Are The Bucs Better Than A Year Ago?
November 5th, 2024
Are you better off than you were four years ago?
Lots of folks are considering that today, Joe has been told, but Joe is far more interested in whether the Bucs are better than they were a year ago.
The 2024 Bucs are getting big-time play from three rookies: Graham Barton, Bucky Irving and Tykee Smith. That’s an impressive number for any team.
The Bucs’ offensive line is vastly improved from 2023 and their quarterback play is better, as is the playcalling and the offense overall. Special teams have been a mixed bag but it’s at least on par with 2023.
Yes, the Bucs defense has regressed, starting with the previously ugly edge rush and moving to linebacker play and the effectiveness of blitzes. And young fill-in cornerbacks have looked lost and overmatched.
Coaching? Joe has to say the overall coaching is slightly worse than it was last year through nine games when the Bucs had a 4-5 record like they have today.
So are the Bucs are a better team than the one on the field a year ago? Joe thinks the team is better. There’s no way the Week 9 Bucs of 2023 could have hung with the Chiefs in Arrowhead like was witnessed last night.
For Joe, this means there are no excuses remaining for Todd Bowles. The schedule is super soft over the Bucs’ final eight games. Go get the most out of your club.
November 5th, 2024 at 8:48 am
I think Liam Cohen has made the Bucs a much better team. I think he’s special. Whatever you have to do to lock him up you do it.
We’ve tied the only undefeated team and beat the best team in the nfc. This team is like Mike Evans said in preseason special. We need help on defense, especially at middle linebacker. I think a couple moves and we could run the table. Maybe one of those moves is letting Bowles go today.
November 5th, 2024 at 8:54 am
Todd went turtle on national tv now the world sees it.
Say he went for it and failed? No one is judging him because of the quarterback he’s playing and Bucs fans are saying he didn’t want to to rely on the worst defense in the nfl and I would respect that.
November 5th, 2024 at 8:55 am
Compare the first 9 games to last year, basically all teams we have played with the exception of the Saints are over .500 and of course we have given an assist to the Falcons being over .500. So we will see if we beat the teams we are supposed to beat in the second half of the season.
November 5th, 2024 at 8:57 am
This is a better than the coaching is worst, it’s better because of the run game and the offense of keeping them in games. Licht can’t draft pass rushers at all odd he doesn’t pay them this team is going nowhere
November 5th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Thisisouryear!! Says:
I think Liam Cohen has made the Bucs a much better team. I think he’s special. Whatever you have to do to lock him up you do it.
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I agree 100%. The Glazer’s need to give that man an offer he can’t refuse. 😉
November 5th, 2024 at 9:04 am
Offense is better. Defense is the worst I’ve seen it in years… And our HC is supposed to be a defensive guy….
November 5th, 2024 at 9:04 am
“BucsFanSince1996 Says:
November 5th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Thisisouryear!! Says:
I think Liam Cohen has made the Bucs a much better team. I think he’s special. Whatever you have to do to lock him up you do it.
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I agree 100%. The Glazer’s need to give that man an offer he can’t refuse. 😉”
Easy.
Fire Bowles.
Promote Coen.
If Coen gets offered a HC job, they aren’t keeping him. Coen would be insane to do that.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:07 am
Talent wise, no.
Injury depleted on both sides of the ball. David another year older and it’s a long year. Evans looking like it’s been a long extra year too. Winfield got paid. Whitehead not the upgrade we thought.
But Coen would coach circles around Canales so even this version of the 24 Bucs easily stomps the 23 Bucs.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:07 am
“Are The Bucs Better Than A Year Ago?”
Overall, we’re better than a year ago even though our defense has regressed.
If FOX had some end zone cameras for that last Atlanta game, our record would reflect that we were better than a year ago.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:11 am
Makes a lot of sense. Bucs should of gone for 2 and win the game.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:14 am
Bowles has earned an early retirement – effective TODAY- Once again NO in game adjustments for his DEE. Can’t stop the Chiefs on 3rd down – HOW MANY TIMES?
November 5th, 2024 at 9:26 am
6 of the 8 Games won by the Chiefs have been one score games including the Chargers, Raiders (2-7), and Bengals (4-5). so to say that the Bucs accomplished something fabulous is a stretch.
If you want to use comparisons then based on the Chiefs game I am really not sure if the Bucs can dominate any of the 3 and will 2 that they will be facing the stretch.
Could the Raiders come to town in December, maybe led by Desmond Ridder, and lose to him again?
November 5th, 2024 at 9:27 am
The offense is night and day better…..the defense and special teams have taken a step back from “average” to “bad”. The talent on this roster is solid…..we’ve got playmakers in every unit, unfortunately our coach only knows one strategy which is blitz/pray. He’s unfortunately not innovative, plays to “not lose”, has poor game management, cant seem to develop anyone…..the team as a whole is trending down.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:29 am
The only games we should have lost are to the Broncos and Ravens. I think the Lions game was a lucky win. But we’ve handled every other game well, and 3 of our loses resulted from a few stupid errors and bad coaching decisions. So a 7-2 or 6-3 record is really where we should be at this point.
November 5th, 2024 at 9:57 am
All those calling for Coen to be HC Now are just knee jerk talking points.
1st Does Coen even want that at this stage.
