The Fairness Of High Expectations
June 29th, 2021
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians
Joe senses the Bucs will either make a Super Bowl this season or fans will be downright disappointed if not disgusted.
Hey, it’s a whole lot better than hoping you might make a wild card.
Trevor Sikkema of The Draft Network seems to think these expectations are way too high and are unfair.
As previously stated, giving someone Super Bowl or bust expectations seems unfair. But this current Buccaneers team is built for a championship because they’ve already won one with this exact group. Every year is different, but the goal for this team shouldn’t be. They’re going for two.
Expectations may be too high, but those same expectations are reasonable. Consider:
* The Bucs are the first Super Bowl winner in the free agency era to bring back all 22+1 starters and both coordinators. The last team to do this was the 1979 Steelers who — wouldn’t you know? — repeated as Super Bowl champions.
* The Bucs’ starting and future Hall of Fame quarterback claims he didn’t know the playbook until around Thanksgiving. When he did know the full playbook, the offense exploded.
* The QB coach has said publicly multiple times the Bucs — on the day of the Super Bowl — were maybe eight games from the offense peaking.
* The Super Bowl defense kept one of the best offenses in NFL history out of the end zone and handed arguably the league’s best quarterback his worst NFL defeat.
* The Bucs may have the most loaded roster in the league.
So add all of that up and it is understandable that expectations are through the roof.
Sure beats praying that someone on defense can get eight sacks. Those were fun times!
June 29th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
The Bucs arguably had the best off season in NFL History. Short of a disastrous injury the Bucs should at the very least be in the conference championship game.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:21 pm
If fans get disgusted because the World Champs do not repeat, then a life and death reality check needs to happen for them.
I am rooting for a undefeated season, but if they fall short, it does not affect real life and death decisions made by most of the 7 billion of us on the planet.
Here is a little perspective from the Silver Fox himself John McKay , The first Bucs Head Coach, said after his UCS Trojans got beat by Notre Dame “There are 450 million Chinese that do not give a damn about this game lol lol Painful for him as a Head Coach to say, but spot on.
Let us never forget that Football is here for a fan as entertainment, no matter how much you bleed your teams colors.
There is so much more to life. With that said at least it is fun now a days being a Bucs fan, then the slow dumpster fire they have been for most of the 47+ years since the franchise was awarded to the Tampa Bay area. Yes 2 and counting Super Bowl wins, but also alot of Bad football played on Sundays, lol lol
GO BIG BAD AZZ WORLD CHAMPION BUCS!!!!!!
June 29th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
The Bucs have the most loaded team in the league by a long shot. All these people rave about all our amazing starters and don’t know d!ck about about how good our depth is. Depth is one of those major factors on championship teams.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:48 pm
Expectations are at the highest level possible & having refuse to lose type of players is why the Lombardi Cup will hoisted again in Feb
June 29th, 2021 at 1:09 pm
Repeat.
June 29th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
It’s rarified air, so forgive us if we get a little giddy!
June 29th, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Lombardi *trophy*
Lightning will bring back that “cup”
;o)
June 29th, 2021 at 1:46 pm
The ‘79 Steelers got a little help from the refs in the pre-replay era during the AFC Championship game when Oilers’ Dan Pastorini TD pass to Mike Renfro was ruled out of bounds but the replay clearly showed it was in bounds – the play would’ve tied the game in the 3rd quarter. Steelers D was still great in that game as they totally stuffed Earl Campbell and Oilers’ running attack.
June 29th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Sorry but these arnt unfair expectations. Let’s be real we just won a super bow and literally brought everyone back. Anything short of being in the super bowl will be a disappointment.
June 29th, 2021 at 4:28 pm
Win the title or you suck. Yes, that is harsh, but it is a professional sport with equal resources as other teams and an enforced salary cap. No excuses. I feel this way very year. I don’t think its unreasonable. 31 cities will be disappointed. One won’t.
June 29th, 2021 at 5:35 pm
We used to be happy to compete for the division title, if not just be happy to not finish last.
Disgusted? Nah. Just getting there would be enough. Hard to repeat. But WTF? That’s what we all want.
Well most of us. The salty ones would rather us fall short. You know who you are.
June 29th, 2021 at 5:59 pm
I to hope and even anticipate a second SB title. However if it is not to be, I hope I don’t lose respect and admiration for the great season they gave us this past season.
June 29th, 2021 at 6:56 pm
August
I’m with you. I used to live and die, fight with my lady because I was pissed about a loss. Then I realized life was the same on Monday, win or lose.
That being said, I’m still pissed about that Chicago loss, but looking back, it was for the best. The dragons we had to slay came in the right order because of that loss.
You’re still right though.
June 29th, 2021 at 7:09 pm
14-3 and Super Bowl Champs.
Caveat if Brady sustains a season ending injury.
June 29th, 2021 at 8:03 pm
Slugglife and August I completely disagree. When the Bucs win life is better. Every part of life is better when the Bucs win.
June 29th, 2021 at 8:25 pm
Being from New England and a former Patriots fan I couldn’t watch the news or read a paper after a conference championship game loss or our 3 Superbowl losses,,as was the norm for us to win them (spoiled fans) but life and death I think not,, after a couple weeks of pouting,, couldn’t wait for next season
June 29th, 2021 at 10:05 pm
Stating the obvious, but I think it just comes down to health. If Brady goes down we are almost assuredly screwed. We can afford to lose an all pro caliber (most of the folks that vote on this are morons, but it’s a bit more balanced imo than the schlubs that vote for the pro bowl) player or two outside of Brady, but not much else. Regardless, the days of wondering who we’ll be taking in the top ten of the draft are over as long as Brady is here.
June 29th, 2021 at 10:20 pm
Jimmy Jack
And when you mix it in with Bolts in the Stanley Cup I’m at the pearly gates. If I was able to watch the Rays even play on TV, I might be in heaven. F#ck you very much Mr. Sternburg.
June 30th, 2021 at 1:21 am
Still, everything comes down to Brady staying healthy.
I don’t care how good this team is, if Gabbert is the QB, they’re going 3-14. How you don’t address backup QB is beyond me. Yes, salary cap is a huge issue, but I’ll give up TE3 money for a legit backup.
June 30th, 2021 at 4:25 am
Bull spit……..this is a great team, with or without Brady. They would make the playoffs with Trask. Odds are they wouldn’t get very far, but they would still get there. You could argue that every position group on offense RIGHT NOW is the best in franchise history, WRs, RBs, TEs, and OL. The Defense is, at worst, second only to the 2002 squad, and defense wins championships, right? Brady is clearly the most important piece, but he can’t do it by himself. It’s still a team game, and this is a great team.