Cream Of The Crap
March 11th, 2022
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
There’s only one thing standing between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a full-blown rebuilding job.
It’s called the NFC South.
Only in a decrepit division could Bruce Arians, Jason Licht or the Glazers even dream about competing for a first-place finish and a guaranteed home playoff game with Blaine Gabbert under center.
And yes, with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz now off the table and Deshaun Watson’s NFL fate in the hands of a grand jury, it’s looking increasingly likely either Gabbert or Kyle Trask will be under center in Week 1.
Weak Falcons
While the dropoff from Tom Brady to a veteran journeyman or a greenhorn who hasn’t thrown his first pro pass is monumental, this franchise is convinced the NFC South will be theirs again this fall.
That’s why Arians was quick to quell any speculation he would join Brady in retirement. He looks around the rest of this division and likes what he sees — for good reason.
The Saints are in disarray without a quarterback or enough cap space to retain key free agents. The Falcons and Panthers have combined for a 47-83 record since 2018.
All three of these division rivals are hampered by puny offenses. The Bucs just scored 63 touchdowns, only one behind league leader Dallas.
New Orleans reached the end zone 43 times. Atlanta scored only 33 TDs, one more than Carolina.
Maybe things will change if the Panthers have Watson under center in 2022, but at the moment, Todd Bowles isn’t up at night trying to defend Sam Darnold or Taysom Hill.
Imagine if Tampa Bay had a different division address.
General manager Jason Licht is deservedly confident but perhaps conflicted.
Comfort Zone
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are ready to rule the NFC East for a while. Mark the Packers down for another 13-4 finish atop the NFC North with Rodgers back. In the NFC West, the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers all won at least 10 games.
Buffalo’s Josh Allen is a young force to be reckoned with in the AFC East. Joe Burrow and the Bengals should dominate the AFC North while down South, Tennessee just grabbed the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The AFC West is loaded with quarterback power as Wilson joins Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. And let’s not forget Derek Carr led the Raiders to the postseason.
It’s the low-hanging fruit in the NFC South that has Licht scurrying for a plan to stay competitive this fall rather than regroup behind a slew of young players on relatively cheap contracts.
Losing Brady and Ali Marpet to retirement may be just a start for a franchise caught in no-man’s land.
Rob Gronkowski probably won’t be back and it appears Leonard Fournette is moving on. Chris Godwin might not be back on the field until October. Who knows whether Ryan Jensen will be back at all? That’s six starters off an offense that carried this team for much of the season.
Carlton Davis, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, William Gholston and Jordan Whitehead are set to test the free-agent market, with no assurances they will return to One Buc Place.
Surely there’s an argument to be made for a massive reset after two thrilling years of the Brady regime. Yet the lure of another NFC South crown remains powerful. Since their inaugural 1976 season, the Bucs have never captured back-to-back division titles.
Tampa Bay won the initial NFC South crown during the 2002 realignment en route to a championship. Two decades later, that same division is shaping the Buc blueprint for how to handle Life After Brady.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:06 pm
The rest of the schedule may be an obstacle to this seemingly impossible dream. Any way you want to cut it this team is in rebuild mode now. It can not be dressed up any other way I can see. Six games against the NFCS The rest are against good football teams. A one and done coach is another drawback.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:11 pm
WINNING THE NFCS IS A LOSS
Winning the NFCS only gets you a first-round playoff loss and poor draft capital. The winner of the NFCS this year is the conferences’ biggest loser.
Here’s hoping for 2-12!!!
(Hoping for 2 wins against the Saints)
March 11th, 2022 at 3:19 pm
Well, we drafted Trask for a reason. He’s had a year to study, that’s better than drafting a QB and starting him as a rookie. I think we are in good shape, not great but good. Sooner or later, every team has to start a young QB, we’ve been drafting well the last couple years so I’m not extremely worried. Plus, the weak division helps.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:22 pm
Gators fans are the only people who want Trask as the starting qb in 2022
March 11th, 2022 at 3:23 pm
Jaguars releasing running back Carlos Hyde after one season with team…. per NFL . Com
I can’t believe one of the Joes hasn’t had an article lusting after this guy.
He’s everything the Joes covet.
Known name?
Check
Previously good?
Check
In decline/past prime?
Double check
Let’s sign him!
March 11th, 2022 at 3:27 pm
“HC Grover Says:
A one and done coach is another drawback.”
Bingo! Haven’t seen this addressed by Hater Joe or anyone else. A fat old head coach has one year left on his contract and Hater Joe is blind to the negative impact this has on present and potential Bucs. It ain’t appealing, I’ll tell you that. But Joe thinks Trask is the force driving players away. LMAO.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:30 pm
SlyPirate … ‘The winner of the NFCS this year is the conferences’ biggest loser. Here’s hoping for 2-12!!!’