2nd Great OC, but at this stage running the whole ship is a different animal.
3rd You do realize that Coen’s offense has to have a QB that fits that mold, not all teams have that type of QB, so does he jump ship to a system that will not work for him. This limits the places he should consider.
4th Look at his job history the last for years…. One would think he would like to have some stability
If Bucs fire Bowles, they have to make Coen the Head Coach, why would he stick around under someone new.
Bucs are in a precarious position on this one.
November 5th, 2024 at 10:18 am
The bottom line is Every year 31 other teams get better. We thought we got better. But we did not. Lets try to beat Frisco and go into the bye at 5-5.
Our team is sad because we are wasting a very good offense. If our Defense could play like they did last night every game, We would not be in the position we are in. The best we can hope for is 9-8. And that will not cut it.
November 5th, 2024 at 10:19 am
The teams the Buc’s have played thus far have a combined record of 59-25. Only one of those teams is below .500 (New Orleans). The teams we’ve beaten have a combined record of 22-12, while the losses add up to 37-13. IF ANYONE had told me at the beginning of the season that we would be the ONLY team to beat Detroit, take KC to Overtime, and beat Philly and Wash, I’d has asked what kind of dope they were smoking. And all of this with major injuries on both sides of the ball.
It sucks that we’ve lost 2 OT games without even a chance to play (maybe we need to hire a coin toss specialist???). That rule needs to be changed, and Todd is on the rules committee…
The 2nd half is WAY, WAY easier – I think only one team in the 2nd half currently has a winning record.
But this team, without the injuries, is among the best in the NFL. It may not show this year, but it will soon.
November 5th, 2024 at 10:20 am
Im sorry but I left that game feeling much better about Tampa.
We have had a brutal schedule this season. to be 4 and 5 about to be 4-6 with a completely depleated roster and compete like we did.
We are not an elite team but last night showed me they have no quit. Chiefs, Ravens, and Falcons are better teams than we are. But I see signs of a team that is going to improve as the season goes on.
So to answer your question are we better than last year? I think so but we have a long way to go and last night was a great effort………I saw a glimor of improvement last night from some guys………the true answer comes if they continue to improve and if they can find a way to win 6 to 7 games out of the next 8
November 5th, 2024 at 10:35 am
Offense is better. Defense is worse. That was to be expected when you think about the draft and off season moves collectively. So does that mean a wash? Well, let’s add that perennial looser Bowles regresses every year. Bucs won 9 games last year. Expect fewer than that this year.
November 5th, 2024 at 10:35 am
We are better but so are the falcons so 9-8 wont get you to the playoffs
November 5th, 2024 at 10:41 am
We need a massive influx of talent on D. And you don’t think management knows that? It’s coming in 2025
November 5th, 2024 at 10:53 am
The OL and play calling make this year’s team better. Some pressure from the edge guys would seal the deal.
November 5th, 2024 at 11:01 am
They play hard for Bowles. Quit is watching the bears implode. Long term outlook is promising . We have our qb. We have a great run game. The short comings will be addressed. Licht and his staff have found diamonds in the rough on draft day. If we can keep Coen, and shore up the defense, this team will be formidable the next few years.
November 5th, 2024 at 11:29 am
Offense is the best I have seen this year but the defense is probably the worse I have ever seen. We can’t lose more than 2 games the rest of the year and still make the playoffs. So its time for Bowles to step up. The offense is stout the defense weak!!!!!
November 5th, 2024 at 11:32 am
You’re either better, or worse. The Bucs have the same 4-5 record they had last year at this time, that’s not better. If you don’t improve, you’re worse then last year, because you expected to be so much better. The chatter around One Buc was at least make the NFC championship game this season, be better then last year. We’re not, we’re worse. This defense is a mess, worse then last year. Bowles is showing he’s the .485, no longer .500 coach we thought he was. That’s not better, it’s worse. It’s time we found a coach who can really make us better. Todd’s record as the head man shows he’s not that coach.
November 5th, 2024 at 12:10 pm
snookman9 Says:
We have had a brutal schedule this season
We do not have a brutal schedule!!! We have the schedule of a team that went to the divisional round of the playoffs last year we earned this schedule its respect for the season we had! The players are better the defensive coaching is horrid and Bowles is done.
November 5th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
never ever mistake EFFORT for RESULTS
November 5th, 2024 at 12:43 pm
“Hodad”……I totally agree with your post. I would add that our offensive coordinator has shown the ability to adjust and deal with the players he has lost due to injury, and our defensive coordinator (Bowles), apparently has not, because when I look at our last 3 games I see 41, 31, and 30 points against. He is an at .500 or below head coach. We can do better than that.
November 5th, 2024 at 4:48 pm
I am a bit confused by a lot of posters dumping on Licht. He doesn’t draft players in a vacuum. Successful GM’s get an idea of the type of qualities that the head coach or coordinator is looking for and incorporate that into their process. So, if the def coordinator wants pass rushers who can also drop into coverage for their scheme, that impacts where guys are ranked on their board. Licht has shown a remarkable ability to learn from his mistakes and improve. For example, it used to be said that he couldn’t draft a running back. Personally, I don’t think the problem is a lack of talent on the defense- it is how that talent is utilized that is the problem.