Guessing How The Bucs Play
June 28th, 2024
Can he keep it up?
Well, what do you know, a slimy Saints fan thought the Bucs won with mirrors last year and will revert this winter to the old Bucs and watch other teams play in the playoffs.
That was pretty much the summary of what Seth Galina of the PFF tribe had to say on “The Athletic Football Show” podcast this week, hosted by Robert Mays.
To be fair to Galina, he’s way down on his slimy Saints, too. (But he sure seems to like the Dixie Chicks).
Like a lot of statheads and other national #NFLMedia, Galina just doesn’t see what the Bucs see in their roster. He cannot understand why the Bucs didn’t upgrade with impact free agents.
While Galina likes the Bucs’ stars, he has no faith in the roster core and says it will drag the Bucs down.
“They didn’t do a ton in free agency, so there are some lingering questions,” Galina said. “My lingering question is, can they rely another year on their aging veterans to be elite players again? Mike Evans and Lavonte David, especially.
“Vita Vea is not the oldest player… but still, he’s been in the league for a while. Those three carried them, especially Evans on offense.”
Galina was referring to star veterans who are either pushing 30 (Vea) or are on the other side of 30 (Evans and David).
“The rest of this roster is not very good, right?” Galina said. “They have two young players who are cornerstones, [Tristan] Wirfs and [Antoine] Winfield. Luke Goedeke played well in his second year. other than that, this roster was carried by veterans. Can they do it again? Can you be an elite player in your 30s at receiver, at inside linebacker?”
Take away three or four stars from the 49ers or the Chiefs or the Lions or the Packers and what do you think they are? It’s a dumb argument to minimize a team that relies on its stars to play well and make impact plays. The nerve of them!
Aren’t stars supposed to play, you know, like stars?
Galina was really down last year’s Bucs rookies, as well. He believes for the Bucs to be anywhere close to what they were last year, those rookies have to play like savvy vets.
Joe is of the mind the rookie class was damn good. Maybe Galina was looking for guys who splashed. No, the rookies didn’t make many splash plays outside of Calijah Kancey and YaYa Diaby, but overall the class was solid.
If these guys were as awful as Galina believes, how the hell did the Bucs advance to the divisional round and tie the Lions in the fourth quarter on the road?
June 28th, 2024 at 10:06 am
I guess Galina knows nothing about cap space and wants us to dump anyone over 28? The draftnicks only care about flashy positions like QB, WR, Edge, etc. and think that only 1st rounders can make an impact. Idiots.
June 28th, 2024 at 10:08 am
I think we are very close. I was hoping for a veteran solid OLB like we did when we got Rice years ago. I think that’s the missing piece.
Otherwise the offense should be much better. I picture baker with a little more time this year and an average running game. We’ll be tough to beat.
June 28th, 2024 at 10:17 am
Joe’s one of those “idiots” who cares about QB and Edge because without them, you can’t win a Super Bowl. (And Joe’s not a draftnik).
June 28th, 2024 at 10:51 am
Galina clearly doesn’t know much about this roster.
June 28th, 2024 at 10:58 am
I’m happy the Bucs aren’t going in big on FA signings. You have to build through the draft, and I think that is where the team is focused. You also have to give those young guys opportunities for growth and experience. Sure, you need to sometimes bring in a FA strategically to be competitive in some areas (QB for instance). Also, sometimes, you can find a cheap FA who brings high value, so that is probably the main thing you are looking for in FA, is someone who is cheap but who has big impact potential in the right situation. Let these folks continue to sleep on the Bucs. They will be proven wrong in time.
June 28th, 2024 at 10:59 am
Joe: I think the guy was saying that while the “flashy” positions and 1st Rounders are important, there’s more to building a team, like getting AWJ in the 2nd Round and an UDFA like Markees Watts (please God, let him be the next Shaq Barrett).
June 28th, 2024 at 11:03 am
Galina.
Sounds like a cocktail for the alternative lifestyle crowd,
June 28th, 2024 at 11:04 am
We sign our own stars and get labeled as having not done much? Does this clown have a brain? If other teams had signed our players then it would have been opined by the same dunderheads that the free agent signings were huge wins in the off-season but the BUCS retain those same players and it is said that they didn’t do much. Comical.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:14 am
This is largely true, but the Bucs have a history of winning when they sign key free agents. The guys who threw, caught and ran for touchdowns in the Super Bowl in 2020 were all free agents.
