MVP Or Failure?
July 19th, 2022
Our beloved Buccaneers were plastered all over BSPN TV this morning.
And one former Tampa Bay quarterback is convinced there is one hard Bucs truth when it comes to this season.
Dan Orlovsky has morphed into a hybrid hardcore film guy/hot take master for the network. And with the latest twist on Rob Gronkowski’s playing future dominating conversation today, Orlovsky drifted into an assertion about Tom Brady.
If Brady isn’t the NFL MVP, then the Bucs won’t be good enough to reach the NFC title game, Orlovsky believes. He sees two new offensive linemen and a Gronkless-team with Chris Godwin missing games as too many question marks without a dominant defense.
Former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland was on the same TV panel and countered Orlovsky, saying he’s all about the Bucs defense bouncing back to its 2020 form, and that the offense will be with fine Brady and the available weapons.
McFarland called Akiem Hicks an upgrade from Ndamukong Suh on the defensive line and, like most Bucs fans, Booger sees health as the primary defensive fix from last season.
Joe finds it ridiculously harsh to say Brady must be MVP for the Bucs to get to the NFC title game. If the defense is healthy, it’s got top-shelf starters in Shaq Barrett, Vita Vea, Devin White, Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Few teams can boast that much defensive talent, and the rest of the bunch is solid and loaded with playoff experience, including newcomer Hicks.
The Bucs’ season should be all about cruising to a division crown and getting hot late.
Hey, the Rams won it all last season as a Wild Card team without an MVP quarterback, and with a defense that was barely average during the regular season.
July 19th, 2022 at 4:32 pm
Screw Dan Orlosky. The Bucs are gonna be just fine, and I agree with Booger that Akeem Hicks is an upgrade from Suh.
July 19th, 2022 at 4:57 pm
The last QB to be named league MVP, and Superbowl champion, was Kurt Warner in 1999. Brady has won 7 rings, without having an MVP season. GOB is a superstitious man. The only year Brady didn’t reach the Superbowl, when named MVP, was 2010. That loss to the Jets still stings. Brady, and the offense will be just fine. This team will go as far as the defense takes them. He’s done more with less plenty of times. I would like one more weapon though.
July 19th, 2022 at 5:04 pm
And the simple truth is that Brady SHOULD have been MVP LAST year! He was absolutely robbed. Might get robbed again, so……GD it, GO BUCS!!
July 19th, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Akeem Hicks…I like him a lot…but I’m thinking he is going to be 6 or 8 games max for us. Probably the beginning of the season. So maybe we get through the first 4 games and he is a factor. I still prefer Suh from 2020. But obviously no way to tell if 2020 Suh is who he is anymore. Damn tough.
I agree no Gronk, limited Godwin, no Brown…Bucs seem limited. Maybe Gage is ok or really ok depending on how/if he and Brady coalesce? Maybe he is production? Dunno. Gonna be a nail biter figuring it out. If the D sux… so goes the season. We have a B offense (combined, I mean Mike is A and O Line Jensen, Smith, Wirfs are A’s…new guys???) and “A++” QB. COaching B+(I hope). Gonna need an A- or better Defense at least to get to the SHOW in my humble opinion.
July 19th, 2022 at 5:11 pm
Let Rodgers have another regular season MVP. The only MVP Brady worries about is Superbowl MVP. I really believe he could care less about it.
July 19th, 2022 at 5:34 pm
Orlovsky was a pretty bad QB, I can’t take him seriously. Brady has completed more passes in one series than Orlovsky did in his entire two years with the Bucs. We do still need to sign Suh and JPP as they will be able to hold the defense together when the injury bug bites. Since the Bucs have not signed a veteran TE, I hope that means Gronk will come back after training camp. As far as Godwin, hope he is ready by game 1 or at least Gage is.
July 19th, 2022 at 5:35 pm
We need Suh, it’s foolish to call this an upgrade
July 19th, 2022 at 5:51 pm
Oralovski couldn’t find his butthole with both hands and a searchlight if he didn’t have a pet octopus to help him search.
July 19th, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Our Bucs are relevant….and have been since Brady arrived…….
As far as Brady needing to be MVP……nope……if he can be as good as he was the last two years, we should be fine.
I actually think our defense is better…….exit….JPP, Suh, Whitehead……Enter Logan Hall, Keano Neal, Logan Ryan and Akeem Hicks….we are better.
