Paper Losers
June 24th, 2023
GM Jason Licht is questioned.
Future Hall of Fame receiver Steve Smith is flummoxed by what he’s seen transpire in Tampa.
Smith, the outspoken NFL Network personality, also hosts the Cut To It podcast where he opens up on all things NFL and more.
It is there that Smith said the Bucs confuse him. He can’t figure out the 2023 plan. Smith is a fan many Bucs roster talents and likes Todd Bowles, but Smith was adamant that the Panthers, Falcons and Saints got better on paper this offseason while the Bucs did not.
Smith also strongly agreed with the assessment of his co-host, who said the Bucs’ offseason was a “half-ass” rebuild and a “half-ass” play to win the NFC South at the same time.
“I’m just not sure what’s going on with them and what they’re really doing,” Smith added.
Still, Smith isn’t writing off the Bucs this season.
Joe likes the general approach of general manager Jason Licht. He made a bunch of low-risk plays, and he kept a lot of core talent intact during a year in which it was necessary to heal the team’s bleeding salary cap wounds of the Tom Brady era.
Sure, the Bucs could have tried to tank for the No. 1 overall pick and a franchise quarterback, but tanking is no sure thing (See Jameis Winston and Baker Mayfield), and it’s an absolute train wreck for fans.
Plus, it’s almost criminal to tank in a division with major question marks at quarterback and head coach.
Enjoy this weekend’s loaded Ira Kaufman Podcast!
June 24th, 2023 at 11:14 am
I see it as a 2 year rebuild. Eating Brady’s $35 million all at once, while retaining some pro-bowl level people. If they win 9+ games it will be because their hail-Mary offensive line choices worked out
June 24th, 2023 at 11:18 am
Half Ass Rebuild?
1. Cut salaries to set up best year
2. New Offensive Lines are never sexy but essential
3. Replaced old players on D with SPEED
4. Took a chance on a QB that could pan out
What Licht did this year sets the team up to be tops in the NFCS for a long time. Licht plays the long game.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:22 am
‘Joe likes the general approach of general manager Jason Licht this season. He made a bunch of low-risk plays and a lot of core talent intact during a year in which it was necessary to heal the team’s bleeding salary cap wounds of the Tom Brady era.’
Pretty much the bottom line for what’s gone on since 2022 ended. In keeping that ‘core talent intact’ though, JL managed to successfully kick the salary CAP can down the street yet again. By the time we include this year’s Dead CAP numbers in the 2024 salary CAP, we’ll be well into negative territory yet again. The only real ‘healing’ will occur when we get rid of some of these super-high salaries for our older players. Younger guys like our 3 W’s (Wirfs, Winfield & White) will all be wanting a much bigger piece of the pie come season’s end.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:24 am
Just like he did pre Brady?
June 24th, 2023 at 11:27 am
Thank you, Lee Flowers…correction…Mr. Smith.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:42 am
Steve Smith is a punk. He said the Bucs would get run in the playoffs in 2020.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Clearly this is a tank. Bowles is the tank commander.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:46 am
Sly Pirate
You cheated! Instead of simply pulling an opinion from your backside you dared to state some facts! What a concept!
June 24th, 2023 at 11:52 am
I think the NFL world is going to be shocked if the Bucs are consistent winners this season, but ya never know.
I’ll be shocked myself.
June 24th, 2023 at 12:00 pm
“Bucs will get RAN”…… How’d that work out Steve?
Just another h8tr
June 24th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
None of these geniuses understand the Bucs cap situation going into 2023.
To these talking heads, losing Brady and not signing Brady is “half-ass.”
June 24th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
HC Grover Says:
June 24th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Clearly this is a tank. Bowles is the tank commander.
^^^^^^^
Yes, if the Bucs were tanking they would’ve resigned David and Dean. You don’t know what you’re talking about, do you?
June 24th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
Something I’ve wondered–Brady’s original contract was what, 2 years? THEN they begged him to re-arrange it to create cap money, thus shoving a bunch of his pay into 2022. Absent THAT, he could have played elsewhere in 2022?
June 24th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
This is a dynasty build, not a tank. The people that think that this is a 5 to 7 win team are clueless. Bucs are not thinking of sustaining success just winning the division.They are thinking superbowl as all of fans should expect as well.
