The Bucs Have Hope
January 6th, 2025
Joe generally finds the word “hope” to be vile.
Joe always liked Bobby Knight’s reaction to the word hope. He thought it was the worst four-letter word in the King’s English. But on this fine Victory Monday morning, Joe will play along.
Even though the Bucs nearly tripped over themselves yesterday, they found a way to win, which is what good teams do. And Jenna Laine of ESPN believes the resiliency of the Bucs could allow them to make a run in this winter’s playoffs.
Reason for hope: A versatile, high-powered offense. The Bucs are averaging 28.6 offensive points — fourth most in the league and third most in franchise history, trailing only the Tom Brady-led Super Bowl team in 2020 and another Brady-led team in 2021. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has 41 touchdown passes, tied for second in the NFL. Mayfield also has the third-highest completion percentage (71.4%) and third-most passing yards (4,500). And Tampa Bay is averaging 149.2 rushing yards, the fourth most in the league.
The defense will be the critical puzzle for the Bucs. Which defense shows up? And why does a player (or players) have to say things that need to be said at halftime for the defense to wake up and fly straight?
Why can’t they have their heads right to begin the game?
It will help a lot if Antoine Winfield can return Sunday.
Joe saw Jamel Dean in the locker room last week. He wasn’t wearing any sort of brace that Joe could tell and he also wasn’t using crutches. So Joe guesses that’s a good sign.
Sooner or later in the playoffs, playing backups in the secondary will catch up with a team.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Nobody worries about the Bucs offense…….it’s the Bucs defense that brings “no hope” to winning games.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:03 am
I love my Bucs but they are really just a somewhat-above-average team. Benefitted from a weak division. Defense will eventually be their downfall. But they can certainly win this week and the only other NFC teams that truly worry are the two teams they’ve already beaten — DET and PHI. “Hope is not a strategy” is one of my guiding life principles. Go Bucs!
January 6th, 2025 at 9:08 am
I’m secretly hoping that a lot of guys that were held out yesterday could have played. Perhaps the assumption from the Bucs staff was that since the Saints had so many dudes out, and the game meant nothing to them, they would just fold. Obviously that wasn’t the case.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:16 am
If the O is on fire the D can relax and play more loose, that is a winning combination. At least when Bowles is the HC/DC
January 6th, 2025 at 9:17 am
What fascinates me is how good Bowles’s defense has been in the second half lately. It’s a weapon. Paired with an offense like they have, it means they can make comebacks.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:21 am
Even if AW3 can play, he will be so rusty that he won’t play much better than Edwards, etal. We need Dean back, not because he’s so good, but because Hayes is so bad. With Bowles’ Charmin-soft defense, Washington will run Dallas’ quick throw offense and the Buc’s lack of pass rush won’t even come into play. In the first Washington game, the edge rushers let Daniels get outside the pocket to run or pass at will and game 2 will be the same.
The Bucs can win if the OL dominates but the Saints made our OL look soft and impotent. Too many holding calls and Baker was running for his life and too many runs of Bucky had no holes and he was fighting to get to the LOS.
Despite the challenges I think the Bucs can win but they will need to be physical and aggressive. LFG!
January 6th, 2025 at 9:24 am
After losing Godwin who was having one of his best seasons, it’s amazing that our offense is as good as it is.
Against the Commanders, I would set free our three-headed monster (White, Bucky, Tucker). If we can get our running game going to dominate time-of-possession, keeping Jayden (and our defense) on the bench as much as possible, that would give me more hope.
Knowing that our offense can score 40 points Sunday evening does give me some hope. We may need to do that to advance to the next round.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:25 am
I’d buy the benefited from a week division if the Bucks lost to the Lions, Commanders, Eagles, and Chargers this year and those wins were replaced by reversing the losses to the Falcons, 49ers, and Cowboys, but that’s not the case.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:26 am
I don’t know about the Washington team but scoring always goes down in the postseason. If you have a trash defense like we do scoring for the opposition won’t be an issue. Winfield is our best defensive back but Everybody complained about Winfield when he was playing but you haven’t seen him in a while so you suddenly miss him and always complained about Dean so not sure what difference they make. The players aren’t the problem and it’s weird everybody is hoping the offense saves the day for Todd Bowles
January 6th, 2025 at 9:28 am
Is Joe “hoping” that Jamal Dean can play? Even if he does, that is a minor upgrade at best. “Hopefully” our defense can rise up and play like they did during our Super Bowl run.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:40 am
I thought we were averaging 29.5 points per game, according to a previous post.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:41 am
Just curious as to why Sivocea Dennis hasn’t come back from a shoulder injury from about 4 months ago?