Sorry SlyPirate, can’t go there. The very idea of torpedoing the season to get a higher draft pick is repulsive to me. I don’t anticipate that the 2022 Bucs will be nearly as good as the 2020 or 2021 Bucs, but I do expect that they’ll give it their very best shot in every game. I also expect that they’ll improve throughout the season, and that they’ll keep building towards becoming a championship TEAM game after game. But no way can I root for quitters.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:34 pm
uhmmm … Not true. Many, maybe most, JBFers just want to see a fair competition so we can determine what we really have in Kyle Trask. And to be a FAIR competition, he has to be allowed to run with the 1’s under fire. Then if he can’t hack it, we’ll at least know what we’ve got & have a pretty good idea of what we’ll need to do next year to fix our QB problems.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:45 pm
For God’s sake let’s quit all the whining about our cap & QB situation…..we knew this was coming….maybe a year earlier than expected….but coming nontheless.
We got Tom Brady…..bought some FAs….drafted a Pro Bowl RT to protect him…..and WON A SUPERBOWL…..then mortgaged 2022 & part of 23 to bring everyone back and gave it a good try.
ITS OVER…..time to rebuild….get younger and make another run down the road….
If it has to be Gabbert or Trask…..suck it up and root for them to succeed.
March 11th, 2022 at 3:48 pm
Defense Rules. You sound like a gators fan
March 11th, 2022 at 4:00 pm
OK, you go 8-9, win a very bad NFC South and get blown out in the 1st round, and in order to do that you pushed your cap issues to 2023 and beyond. Now you’re a middling team on the decline. Great job!
March 11th, 2022 at 4:00 pm
HC Grover: The schedule? The schedule the rest of the division plays is VERY similar to the one the Bucs play. That is an overrated difference.
March 11th, 2022 at 4:06 pm
Too much loser mentality on this site.
Y’all need to chill out and see what happens.
Dang.
Go Bucs!
March 11th, 2022 at 4:11 pm
Worst fan base in all of sports..only say anything positive when the team is winning..real fans support your team through good and bad..Big ass bunch of crybabies
March 11th, 2022 at 4:13 pm
68 TD’s vs 15 INT’s
7,206 YD’s
2 years starting in SEC
1 year under the GOAT
Like any young QB, he will need time to grow,
but the kid is going to be alright.
March 11th, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Trask is the next Brady. He just Needs a shot. #GodblessFloridaGatorsFootball
March 11th, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Doosh, good one. And very true.
March 11th, 2022 at 4:27 pm
as a 25yr+ Bucs fan. I can say that I dont have much faith in Florida Gator Players. The bucs have had a few on their squad with a lot of sub par results. Earnest Graham was one of the few Gators that have actually performed well on the Buccaneers. Ike hilliard was pretty good too on 3rd down for a couple years
March 11th, 2022 at 4:33 pm
Yes, the Aints have a huge salary cap problem, but they just re-structured Alvin Kamara’s contract. They seem to be doing the work necessary to fix the problem. I hope that they fail at re-negotiating other players’ contracts.
March 11th, 2022 at 4:41 pm
LOL we may have to dig in to the Ray Graves playbook…the 3rd down punt. We need a QB who can punt.
March 11th, 2022 at 4:46 pm
As a neutral college Dan who doesn’t root for any of the FL colleges, I don’t care where our QB went to school. I care how he performs on the field. You won’t know that until you play him. So unless he’s as dumb as a box of rocks and still hasn’t learned the playbook, put him and let’s see if he’s our future or if we need someone else next year. If he falls on his face, Gabbert can take over for the rest of the season. I would rather have one .500 season, keep most of our players and just need a QB, than mortgage our future on a prayer.
March 11th, 2022 at 5:15 pm
Always with the negative waves Moriarty…
March 11th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
Defenserules, I agree with every line in your posts. Both of them.
I also want to add that BA has not even hinted he will be retiring soon. I’m glad, because imo he is the best coach the Bucs ever had.
March 11th, 2022 at 7:43 pm
Huh … Sorry to disappoint you, but the only college team I truly root for is Bama. And have for many, many years. But once these college players turn pro, I couldn’t care less what team they played for in college. Performance in the big leagues is all that counts.
March 11th, 2022 at 9:33 pm
Oddball classic line there Why dont you say something righteous or hopeful for a change … Moriarty….. CRAP LOL
March 12th, 2022 at 10:15 am
Why would most all major sportsbooks have Bucs at 11th to 13th in odds to win 2023 Super Bowl??? Due to the fact that they WILL BE A GOOD TEAM!!!
So you idiots that have no clue about anything stop the rebuild crap , it is FAKE NEWS.
March 12th, 2022 at 10:25 am
As a 25yr buc fan you are quick to forget Gators Jason Odom , Kenyatta Walker, Reidel Anthony, and the immortal Scot Brantley and Errict Rhett-all very good players for Bucs drafted out of Florida.