NFL Suits Get It
April 4th, 2024
NFL shot-callers react to Bucs offseason.
Man, folks sure are standing at attention for Kirk Cousins.
You may have read a time or two in recent weeks that the Bucs, both publicly and privately, are irked by how so many in the national #NFLMedia act as if lousy Lovie Smith is still the Bucs coach.
Joe just read an article predicting new 2024 playoff teams and sure enough, there was the Dixie Chicks. You know, Cousins?
After all, Cousins was such a dominant quarterback in Minnesota over the years, he led the Vikings to how many Super Bowls?
Now he’s 36 and coming off a blown Achilles. Good luck with that.
It seems no one outside of Tampa Bay is giving the Bucs a prayer, despite winning three straight division titles and coming within a cat’s whisker (or two) of an NFC title game appearance. Nah, the Bucs suck.
In these power rankings, Joe has often see the Bucs at No. 22 — far out of the playoffs. Vegas has the season win-total at 7.5, a losing record.
Whatever.
Well, it seems NFL suits are using common sense. Mike Sando of The Athletic loves to write notebook-style articles with anonymous sources that are NFL types. Two of these guys caution the NFL: Overlook the Bucs at your own peril.
Beyond Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, the Buccaneers re-signed 34-year-old linebacker Lavonte David, running back Chase Edmonds and defensive tackle Greg Gaines. They franchise-tagged Antoine Winfield Jr., traded cornerback Carlton Davis to Detroit and moved on from linebacker Shaquil Barrett, 31.
“Re-signing Baker Mayfield was good; re-signing Mike Evans was a must,” the exec said. “I wonder if they could have made some building-block improvements with guys who help now and, two years from now, you’re still happy they are there.”
A second executive still has cash on the Bucs as rulers of the south.
“I’d still go with Tampa right now,” one said. “I know the optics look good for Atlanta, but you have a new head coach, there will be a learning curve that comes along with that. The quarterback’s ability to get in the flow coming off an Achilles injury, we’ll see how that goes. It’s a calculated risk, but a risk nonetheless.”
So while #NFLMedia on a national level is snickering about Baker Mayfield and heavy panting on Kirk Cousins, people paid handsomely to know about football think Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is playing his hands smartly.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:18 am
What Mike Sando failed to mention was addition by subtraction. Letting Devin White go and replacing him with a kid that loves football…KJ Britt.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:27 am
… also don’t down play getting Whitehead in place of Ryan. Our pass defense ranking will go up a lot just based on that.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:39 am
Failed to mention our great punter & kicker….along with the fact that Byron is gone.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:39 am
Pardon me…..Byron be gone!!!
April 4th, 2024 at 7:44 am
How do you get excited about resigning three old dudes, a back up wr and franchising your best player while losing your best corner.
If that’s reason to celebrate it must be 4:20 somewhere.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:44 am
Backup rb
April 4th, 2024 at 7:54 am
The Bucs record has been average the last couple of years. They’ve benefitted from a below average division. Things are still a toss up with yet another new Offensive Coordinator and a defensive line that allows Quarterbacks a lifetime to read the defense before throwing the ball. The new edge rusher we just added has worse numbers than Barrett or JTS. The Bucs can be competitive, but they haven’t shown that they can be dominant. Let’s hope that the Bucs can put it together and have 12 wins this year. Otherwise, people will still look at them as average.
April 4th, 2024 at 8:14 am
Wait for another month before deciding how good the Bucs will/won’t be with how many wins. Need to see how the draft goes, what happens with UFAs and if they pick up any other FAs.
A good time for this exercise is when the schedule comes out. By then. Things should have leveled out.
April 4th, 2024 at 8:16 am
Boss
Our best corner that can not play zone or stay on the field ? How about he couldn’t play a full season because of all kinds of injuries & when he was in there , not many picks ! For that kind of money , no thank you !
3 old dudes you say ? How about Mike Evans still has 3 years or so of elite play & #31 should be tagged , until we pay the man..so you should shut up & be happy he is still a buc.
Every single one of your moronic posts seem really trolley & if I didn’t know any better I’d say that your a saints superfan being a poser on this here site . Your prob a loud mouth in real life , your names not cam Jordan is it ? The bucs must hit on either thier second year DE’S or in this year’s draft find one as Joe knows all too well they need to get after the QB . This team can win it with most of what they have in place already , upgrade both lines & add a power back to complement white and they can be there til the end . Our GM has done a outstanding job ! It’s him & rich McKay as the best we ever had ! Go bucs
April 4th, 2024 at 8:22 am
Go Bucs!!!
Statement season coming!!!
April 4th, 2024 at 8:37 am
@hail……so all we need is an OL, a DL, and a RB, and we can win it all?
