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BY IRA KAUFMAN

It’s go time.

The hay’s in the barn, the hype’s in the past and now it’s time to show what the 2020 Bucs are all about.

They are underdogs in Sunday’s opener at New Orleans, but the Bucs were the NFL’s offseason winners.

Go time, writes Ira Kaufman.

Tom Brady’s presence helped lure Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy to Tampa, and he personally delivered Rob Gronkowski to One Buc Place, bundling him up with all the efficiency of a FedEx package.

Buc fans can’t wait for Sunday’s matchup and it’s easy to see why. By any standard, this is the most talented roster this franchise has boasted since the 2003 club that was defending a Super Bowl championship.

That season ended miserably with a 7-9 finish that spelled the end of a golden era for Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Dexter Jackson and Rich McKay.

The only thing the 2020 Bucs plan to defend are the stratospheric expectations surrounding this group.

Funny thing about expectations. You can rise up to meet them or be swallowed up. The 2017 Bucs, coming off a winning season, couldn’t handle the hype.

“We’ve got a very diverse locker room,” Jason Licht said Friday, noting the enviable blend of youth and experience. “Expectations with a younger team, you want to temper those down. With this team, expectations are welcome.”

Why not? When you push all your chips in, there’s no turning back. You can’t fold your cards and wait for the next deal.

If this all-in approach works, Bruce Arians will regain his reputation as one of the league’s elite coaches. Brady will add a unique page to a majestic scrapbook. Veterans like Lavonte David and Mike Evans will taste postseason play for the first time.

And like the great Jackie Gleason used to say: how sweet it is.

But make no mistake — if the Bucs don’t make the playoffs in an expanded field, this will be a disaster of the first order. The only out for Arians and his coaching staff would be a serious injury to the icon under center.

The Saints, seeking a fourth consecutive NFC South title, could care less about Tampa Bay’s hopes and dreams.

“As a defender, my focus is on how I can make Brady’s life miserable on Sunday,” says safety Malcolm Jenkins, beginning his second stint in New Orleans.

The Saints aren’t going away after winning the division by six games last year. They added vets like Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders and their championship window might be even tighter than Tampa Bay’s because Drew Brees won’t commit past this season.

An underrated Saints defense is facing the great unknown on Sunday.

For five years, Jameis Winston has been the focal point for every opposing defensive coordinator. Now, Winston is a backup in New Orleans while Brady, in many ways the anti-Winston, leads the way for the Bucs.

Sean Payton politely threw shade at past Bucs run games

There’s no tape of Brady in a Tampa Bay uniform for Sean Payton and his staff to look at. Instead, the Saints have studied Brady’s tendencies in New England.

“Defensively, how’s the running back going to play a part in their passing game where in years past, maybe it hasn’t been as big of a threat,” Payton says. “And yet, wherever, you know, in Tom’s years at New England, it’s been a big part of what they do and so I’m giving a hypothetical here.

“There’s a LeSean McCoy offset on a second down, releasing into a pattern that we have seen before, we have seen from New England, and then very quickly, recognizing, alright, if he’s in the game, they’re in a package that might feature him not only as a runner, but a receiver.”

Now that he’s free from Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, Brady has his own ideas about attacking defenses. He’s born again, yet he still retains the DNA of the No. 12 who loathes interceptions and hates to take a sack.

Make no mistake, this will be Brady’s offense. No Buc fan should have a problem with that concept because Byron Leftwich is down with it. You don’t sign the league’s ultimate winner and ask him to conform to your philosophy.

That would be stupid — and these Bucs don’t do stupid.

Any Buc fan who isn’t jazzed about this season needs a B-12 shot pronto. Everyone’s watching this team.

No matter how it turns out, a riveting story begins Sunday in America’s home of jazz. When the Saints go marching in, these Bucs will be ready.

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Ira Kaufman’s column is presented by Bill Currie Ford. Click on Ira to visit BillCurrieFord.com.