Also our entire young defense has another year’s experience…..JTS, White, Winfield, Davis, Edwards, SMB, Dean
And, we have some $$$….we aren’t finished with this roster…
July 19th, 2022 at 6:18 pm
We don’t NEED Suh, at this point he’s a backup at best
July 19th, 2022 at 6:35 pm
Suh would be great as a mentor, coach, show the young guys how to work type of guy. Maybe even get in 4 to 5 hundred snaps. But I think we saw last year a definite drop in production from him, and a year older, he ain’t gonna be as good this year. Offer him what you think that’s worth and no more.
July 19th, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Bowles has already set the mood for offense this year. He said the team needs to make it easier on Brady. Hopefully that means not throwing the ball 50x and game and adding some diversity and creativity on offense. I keep saying if we put the game on the shoulders of Brady this year we will will be in trouble. Brady will be 45 and we’re gonna send some decline in his arm. It wouldn’t be prudent to have him pass so much.
I’m also worried about the left interior of our line. I don’t see a suitable replacement for Marpet. Interior pressure is Brady’s kryptonite.
July 19th, 2022 at 7:07 pm
MVP has many elements not just performance. Performance and “numbers” get you in the conversation but then popularity and many other factors not related to performance come into play. Some may feel Brady already has enough “hardware” and look for a new face.
Awards are meaningless…UNLESS it’s a team trophy for the NFC Championship followed by the Lombardi…the ONLY trophy that means anything.
July 19th, 2022 at 7:09 pm
Beej and all the other experts/haters
How is he a backup- what an insult to reality and to him personally. Dude balled out played so many snaps- every game and always showed up when it really counted. He’s the only D lineman who isn’t soft. He’s the only reason our defense had any edge to it. Maybe D white when he gets going but Shaq feeds off Suh. Delusional
July 19th, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Tampa bay Bucs fan
Exit the 3 hardest nosed defenders and tell me it’s an upgrade
What delusion
July 19th, 2022 at 7:26 pm
Go look at Suh’s PFF numbers from last year. Simply because he played a ton of snaps, doesn’t mean he was particularly effective. Teams hardly doubled him last season.
Fletcher Cox’s PFF grade was almost 20 points higher, with the basically the same number of snaps. I really don’t get all this love for a mercenary like Suh. He was paid very well while he was here, and helped win a ring.
The reason he hasn’t been signed, is because no team is willing to meet his price. If he’d play for the 3-4 million he’s worth at this stage of his career, I’m all for it. But, no smart team is paying him the 7-10 million he’s probably asking for.
July 19th, 2022 at 7:45 pm
Suh has not been signed so it seems teams must think he has lost a step or over priced his market or both. Brady at 45 is still the best quarterback we have ever had. Brady fits the mold of a MVP the Bucs were nothing before he arrived and we won a Super Bowl and came one play for going to the Super Bowl last year.
July 19th, 2022 at 10:01 pm
I do think a Gronkless team really hurts us but I think he will be back at the start of the season. Brady could still be MVP. Gage is real good as well and people forget we picked him up. I also think our defense will be better if we can stay off the injured bench. Go Bucs!!
July 19th, 2022 at 11:20 pm
This Camille think has me kinda pumped up about Gronk. I went with my wife for 7 years before we got married, I believe the same as Gronk and Camille. My wife and I never lived together like they do. But after 7 years, she knew what I was thinking no matter what came out of my mouth. I think Camille definitely has an idea what Gronk is thinking. I’m thinking Tom does too, or he would be tight end shopping
July 20th, 2022 at 1:04 am
No way the lucky health of 2020 is repeated. That is one in seven type of injury luck. If we see some injuries in the DBs, the depth seems to be there.
Not at edge. Not on interior. And especially not at ILB.
Add onto that the notion that NFL OCs have caught up with Todd’s blitzes, recognize that he can’t tell what quarterback to avoid blitzing the house against, and that his guys don’t know their assignments in zone, and it’s looking pretty grim.
Orlovsky might very well have it right.
July 20th, 2022 at 7:06 am
Brady should have won MVP last year.
July 20th, 2022 at 7:41 am
Bucsfan13 Says:
And I keep saying if Brady is finally free to be the Player-Coach he has wanted to be since getting an earful on the subject from Peyton Manning that one off-season week together in Chattanooga, that his greater role and responsibility in game-planning and play-calling will be the secret weapon that propels both he and the Bucs to SB LVII, Brady’s 8th SB win and his final and best SB and season MVP awards.
July 20th, 2022 at 7:57 am
I don’t know why Dan Earlovsky is even on T.V.. He was garbage as a player, and even worse as an analist.