BSPN: Bucs’ Roster Is In Bottom-Third Of League
June 26th, 2024
Sad analysis.
Joe isn’t surprised and, frankly, shouldn’t be surprised. Still, it blows Joe’s mind how many people working in #NFLMedia refuse to believe what their eyes told them and consider the Bucs to be a trash team.
Joe can only conclude folks simply do not like Todd Bowles or Baker Mayfield or both. Otherwise, why would a team that nearly reached the NFC title game be shat upon so badly weeks and months later?
This time it’s BSPN’s turn. The four letter decided to rank each team’s roster and rank them Nos. 1-32. Every team that reached the division round last year is ranked in the top-13. Well, every team but the Bucs.
Six of the eight teams that reached the division round last year are ranked in this year’s top-10. The two non-qualifiers are the Packers and Bucs:
1. 49ers
2. Chiefs
3. Ravens
5. Lions
8. Texans
9. Bills
13. Packers
22. Bucs
The Eagles, a team the Bucs mopped the floor with in January before the eyes of an entire nation in prime time on “Monday Night Football” in the playoffs is ranked No. 10.
Every one of those teams listed above has a quarterback that #NFLMedia believes to be a franchise quarterback capable of leading his team to a Super Bowl. Baker Mayfield has a better playoff winning percentage than St. Lamar Jackson or C.J. Stroud or Jordan Love, but analysts don’t respect him.
Joe guesses there is only one way for the reigning Pro Bowl MVP to gain respect. Earn it with (more) winning.
June 26th, 2024 at 4:52 am
As good as mayfield is, he will need some help this season from his offensive line that showed little propensity at times last season to open up holes big enough for a gerbil to squirm through in the running game in order to take some heat off the passing attack.
And a defensive corner scheme that had our cb’s playing 15 yards off at the snap, or lost in the tunnel, whichever was further away…
These things must be tightened up….
For another post season run
June 26th, 2024 at 6:44 am
I love it. Put the ranking on a poster, and hang it in the Bucs locker room. You can also put one in every coach, and Lichts office. Hell have some billboards made, and put them on I 275. Can’t wait for this season.
June 26th, 2024 at 7:02 am
Joe, you’re absolutely right concerning Baker needing a MINIMUM of TWO MORE not only winning but DOMINATING seasons in a row… Yes Sir. Absolutely Correct.
Baker has no respect because HE EARNED IT!
Baker is a what I’ve come to realize, unique individual. He LITERALLY steers his own ship whether he likes it or not.
He HAS found the WILL to make it real and he EARNED that too. And that was a true blessing for him and his family. It speaks to Very High character. Now he must find THE WAY! And that is found in the same place he found his will.
These days I’m a true Baker Fan. And To Be Clear, He EARNED THAT too. I do believe in Will to Power. Absolutely! He has the WILL to fight for it and As Long As you have the WILL, YOU CAN CERTAINLY FIND A WAY!
Don’t Stop for NOTHING MAN! Except your wife and child if you need to. I believe he Will show the World that he was never a mistake and I’m happy to give him the ground on my beloved team to fight for it from. WORTH WATCHING when you make your DREAMS COME TRUE.
June 26th, 2024 at 7:30 am
I can see us mebbe not in the top ten, but not at 22, not 9 slots below the Packers
June 26th, 2024 at 7:34 am
Who was it that said, you are what your record says you are? The Bucs are a .500 team over the last two seasons. They have underperformed and are, as of now. a middling team. Here’s hoping the play up to their potential.
June 26th, 2024 at 7:38 am
What ranks do the Stainks, Puddy Tats, and Dirty Birds have?
June 26th, 2024 at 7:59 am
That’s motivation for the Quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. The Bucs won’t be staying under the radar this year.
June 26th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Who else has Top 5 at LT, WR, S and NT?
June 26th, 2024 at 8:16 am
Preseason talk is trash and the predictions are all over the place. I wish I got paid to just put my dumb ideas out there like the people at ESPN
June 26th, 2024 at 8:33 am
Quick check shows 3 others sources have Bucs @ 18, 23, and 23 (not including QB). With only other QB besides Mayfield in 2023 with more turnover worthy plays was Sam Howell and he is now a Back Up one ranking could be worse than 23.
