PFF Tribe Way Down On Bucs
April 23rd, 2024
It really does blow Joe’s mind that a team like the Bucs, which was maybe two plays from the NFC title game, gets crapped on so much.
It continues.
Over at the PFF tribe, one of the two-bit misplaced accountants by the name of Amelia Probst decided to rack up the NFL teams and rank them all in the hours before the NFL draft kicks off Thursday night.
Probst has the Bucs at No. 23. Yes, No. 23.
The Buccaneers lost two of their best defensive players in cornerback Carlton Davis III and edge defender Shaquil Barrett, but they added cornerbacks Bryce Hall and Tavierre Thomas. The Bucs ranked 26th in run-defense grade and 22nd in coverage grade last season.
Well, as much as Joe adored Shaq Barrett, the way he played last year he wasn’t even average, forget “one of the best.” And Shaq wasn’t playing high-level football in 2022 before he blew out his Achilles.
Davis? Joe will give Probst that. You rarely see a team not in rebuilding mode ship off its best corner.
(No mention, of course, of adding Jordan Whitehead.)
Hell, Joe remembers in 2021 when Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht kept the band together and folks thought surely the Bucs would make another run to the Super Bowl.
Licht basically did the same this year with so many quality free agents. As a result, folks pound on Licht. It wasn’t like the Bucs went 5-12.
Every other team that advanced to the divisional playoffs Probst has in her top-10 except the Bucs and the Packers, and Probst ranked the Packers No. 15.
Joe guesses this is all shrouded in Baker Mayfield hate. And for that to turn around, Joe guesses Mayfield will have to lead the Bucs to the playoffs at least two more times or reach a Super Bowl before the Bucs ever get proper respect again.
April 23rd, 2024 at 4:20 am
Mayfield hate, general ignorance. I mean calling Shaq Barrett one of the best players proves my point with ignorance. Unfortunately for us he just wasn’t the same after his achilles, and was not living up to his contract before it happened anyway.
The Packers are always the darling of the media because they have been successful since even before I was born (93) and have the history of being arguably the best small town team in the NFL. That won’t change, especially because overdrafted Jordan Love went above expectations last year.
Every time I see these rankings, I scoff, have a quick chuckle and just exit the site. It’s off season nonsense, when games aren’t played, but people have to justify their salaries so they spout whatever they can find that sounds good for the most part. Honestly if someone really ranked the Bucs properly, it would be controversial as the Savior or Atlanta, Kirk Cousins has the division wrapped up already.
Point is, unless one or three things happen, those being:
1) Baker dominates
2) We win the division (again!) and or make noise in the playoffs
3) We draft our first franchise qb who dominates.
April 23rd, 2024 at 4:49 am
Mayfield hate, general ignorance. I mean calling Shaq one of the best players proves my point with ignorance. Unfortunately, for us, he just wasn’t the same after his achilles and was not living up to his contract before then.
The Packers are always the darling of the media, because they have been successful since before, I was born (93) and have the history of being the best small market team in the NFL. That won’t change, especially because over drafted Jordan Love went above expectations last year.
Every time I see these rankings, I chuckle to myself and just exit the site. It’s the offseason where games aren’t played, and nonsense runs rampant. Honestly if the rankings were accurate, the Bucs being in the top 15 or so, it would be controversial as the Savior of Atlanta Kirk Cousins has the division wrapped up already.
Point is unless one of or all three of these things happen, those being:
1) Baker dominates
2) We win the division and or make noise in the playoffs
3)We draft our first franchise qb who dominates
stories like these will continue to litter the interwebs for the foreseeable future.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:14 am
Wow. Joe & Leopold are delusional. Last season’s playoff run was an illusion. We are a .500 team over the last 2 seasons and we won the division & got to the playoffs due to an incredibly weak division. It may have been a great salary cap & GM off-season, but point is -Davis&Shaq +Whitehead leaves us basically exactly where we were last season. For reference that team finished 9-8. And we have a beastly first place schedule. We’re gonna get stomped. Hopefully at that point the Glazers will make up their mind to fire perpetually underperforming bowles.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:22 am
Peter King should message her.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:26 am
People don’t like to admit they are wrong. In fact most people spend most of their life defending themselves from being wrong on a multiplicity of issues. A good chunk of this relates to Mayfield.
