the pics in the Green Bay game? Is it that close? What if TB defense picks Mahomes a couple of times more (as they almost did?!?)…. We can go on and on…. Truth is, over a full season this evens out. At the end the best one wins!… Lets stop this negative nonsense!! We won the SB!! Let’s just for 1 off-season be happy with that, will we?!?
June 7th, 2021 at 1:58 pm
What if Hugh C. had given Doug Williams the extension that he deserved?…
June 7th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
What if? Smh. Live in the now! Go Bucs!
June 7th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Don’t see how this is “negative.” And apparently, you didn’t read the last paragraph.
June 7th, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Let’s get excited about Tuesday!!!
June 7th, 2021 at 2:23 pm
OMG will you stop with this stupid, park-violating, home-invading, etc etc etc. It was slightly humorous the first time you did it. But it is just pitiful now. No one likes reading that crap in every article you write. Please stop with this stupid crap. 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? Does anyone reading this website like reading that every article. Comment now so maybe Joe will stop doing it.
June 7th, 2021 at 2:23 pm
August 1976 Buc … To be fair, I didn’t say we COULDN’T go 20-0 this season. Just said that I wouldn’t put money on it. Now, if YOU want to put even money on us going 20-0, I MIGHT consider taking THAT bet.
BTW August, I was trained as an engineer in college, and you know how engineers view things like this I’m sure. As the saying goes … ” Some people view the glass as half full; others view it as half empty; engineers view the glass as being twice as big as it needs to be”. Just sayin …
June 7th, 2021 at 2:24 pm
What if I got struck by lightning, then hit by a bus, then abducted by ISIS before last season? Then I wouldn’t have been able to watch all of those “Ifs”
June 7th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
I mean that what if we were the 6th seed instead of the fifth is iffy. I mean the wildcard would have been easier with how horrifically the Seahawks blew that game. granted the packers off a bye would have been MUCH harder then the packers in the NFC championship.
June 7th, 2021 at 4:15 pm
Bucs made their own luck. Winfield made a play in the Saints game as did all the other what if’s plays.
June 7th, 2021 at 4:30 pm
The only real What if would be this – What if Tom Brady had signed somewhere else?
June 7th, 2021 at 4:33 pm
‘What if’ it happened like it did?
June 7th, 2021 at 5:20 pm
That’s why I don’t believe in what ifs. If it didn’t happen why talk about it, doesn’t even matter.
June 7th, 2021 at 9:00 pm
What if Jameissss was our QB?????
Then Realisto would be posting to the SHEEPSSSSS!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?
June 7th, 2021 at 9:58 pm
What ifs are for LOSERS! Whenever I catch myself thinking “what if” I kick my own butt and say accept it…whatever failure or success and move on!
Sometimes I jokingly remind myself “what if monkey’s fly out of my butt” which has the same relevance as Breer’s speculation.
That was yesterday this is now.
June 7th, 2021 at 10:56 pm
Hello DR “August 1976 Buc … To be fair, I didn’t say we COULDN’T go 20-0 this season” BTW..DR I Did not say you did.
“It is not crazy to think this Buccaneer team ‘CAN” SET THE MODERN DAY STANDARD with a 20-0 undefeated season.
SOMEONE WILL DO IT!!!
It might as well be the BUCS!!!
I live in “the glass is half full kind of life”, it sure beats the alternative.
“What if ” —they go Undefeated….. lol GO BUCS!!!!”
The point DR was “SOMEONE WILL DO IT, and it might as well be this current version of the Bucs.
GO WORLD CHAMPION BUCS!!!!!