June 24th, 2023 at 12:16 pm
Grover, you’re the JBF cellar dweller so there’s that. Keep trolling.
June 24th, 2023 at 12:21 pm
R0n@Tampa….stick around JBF and don’t go anywhere when this team finishes with less than 5 wins.
June 24th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Why let that low life’s opinion on this blog. The guy is clearly the enemy. I have other words but I will keep my opinion of Smith family friendly. Lol.
Pretty clear the Bucs are trying to hang on as best as possible with the worst cap situation in the NFL. This year it is about value picks and setting up the offense to compete. Next year a new QB and a HC.
June 24th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Joe, I think the plan is more for Bowles than fans or winning. Seems obvious to me that they have to at least pretend to be giving it a shot for the guy while no doubt admitting to themselves they should have launched him with Leftwich. This team is capped at mediocrity this season with a shot at implosion. Licht HAS to be hoping for the latter. Bowles couldn’t win w Brady. His D isn’t dominant after 3 out of 4 years worth of first round picks. This guy is toast as a HC.
The problem is, you don’t want it to LOOK like a setup. So they’re halfassing it. Now we just gotta hope it bottoms out so we can get a serious HC (offense minded) and a new stud QB.
June 24th, 2023 at 1:42 pm
Signed a huge LG with tons of experience.
Signed a big DT, Gaines.
Drafted the fastest DT in the 1st round.
Signed a former #1 pick QB for 8 million.
Drafted a freak OG in the 2nd.
Re-signed Stinnie.
Re-signed Dean.
Signed the best free agent safety in this years class. Ryan Neal.
We were pragmatic and frugal this off-season.
Im very happy with this off-season.
June 24th, 2023 at 2:08 pm
Smith doesn’t get what we did because he’s a moron.
June 24th, 2023 at 2:11 pm
Focusing on the focus. No one does it better than the Bucs. Trask is the man for the job. Looking forward to beating KC in the big game again. Bowles hey we won a super bowl with him. Give him a chance.
June 24th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
Too bad the Bucs can’t be good every year like the Rays.
I think the obvious difference between the two is ownership.
Rays ownership is much more skilled and focused on winning.
Glazers are focused on woke, Grudens emails and money grubbing.
June 24th, 2023 at 2:23 pm
We have the best defensive backfields in the league. We have one of the best inside linebacker duos in the league. We have one of the best defensive down linemen in the league. We have one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. We have an OC that made Geno Smith look like a great QB. We have two dynamic young running backs. We are in the worst division in football. What could POSSIBLY go wrong???
June 24th, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Superboll babe!!! Geah!
June 24th, 2023 at 3:01 pm
STEPHEN A. SMITH IS MIFFED HUH ? GOOD ! LOVE TO HEAR IT ! SHAWN KING IS A DI**EED & WAS NEVER MUCH OF A WINNING QUARTERBACK HIMSELF SO HE HAS NO RIGHT TO SAY A DAMN THING ABOUT KYLE TRASK OR BAKER MAYFIELD..SHAWN KING WAS A LOSER AS BUC’S QUARTERBACK ! ! !
June 24th, 2023 at 3:13 pm
I LOVE ALL THE QUESTIONS & CONFUSION BY PEOPLE LIKE STEPHEN A.SMITH ABOUT THE BUC’S ! ! ! & SHAWN KING WAS A LOUSY QUARTERBACK , SO HE HAS NO ROOM TO TALK ABOUT KYLE TRASK OR ANYONE..HE WAS LUCKY (TRENT DILFER’S BROKEN CLAVACLE ) TO EVER GET THE CHANCE TO START IN THE NFL IN THE 1ST PLACE ( I GUARANTEE HE HAS A LOSING RECORD AS A STARTING QUARTERBACK )
June 24th, 2023 at 3:30 pm
No love for Smith on this or any Bucs site, he was a real thorn in our side during his Panther days. Got to say though, he was tough as nails and a damn good receiver. I will never forget his swashbuckling sword fight touchdown celebration in our house.
Teacherman 777: Preach on Teach!