Winfield is nowhere to be found. Whitehead gets into a car accident and is lost for the rest of the season after bein out for a month or more. Dean is Dean. No explanation necessary. Izien on IR.
I shouldn’t be shocked that the defense struggles mightily sometimes.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:46 am
Well I just did the math and got 29.8 points per game. Someone check me, but I think Jenna’s number is wrong!
January 6th, 2025 at 9:51 am
Hold off on giving Bowles a contract extension. How many games did the Defense ‘save the team’????? The offense has bailed out the team in most EVERY win. If he does stay, insist he higher a D/C to shore up the defense. Way too many slow starts.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:52 am
Offense needs to lean on the run. Long drives that keep their defense off the field. Best recipe for a garbage defense is get a lead and dominate the time of possession
January 6th, 2025 at 9:52 am
The main problem with the Bucs D is they need another quality LB (SirVocea Dennis) and they need a premium quality Edge Rusher – the lack of both could be the reason the Bucs start games with soft coverage and then make good adjustments once the coaches see what the opponent is scheming.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:54 am
Good, concise, summary of the issues by Joe. The short, quick passes are not well defended (almost none) in the first half of most games. If the Bucs can change that, they have a good chance to win any game. If they can’t – no hope.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:14 am
What lousy Defense? Are you bozos kidding me?! Half the D has been the walking wounded this season. Bucs beat probably the NFC’s best team, Detroit, in Motown when BOTH teams were at full strength. They outplayed and outcoached them. Lions’ HC admitted as much. Licht will be working on D this off-season. Hey Joe, did Licht and the duck jump in the pool after this win? 🙂
January 6th, 2025 at 10:15 am
AMI: “I love my Bucs but they are really just a somewhat-above-average team. Benefitted from a weak division.”
Agree on both points.
Also played a very tough non-division schedule. Detroit. Philly. Denver. Chargers. Washington. KC. Ravens. All playoff teams.
They now have an opportunity to go from slightly above average to being great. That will come down to coaching.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:15 am
Possible unpopular opinion:
The NFL traded a fourth PS game for a 17th regular RS game. I am OK with that but wish the league would go with just 2 PS games.
Thing is half the league treated the 17th RS game as a PS game, resting players or playing back-ups to see what they have going forward.
I am not sure what was accomplished in 17 that couldn’t have in 16 games. Other than more football.
And mo money for owners with 3 PS games, since payroll for PS games is minimal…
January 6th, 2025 at 10:19 am
Vince Lombardi is like you Joe he called “hope” a dirty word because he believed work and preparation was key not hope.
But Lombardi was a positive man overall. One of his famous quotes…
“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”
As the son of a bookie I get the odds and they exist for a reason. As someone who was screaming YES! at Al Michaels famous “Do you believe in miracles” after a group of American kids beat the best of the Russian professional for Olympic Gold I still believe in miracles. A Bucs SB win is nowhere near the upset of the American beating the Russians.
I enjoy reading the posters comments and where they’re coming from.
One group of positive realists among whom I include myself like to focus on the reason why we COULD win the SB.
Another group loves to point out all of the Bucs weaknesses and why it’s next to hopeless. IF the Bucs think like the latter group then it IS hopeless.
Wayne Dyer used to always say, “Never argue with a man about his limitations”.
If he believes they are his limitations then they ARE!
January 6th, 2025 at 10:19 am
I have “hope” in the O, but the prospect if this D getting shredded by the ‘Skins is a bummer thought.