I feel much more comfy now. cue the *you can do it* guy…
April 4th, 2024 at 8:50 am
Captain check down as he was called in Minnesota has 1 playoff win in 12 seasons and he didn’t do much in that game. He actually had better talent around him in Minnesota than he will have in Atlanta
April 4th, 2024 at 8:59 am
I think if the Bucs can address the O-line issues they have a very good chance to win the NFC South again. With Coen, I expect the play calling to be a lot better than Canales. If the Bucs can also do something about the D line and Edge, then the Bucs will have a much better chance to get to the SB. This team with a few good FAs and a good draft is very close.
April 4th, 2024 at 9:19 am
The thing that’s worrisome about what Vegas is saying is that they are not sports fans , They have no loyalties, they don’t hope for anything or anybody , They are cold and calculating odds makers, They are in the business of making money, they call it like they see it , to make money , so they are pretty much saying where they think we are in relation to the other teams. The good news is we still have time to improve our odds but time is running out , hopefully, in the draft , we have a few aces up our sleeves, some loaded dice, and a couple of certified card counters at the table.
April 4th, 2024 at 9:22 am
Love the disrespect for the Bucs and the pressure on Cousins/Atlanta. We need need upgrades over Hall and JTS, then put pressure in Cousins face, and we’ll take down the Falcons.
April 4th, 2024 at 9:36 am
“Hi. My name is Kurt. I’m 36, healing from an Achilles, and I suck during prime time games.”
“I’m the Falcons. Hi 😍”
April 4th, 2024 at 9:52 am
I favor the Bucs over the Falcons, but I am not sure why Joe thinks Cousins has no shot to be good.
I think the odds of Cousins being a pretty decent quarterback this year are pretty high. He has shown that he can work with a bunch of different receivers.
And he did not show any decline last year before the injury so not sure why 36 is a magic number for anyone when it comes to the skill of Cousins throwing nice balls.
Besides Brady, Rich Gannon had a significant neck injury at age 35. At age 36, he was 4th in MVP and age 37 won the MVP.
Hoping Cousins slows down, but we did not see it, in the last few years. Last year in 8 games, he had 18 passing TDs, 2300 yards and 70 percent completion ratio.
From Pro Football Doc nka Sic Scores:
3/24/24 On track to make Atlanta Falcons debut in Week 1 – tore right Achilles tendon in late October but has progressed to dropping back in sneakers – should be available for “full work” in training camp.
April 4th, 2024 at 10:01 am
If we go Edge, CB, & iOL in first 3 rounds we might be cooking up something. But I’m not sold on Baker like a lot of you guys are. I hope he proves me wrong though
April 4th, 2024 at 10:04 am
At 36, doubt Cousins will be back to his normal self coming off the Achilles injury …We have all seen how athletes struggle their 1st yr back in action…Expect tears in ATL went Kirk’s contract weighs like an anchor on their cap the next few years.
April 4th, 2024 at 10:23 am
It’s perfectly reasonable to project that a Falcons team that won 7 games with Desmond Ridder at QB and Arthur Smith mismanaging the offense will win 2 to 3 more games. In the eyes of the media, the “terrible NFC South” will always be terrible, and therefore the Falcons are the chalk pick to win.
Will the Bucs be better? They had some good moments and some terrible moments last year, but they were the 8th youngest team in the NFL. Young players can improve with experience, new players will be added in the draft. The schedule is tougher (have to play the AFC West and the NFC East + Baltimore and Detroit). Unlikely that they’ll improve by 2 to 3 games, but also unlikely that they’ll fall off the edge of a cliff (barring key injuries).
April 4th, 2024 at 10:38 am
Immobile QB’s are a thing of the past! If Cousins can’t at least move around in the pocket he’ll end up on the injury report again this year. Everyone is looking for the next Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson.
April 4th, 2024 at 10:42 am
If there is no edge talent left the end of the first round there are plenty of other positions that need to be filled.
April 4th, 2024 at 10:43 am
Joes, your inability to properly moderate the comment section will be your downfall.
You have a good product, but it’s unsustainable when folks try to support you by commenting, yet can’t comment; and for no good, discernable reason.
Unprofessional & unappealing.
Not going to waste any more time.
Adios
^^mtnbucman^^
Since ’76
April 4th, 2024 at 10:49 am
lil bossy’s vagi hurts….just look over her
April 4th, 2024 at 10:52 am
Dear MTN, watch out for the door on your way out.
April 4th, 2024 at 10:57 am
I had “blown Achilles surgery” yesterday, and it is no fun. 4-5 months basic rehab. Basic.
But I am not 36 and no longer a top athlete.
But to say Cousins will be like he was pre- injury this season would require a miracle. Plus the Falvons play on turf.
April 4th, 2024 at 11:09 am
I think most any optimism on Tampa has to center around the fact that the roster last year was full of year s, and they finished the regular season 5-1 and were a competitive playoff team.
Reasons for optimism the media would likely ignore.