Suppose you can go with Mike Florio and have them ranked as high as 9.
One thing for certain is in the first 10 weeks the Bucs will find out if they can beat teams that they are suppose to, how they look compared to division foes, and how they stack up to top 10 teams.
June 26th, 2024 at 8:37 am
Bill Parcells.
June 26th, 2024 at 8:38 am
we have more Depth than we have had in many years.
Licht has done a great job building this team.
Being an Underdog can be a good thing
June 26th, 2024 at 9:00 am
We destroyed the Packers past year! That roster is ranked 13th and we’re 22nd?
June 26th, 2024 at 9:27 am
Jose. I agree that they are underrating our roster. But repeatedly calling Mayfield the MVP of the pro bowl is like calling him the MVP of preseason. No one cares.
June 26th, 2024 at 9:31 am
BSPN isn’t credible.
I doubt any real sports fan cant see their thru agenda.
June 26th, 2024 at 9:48 am
I disagree with BSPN’s tripe.
However, looking at the roster from afar, it’s easy for those not following Jason’s off-season to say
OL – way below average in 2023
RBs – worst rushing attack in the NFL for two consecutive seasons
TEs – below average
DL – no pass rush without blitzing
OLB – below average in 2023, JTS is the marquee player
ILB – after LVD, thin and unproven
DBs – 4th worst pass defense in 2023
But what the BSPNs don’t acknowledge is how the Bucs with those weaknesses were a few plays from the NFC championship game last year, and the team has some important strengths and upgrades
WR – biggest strength of the team
QB – Baker is going to keep getting better. Clutch. Winner.
Interior DL – Vita and Kancey are a lethal combination
OLB – Diaby is coming, Braswell looks like a contributor right away
Safeties – best strength on defense
Interior OL – the rookie Center has a lot to do, but just by showing up, he’s better than the last guy
Add into that, the head coach knows he needs to win at least 10 games and to do that, needs to score more points while eliminating the repeated mistakes made week in and week out through better coaches, coaching better. First drive scripting in particular.
11-6 Bucs
#AsToddEvolves
June 26th, 2024 at 9:53 am
“As Good As Mayfield Is”
Mayfield aint even a good QB he’s average to above average.
He didnt make plays against Detroit in the playoffs.
The Bucs are coming off an ok season, we beat the Eagles in the playoffs. big deal.
Mayfield seriously isnt that good. All those teams have better Quarterbacks than us.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:02 am
jarrett must not watch the games.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:28 am
Football, the ultimate team sport, but rankings are mostly based on QB play….
The Ironic thing is we look better at every position this year except CB. And given the injury rate to both starting corners last year I think we’ll see improvement there. We have great diversity in the secondary that Todd should be able to capitalize on.
June 26th, 2024 at 11:08 am
I was just thinking the other day, after reading a big ESPN article (mighta been this one), that I cannot remember a team with as strong of a 4-year pedigree, as the current Bucs, ever being disrespected to this level before. And, when they return ALL of their top players!? I mean, these aren’t JUST “top players” or your run of the mill “veterans,” either. THESE are future HOF’ers STILL playing at the highest level, with TWO more All-Pro Superstars just now hitting their primes, & who are also on a HOF trajectory!!!! On top of that, they have been ranked #1/#2 along with the Packers, as having THE BEST ‘youngest’ roster in the LEAUGE. There is no other ‘logical’ reason that the Packers would be ranked #13 vs the Bucs #22 (and when the Bucs SMOKED ‘EM just a few months ago), other than they all like Love & LaFleur A LOT BETTER than Baker & Bowles. I know the Pack went out and got Jacobs (and I like him A LOT), but how big of an upgrade REALLY, is he over Jones… BOTH, are constantly hurt/banged up. These things usually don’t bother me, since I mostly agree with a lot of these rankings. BUT, the amount of total disrespect this Bucs team has received throughout this entire off-season, has just gotten ridiculous. It almost seems intentional, or something.
