National Picks Trending To Bucs
January 9th, 2025
Joe hears the national analysts leaning heavily but not completely in Tampa Bay’s direction for Sunday night against the Commanders.
NBC will have the broadcast and two of their chief analysts, former Bucs QB Chris Simms and ProFootballTalk.com guru Mike Florio, have picked the Bucs to win. So has Rob Gronkowski, which came during his recent visit to Up & Adams.
CBS chief insider Prickly Pete Prisco is in the Bucs’ camp, thinking they’ll win in a shootout. His CBS colleague, Leger Douzable, a Tampa native who played for defensive end for Todd Bowles with the Jets, picked the Commanders. Douzable has been watching the Bucs secondary and doesn’t see them having enough to win.
NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger, the former offensive lineman, already picked the Bucs to win on his podcast, The Best Football Show. Baldinger told an interesting story of chatting in a golf cart with Bowles at Bucs training camp, and he expressed how much confidence the Bucs have in every aspect of their operation.
Remember, Baldinger is a pesonal friend of Calijah Kancey.
Joe’s heard many other predictions out there, and the Bucs seem to be getting three out of four.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:10 pm
Put $50 on the Bucs -3 to win over Commanders and still have $25 bets to win the NFC Championship and SB. Already cashed in my $50 bets for over 7 1/2 games and the division. $284.50 pocketed on those two bets plus some individual game bets most of which I also won.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
Did they take into account it’s a night game though?
January 9th, 2025 at 2:23 pm
Picking and Winning are two different things. All comes down to what type of defense shows up. 1st half or 2nd half defense. We need a complete defensive game 2nd half the entire game, offense will score.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:34 pm
Surprisingly the do have one of the better offenses in the league. Yea Falcons took them to overtime but Falcons beat us twice so there’s that. I don’t think it’ll be easy, while our pass defense is ranked like 28th or 29th they are ranked in the top 5 so if Lattimore takes out Evans. Well we talk about Bowles game plan but Liam better be prepared this postseason I don’t wanna see a Dallas cowboys type effort
January 9th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Bucs defense makes average QBs look like Dan Marino. Daniels is not an average QB, he’s elite, most likely rookie of the year. Stroud was rookie of the year last year, and look how he tore us apart. I hope we can keep scoring with them, but I’m picking Daniels over Todd’s defense, 44, to 38.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
Our secondary and awful pass rush will doom us just like Mina Kimes said. Which will make the offense forget how to play offense. Then that is when SuperBakeMayfieldMan will try to do it all … pass… catch… run the ball… block…. Pass rush… even drop in coverage lol.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:14 pm
I’m honestly a bit surprised the Bucs are 3-point favorites, a line that doesn’t seem to be moving. The Bucs are obviously very banged up on defense, and haven’t played a healthy starting QB in 8 weeks. Hopefully we’re getting back Winfield, that would be huge. But Bowles needs to bring his A game on Sunday – and thankfully vs running QBs he tends to be more aggressive and not just sit back in his awful zone.
Speaking of which, I saw the stat the Bucs played more zone than anyone in the NFL this season – so it’s not everyone’s imagination.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:18 pm
GO BUCS! KICK ASS
January 9th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
WTF .. can’t read JBF because of the incessant PP advertising
January 9th, 2025 at 3:22 pm
This is probably gonna be like a 30-27 or 34-31 type of game. Unless one of them completely stinks.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:27 pm
C’mon defense! Please?
January 9th, 2025 at 3:28 pm
It was pretty easy to make some betting money off the Bucs this season.
Start with the 7.5 O/U on wins. I felt pretty certain the Bucs had enough talent to win at least half their games. That was the big bet and got to cash it early.
Many of the other lines were favorable for Bucs bettors some were not so I just skipped those. This game would be a skip for me but it’s the playoff and so I’m make a simply “rooting” (weasel) bet.
I think this is a pickem game. I’m not comfortable giving a FG before the game even starts. I suspect that 3 points takes into consideration home field but you guys who have been to game, I haven’t been in the Baker era, tell me if RayJay will be a home field advantage or not.
I just think the football is oblong, the officials wildly unpredicatable and they can legally call offensive OL holding on every play if they wish. Bad bounces, officiating… the fact that it’s an even game IMHO…too scary for me to bet the farm.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:31 pm
Billy Bucco
BAKER N BUCS WON VS PHILLY LAST YEAR IN A NIGHT GAME IN PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2025 at 3:36 pm
stpetebucsfan – On paper, the Redskins and Buccaneers defense both give up about the same number of points, with the Bucs having a slight advantage (22.6 to 23.0). But it’s hard to overlook the string of 2nd and 3rd string QBs the Bucs have played over the last two months – and the one starter, Herbert, was playing on a bum ankle and couldn’t barely move that game. Still, if the Bucs are getting Winfield back, I think that should pretty much be a tie on that side of the ball.
So then you have the offenses, where Daniels is the most dangerous QB in the NFL at the moment, but Baker has a lot more talent around him – and a dramatically better OC with a dramatically better scheme. So the Bucs should get the advantage there, but Daniels has the ability to just take over a game, which makes him very dangerous.
I’m with you on not wanting to bet this game, in particular with a 3-point spread. I thought it would end up more like a 1.5-point spread, in which I’d feel better about taking the Bucs, but 3-points is a lot.
But, I’d love to see Baker come out and dominate, and Bowles being aggressive and creative on defense and getting an easy W.