From the starters:
LT-Wirfs year 2 at LT
RG-Mauch year 2 in NFL
RT-GOedeke year 2 at RT
WR-Palmer year 2 in NFL
QB-Mayfield year 2 with team/system/continuity at WR
DT-Kancey year 2
OLB/DE – Yaya Diaby year 2
ILB – KJ Britt year 2
CB – Christian Izien year 2
That’s like 1/2 our starters on the team coming back that were either rookies or playing their first full season with the team at those positions.
Other noteworthy year 3 guys that also could improve:
DT/DE – Logan Hall
TE – Cade Otten
RB – Rashaad White
CB – Zyon Mccollum
All teams have young contributors but I really doubt most have 1/2 their roster being rookies or 1st time positional starters in 2023. I’m not mentioning the other backup edge guys the team seems high on – not till they show something in real games.
April 4th, 2024 at 11:09 am
full of year 1 / year 2 starters at their position* i meant to say
April 4th, 2024 at 11:24 am
Had we had run blocking last season this team would at least be 2 games better. We don’t need to do anything else to be an improved offense but fix the line . Then theres the improvement of not running up thr middle every first and second down which Coen will provide. On defense we need at least another serviceable edge ( getting the killer edge Joe wants looks dim)
So special thanks to all the projections putting the Bucs down. Much appreciated – chip on this QB and team’s shoulder is a great thing. No culture change in 2024.
April 4th, 2024 at 11:37 am
10-7 probably wins the NFC South
Say the Bucs split with the division… 3-3
11 games left… do you see 7 wins on this list? That’s really the question here. There are 5 games on the list you’d expect the Bucs to be favored. So the Bucs to sweep the Broncos, etc and find at least 2 upsets.
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
April 4th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
In Licht WE Trust!!!!!
LFG!!!!!
April 4th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
Hail2thebucs@ thanks for being a real fan I honestly hate reading after the post now because this be feeling like a Bucs hate page boss@ in the words of Linda on bobs burger go suck on a limon
April 4th, 2024 at 2:54 pm
Again just my rating scale….Franchise QB..capable of carrying a team to the SB
NFL Professional QB…capable of being part of a team that wins a SB
Placeholder/fading hope – guy who can’t carry a team and sometimes actually gets in the way of his own team with things like 30 interceptions.
Cousins was never a “franchise” QB but he was a competent NFL guy who could win with the right team. He’s gonna need to get lucky with his health, lucky with the bonding process with a new coach on an entirely new team and offense.
Based on that I do not write Cousins or the Falcons off at all. But I think they have far more questions than the Bucs and they are now again a “new team” unlike the Bucs in Todd’s 3rd season.
I believe Mayfield has shown he can at least play at the “professional NFL QB” level if not a franchise QB. Like Brad Johnson before him if the Bucs build the complete package they can still reach the SB. Mayfield may not lead them there but so far at least I don’t think he’s the impediment.
April 4th, 2024 at 5:10 pm
The truth is, I don’t know how we’ll do…or how the rest of the division will do.
There are a lot of unknowns in this division. We still have the draft to come, so making predictions at this point is pointless.
But…I’m hoping we give Mayfield what he needs to succeed. That way if he fails, there are no excuses. I figure, guessing…I give it 50-50 on him doing well or failing…which is a huge jump from last year. I’m hoping he succeeds though. For years to come.
April 4th, 2024 at 5:13 pm
stpetebucfan Says
“I believe Mayfield has shown he can at least play at the “professional NFL QB” level if not a franchise QB. Like Brad Johnson before him if the Bucs build the complete package they can still reach the SB. Mayfield may not lead them there but so far at least I don’t think he’s the impediment.”
I personally think he showed the potential to lead…but now he has to show the consistency. Because he was not consistent last year.
That’s why I think it is important that we get a top-notch center. That way we’ll be ready to protect him…or whoever ends up starting each game.
April 4th, 2024 at 5:13 pm
View from 132 Says:
“10-7 probably wins the NFC South”
Possibly 9-8 again.
April 4th, 2024 at 5:16 pm
Tony marks Says
“Had we had run blocking last season this team would at least be 2 games better. We don’t need to do anything else to be an improved offense but fix the line.”
This.
I think a good center will help the run blocking immensely…and it will also help the passing game.
April 4th, 2024 at 5:18 pm
I would love, love, love to go on a 10 game win streak for once.
April 4th, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Joe I love football too, but you wouldn’t want me starting at LB.
April 4th, 2024 at 9:48 pm
JD Still.
The goal of the head oddsmaker is to create a balanced 50/50 bet, where the sportsbook receives equal amounts of money on both sides of the bet. This is because the sportsbook’s main objective is to minimize their risk and mitigate their liability.
April 5th, 2024 at 4:35 am
Get a pass rusher on the outside and Mr. 35 year old with a blown Achilles won’t beat the buccaneers.