33rd Team: Bucs Will Have Winning Record
May 26th, 2024
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
It seems just about everyone and their brother typing for a national outlet predicts doom for the Bucs this fall. Why is that?
Well, it’s twofold. One, it seems #NFLMedia really likes Kirk Cousins for some reason and is only too happy to look past the fact that a 36-year old quarterback is trying to return to the game after a blown Achilles.
And the other reason? You know, Baker Mayfield.
As “this Joe” has said, for Mayfield to get any respect from #NFLMedia, he’ll have to take the Bucs on likely two back-to-back deep runs in the playoffs. “Deep runs” meaning no less than an NFC championship appearance. Based on last year alone, this is doable.
So Joe found it refreshing to read Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team not roll with the same, tired reasons for the Bucs to stink.
In fact, Mosher believes the Bucs ought to have another winning season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (O/U 8.5)
Not only did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not take a step backward after Tom Brady’s retirement, they won the NFC South and advanced to the Divisional Round.Baker Mayfield steadied the ship, and the Buccaneers were one of the league’s most surprising teams. The NFC South should be more competitive this season, but Tampa Bay has a talented roster with an established quarterback. Look for the Buccaneers to hover around .500.
Record Prediction: 9-8
At least Mosher didn’t take the bait. OMG, no more Devin White and Shaq Barrett! The humanity! How will the Bucs ever survive.
Hell, the Bucs didn’t have those two last year, either. They had two dudes using those names but nothing behind the names.
Joe sees a path for the Bucs to win 10 games this fall. No, really. Just beat the teams they are supposed to beat and the Bucs should be fine.
May 26th, 2024 at 12:37 am
11-6
May 26th, 2024 at 1:11 am
We’re winning/losing one game at a time….IF we win, we’re still NOTHING at that point!!! Absolute ZERO NADA ZILCH!!!!
0-12 every game! I DONT CARE i dont care…if we get lucky and are undefeated for the first 4….ITS STILL 0-4 and on the way to 12 …. no wins, just losses and the current game in front of us. We’re NOTHING!!! Thats what they want….they want us to be nothing. So lets show them NOTHING….all season long baby!
May 26th, 2024 at 1:25 am
Licht has gotten the players to do it. Roster is solid.
May 26th, 2024 at 1:27 am
Max, pour me some! LOL, love it.
May 26th, 2024 at 1:42 am
hahaha, its just yellow pepsi…i stay away from the hard stuff, takes too long to recover lol
May 26th, 2024 at 3:30 am
14-3
May 26th, 2024 at 4:14 am
Our chances this year will be largely dependent on Liam Coen’s abilities as an OC and the teams ability to execute that offense. “I’m in favor of it.” Them executing it, not their execution. I believe the Bucs could have blocked the Panthers from speaking with, or hiring Canales, (that is still a thing, right?) yet they didn’t. You have to think they weren’t overly impressed with Canales play calling, or his planning for each weeks opponent, or they’d have done so. I wasn’t impressed by it either. It was evident they couldn’t change plays at the LOS from the way they’d often run straight into the teeth of the D despite clear indications they were about to. He also didn’t do much to help the offense determine what the D was going to run. As.Joe noted, the Bucs didn’t score an opening drive TD all year and that is on the OC who had all week, sometimes two, and sometimes the whole offseason, to prepare to do so. Graham Barton should help with their ability to impose their will throughout games as well as at the start and so should another year for our young OL starters. Our PPG average last year was better than in Leftwich’s last season, but a drunk monkey with a crayon could have come up with a game plan that would’ve improved that on accident last year. If Liam Coen can implement his offense, the team picks it up quickly and Coen is a good NFL OC then with the players we have I can see the Bucs improving another 5 PPG in 2024.
May 26th, 2024 at 6:07 am
‘Joe honestly sees a path for the Bucs to win 10 games this fall. Just beat the teams they are supposed to beat and the Bucs should be fine.’
GRRREAT bottom line Joe. The season’s still played 1 game at a time like Max says, but we’re playing 9 games against teams who had losing records last year plus 2 games (Saints) against a team that had the same record as us. Win those 9 then split with the Saints & there’s your 10 wins.
Doubt that the season will go that simply for obvious reasons (it never does), but IF we lose all of those other 7 games against teams with winning records last year (Lions, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers, Cowboys, Saints) we wouldn’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Gotta be able to beat the big boys if you expect to make any noise in the playoffs.
May 26th, 2024 at 7:35 am
ref White and Barrett: “Had two dudes using those names but nothing behind the names.” Very astute observation and well said. You can’t miss what you didn’t have.
May 26th, 2024 at 7:40 am
@ Haleywood. Without doing a deep dive on this “hangover Sunday”..I don’t think teams can block interviews or hirings if that hiring is for a promotion. Pretty sure the Bucs could have blocked the Panthers from hiring Canales if the position was for their OC job.
May 26th, 2024 at 7:50 am
That’s correct Lt. Dan. Plus, we weren’t granted any compensation for losing Canales because he was only with us one season. Hard to keep up with all of the rules. I still haven’t gotten over the “Leaping” penalty called on Simeon Rice in that Indy debacle in 2003. Never heard it before or since. Guess it’s written on a scroll along with the “Tuck Rule”.
May 26th, 2024 at 8:05 am
If we can just contain the qbs of each team, the probability of us winning is hand’s down. The chiefs capitalized on ravens mistakes n contained LJackson in the afc conference championship which resulted to a win. When we contained PMcHolmes in Super Bowl we won. We contained JHutts in playoffs last year, we won. The key to victory is just contain the dang qb. That means the pressure is off Baker n is on our defense, period.
