Conor Orr Doesn’t Care That Jason Licht Is Irked By His Predictions
June 4th, 2024
Still disrespected.
Last year, long-time SI.com NFL columnist Conor Orr picked the Bucs to lose 15 games.
No, Baker Mayfield doesn’t seem to impress anyone typing words for a living covering the NFL who does not reside in the Sunshine State.
(Yes, Joe knows Peter King also picked the Bucs to win two games. Joe doesn’t recall NBC Sports cobbling together slick graphics and pushing his prediction out all over various social media platforms like SI.com did with Orr.)
So at the combine in Indianapolis this winter, Licht crossed paths with Orr at the Indiana Convention Center. Orr was introduced to Licht. The Bucs shot-caller immediately recognized the name and began needling Orr about his bad guess.
It appeared Orr may have been ambushed. At least he didn’t appear ready to defend his pick. Licht seemed good-natured about it but told Orr how much he inspired the Bucs and that Licht has Orr’s prediction up on his office wall.
(Recently Bucs veteran defensive lineman Will Gholston did a sitdown for a podcast and mentioned how (King? Orr?) predicted the Bucs to win two games. It was apparent Bucs players were morally offended by that if they are still bringing it up a year later after they advanced to the divisional round.)
So, did Licht’s chat with Orr enlighten him that the Bucs have talented players on the team capable of making a playoff run? Apparently not.
Orr joined his SI.com colleague Albert Breer for the SI Football Podcast and announced, sorry Bucs, he still thinks the Bucs stink.
Orr has Derek Carr and the slimy Saints winning the NFC South this fall. The Dixie Chicks, Orr said, will finish second. In third place, the mighty Buccaneers.
Given how people think the NFC South is trash, if the Bucs are in third place, Joe is going to guess Orr thinks the Bucs will have double-digit losses.
Joe has typed it before and will type again: It is going to take Mayfield at least two more times to lead the Bucs deep into the playoffs before the Bucs will garner any sort of respect with #NFLMedia because they are simply not sold on Mayfield. That’s all there is to it.
.@ConorOrr doesn't have much faith in the Bucs…still.
Listen to the @theMMQB podcast here:
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🎧https://t.co/RBQ7PuBD65 pic.twitter.com/pFdKbuVftd— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 3, 2024
June 4th, 2024 at 7:07 am
2 twinks that never strapped on a chinstrap in pop warner but know everything
June 4th, 2024 at 7:19 am
I’ll put that podcast on right after i study all the bball mock drafts. Should get around to it by 2037. SI has gone the way of AOL…totally irrelevant.
June 4th, 2024 at 7:24 am
Bucs have a core of VERY good players, and the two glaring weak spots from last year–pass rush and IOL–seen to have been addressed. The team (Baker most of all) improved by leaps and bounds between opening day and that playoff game against the Lions. I fail to see how these professional prognosticators can’t even be mildly aware of that
June 4th, 2024 at 7:29 am
No one cares what these clowns say. If they don’t make ridiculous claims like this no one (including you Joe) would know their names.
June 4th, 2024 at 7:31 am
To be fair, winning winning the division with 8 and 9 wins is not much to crow about. Good team, but they haven’t played up to their abilities.
June 4th, 2024 at 7:40 am
Connor Orr is a never was! And SI will be lucky to survive another year with the bozos like Orr and company pushing out the garbage they do there these days.
Go Bucs!
June 4th, 2024 at 8:11 am
Don’t know who this moron is never read si
June 4th, 2024 at 8:26 am
9 wins is the floor, still too early to tell what the ceiling can be BUT the good thing is it’s only June so there is plenty of time to get as good as we can get.
June 4th, 2024 at 8:33 am
Real journalism in this country is dead…such predictions are based on what?
June 4th, 2024 at 8:40 am
Connor orr looks like a towel boy
June 4th, 2024 at 9:01 am
Barring injury the Bucs win the division again. Bucs over Falcons under, easy money.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:04 am
And we don’t care about Orr.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:04 am
Enough of this nonsense distraction!
We should all be celebrating Pride Month!
Or is it Pride Summer now?
Put a rainbow on the header if JoeBucsFan and celebrate…men having babies.
Or something!
But enough about sports! Respect the month for gawd’s sake!
June 4th, 2024 at 9:17 am
Other than the Chiefs, the NFL is a year-to-year changing of the guard. There have been many articles written about how every year, multiple teams that didn’t make the playoffs the previous season make it again.