I have bottom-of-the-barrel “hope” for this Sieve D when it matters…
January 6th, 2025 at 10:20 am
All I know about the defense is Detroit’s defense, looked all world last night and they’re playing with delivery drivers.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:21 am
If the D that played the last series to get the ball back to the offense so Mike could get his 1k shows up, this team will do some serious damage. That series is the most inspired I’ve seen them play in awhile.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:23 am
The Bucs will have to score 35-38 to win Sunday. Here’s hoping that Baker is ready to sling it and the OL is ready to make some holes for Irving/White.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:29 am
The defense cannot play that soft zone next week. CB’s must come down and not give up the easy completion. Make the Jayden read the coverage. Allow Vita and Calijah to push the pocket. This game is one that can easily be won but we cannot do that dumb mess we did yesterday.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:32 am
The Bucs defense has been so good in the second half of games and so bad in first halves. They are inconsistent and teams take advantage of throwing short and the Bucs tackling is so shoddy in first half.
In second half they tighten everything up and take away the easy completion s they surrendered in Q1 and Q2.
It is a pattern so they should work on changing that. If they should be fortunate enough to advance and have to play at Philly or Detroit, the sloppy penalties and soft tackling will be tough to dig out.
Just start out the games being prepared and tackling those short passes.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:46 am
I through down $100 in August for the Bucs to win the Super Bowl, plus6500! I have total faith in our offense, a little fine tuning on D we should be able to advance! Go Bucs.
January 6th, 2025 at 10:55 am
“The players aren’t the problem” Yes it is very much the problem!! We have have been crushed by injuries in the back end and some up front. I don’t care who is coaching if your injuries are as bad as ours have been you are going to have a problem!!
January 6th, 2025 at 11:12 am
Just think of our record if Trask was the starter….probably be like 15-2 or something. 😆😆 OK, definitely not. Baker did very well and played hard and wasn’t always sliding, he as taking the hits. Maybe not the best for overall health, but he was putting it out there for the division title.
January 6th, 2025 at 11:45 am
Where hope springs eternal–Preseason and the Playoffs–where everybody has a record of 0-0.
January 6th, 2025 at 11:48 am
Hope is the impossibility of reason.
January 6th, 2025 at 11:58 am
How we will is long drives and Time of Possession. Keep the defense off the field as much as possible cause they suck and that also keeps Jayden Daniels off the field so he can’t run all over us which he will do.
January 6th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
Slowing Daniels down will be tough but in Bowles I trust.
The job he has done to get us to the playoffs with all the injuries, with big contributions from rookies, has been truly outstanding. He has had to hold the secondary together with glue but they got the job done.
Coach of the year IMO.
January 6th, 2025 at 12:30 pm
Second highest completion percentage:
Jared Goff–72.41%
Baker Mayfield–71.45%
Which are phenomenal numbers by themselves
Goff is having an amazing year. Having one of the best OL in the league makes a big difference
January 6th, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Here we go with the injury excuses again. How Do you explain all the second half shut outs after the second half. It’s not the players it’s the scheme. Bowles get eaten alive in the first half then adjusts so that’s all him not his players
January 6th, 2025 at 12:50 pm
Here we go again, nonstop moaning about Todd Bowles, after his third straight playoff appearance as head coach.
Get some new material fellas
January 6th, 2025 at 12:55 pm
TheBucsAnthem Says
“Nobody worries about the Bucs offense…….it’s the Bucs defense that brings “no hope” to winning games.”
I don’t know about ‘no hope’ but you are pretty much on the nose otherwise.
After mostly ignoring the defense in the early draft rounds the past couple years, it’s certainly showing. Hopefully, they’ll fix it in this upcoming draft. In the meanwhile…playoffs!
January 6th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Pewter Power Says
“Here we go with the injury excuses again. How Do you explain all the second half shut outs after the second half. It’s not the players it’s the scheme. Bowles get eaten alive in the first half then adjusts so that’s all him not his players.”
Injuries did play a huge role this year…no excuses…facts.
That said, you act like making adjustments in the second half is a bad thing. I remember plenty of Bucs coaches who did not know how to do it.
January 6th, 2025 at 12:59 pm
Next year is going to be so much fun. OL will be fully gelling by then. young WRs will be further in their development, we’ll have addressed defense in the draft and free agency, and the cap will be fully fixed (as fully as it gets).
January 6th, 2025 at 1:07 pm
Optimistically hopeful for the Bucs to win over the Commanders. The team has the momentum and fire going after the Saints. Keep it going and we win.
