“They Don’t Have A Large Margin For Error From A Talent Standpoint”
December 9th, 2024
So what are fair expectations for the Bucs as they march toward a fourth consecutive division title?
Joe would first respond by saying something like, ‘Screw fair. Play hard. Play smart and coach smart. Wrap up and protect the football. Walk off the field with fans knowing you play a physical, hustling brand of football on every snap. All that doesn’t take talent.’
But that rant aside, NFL expectations are very much about talent. You can’t make a four-course meal without the groceries.
After the Bucs win yesterday, Baker Mayfield’s original NFL offensive coordinator, Todd Haley, talked on SiriusXM NFL Radio about being proud of Mayfield’s high points with the Bucs week in and week out while acknowledging Mayfield has to clean up his turnovers.
Then Haley, a Todd Bowles fan wh was on the same NFL coaching staff as Bowles years ago, noted that while the Bucs play hard for Bowles, “They don’t have a large margin for error from a talent standpoint.”
Joe had trouble swallowing that whole, but it’s painfully accurate, especially so many injuries that include a fresh knee issue for Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Joe is not pointing many fingers at Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
Yeah, the inside and outside linebacker situation feels mismanaged. But there’s not a ton to criticize outside of that considering the Bucs still are paying off the Tom Brady-era debt this year and, you know, the team is sitting alone in first place with a 7-6 record.
Buccaneers Radio Network analyst Dave Moore, the retired Bucs tight end, made a great point on yesterday’s pregame show: It’s now the time of year to improve every week moving toward the playoffs.
It’s not enough to just squeak out wins, he said, adding that without steady late-season improvement in various areas, then a team can expect to be punished in the postseason.
The Bucs were better yesterday than they were a week ago at Carolina, and they have the enough talent place to be much better against the Chargers on Sunday.
The margin for error is slim, but the room for improvement within the current roster talent is large, which Joe finds exciting.
December 9th, 2024 at 11:29 am
this was always going to be the case with a lack of premium draft picks due to success and a lack of salary cap room to re-sign certain players and get new free agents
December 9th, 2024 at 11:31 am
We had talent when we went 4-6…..I’m watching our highly paid CB Jamel Dean missing tackles yesterday……and our high draft picks unable to achieve a sack.
And……someone please tell me the last time you saw a Buc defender tip or bat down a pass?………I can’t remember.
December 9th, 2024 at 11:40 am
Seeing the percentage odds for The Bucs making the playoffs…I take those with a pillar of salt much like KamalToe’s faux polling #’s. The FalCones have a couple of layups ahead…Bucs go to SoCal to take on the hardened Harbaugh Chargers. I expect him to outmaneuver TBowles.
Mayfield is the wildcard in my opinion. If he keeps getting “cute” and careless…The Bucs could possibly lose out ( and I’m a fan of his ).
December 9th, 2024 at 11:46 am
Let’s not get too excited just yet. We beat another putrid team yesterday.
If we play that way vs the Chargers it probably ends in a loss.
Turnovers and poor tackling, plus lack of pass rush equals danger.
This game against the Chargers is a true test of where the team stands.
A loss and a Falcons win puts them back in the driver seat.
We simply cannot give up the ground we have gained now.
Bowels needs to prove his worth. LFG!!!
December 9th, 2024 at 11:59 am
Name one position group that has improved and shown development on the defensive side of the ball???
I’ll wait….
December 9th, 2024 at 12:06 pm
Finally, an accurate summation of Bucs biggest problem. Notwithstanding a really good GM who gets a lot out of each draft, Bucs have a talent shortfall. There is no excuse for allowing the Raiders to control the ball on a 9 minute drive to start the second half yesterday. The defense is poor. Poor coverage, poor tackling, and mostly poor QB pressure when needed. Fans here can hang a lot of it on Bowles; but, he is trying to get what he can out of a talent shortfall. Whether Bowles stays or goes, the defense is going to get a talent infusion in 2025. Hard to be a championship team if defense can’t makes stops when needed and the Bucs just don’t.
December 9th, 2024 at 12:15 pm
To that end Gipper, on that drive, on FIRST down, all our pass coverage was standing on the first down line. Guy catches the uncontested 5 yard pass, gets two more as they collapse on him, second down and three. That crap is unsustainable
December 9th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
Folks need to stop giving this Chargers team undue props. They have only beaten one team with a winning record (Broncos). Bucs are better than them, provided they stop making unforced mistakes.
December 9th, 2024 at 12:45 pm
The one place the Bucs don’t seem to be improving is the area Joe moans and groans about the most. The pass rush is not improving and that is in direct relationship to Licht’s poor draft selections. JTMs is a complete bust and Logan Hall is a close second, although I did see him make a couple of tackles yesterday he wan’t chosen to be the second coming of William Gholston and JTMs wasn’t chosen to provide pass coverage.
December 9th, 2024 at 12:52 pm
Run Run Run and then Play action,,,, with our run blocking ,, keep the body blows coming in the first three quarters ,,, by the end those 3 and 4 yard runs will be 8 to 9,,,, our Line is really good at run blocking ,,,, hopefully a deal for Shaq is in the works ,,, our ends can’t get it done ,,, you saw what a real end could do yesterday
December 9th, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Silly season! The Buccaneers had four undrafted free agents starting on defense yesterday. That they can stop anyone is due to Bowles schemes and the play of a rookie safety. The salary cap limitations more or less guaranteed the Buccaneers would not be a super bowl contender. The debt is paid now and we can have better backups. The offensive line is top 10. The running backs are top 5. The quarterback is top 10 (most weeks). The team is second youngest in the league. The future is bright. Be grateful that this team competes every week despite all the injuries.