Picking wins and losses before the season starts is nuts.
The Bucs were a very streaky team last year. When they played well they played as well as the top 5 teams in the league. When they went into their losing streak, they played like a bottom feeder.
The 2024 season’s theme has to be more about being consistant week in and week out. Offensively the team has much more depth and some upgrades on the line.
Defensively they still have some weak links and younger players that you won’t be able to evaluate before the season. I personally don’t think they will be that good at rushing the passer based on the personel. So they have to make up for that by getting other players to emulate the great free safety Antoine Winfield and force turnovers on routine short catches to generate turnovers.
The defense also has to figure out a way to not allow teams to convert 3rd downs that are 9 yards or more. How many times has the defenders leave open areas and offenses keep drives alive.
Lastly, penalties on the offensive line for holding and false starts. Seen too many early drives peter out due to 10 yard penalties.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:49 am
@jeff, I had to laugh at your comment. How true. At least I played in HS. Not that counts for anything, but I did learn disrespect in the sports world is a huge motivator. My only comment on this is for the Bucs distractors to keep providing Jason with bulletin board material.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:27 am
“The skinniest necks on NFL Talking Heads”
Prolly with limp wrists to match.
Blowhards? Nah. Blowsofts…
June 4th, 2024 at 10:32 am
Orr’s prediction for the Bucs was so far off last year, he should have been released from his team. This year, he hasn’t learned a thing, going with the same prediction for the Bucs again, a source not worth listening to. I think Sims was one the few national guys to predict a solid season for the Bucs last year.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:35 am
THE SAINTS FIRST?!!!
Wow! That team is so old and so over the cap. Who do they even have? Olave and Kamara?
EXPERTS DON’T REALIZE
The Saints and the Falcons had the two easiest schedules last year. The Bucs had one of the most difficult. The playing field levels out this year. The records won’t be as close. Atlanta’s start is impossible. They’ll be out of contention by week 8. The Saints are old. They’ll wither. The Bucs schedule finishes soft. This season sets up perfectly for the Bucs.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:41 am
Someone find Todd his safe space, he saw a rainbow today and is clearly triggered
June 4th, 2024 at 11:01 am
“The Saints and the Falcons had the two easiest schedules last year. The Bucs had one of the most difficult.”
Overall, the Bucs played the #9 easiest schedule in the NFL.
June 4th, 2024 at 11:07 am
Come on September!
June 4th, 2024 at 11:17 am
Some pundits like to make the lazy projection that what happened to the Patriots after Brady left is going to happen to the Bucs.
The Bucs had better talent than the Patriots had last year and Mayfield has been a much better QB than anyone the Patriots have played.
And Bucs have upgraded their roster this year at several positions.
Just lazy reporting
June 4th, 2024 at 11:18 am
This is crazy. Still have a lot of players on here from the SB team. Have upgraded at multiple positions and they still think we will only win 2 games haha these guys have no clue what they are talking about. AINTS winning the south is more laughable then the Bucs only winning 2 games
June 4th, 2024 at 11:50 am
twinks hehe
June 4th, 2024 at 11:52 am
These are the type of guys to call their wives their “partner”
June 4th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Just wanted to say, tell all haters to lick a set. Jeffs Grandpa you got it right, never snapped on a chinstrap. Them two were picked on in school and have to find someone to talk sh!t about from behind closed doors. The Bucs will just have to show the world again.
June 4th, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Orr sure didn’t seem so tough when Licht ( ambushed ) him in the trenches of viet.. combine.
June 4th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Put that small sample on a loop on a screen inside the Buc’s locker room, the Saints? Are you kidding me, the countdown is on. One game at a time gentlemen, one game at a time.
June 4th, 2024 at 6:05 pm
SI still in business?
June 4th, 2024 at 7:13 pm
Hopefully next year it’s… ” Licht body slams Orr and his twink husband at NFL combine”
June 4th, 2024 at 8:28 pm
Orr moans when he wipes. Back to front probably.
June 5th, 2024 at 8:21 am
Sports Illustrated is still around? They were relevant when the Bucs were a 2 win team consistently so maybe they are stuck in the 80’s on forecasts just like the company.
June 5th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Jason has put a roster together that could win 12 games if Todd steps up to the level of his roster as head coach. Wish he would hire a full time DC so he could actually be a head coach. Right now he’s like Koetter only from the opposite side of the ball.