June 24th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
Wrong Steve smith all caps guy
June 24th, 2023 at 4:55 pm
We with Trask at the helm will be better than the Brady era.
June 24th, 2023 at 5:31 pm
Steve Smith, really? Isn’t he the guy that thought the Buccaneers would exit the playoffs early in 2020? NO CREDIBILITY. Why do we need to read anything by Steve Smith?
June 24th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
Plus, it’s almost criminal to tank in a division with major question marks at quarterback and head coach.
Exactly! …the ideal is to at least look like your not tanking, especially in a weak division
June 24th, 2023 at 6:01 pm
Come on smith you know what it Is! Stop trying to be a gm and analyze players and games and Todd be able to figure it out. I don’t know what he’s looking at because just because you go out and sign free agents doesn’t mean you got better. They signed two players better than anyone on our roster and the reason is those to signings have more experience at running back and tight end. Carolina is still trash
Great point and obvious about the salary cap but who was the quarterback that led them to 7 wins last year? Uh yea they’ll be last in the division this year. Drafting a quarterback is a future move not the immediate future with a few exceptions that came in stars
June 24th, 2023 at 6:11 pm
Steve Smith never won anything. He always had something to say, but said nothing intelligent. Shaun King was always out of shape.
I trust the people commenting on this website more than them.
June 24th, 2023 at 7:45 pm
I can’t wait until the Bucs drill the Chiefs again in the superbowl. Trask will outnumber Mahomes in rings before it is said and done.
June 24th, 2023 at 8:51 pm
I don’t recall Steve Smith ever saying anything good about the Bucs. That’s fine. He played for a division rival.
AtlBuc Says
“We have an OC that made Geno Smith look like a great QB.”
That’s what local fans are claiming…but nationally, someone else got the credit.
June 24th, 2023 at 9:00 pm
I suspect the Bucs will be very lucky if they win 3 of the first 6 games.
The more likely scenario is 2-4 by six games in…and the pressure will be on Bowles to yank Baker Mayfield.
Fans will turn on him and our new OC by then.
Enter Trask.
Odds are against him doing well, but if he does, he will save some jobs. If he bombs…hello Caleb.
June 24th, 2023 at 9:24 pm
@ Joe…
Thanks, for moderating the political proselytizing (right or left) comments out of the disscussions. Appreciate all the hours you spend on this site.
June 24th, 2023 at 9:26 pm
Easy there 87—> “R0n@Tampa….stick around JBF and don’t go anywhere when this team finishes with less than 5 wins.”
And You went where for a while? Hahahahahahahah!!!
Steve Smith is not my favorite reporter and I hated it when he play well against us, I loved it when he played well against others. Great WR.
June 25th, 2023 at 12:38 am
It’s not hard to figure out… It’s all about the salary cap. They had to dump a lot of it to move forward. This year is about assessing players, next year it is about drafting the QB.
June 25th, 2023 at 10:05 am
He never got over that time Dwight Smith lit him up on a deep crossing route. My favorite gif ever!
June 25th, 2023 at 10:10 am
It’s amazing how out of touch these analysts are, it’s like a family with one income rents a 2 BR apt for a year and the critical analyst criticizes them for not getting a 4 BR luxury unit
June 25th, 2023 at 11:24 am
SMITH IS AN A HOLE!
June 25th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Caleb!
and we have Baker as a backup
thats the long game
we’ll win against the vikings and probably lose most of the rest
….dont shoot the messenger….my crystal ball works very good….always has
June 25th, 2023 at 5:19 pm
It’s not hard to figure out, if u get one player every third draft…..
The thing that saved Jason was Brady’s free agent recruiting.
Now we are going to have to roll with the hit one draft pic every third draft plan.
June 26th, 2023 at 12:39 am
Smith, (like most of the talking heads) needs to do a bit more homework on the Bucs before running his mouth. Salary cap ruled this off season and likely will throughout regular season.
I would not say that anything Licht has done this offseason was “half assed”.
I would call it neccessary and sometimes unfortunate. Overall he has done an amazing job of keepeing core talent and at the same time bringing in some new guys on the cheap who can keep us in the hunt.
Go Bucs!
June 26th, 2023 at 12:45 am
What Teacherman said and then some!
Go Bucs!