Bucs > Dixie Chicks?
June 30th, 2014
An SI.com scribe believes the additions of Lovie Smith and Josh McCown will propel the Bucs over the Dixie Chicks in the NFC South.
A lot of people talk about the Bucs being able to turn their fortunes around this year. Some point to the Bucs as being this year’s version of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Boy, Joe hopes not.
Yeah, it would be cool if the Bucs made the playoffs. But watch the Chiefs fall back to earth this season. That team lost a lot to free agency.
They will have struggles up front as the offensive line was decimated. Joe guesses the Bucs want to be a lasting contender, not just a flash in the pan.
Joe does get why people point to the Bucs as this year’s Chiefs, who went from 2-14 in 2012 to choking away a playoff win last season. Pretty big about-face. It seems NFL analyst Doug Farrar of SI.com is big on the Bucs making a Chiefs-like turnaround.
In fact, Farrar sees the Bucs being better than the Dixie Chicks this season.
“I think they have a chance to win 10 games,” Farrar said. [This year’s Chiefs?] “I really do. When the Chiefs had a 2-14 record they had a bunch of Pro Bowlers. Nobody knew really how to put things together. They bring in John Dorsey; they bring in Andy Reid and Alex Smith. It’s that same kind of thing [with the Bucs] where you manage your players, you manage your team and if you have that kind of talent, it will pop up.
“I think of all the teams in the NFL, you are looking at the Falcons and the Buccaneers [as the biggest turnarounds], I would say the Buccaneers have a far better chance of that one-year turnaround than the Falcons do. The Falcons have a better quarterback but you are looking at [talent] around [the quarterback] on the roster.”
Farrar has a point. The Bucs totally overhauled their roster when they brought in Lovie Smith. Being better than the Dixie Chicks? That’s a bold statement. The biggest problems with the Dixie Chicks were a soft offensive line and injuries, specifically to their stud wide receivers.
It will sure be interesting to see if the Bucs can leapfrog the Dixie Chicks in the division. Of course, time will tell, but that is a thought-provoking statement from Farrar.
June 30th, 2014 at 7:29 am
How is it leapfrogging a team when they had the same record?
June 30th, 2014 at 7:33 am
The Falcons are already dealing with injuries to major pieces of their defense and OTAs just ended. Their O-line is still soft and their running game is all about hoping a 30 year old with over 3k carries and a history of injuries in his career can carry them, their passing game is now down to Jones and Douglas, with a quickly aging Roddy White who is nearly done, and if he’s not, it’s his next step, oh, and TE who had 11 receptions last season. On paper, the Bucs defense is absolutely the better of the two, the O-lines are close (only because the Bucs is a new unit), but I see the Bucs as the more physical of the two lines, the Bucs RBs are the better of the two teams and I’d go so far as to say the only Falcon WR better than any on the Bucs is Julio Jones. QB, now there is something interesting, I think Ryan is shellshocked, go back and look at any of their games from last season, he looked like he had no idea what to do, I think he regressed and I also think and have heard said in confidence that if they don’t turn it around this year, Smith will be looking for work, Blank does not play, he’s got to much invested to see his team flop 2 seasons in a row, especially with a new stadium coming on line in two years.
June 30th, 2014 at 7:35 am
Frankly, I don’t think it’s a bold statement at all. They are better than Atlanta. The Falcons are a mess on defense and while Julio will be coming back, we all know far too well how foot issues could cause a bit longer of a recovery. Will he be the same player? Who knows? Plus because the Falcons mortgaged their future by trading up for Julio, their depth is razor thin.
Yes, I’m comfortable in saying the Bucs are a superior football team. They might be better than Carolina as well, who was decimated by free agency – especially on offense.
New Orleans will need to get that Jimmy Graham thing situated and figure out how to replace Sproles production. They drafted Cooks but we’re asking the same questions about him that we’re asking about Evans – how quickly can a rookie make an impact? And that was a lot of yards and points they let go. Plus they got rid of a lot of veterans on D and rolled the dice that Jarius Byrd will recover from back surgery.
Frankly, I think the NFC South is totally in a state of flux. If the Bucs can mount some semblance of an offense and Lovie/Frazier can elevate the defense to Tampa Two’s rightful place in the Top Five, there’s no reason why the Bucs not only can make a meteoric rise but stay there.
June 30th, 2014 at 7:58 am
I agree with flmike…….We were better than the Falcons last year and appear better going forward….don’t forget they lost Gonzalez….and Ryan looked awful without protection….A key game for us will be that Thursday night game in Atl……
June 30th, 2014 at 8:00 am
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a leap frog. Most people never really believed to Falcons hype anyway. The media did but most savvy fans passed on them.
I like the Bucs to win 8 – 10 games.
June 30th, 2014 at 8:12 am
Does Atlanta still have Jeremy Trueblood?
June 30th, 2014 at 8:32 am
The Falcons defense was a joke last year. And they didn’t do anything impressive to fix that. Absolutely no linebackers.
June 30th, 2014 at 8:56 am
This is not the last article you will see where a national writer predicts good things for the Buccaneers.
It goes to the respect that Lovie Smith commands, not only in the league but in the eyes of those who cover it.
June 30th, 2014 at 9:11 am
No one is scared of Atlanta. We will sweep them this year.
June 30th, 2014 at 9:20 am
The Bucs have surpassed Atlanta in the division and are close on the heels of the other two. You can’t get no farther south into Dixie than Florida. Away away, a way down south in Dixie.
June 30th, 2014 at 10:06 am
Lets not forget that the Cheifs played a sorry ass schedule and bet only 1 team with a winning record all year.
June 30th, 2014 at 10:45 am
The impact of Sean Weatherspoons injury from what I have heard has already put the Falcons in a bad spot and its not even training camp. I am looking for the Dirty Birds to have a great offense and bad defense just like last year. The Bucs should be be better on both sides of the ball. Advantage Bucs!!!!
June 30th, 2014 at 11:14 am
@RCH we didn’t sweep Atlanta last year
@Jason De La Torre – You hanging out over here is cool. Love your insights over at Bucs Nation
June 30th, 2014 at 11:22 am
@Louis Friend I never said we did. I said “This” year
June 30th, 2014 at 2:15 pm
The Falcons have a worse pass rush that the Buccaneers; question marks on the offensive line; weak tight ends; and an average secondary. They had their window. It’s gone. Third or fourth in the division. They are not outstanding anywhere. They gave too much away to get a wide receiver who is coming off a serious injury; and they got old.
June 30th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
@RCH the last time we swept them was 2007, when Harrington and Redman were their QB’s. You’re supremely overconfident to think we’ll just waltz over them this year. They’re not exactly pushovers, in spite of their defense (which should be much better in the interior line this season).
June 30th, 2014 at 4:00 pm
@buddha They’re going to be the NFC version of the Chargers. As long as Ryan is playing QB, they’ll likely be competitive, even if they aren’t outstanding. Last year was brutal with injuries and terrible line play. A new line coach and personnel probably mean it’ll get better on that front. Pat Hill from Fresno State (their OL coach) was out of his league in the NFL, and it showed.
July 1st, 2014 at 10:47 am
I’m not down on our offensive line like Joe is but I wouldn’t go any further than being cautiously optimistic either. I’d rather have a young underperforming line then a crappy overpriced o line. So thinking that way the line is better now than last year, no more lineman with weight clauses I’d a great start to the 2014 season