December 9th, 2024 at 1:30 pm
Well said, Buddha. This run is a bonus. Next year should be a major talent upgrade on the defense. I think Bowles gets a chance next year to let his scheme shine with players that can play.
December 9th, 2024 at 1:44 pm
Teams like the Bucs with good records get mid- to low first round picks. So our firsts have been like seconds for a few years.
But winning teams attract free agents. Not the pay-me kind but the players unhappy with losing situations, and guys who have friends on the team. In other words, winning and especially championship teams get their share of talent.
Bucs have had a cap problem lately. They also had a time when they made a bunch more bad draft and FA choices. The offense is in gear, with a line, RB, and QB situation fixed; only WR (depth) and TE are needs. The defense, OTOH, is a mess. Licht’s out.
December 9th, 2024 at 2:10 pm
Considering all the dead money, the defense being completely decimated by injuries, a new O.C., losing our offensive MVP for the year, etc etc the players are still playing hard and we’re still playing games that matter in December.
We’ve exceeded expectations.
This week was an improvement over last week.
Seems like everyone should be happy we’re still in the hunt but – lol
December 9th, 2024 at 3:25 pm
The Chargers are not the Raiders. They are a much better team. And the Bucs will need everybody to beat them out in CA. I mean their Defense actually plays Defense. Might be rough sleddin for our Bucs.
December 9th, 2024 at 3:37 pm
3 game winning streak and so many miserable people on here.
December 9th, 2024 at 3:39 pm
Yea so Bruce Arians won a Super Bowl gave the team to Bowles and we dumped a bunch of players? Granted 2021 draft was trash and we’ve only hit on about 5 defensive players since Bowles took over but we’ve gone mostly offense. Licht is the gm but why Is Bowles in the war room If he doesn’t have input? His son goes to Georgia I think, who doesn’t know Bowles had a hard on for tykee smith. The gm gives him who he wants also. If Bowles wanted a linebacker in the draft he would have gotten one. A good Gm doesn’t say get the players I give you they say what do you need to be successful. We have talent just no jpp, suh, shaq anymore basically no veterans on the defensive side of the ball to keep these young guys in line
December 9th, 2024 at 3:46 pm
It is OK we are 50/50 Bowles Zone. A little bit one side or the other.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:13 pm
500 coach no better no worse.. liam will be our next head coach..I don’t get that people accept this.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:45 pm
The team needs a rebuild – it’s what we all knew was going to have to happen after going all in, in the Brady years. I have zero issues with that, just like I said at the time. However, because the NFC South continues to be so bad, the Bucs are trying to do a half-hearted rebuild on the fly – instead of a full reset. Honestly, it’s gone way better than anyone should have reasonably expected. They’ve tried keeping top tier talent at the expensive of depth – and we see that over and over again.
Anywho, this is a team that gave the Lions their only loss on the season, destroyed the Redskins and Eagles, and took the Chiefs to OT. The refs screwed the Bucs out of the W in Atlanta and that still p—es me off as that game can still haunt the Bucs, since they’re almost certainly going to lose to the Chargers, and if they do so, Atlanta can still get the NFC South title because of that rigged outcome.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:55 pm
When will we be out of cap hell?
December 9th, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Why would so many of us think we’re losing to the Chargers? You’d think a healthy amount of our fans would think that we are going to win. I think these last 4 all are winnable. And we could easily lose all of them. I agree with BallHawk 75 “gasp” “This game against the Chargers is a true test of where this team stands”.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Baker has struggled against even the weak teams recently.
Unfortunately, the Chargers will destroy us by 20.
December 9th, 2024 at 7:23 pm
Bowles saying his wide receivers should take a knee instead of score a TD with a couple minutes on the clock makes me suspect coaching is part of the team’s limitations.
December 9th, 2024 at 9:47 pm
Hold unr horses let sunday happen u r not the game decides we have very good odds for this week win STzFU if it ain’t positive gibber jabber
December 9th, 2024 at 10:42 pm
Kenton Smith Says:
December 9th, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Why would so many of us think we’re losing to the Chargers?
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I think most people looking at the schedule a few weeks ago were thinking the Bucs losing to Chargers would be the last loss of the regular season for the Bucs. Assuming you’re going to go undefeated for half the season is a lot to assume, would love to see it happen, but traveling all the way to California to play a really good team rarely ends well for Tampa. But I’d love to see it happen. Hopefully Baker comes out on fire after putting up a couple of awful games – if that happens the Bucs will have a chance, assuming they can field a defense.
December 10th, 2024 at 2:32 pm
The defense is absolutely ravaged with injuries, particularly the middle of it:
3 of top 4 safeties
3 of top 4 ILBs
Combine that with shaky corners not name Zyon, and mostly invisible OLBs… not a recipe for sustained success. Chargers will be tough, as well any playoff opponent we face. Hard to see us getting out of the wild card, let alone the divisional.