It can’t be that people were wrong about Mayfield. To protect their ego they argue It is more likely that Baker this last season was a fluke, Even this blog has claimed it was Canales that turned him around and magically transformed him when all that happened was McVay said “okay play your game Baker” and then Raiders – Rams happened.
If Tampa’s own JBF argues Baker had a career year that he is unlikely to repeat as it represents his ceiling and he will return to a lower average then why should the national media say they will be a playoff team again much less make a run?
Give Qb1 some oline reinforcements and another receiver in the draft and with an offensive coordinator who owes more to Baker than he does Evans watch the ball move around in a much mor dynamic offense (and Evans will get his and probably more because the defense can’t just cue on him)
Then next year all of you will finally have to admit to being worng
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:38 am
Leopold Stotch Says:
April 23rd, 2024 at 4:49 am
Point is unless one of or all three of these things happen, those being:
1) Baker dominates
—
It all comes down to that. Goood news is that the new OC is a baker guy through and through even more than Canales since he was essentially co -hired by Baker himself
Give baker another good reciever and somr oline reinforcemrnus via the draft and he wil l likely put to bed all the naysaying. Can’t call two years in a row a fluke.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:53 am
We beat the Eagles who were on an eleven-game losing streak and we lost the next game. Oh and how did we make the playoffs? We won the worst division in football. We need some new talent.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:56 am
“The Buccaneers lost two of their best defensive players..” huh? While both Davis and Shaq are (were?) immense talents at one time, their play had fallen off significantly in the last year or two. Their production, lack of interceptions and lack of sacks is easily replaced.
April 23rd, 2024 at 7:19 am
It’s not Baker hate. No one respects or fears our coach. Everyone knows he will screw up somewhere along the line cause he has every season of his career. He has 2 winning seasons and has been a head coach for 7 or 8 years now? Sorry but nothing to do with Baker and everything to do with Bowles.
April 23rd, 2024 at 7:30 am
Shaq still graded as our best pass rusher last year by a wide margin on there. Davis was down a bit but his replacement is graded as one of the worst corners in the league so I get it. Their grades were actually pretty good on baker until he had some bad games. Still came out middle of the pack in the end.
April 23rd, 2024 at 8:06 am
Keeping receipts
April 23rd, 2024 at 8:51 am
I suspect some of this is a lack of confidence in Todd Bowles’ coaching.
April 23rd, 2024 at 8:53 am
Last year PFF had after the 2023 draft:
Eagles 2
Jets 6
Chargers 8
April 23rd, 2024 at 9:12 am
That leaves 9 teams that are ranked worse. Sports Books have 11 teams with longer odds to win the Super Bowl. Pretty similar assessments.
Doubt Baker Hate even factors into the odds making decisions.
Predictions are like art and all up to interpretation. Some say Bucs were two plays from a Championship Game with a 90 yard bomb and two point conversion even though that would have only forced overtime and at least a few more plays. Some say it was a couple bad throws in the 1st and 4th quarter.
Usually reality lays somewhere in the middle.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:11 am
HC with a losing record
GM with a losing record
QB with a losing record
.500 team without Brady last 2 years
Won football’s worst division by the skin of our teeth last 2 years
“Running it back” with the same players
…if you take off the pewter shades, it’s not difficult to see why unbiased observers don’t view the Bucs as a premier team going into next year
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:15 am
I don’t give a rats ass what the tribe thinks
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:22 am
At the moment, we have about the same players as last year’s, a 9-8 team. The national people are picking Cousins to ignite the Falcons and make a run. Vegas has us at 7.5 wins because of our tough schedule. But the national people like Probes can’t write any better than mee.