January 6th, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Hey Joe…there were some rumors that the Dolphins might release Calais Campbell…any chance he might come to the Bucs??
January 6th, 2025 at 1:31 pm
The playoffs are gravy at this point. Baker will play dangerous and loose. He will spread the ball around. Baker has incredible stats in the playoffs. 2021 He creamed Pitt then lost a close one to KC. 2024 Baker creamed philly then lost a close one to lions. 2025 because Rams lost yesterday we won’t see Detroit till the NFC final. It is more than possible we see the Rams in the NFC final at home. We can do this.
January 6th, 2025 at 1:33 pm
Sounds like a defensive coaching problem to me.
“The defense will be the critical puzzle for the Bucs. Which defense shows up? And why does a player (or players) have to say things that need to be said at halftime for the defense to wake up and fly straight?
Why can’t they have their heads right to begin the game?”
One of the best offenses in the league and you can’t rely on your defense to be ready.
How is this NOT directly on Bowles?
January 6th, 2025 at 2:17 pm
I am sick and tired of hearing about injuries. Its just excuses. Scheme and coaching MATTER. No one has more injuries than the Lions and I never hear any kind of excuse from that team. All I know is what my eyes see and that is an up and down team that seems like world beaters one week and listless the next. It’s been a consistent theme under Bowles. It makes me throw crap at my TV on weeks like yesterday.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:17 pm
At the end of the day hope is all we ever have Joe.
And to those of you still hating on Todd – pfffttt – Don’t yall have kids to chase off of your lawns or minorities to scream about? Oh wait – lol
January 6th, 2025 at 4:09 pm
The last 7 games our defense has been better than Detroits by a decent margin.
17 ppg vs 23.6 ppg
January 6th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
I’ve always been a huge fan of Stephen King. It’s not the horror stories that grab me although the Shining was pretty dang good.
But King wrote a LOT of great novels, some with no gore but more social commentary. The Green Mile was excellent but it’s another that talks about HOPE.
In the Shawshank Redemption when discussing hope one of the main characters Red tells Andy “the HOPE of release or escape will drive a man mad, as it’s immensely unlikely to come true.”
Andy replies, ” Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
January 6th, 2025 at 4:54 pm
BTW as an aside. In a decade and a half of covering sports Bobby Knight was easily the most monumental ahole I’ve ever encountered.
What the USOC decided to let NBA players represent the U.S. instead of the “amateur” college kids Knight was the first coach to get them. I went to Greensborough to cover scrimmage and the NBA guys out of season clearly looked out of shape compared to the young college guys they scrimmaged.
Reporter asked Knight if he was concerned about the off season conditioning of the NBA Players. Instead of simply answering he Knight went on a tirade belittling the reporter for asking such a stupid question. Really? And all the hate and vitriol? Did it really help?
Had a friend I covered who played at NC State then coached East Tennesse State where I grew to know him before he left to coach his alma mater. He was a very good coach and an even getter human being. Probably my favorite coach ever.
He told me he was at a coaches convention in Chicago with Knight when they decided to take in a Cub’s game. Early spring and the temps were beyong just chilly, My friend forgot to take a jacket. Knight spent some time telling him what a dumbass he was to not know about Chicago in the Spring. He was quite nasty. But after the tirade he went back to the car and dug out a spare jacket for my friend. Bobby was a complicated arsehole.
January 6th, 2025 at 7:34 pm
The difference in Bowles defense from 1st half to 2nd half…
Press corners! Literally that was change & though there was some open throws missed @ times, at least the plays weren’t well defined pre-snap. I hope that continues Sunday night. Even w/ dangerous Scary Terry, not all the time but press more time than none…
It’s still weird b/c the Bowles defenses most of his career have been press. Very odd!
January 6th, 2025 at 8:15 pm
StPeteBucsfan
We didn’t beat the Russians for the 1980 Gold. That was a semifinal game. ….
January 7th, 2025 at 2:13 pm
I’m definitely not a football expert like most on here. But I have a question that could be answered….
Why don’t the Bucs just rush Vea and Kancey all the time? I mean, wouldn’t that wear out the offensive line allowing better chances for a successful blitz? Moving those two around and especially dropping them into coverage seems more like a novelty idea than an efficient plan.