The Different Views Of The Bucs
April 11th, 2023
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Interesting to Joe how different people looking through different prisms view the Bucs.
Folks who have offices at One Buc Palace are adamant – absolutely, foot-stomping adamant — the Bucs can win the sad NFC South despite not knowing who their quarterback will be as we stand nearing the middle of April.
(Yes, sometimes a team not knowing its starting quarterback in the spring does well in the fall. There are exceptions to everything but death and taxes. But exceptions are just that: They don’t happen often. Hence the term “outlier.”)
Folks outside of One Buc Palace see the departure of Tom Brady and his replacement, Kyler Traskfield, and think the Bucs perhaps are drafting their quarterback later this month or maybe next spring.
While Eric Edholm of NFL.com believes the Bucs will be one of the three worst teams in the NFC this fall (along with Atlanta and Arizona), he admits he’s intrigued with what Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is doing.
The Buccaneers’ approach this offseason has been pretty interesting. They’ve shed some salary but are still crippled by dead money against their cap. Yet this isn’t some teardown; the Bucs have kept some pieces in place that many thought might be gone, including re-signing Jamel Dean and Lavonte David and bringing back $20M APY guys such as Shaq Barrett and Mike Evans. Perhaps they view themselves as contenders in the NFC South, even with Mayfield a potentially big drop from Tom Brady.
The Bucs could be players for the division. Again, these teams were lousy last year. New Orleans has upgraded, for sure. Carolina, maybe. A No. 1 overall pick at quarterback is a signal they should be a force for the next decade (keyword: should) but a 2023 breakout could be too soon.
One argue the Dixie Chicks have upgraded their talent but what can Joe say about a team that has hitched its wagon to Desmond Ridder? That’s borderline football malpractice.
So yeah, the Bucs have a chance to play in the postseason.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:48 am
There’s a reason they play the games.
It’ll be a relief when the offseason fades into football season so all the prognosticators will shut up.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:53 am
Not with Bowles Joe, Todd blew his wad on last years season. If Bowles resume holds true to form its no wonder they have us picked as a bottom three team. Walter Camps 2024 mock draft has us picking Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 draft. No respect I guess we as always an after thought on NFL network hardly ever mention. When talking about the NFL south the other day the network talked about the Panthers the Saints casually the Falcons and we they got to the Bucs they all laughed and changed the subject. No resoect!
April 11th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
I see we’re going to go with the new nickname mashup of the quarterbacks until at least the season starts. Lovely. But aside from that, as stated above no one really knows anything until the season starts. Surprise teams come out of left field every single year and teams people thought would do well often fade. Case in point last year, colts and Rams.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
I like to scroll back to 2019 and think about if I would trade that team, with Jameis and not Tom, and think about whether I would trade it for this one. And my answer is duh, yes. And that’s why I do NOT think they should rip it apart and try to start over. Start over with what? A first round quarterback? Do you know how many of them fail? A huge majority!
April 11th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
Opinions are like a holes – everybody’s got one, and they’re all stinky.
In 2020 nobody predicted the Bucs would win the Super Bowl – yet the Bucs won the Super Bowl.
In 2021 a lot of people predicted the Bucs would win the Super Bowl – yet the Bucs did not win the Super Bowl, or even the NFC Championship.
In 2022 practically everybody including Las Vegas Oddsmakers predicted the Bucs would win the Super Bowl – yet the Bucs got nowhere close to the Super Bowl.
Most people with stinky opinions predicted the Eagles would be at best a mediocre team, and likely cut their quarterback Jalen Hurts by the end of the first month of the 2022 season … yet the Eagles went to the Super Bowl and Hurts was a valid candidate for MVP, behind only the winner.
That’s why they play the games – because opinions matter not at all, only results.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:08 pm
“Bring on the Traskfield competition for all the marbles, Alex.”
April 11th, 2023 at 12:13 pm
The Bucs Season comes down to two things …
1. JTS and Hall. If those two can develop into pass rushers, the defense will be good. If not, they’ll be pedestrian.
2. New OL. The Bucs OL was historically horrible last year. They need to find some big bodies that can open running lanes and take pressure off the QB.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Sorry to high jack the story but any update on our Center Ryan Jensen. Is he in town? Is he doing more rehab on that knee.
From his own statement:
“It was a pretty severe injury which a lot of people I know were confused on why I didn’t have surgery but I ended up tearing my MCL, ACL, PCL. I flipped my meniscus, I had a fracture, and another little bone chip thing.”