I think Whitehead is a big addition that national people have missed. Ryan Neal was a highlight show (watch ESPN) for the opposing offense. Devin White will be gone, let’s see who steps up and gives us an upgrade there. Maybe JTS will step up in his contract year. I think Palmer will step up with fewer drops and fumbles. There are lots of reasons we can be better next season.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:28 am
It just is what it is… They are who they are. It has zero to do with Baker hate and A LOT more to do with REALITY. It is Bowels combined with both, their current roster AND having an average, middle of the road QB, in Baker Mayfield. They were a middle of the road team last season and they will be a middle of the road team again, this season. It is only one person’s opinion. You could rank them anywhere between prob 12 and 24. You can easily, come up with 11-12 teams right off the top of your head who are obviously better. Easily. Then, there are about another DOZEN or so, along with the BUCS, who are highly debatable. The margin of difference between those teams is just SO minuscule. You’re talking a bad play call, here or there, a mismanagement of timeouts and/or the clock, an injury or two, a missed FG, a missed call by the officials, Etc. This is just their opinion. The Bucs could easily, be 11-6 or finish 6-11. They are NOT a Super Bowl Contender (and the FO knows this too), and there are people on here, who truly believe that they ARE. All of this combined is what makes this here NFL such a beautiful thang!
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:47 am
If the team we are fielding in 24 looks a lot like the team in 23, then I see the biggest need is on offense at the center position. Again, our run game was last place. You change that and we may literally be running it back. It hopefully also gives baker more time, rather than scrambling due to pocket collapsing. Fix. This. Oline.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:52 am
WOW JUST WOW!
FREAKING FACT!!! The Tampa Bay Bucs WON THEIR THIRD CONSECUTIVE DIVISION TITLE.
That’s a fact…the rest from folks like “I remember 21”. Perhaps a Brady jock sniffer but him calling others delusional is really rich.
He offers his NEGATIVE opinion and goes out of his way as do others here to avoid FACTS!!!
Everyone is obviously entitled to their opinions. Many here are not really Buc fans but wanna be football experts and I get that. But “experts” eventually have to give way to FACTS.
1.) The Bucs have won 3 straight Division titles despite a great year with the GOAT turning into Brady melodrama his final year and the chaos that followed Brady! The first title was expected…the second title was barely earnred( OPINION) last year’s title was an amazing show of fortitude against ALL that was against them including many here who were not rooting for them.
2.) Todd Bowles has coached two consecutive Divisioin titles!!!! FACT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!
3.) Mayfield made the Pro Bowl. He won a competition there. Now go ahead and work your arses off to DIMINISH Baker, Bowles, and the Bucs FACTUAL
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:08 am
SSDD
The Tampa Bay Dangerfields.
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:26 am
We will not miss Carlton ‘Toast’ Davis.
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:36 am
Both of those are true Juan. Winning 9-0 led the Bucs being two plays from the nfccg. I know you were trying to be critical and condescending but it’s one of those situations where someone insults you and you just stand there kinda confused like “was that supposed to be an insult?”
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:43 am
The South was so bad, that no one won it except the Bucs. LOL!
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:47 am
Amelia Probst? I doubt she’s watched 10 minutes of Bucs football. Shaq no-showed the entire season. Davis was hardly on the field and when he was, I wasn’t thinking he was a top-tier CB.
Maybe the WNBA is more her speed.
April 23rd, 2024 at 1:12 pm
Lucky for us that wins and losses are determined by playing them on the field and not on paper. 4 consecutive playoff appearances, 3 consecutive division titles, near .500 record, a WR that just turns in 1000 yard seasons, no ground game, and no pass rush. Not sure how anyone can reasonably predict where this team goes, but I do know that they consistently have a “chance”.
April 23rd, 2024 at 1:25 pm
I can plainly see why you ridicule those PFF idiots. They richly deserve all our derission.
April 23rd, 2024 at 2:15 pm
For the love of football JOE please please please stop referring to our GM as AC/DC loving every single time you mention his name. Guy probably hates them now. I can only take maybe 3 in a row then I have to move on. Now then, everybody counts out the BUCS every year. Like clockwork, nothing new
April 23rd, 2024 at 2:34 pm
I don’t care what our record was. It is whether they were playing good football in December and January that matters.
Now, just how good was the Panthers in that second game? Otherwise we were a fairly strong team.
April 23rd, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Wow, this stuff is ludacris, shouldn’t the teams that went deep in the playoffs be in the top 10 ?? All I can say about Davis is he was the best of our corners, not knocking on to hard his replacement though. I think he wants to be out there and he has always been pretty solid, when called on. I think they should use that first round pick on a corner unless an edge rusher is there. We need a DT and there’s a lot of offensive line guys so hopefully they are on all of the needs and Jason L works his magic. Go Bucs!!! I like Etime at running back, he’s big and gets the job done.