Chucky won in 2000 with free agents.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:22 am
I’m just trying to figure out why we should care what Seth Galina thinks? The ‘Oh no, national media hacks disrespect us’ articles are pretty lame. The only respect that matters: Do Bucs get respect from Bucs fans? Do Bucs get respect from their coaches and teammates? Do Bucs respect themselves? That is all that matters.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:33 am
I’m pretty ok with how this roster was built in the free agency era. Another cb or OLB would have been the icing on the cake to eliminate questions, but every team has a position like that.
Think LB or wr3 for the Eagles. WR period for the Bills. LT for the Chiefs. WR2/3 for the Lions. The 49ers are the only team I can think of without a glaring hole.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:35 am
1. (Not trying to be an arse) you apparently cared enough to comment. 🙂
2. Joe has always typed about what Joe finds interesting. That will never change. Seems to be winning formula since this is the most popular Bucs site out there. And, it is also late-June. The news desert of the NFL.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:42 am
Weird analysis. The Bucs have more young stars than old vets. As in, the entire OL, DL, and secondary.
June 28th, 2024 at 11:49 am
The answer will become clear once the games begin.
June 28th, 2024 at 12:11 pm
Joe Says:
June 28th, 2024 at 10:17 am
The draftnicks only care about flashy positions like QB, WR, Edge, etc. and think that only 1st rounders can make an impact. Idiots.
Joe’s one of those “idiots” who cares about QB and Edge because without them, you can’t win a Super Bowl. (And Joe’s not a draftnik).
____________
Yeah, that Trent Dilfer was a real world-beater for the 2000 Ravens.
😀
June 28th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Sure, it *could* happen (once so far this century). But how many times has it happened this century? Why try the most difficult way? Why aim for the outlier? That’s just silly.
June 28th, 2024 at 12:32 pm
Looks to me like our over-riding rule the last two off-seasons was to stop mortgaging the future with these huge deferred contracts like the Saints had been doing. After this season, are we done with Jensen and Shaq?
June 28th, 2024 at 1:49 pm
If Vea and Kancey can both command double teams, it leaves the DE opposite Kancey single blocked. Mike Greene flashed before his injury. Someone needs to step into that spot and if they can beat single blocking, we could reall have a terror machine on our hands with 8 in coverage. Provided it’s not soft zone.
June 28th, 2024 at 1:52 pm
This Galina guy should quit. If he says the rest of roster isn’t good he didn’t do his research. Bucs are littered with young playmaker and up and coming players
June 28th, 2024 at 2:03 pm
Beeej Says:
” After this season, are we done with Jensen and Shaq?”
Unfortunately No
We actually ‘deferred’ the majority of what we owe the cap for both of them until next year.
Jensen
2024 Dead Cap hit – $4.76M
2025 Dead Cap hit – $11.8M
Barrett
2024 Dead Cap hit – $9.26M
2025 Dead Cap hit – $17.4M
Bucs are paying over $50M in dead $ this year – and over $50M next year
Thats over $100M thats gone – cannot be used this year and next. That $ would certainly have bought a couple or 3 high end free agents to make this team even better – but we didn’t have it. We went “all in for Brady” – won a Super Bowl and now the bills are filling the mailbox. It took all we could come up with and then some (good bit more ‘deferment’) to re-sign Mayfield, Evans, LD54, Winfield Jr and the kicker – and Whitehead.
Considering the maxed out Credit Cards financial situation – Jason Licht and Mike Greenberg are doing a masterful job of fielding a competitive team thus far – 2 years into the post Brady era.
If things go well – I could see this team winning 11 or 12 games and even being a dark horse Super Bowl contender. Similar to the Lions team last year.
Of course a couple key injuries could derail that high end potential quickly…
June 28th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
The Bucs scored 150 less points last year compared to their great 20 & 21’ seasons. That’s a lotta points.
And they were two Winfield miracles from being 7-10.