The last playoff game I went to was the 1999 win vs Redskins, so perhaps I should go to this one to ensure the Bucs victory.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:43 pm
ZERO Confidence in Todd Blows Cover No One Scheme
January 9th, 2025 at 3:45 pm
I still would fire Bowles at any point unless he wins it all. You can’t lose Coen.
January 9th, 2025 at 4:03 pm
Sunday at Dallas, Washington was losing 6-3 at halftime, and their offense looked worse in the first half than Tampa’s offense did in the first half of their game against Dallas.
In the second half, Marcus Mariota played QB because Jayden Daniels had “leg soreness”. The Commanders won 23-19.
Jayden Daniels is expected to play Sunday night against the Bucs. He may be feeling the wear and tear of his first 17 game season in the NFL?
January 9th, 2025 at 4:23 pm
The National Media has been wrong about more than they’ve been right. They picked us to win 3-7 games depending on who you listen to.
Fortunately winning or losing won’t have anything whatsoever to do with what they say or think… or what we fans say or think for that matter. Or whether its a night game, or primetime, etc
The closest we have to a sure thing is that win, lose, or draw some people will still think our HC should be fired and that he sucks. No matter what happens in this game, or subsequent games, there will continue to be those who blame everything wrong on him and refuse to give more than partial credit for anything that’s good or positive on the team.
January 9th, 2025 at 4:48 pm
daniels is a skin and bones basketball player in a football uniform…
when he decides to run…somehow…some way…britt has got to level him a few times…run thru him…
i know, britt is slow af…
and daniels is actually a really good qb…
we need someone to play heat seeking missle vs the redskins quarterback
January 9th, 2025 at 5:03 pm
Don’t care.
In fact I’d prefer if most of them were picking Washington. This team plays better as the underdog.
January 9th, 2025 at 5:23 pm
We will win ,, and then have another home game against the Vikings ,,, Run the ball boys!!! Run the ball,,, and then ohhhh that beautiful play action pass!!! This week the good Bucs show up
January 9th, 2025 at 5:30 pm
Rod
Thanks for that analysis I think your spot on from a gambing perspective.
Yep you need to go to the game and bring us some luck!!
My only disagreement is perhaps the use of “dramatically” better OC.
Kingsbury is also getting job interviews around the league and like you and virtually everyone here I believe Daniels is awesome but he was still a rookie and I think Kingsbury did a good job with him. Perhaps nitpicking but you know me I love words.
BTW Traditionally Home field counted in the spread I’m not sure it should anymore with more and more people watching on the tube. How do you feel about “home field” advantage at RayJay. Is there one?
January 9th, 2025 at 5:37 pm
Betting wise,, Rookie QBs on then road for their first playoff game have a dismal record,,, it’s funny cause there are 2 this year ,,, Jaden/Bo
January 9th, 2025 at 5:47 pm
Effing jinx monster the national media is. Would prefer national media agree Bucs are awful. Jayden Daniels is not the same rookie QB from week 1. It’s also tough to sweep any NFL team in same season.
January 9th, 2025 at 6:34 pm
It rocks to be watching the BUC’s play football Sunday night – win, lose, or draw.
Just imagine watching the games this weekend with us eliminated 😬
Hopefully we can all agree that it’s better to be going to the dance than sitting at home 👍🏼
January 9th, 2025 at 8:39 pm
stpetebucsfan – Listening to Cardinals fans rag on Kingsbury, about how predictable and basic his offense is, and then watching some of their games, I think Coen is in a completely different league with his scheme and calls. With that said, Kingsbury might be a very good QB coach, but as a play caller, based on what I’ve seen and read, I think Coen is dramatically better.
As for homefield – in the late 90s and early 00s I think there was very much a home field advantage, but honestly, all the games I’ve been to the last decade or so, the crowds are just not that loud or into it. So outside of weather and travel, I don’t think there is a big home field advantage, so 3-points seems high since weather shouldn’t be an issue. But if the Bucs do get a hot crowd, that can make a difference, I hope people put down their phones and watch the game since they’re paying big money to be there.
January 9th, 2025 at 10:02 pm
Rod
Agree with the changing crowds and time. I’m the old fart and so I realize I sound like the grumpy old guy yelling get off my lawn but things have changed.
I think the same thing happened to the Lightning as the Bucs. Early on the hard core fans were the foundation of their support. But money/success changes everything and winning brings both!
Once each of the teams won SB’s and Stanley Cups and became the town darlings the Bucs/Lightning became places to be seen socially as well as incredibly expensive for “JoeSixPack”.
I thought about a Lightning game for my Birthday two days before Christmas.
The seats where we used to have season tickets are now FIVE times as much as during the Lightnings first Stanley Cup. In fact this year’s regular season games are more expensive than what we paid for the Cup finals. I took a pass.
Similiarly Bucs Tkts have gone up. Used to enjoy end zone seats because of the change of perspective and the PRICE. Well the perspective hasn’t changed but the $$ sure have!!
I don’t whine for myself because I’m blessed but I do not forget the days when I was not and I feel sorry for my former self and guys currently just earning a living.
Average salary in Tampa Florida was 60,757 as of the end of ’24.
Two salary couples can do OK but then it depends if they have kids. Do the kids get to go to the games?
I know waaaahh but my father was a 7th grade dropout, my mom made it to the 10th, with a dozen aunts and uncles and plenty of cousins I was still the first to even get a HS Diploma. These will always be my people because I choose to never forget where I came from! Not embarrassed at all and in fact more uncomfortable with my present position because of how lucky I’ve been.