May 26th, 2024 at 8:12 am
@Scubog: regarding the leaping rule,,. “Never heard it before or since.” I recall seeing it called once after it being called against the Bucs on that ill fated night. I forget who was playing but when I saw the flag for leaping and heard the call, I clearly remember thinking, “Wow, I guess that sh!t rule is a thing.”
May 26th, 2024 at 8:46 am
Easy picking on Shaq, fellas.
I’ll look it up later today, but I bet Shaq still had the highest “Win” percentage when rushing the passer on the team last year.
Win percentage is the number of times you “ beat” the offensive player blocking you.
Thats the true grade for a pass rusher.
And we will miss Shaq’s pass rush. We certainly havent replaced iit.
And if he does the standard 2 year bounce back from achilles injury, Miami is gonna look like they fleeced us.
And yes- I have faith that Chris Braswell will be a good pass rusher.
But not this year. Rookies usually suck. Takes a year to figure it out.
May 26th, 2024 at 9:16 am
Absolutely!
Love this – “Baker Mayfield steadied the ship, and the Buccaneers were one of the league’s most surprising teams.” Yes, he was the perfect QB after Brady and our Bucs did surprise many. They will do it again.
May 26th, 2024 at 9:34 am
As far as wins I have our basement at 8 and our ceiling at 12. Subject to change with injuries, of course.
May 26th, 2024 at 9:41 am
I would say that Todd Bowels and his game/clock/endgame management also plays a part. But, if Baker is as good as all the lil BakerBois believe he is, then it should be 12-5 at a minimum… As long as everyone stays as healthy as they were last season & if Bowels can clean up a few things on his own end. And, he has to scrap that blanket going for 2 down 14 late in the game. It is nonsensical. The odds (basically a friggin’ coin-flip) of conversion are NOT worth the loss of ‘momentum’ especially at such a critical point of the ballgame. Momentum is everything. It’s a mindset. You can see it on the players faces when they don’t convert… They go from pure joy right after scoring to deflated. Then, it’s all out PANIC, bc you are now down a TD AND a 2-pt. conversion. JUST to tie. Then, they start to really press and throw an INT, just like Baker did. Get Rid Of IT. Just Forget-It. Get It Outta Your Mind. It’s stupid. Not worth it.
May 26th, 2024 at 9:47 am
Under an established offensive coach who actually called plays, Coen and the Bucs should have a 11-6 record. We need to silence these B.S. media.
May 26th, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Allen Lofton
11-6 seems correct.
This team went through a lot last year. New teammates. New system. This year they start with far more familiarity and far less holes.
May 26th, 2024 at 12:58 pm
If Coen can gameplan and exploit the other team’s weaknesses, then this team can go 12-5. If the offense doesn’t change much from last season then the Bucs will be playing .500 ball. Don’t know if last season was Bowles fault or Canales fault, but play calling could have been handled better by a HS coach.
May 26th, 2024 at 2:51 pm
I’m a huge Bucs fan. Bin my whole life but to be honest I can see why the dirty birds are getting the attention. IF they had cousins last year we prob don’t make the playoffs ridder is not a good QB but yet he made the Bucs look bad. I get cousins is coming back from a bad injury and he’s 36 and it’s a young man’s game but he’s not a RB , WR or any other position that requires a lot of movement. He’s a QB who doesn’t have to be mobile. The birds have weapons on both defense and offense. They beat us last year and almost did it twice. So I can see why they are getting the hype just be careful Joe not to write them off.
May 26th, 2024 at 9:12 pm
I can’t think of anymore ways to convey my point here
May 26th, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I think a new offense pushes us to the negative side, at least til the middle of the season. I’m good with the 9 wins prediction. Bucs will get better throughout the season. Complexity will progress once the whole team gets up to speed, which will take a few games.
Let’s Go!
May 27th, 2024 at 8:04 am
The national media are a bunch of nerds typing in their basement whose only female interaction is their mom upstairs. Furthermore, they were all so wrong last year that they are irrationally hoping for a Baker failure so they can be right. The only qualified analysts are former players and coaches whether D1 (a defacto pro league now with NIL) or Nfl, CFL or UFL. Note most of the players doing media now love Baker.
May 27th, 2024 at 8:17 am
Halewood… I believe the Bucs could have blocked the Panthers from speaking with, or hiring Canales, (that is still a thing, right?) yet they didn’t. You have to think they weren’t overly impressed with Canales play calling, or his planning for each weeks opponent, or they’d have done so. I wasn’t impressed by it either.
Brilliant my man. I think the Bucs offloaded Canales as a Trojan horse to destroy the Panthers from within. Baker thrived in spite of CaNales not because of. The people saying Baker only turned it on in the fourth was because Canales panicked and finally gave up on the Woody Hayes offense. He turned the ball over to Baker who could have had 3 more miracle wins if the defense held against Texans and Falcons one. And if Godwin had turned around one second earlier against Bills.
May 27th, 2024 at 6:20 pm
Bucs will finish 43rd out of 32 teams.
May 28th, 2024 at 12:26 am
I’ve been a coach for 25 of my 49 years on Earth. I love the disrespect. It only helps. I promise. We have a better secondary, better IOL, and a much better OC. If the Bucs stay healthy, they will shock the world. Reason why: NOBODY knows just how good a healthy Baker is and his receivers will have had more time to see the difference between a Baker fastball and the GOAT and the rest’s softballs.