I know he played a game for us, but really, do we think that he is healed without surgery?
I never heard of a high impact athlete not having ACL surgery to repair that ligament.
From a respected site:
Studies have shown that athletes who undergo non-surgical treatment for an ACL injury have a higher risk of experiencing a recurrence compared to those who undergo surgical treatment. According to some estimates, the risk of a non-surgically treated ACL injury recurring ranges from 22% to 80%, depending on the athlete’s age, level of activity, and the type of sport they participate in.
I think Jensen is a huge question mark that no one on this site in months is even talking about.
Do we really think that Jensen getting his foot walked on, twisted, etc is not going to have problems with the knee again?
April 11th, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Alex Van Pelt was the Browns OC when Mayfield led the Browns to 2nd round of 2020 playoffs.
Van Pelt was previously Josh Freeman’s QB coach under Raheem Morris.
Would be interesting to know the info on Mayfield that Van Pelt may or may not have shared with the Bucs.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:21 pm
No one has a clue what will happen in the NFC South!! If things go well, for the Bucs during the draft, they maybe able to compete and perhaps even win the NFC South! If not, they may struggle to get 6 or 7 wins. We’ll see how things go.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Like I said before he will retire this year either before or after the season. This will definitely be his last year even if he plays. My guess is once training camp starts he will practice a couple of weeks then call it quits. Licht needs to have this in the back of his mind when he gets to the late round draft picks.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:30 pm
It’s been awhile since we’ve been this big of an underdog. Even as a fan the pressure of superbowl, or bust can be a drag during the season. Wins were more of a relief than a celebration, and depending on how you won could be a disappointment. Looking forward to a season of low expectations, and being the underdog. Embrace the the journey, who know, maybe we shock the world. Woundn’t that be sweet?
April 11th, 2023 at 12:42 pm
Every team in the NFC South has got better. so if we do win the division, it will not be a cakewalk.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:42 pm
Until there is a known starter for Week 1.
If Joe refers to Baker Mayfield as a starter, the Kyle Trask cult along with the Bucs get PO’ed. If Joe refers to Kyle Trask as a starter he looks like a total clown (unlike probably 99.99 percent of Joe’s readers, Joe has only missed one training camp practice in which Trask participated), and the Mayfield fans get PO’ed.
So “Kyler Traskfield” not only satisfies everyone, but is also truthful (if you believe the Bucs) in that the Bucs claim they don’t know who the starter is.
“When you have two quarterbacks you have none.”
April 11th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
When you have two QB’s you have none. True, but hopefully we will have one after a good competition.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
Somehow the team needs to figure out how to win without the GOAT while stuck in the Bowels of Toad.
April 11th, 2023 at 1:25 pm
I want to see what this season holds.
We have a fresh, brand new OC and two very different maybe QBs.
If the Panama Canal can hold his water, he should be able to make one of those two maybe QBs into a viable one.
If the D-line can get one step quicker and actually get to an opposing QB while he still has the ball, a franchise QB isn’t needed, just one that can move the chains and doesn’t surrender the ball.
I’ve got some money on Trask being closer to what we need, but the defense has a lot to say about it.
April 11th, 2023 at 1:41 pm
They finally mentioned the Bucs on NFL network but one of the guests said the Bucs are reloading referred to and I quote the Lavonte Davis resigning come on man they also referred to our head coach as Todd Bones.
April 11th, 2023 at 3:39 pm
Is Desmond Ridder that terrible, with a small sample size, a year in ATLs system and they beat the Bucs without Kyle Pitts. If the system is right, I do not count out the dirty birds, we better not underestimate any team or QB
April 11th, 2023 at 5:19 pm
Half of our six wins will come from the NFCSouth…
Regardless of what the front office does in FA and the draft, Bowles is still in charge. Time management issues, penalties, wrong calls on down and distance risks, bad selection of players that should be playing, etc
The things he has been doing all 5 years he has been a HC
Canales is taking the hugest risk of his life, Bowles has NEVER had an OC two years in a row
Ugh
April 11th, 2023 at 8:13 pm
Bad O line and D line
I like Mayfield, but its a 6-7 win season.
Mayfield can scramble a bit. That will help us to win a few.
If we had Great O- Line and D- line, it would be an 11-12 win season.
But we dont.
Such is life
April 12th, 2023 at 3:13 am
Sorry
We in Tampa don’t get to say Desmond Ridder sucks after he beat us like drum last year!