The Vikings were 13-4 in 2022, but the media thought it all luck. In one of the rare instances where the media was correct the Vikings went 7-10 last year as a follow-up to their great 22’ season.
In Tampa there is hope. Nationally, the scribes are comparing them to the 22’ Vikings.
IMHO opinion, of course.
With that, my response to all prognosticators remains the same year in and year out.
Get back to me in January …
June 28th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
So, I am ok with Galina’s viewpoint to some degree.
He suggested that our best players were Wirfs, Winfield, Evans, David, and Vea.
That is a pretty solid list of good players.
My question to him, did he get a list on the Atlanta Falcons of a set of 5 players who would be equal or better than those 5 players. Just curious.
As Joe said, please link us to teams that have these 10 or so stars on their team. Again, agreeing with Joe, are YaYa and Calijah not strong players for our future that plenty of teams would want. What no one would want Godwin? Let’s see when he becomes a free agent next year.
June 28th, 2024 at 3:02 pm
Joe Says:
June 28th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Yeah, that Trent Dilfer was a real world-beater for the 2000 Ravens.
Sure, it *could* happen (once so far this century). But how many times has it happened this century? Why try the most difficult way? Why aim for the outlier? That’s just silly.
_________
Well Joe, when you make absolute statements they should be umm…….absolute.
😉
June 28th, 2024 at 3:54 pm
Don’t think that matching team stars is the best way to compare teams.
It is also hard to determine how far players will come in the second year. As a whole most guys will improve relatively equal regardless of the team. There are some one offs. Who could honestly say the Jalen Carter will take a massive jump after he had such a dominant Rookie Year. C.J Stroud also. Those two have set a pretty high bar and to follow it up could be tough going.
I like to look at the sum of all parts.
These rankings are not cherry picked. Just one that I came across. Someone might find one that differs as there are plenty out there. My selection was completely random. These ranking are for the starting groups and not the best player in each unit.
Ranking for Bucs: DL/26th LB/15 DB/19 OL/18 RB/26 REC/10 QB/24
Falcons: DL/12th LB/31 DB/16 OL/2 RB/6 REC/12 QB/14
Maybe it will come down to Special Teams, Field Position, and the Kicking Game where I would guess that the Bucs hold the edge with the Punter.
June 28th, 2024 at 4:14 pm
Whitehead = impact free agent. Winfield had an All Pro year playing alongside misfits and liabilities. Imagine what kind of year he will have and how Bowles will use him with an excellent safety right behind him.
June 28th, 2024 at 7:31 pm
Pickgrin, common sense backed up by facts. Awesome post! Some fans can’t get past the fact this team has no cap room now or in the near future.
June 28th, 2024 at 9:09 pm
The telling mark will be our running game … and of course injuries. If the Bucs can end up between 15 and 20, insead of 32nd, they’ll win at least 10 games.
Other things to watch to indicate the Bucs are going to the NFC Championship game or farther:
– QB Pressures/Hits/Sacks
– Opening drives
– TD instead of FG in the red zone (especially inside the 10)
– Better play in their 2nd year Klancey/Cody/Ya Ya/Palmer
– Another strong season from Chase
June 29th, 2024 at 6:01 am
Sounds like Galina only adores the shiny new things. It doesn’t work that way. There is so much more involved with all of it. And yes, did he forget we were in the playoffs?
Pickgrin – Great reminder about the cap: “Bucs are paying over $50M in dead $ this year – and over $50M next year.”
I also believe we are looking at 11 or 12 wins.
June 29th, 2024 at 9:36 am
He is obviously lazy with his writing and basing his arguments OLD data. The Bucs being too OLD was a 22 thing NOT 23. The Bucs are now one of the younger teams in the league. And according to Galina, he wanted us to add OLDER, expensive FAs to get better? Geez, what a knoob. We need Braswell to be the best draft pick at edge we have EVER had. Who knows, if he is, there will be ZERO questions about the talent on this roster. I think Irving and McMillan combine for 15+ TDs this year, but we didn’t ADD anyone right?
June 29th, 2024 at 11:01 am
Joe must love cap he!!. 100 mill in dead cap the next two years. How much further should we extend it? We’re constantly fielding a weaker team to pay old debts. It’s like living off credit cards you can never pay off.