June 26th, 2024 at 11:23 am
It does worry me about Baker protecting the ball tho. Last season there was a good 4-5 game stretch last season where he got away with, and really coulda/shoulda thrown at least another 12+Picks. He had 5-balls thrown right into the hands of the Bills defenders, but thankfully, they all had hands like Jamel Dean. There were another 2-3 games right around then that were just like it, too. That’s one good thing about the amount of mustard he puts on the ball… It makes it a lot harder for defenders to catch. I just hope he can protect the ball next season, cause that’s what it’s going to come down to. That, injuries, & better coaching decisions by Bowles.
June 26th, 2024 at 11:48 am
>>>Who was it that said, you are what your record says you are? The Bucs are a .500 team over the last two seasons. They have underperformed and are, as of now. a middling team. Here’s hoping the play up to their potential.
The Bucs have an identical record over the last two seasons as the Packers. Same playoff success. Hell, last year their seasons followed nearly the exact same arc, with the big difference being that the Bucs walloped the Packers head to head in Green Bay.
And yet, somehow there is nearly 10-position difference in their roster strength? Based on what, exactly?
The ‘you are what your record says you are’ excuse doesn’t hold water when our record says three straight division titles, and yet people are handing the division to the 36 year old coming off a horrific injury.
No one expects the Bucs to be ranked #1, but we ARE being underestimated, both by the national media and some of our own fans.
June 26th, 2024 at 2:03 pm
I really liked your post, Obvious.
Anyhow, when we get to the Super Bowl this year there will be lots of eating words, and, like Jason, we should remember all of this crap. I hope it tastes awfully bad.
June 26th, 2024 at 2:32 pm
You can look at the Bucs roster & come away thinking that they are a bottom 10 team. No doubt.
You can also look at the 2023 roster & think that had the Bucs played the upcoming 2024 schedule, they’d have been picking in the top 5 in the 2024 draft…Luckily the the Bucs played the 2023 schedule & found a 5-1 finish in DEC/JAN after a 1-6 stretch in OCT-NOV.
It’s pretty easy to understand BSPN analysis…(Which is often lazy & without any investigative effort)
Not that I agree with it, but I get it…& we should thank them for the bulletin board material. Anything that helps motivate the team/organization, the better the 2024 Bucs will be for it!
June 26th, 2024 at 2:56 pm
I really don’t understand how they can rank them that low. It doesn’t matter though we like to play with the chip on our shoulder hopefully the teams we play feel the same way and will kick their ass
June 26th, 2024 at 3:04 pm
I don’t think the Bucs have a top 10 roster by any stretch of the imagination right now, but did they even look at the Buffalo Bills roster? Outside of Josh Allen, that is a horrible roster.
June 26th, 2024 at 3:06 pm
Until the Bucs start dominating the line of scrimmage and go deeper in the playoffs consistently, they (the media) will continue to snub their noses at the Bucs as a whole.
June 26th, 2024 at 5:14 pm
FN since day one in ’76 here. I’m talking 0-26, Dick Crippen and Steve Spurrier days. The NFL has ALWAYS shat on the Bucs. Rozelle was as much of a Weiner as Goodell. The only time the Bucs got any love from the media and the NFL was the several years with Dungy and Gruden and our first SB win. All the other decades they have shoveled manure on our franchise. Fck Goodell. Fck the media. Go Bucs
June 26th, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Bingo @callthesalttruck. Well said. The Packers thing drives me nuts. I would love to see them crash this year and Love to have a bad year. Contract pressure getting to him or something. Everyone slobbering over him and Cousins. Need them all being brought back to reality, and that reality is, the Bucs are a top 12 team.
June 26th, 2024 at 9:10 pm
Who have the bucs beat? Most had losing records. Win 5 or 6 games against Teams with winning records. Until that time you are nothing but working for the bucs media.
June 27th, 2024 at 4:40 am
Joe it’s really pretty simple.
The fourth estate is a joke and has no honor integrity or credibility any longer.
Very very few reliable sources for sports news at all. You prove it daily. Not with your own content but that of others just like today.
Go Bucs!
June 27th, 2024 at 4:55 am
Joe, you really need to stop the reference to Pro Bowl MVP. The whole exercise is meaningless.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:31 pm
I love it . . Let them think it . Hope nobody takes the Bucs serious . But know this, they will by week 5.