Under The Radar
September 6th, 2024
Has believer at the four-letter.
Dan Graziano isn’t buying the John Elway Kirk Cousins hype.
The ESPN NFL scribe co-wrote a column with Jeremy Fowler looking at the possibilities of the 2024 season. There, Graziano typed that until the three-peat NFC South champion Bucs are dethroned, they’re not dethroned.
So he’s not exactly chugging the Dixie Chicks Kool-Aid. In short, Graziano types, he needs to see more from Atlanta before he’s buying.
Graziano listed the Bucs as one of his under-the-radar teams.
Everyone’s just handing the NFC South to the Falcons because of the Cousins addition and the top-10 picks in their offensive skill group. But I still think the Falcons’ defense has questions it needs to answer, and the Bucs have won this division three seasons in a row. Yeah, I know the records haven’t been good, but they’ve figured out ways to win it.
And while [the Bucs] didn’t add much in free agency, they were able to maintain the core of their team, re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David while locking up young stars, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., to long-term deals. The Bucs don’t get enough credit for what they’ve been able to do post-Tom Brady, and until I see the Falcons take the division from them, I’m leaning toward Tampa.
Shaun King, one of four Bucs quarterbacks to lead the team to an NFC title game, said as much in a roundabout way. Just because Elway Cousins has highly-regarded targets in the passing game in Atlanta, what have they ever done?
(Of course, this would suggest Artie Smith had a clue to what he was doing previously with Atlanta, and Joe isn’t willing to take that leap.)
Joe will defend Graziano and King by adding Elway Cousins had better weapons in Minnesota and what did he win? He was a punching bag for the NFL wiseguys on social media for rarely being able to win a big game (do you know Baker Mayfield has a better playoff winning percentage than Lamar Jackson and Cousins?). Now, at 36 with a bum Achilles, he’s magically transformed into Jim Kelly?
September 6th, 2024 at 1:15 pm
Kirk isn’t Elway or Jim Kelly…. But could he be the next Rich Gannon? That’s the question that will be answered this season.
September 6th, 2024 at 1:16 pm
Mayfield will regress, unfortunately. Seems inevitable.
Bucs D is also mediocre and will get torched in many games.
Long season disappointing season incoming.
September 6th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Canales was just as bad as Smith as an OC, if not worse.
September 6th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
LOL @ Mayfield will regress.
Dave Cannoli will not be missed….at all.
September 6th, 2024 at 1:55 pm
C’mon now. At the very least, Canales was smart enough to get Mike Evans the ball. How often did Artie Smith get Bijon Robinson the ball?
Smith’s claim to fame is that he developed Ryan Tannehill. LOL Let that sink in for a moment.
September 6th, 2024 at 2:10 pm
Trask to the future,
You’re desperate! What are you talking about? Same old garbage? Man…. Butt hurt is ALL OVER YOU! You reek of it.
You know you sound foolish right. You seem to be blatantly lame brain. Why? Trask? Man he’s going to play and you know just like the rest that Mayfield is the strongest leader with an obvious ability to motivate. He’s the real deal to the men and the world would pick that EVEN IF he slightly takes a step back. Mayfield will likely get hurt for a game or two though I certainly hope not. And just so you know I was a strong supporter of Trask for the job initially because he IS a bit more talented and carried the upside before more tangibles were realized by me. Still a fan of Trask but I’m a HUGE believer in the intangibles that are usually unseen at first. For instance when I realized that the men are going above and beyond for Mayfield. AND IT’S OBVIOUS THAT IT’S MORE THAN A PASSING THING. Pun intended….
So come on man. Just like I would tell a Mayfield Acolyte, GET OVER IT! IT IS NOT ABOUT ONE MAN! THIS IS FOOTBALL! THE “ULTIMATE TEAM SPORT”….
So come back from the edge. Open your mind and SENSES to the REST OF THE UPGRADES THAT COUNTER BALANCE AND MUCH MUCH MORE for “slight fall offs”.
This IS the “BUCCANEERS”! NOT THE MAYFIELDS OR THE HAT TRASKS!
You’ve made great points in the past when you’re head isn’t up your …. “blind spot” Come back to the light Luke because if you don’t, you may wake up one day and realize that your woman looks more like Yoda than Farah Fauset because you’ve been SO BLIND! And good luck getting that out of your head and out of your bed….
Are you a Buccaneers fan? If not please go back to the Saints sites. If you are, get you head OUT OF THE SAND and realize that we are headed into some Really Good Times…
September 6th, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Obvious- your stuff is getting fun to read. Right on!
September 6th, 2024 at 2:47 pm
@Trask To The Future
Congratulations, you are almost singlehandedly making Trask look like a loser and causing people NOT to like the guy.
Are you his agent? Cousin? Mom? Gay crush? SMH – I don’t understand 🙄
September 6th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Trask to the Future, love your optimism. Geesh.
September 6th, 2024 at 6:02 pm
Liam even said we had the 5th best defense in the league. I am glad many of you ripped Trasktothefuture a new one because he surely damaged his old one when he tried to remove his head from it.
September 6th, 2024 at 6:47 pm
Trask to the future, I would take a regressing baker mayfield over Kyle trask any day of the week and twice on Sunday, you need to give it a rest. Get behind the team and just quit whining
September 6th, 2024 at 9:44 pm
Um – Jim Kelly couldn’t win the biggest games of his career either…..
September 7th, 2024 at 12:21 am
Trask to the Future is the biggest bummer and fool on this site.
September 7th, 2024 at 10:15 am
Love Obvious’ point about intangibles. It is the nebulous factor that can be perceived but is not measurable. Baker has it so there is no reason to posit that he will regress. We will have a winning season.
Go Bucs!
September 7th, 2024 at 12:06 pm
Trask to the future sorry he can’t help it but how DUMB is to use a post name that nobody is following as a 2nd string QB who had to fight to get that position he battled last season with Mayfield for #1 & this year he battled Wolford for the #3 slot uh oh & that was close Bowles didn’t make a decision until final preseason game after John got leveled in that game so clearly Trask is limited.ask pretty much anyone on this site.