April 23rd, 2024 at 2:41 pm
Just how good was the Panther’s defense …
April 23rd, 2024 at 2:46 pm
I’m down with more protection up front. We already know what Baker played through his last year in Cleveland. We need him to stay on his feet. Give the ball to that tightend Keift he seems like he might be better as a H-back. Hahaha 🤣 might be surprised…
April 23rd, 2024 at 5:40 pm
Here’s the thing, our division hasn’t gotten any better. Does anyone really believe Cousins is going to be a threat to us? Carolina is terrible and the aints ain’t got it. If we can get production from rookies like we did last year we should go for our 4th division title. I think our players will improve and as much as people want to dog Bowles, he was steady and calm in the face of his career ending. Furthermore, when the opposing team has a flaw like the eagles did late in the playoffs he knows how to exploit it and win on defense. Are we a Super Bowl contender next season? I don’t think so but are we trending towards being a perennial playoff team of the future? I think if we nail this draft then yes.
Otten is better than people think, Baker performs adequately when given a little help. Sure up the run game and the pass rush and we have a chance at a winning record next season. If we can also get a WR #3 that is a high level game changer (🤞🏼Thomas Jr.) I think our offense is scary like in 2020
April 23rd, 2024 at 5:43 pm
As far as CDIII, he was done. Turf toe is a bitch, and he was there only half the time. We can definitely replace him with a younger faster and possibly better cb in the draft. Another thing about Bowles is that he can develop a DB better than anyone IMO, which gives me great hope for the super athletic and highly durable McCollum.
April 23rd, 2024 at 5:43 pm
As far as CDIII, he was done. Turf toe is a bïtch and he was there only half the time. We can definitely replace him with a younger faster and possibly better cb in the draft. Another thing about Bowles is that he can develop a DB better than anyone IMO, which gives me great hope for the super athletic and highly durable McCollum.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:02 pm
Lotta “ifs, buts, and wishes.” If millionaires and coach GMs need this fodder to be inspired, then so be it. One thing is for certain, y’all love repeating yourselves over, and over, and over…
Come Thursday, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a whole bunch of “I told you so” and “I knew its.”
Cheers to Fandom, where everything but your opinion will cost you.
April 23rd, 2024 at 6:18 pm
This is still disrespect. Yes it’s a .500 team in a bad division and Bowles is still a weak link imo but if you think these “analysts” are looking at we are looking at, I have a bridge to sell you.
It was painfully obvious last season in how they discounted the whole team because Tom was gone. Tampa just doesn’t garner respect despite having the 3rd most playoff wins in the last 5 years, winning 2 SBs since the turn of the millennia. The culture has changed, that’s a credit to Brady, Arians, Licht, Bowles, Evans, David, etc.
The division still stinks. The Bucs have already made improvements from last season and they have a top 3 class from last season going into year 2 and looking to make jumps. THAT IS WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE MAINLY MISSING! They turn out a draft like last year and we should be a playoff team again. That would be top 14 I believe. Gave Detroit 2 good games, should have beaten the new darling Texans. It’s a tough schedule again and I don’t think the record will change much but that’s good enough for top half of the league. I’d bet my house on the Bucs being better than 23rd.
April 23rd, 2024 at 8:48 pm
You had me going until you said “her” rankings.. enough said
April 24th, 2024 at 12:03 am
Quick question, if we went 8 and 9 this coming year but somehow get into the playoffs and by a miracle go to the Super Bowl, what will these constantly negative “fans” say to cheapen it? A win is a win, shoot, if we won 3 to zero every game, it’s still an undefeated season. Everything I just said is obviously hypothetical, I just wonder why our “fans” are sometimes the team’s biggest enemy.
April 24th, 2024 at 10:48 am
As long as you have Todd Blowles and Faker Bayfield together they’ll never count us in, plus it helps we’re the Bucs! We got worse when the fanbois came along with him
April 25th, 2024 at 9:25 am
The mental gymnastics my fellow Bucs fans and podcasters do to talk themselves into thinking the Bucs were good last year is so sad. Pretending we didn’t get stomped up and down the field against the Lions is just heart breaking, but we see what we wanna see I guess.
The Bucs will not be anything more than a 9 win team and will be crushed yet again.