Mike Tannenbaum: Ranking Bucs Receivers
June 2nd, 2022
So if people are going to rank position groups, Joe will listen to the guy who did that very thing for a living in the NFL, as opposed to well-trained orangutans (coughtribecough).
Former Jets and Dolphins shot-caller Mike Tannenbaum, now a BSPN talking head, took to the website he founded, The33rdTeam.com, to rank receivers. Only in this case, he ranked each team’s receiving corps and placed it in a tier.
One might think the Bucs would be in the top-tier, But no, Tannenbaum has Tampa Bay in the second tier. This list not only includes receivers but tight ends and running backs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage Jr, Cameron Brate, Cade Otton.
Notice there are two notable Bucs missing from Tannenbaum’s list of targets, and Joe assumes for very different reasons.
One is foot-rubbing Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski. Would Gronk’s expected return bump the Bucs up to the first tier?
There is also a wide receiver missing. And he was missing last year too (ahem). Care to guess?
Tannenbaum has the Bucs in the same boat as Minnesota, New Orleans, Denver, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Carolina, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Joe is pretty sure Tannenbaum graded down the Bucs because they are without V-card-forging, topless-jumping-jacks-exercising quitter Antonio Brown. Fair.
Joe would have to drink a whole bunch of Big Storm Brewing beers to hatch a notion that Russell Gage is Antonio Brown’s equal.
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:17 am
Gronk missing made the difference…..
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:18 am
Saying the Bucs receiver room is in the same tier as those listed like saints, panthers, eagles is absolutely hysterical and stupid ..Bucs have best duo in the league still period as well as most likely best #3 receiver in the game , this list sucks
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:20 am
Tannenbaum never has a hangover because he never stops drinking.
The immortal one, Grayson, will do his best to replace AB. He did it credibly when AB walked, maybe danced, away. Gage is Godwin insurance.
The WRs should be first in the list, then the RBs. It doesn’t matter what Brady did in NE, he is here now and WRs are bigger here.
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:25 am
Gronk
Coming back
Obj will likely be back for rams
Top 3 are bengals / rams/ bucs
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:29 am
lol no other group of WR’s has the GOAT throwing the ball to them, lol
Advantage Bucs.
GO BUCS!!!!!!!
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:31 am
Godwin will not play for the Bucs in 2022. Injury too severe. Career is probably over.
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:35 am
Can we please stop finding excuses to bring up that Brown turd? He’s done. He’s an ass.
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:35 am
Agree this is stupid. Combine with the fact that Brady usually throws his reciever open.
More stupid when you have Lenny, Gio and White to counter if the D tries to cover everybody.
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:38 am
Jeff Says:
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:31 am
Evidence? Have you examined his knee?
June 2nd, 2022 at 9:39 am
This is one of the stupidest statements Tannenbaum has made, and that is impressive considering the long list of stupidity coming from this man. His question about tiers should come down to this. How many other teams would trade their WR room for ours? Or, more simply put, how many wouldn’t? Maybe the Rams, MAYBE the bengals.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:05 am
We pay Godwin 20 million to not play.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:07 am
The Buc receiving corp is not as strong as many here realize.
I do expect Gronk back. If he doesn’t return, the Bucs will be second tier in terms of receiving. I don’t understand why that is a surprise.
The WR room was strong last year, but Godwin probably won’t return until very late in the season. Don’t forget, it was a severe ACL tear and it happened in December. It will take time for Godwin to rehab and regain confidence in that knee. He will not run sharp hitch routes Day1.
Also, AB is gone. The Bucs had three WR1s on the team last season. This season they have one WR1, and a good WR3 who is expected to complete the jump to WR2. That jump transition will take time as Gage enters a new system with no preexisting chemistry with Brady. And of course, the drop from the presumptive WR2 to WR3 is substantial in terms of proven talent.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:13 am
Grover – WTF? You would rather have let him go? Ever hear what Evans or Brady or his coaches and other teammates say about the dude? That’s asinine.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:20 am
Passing, unless there is structural damage beyond the actual tear, what makes his “severe”? A torn ACL is a torn ACL. It’s either torn or it’s not. Unless of course as I said there is other structural damage. I don’t remember hearing that there was.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:35 am
This is a 2nd tier WR core. No doubt about that.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:39 am
Why are you even showing that POS in the pic Joes,,,,come on man lol
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:39 am
LA and Miami as 1st Tier? Just because they signed Adams and got Hill does not guarantee success. Once you get past those two players there is not much there for those teams to grade out as first tier and even though QB is not part of the ranking, for those guys there is a big drop off from Rodgers to Carr and Mahomes to Tua. When I think of Carr I remember a quote that I think came from Bill Walsh regarding Steve DeBerg. “Just good enough to get you beat”. That’s Carr in a nutshell. As far as Tua goes, the Fins better pray that the latest young brilliant coach can sprinkle some magic dust on Tua and get him to make the right read and accurate throw, so that they don’t waste the talent of Hill (and Waddle). Maybe it is just me, but Hill does not scare me if Tua is throwing him the ball. Sure they might have their moments, but for the most part. I am not losing sleep. Adams and Carr will put up stats, but again, not scared of them anymore. End result for LA is going to be both of those guys having enough of an impact to lose the game 34-30.
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:40 am
I love when the so called experts downgrade the Bucs…..love to be underdog…..But the biggest love is when they have to shut their big mouths…..
June 2nd, 2022 at 10:40 am
ME a yr older and never was a route runer. CG is not available, Gage is new.
GB or PL are not huge receiving “take it to the house” threats…..and w/o Gtonk our TE are sub par.
he sounds right to me.
The little guys better show up and show out!
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:01 am
Tannenbaum was asked about the Bucs receivers and I would assume he was asked about this upcoming season’s receivers and he gave his opinion on this group, newsflash some here think that (I included) Brown was the best wide out on the team last year! Somebody is going to have step up to the plate and replace A Brown’s numbers, his impact on a defensive backfield, no ifs no buts! I’m hoping it’s Gage and one of those new receivers that we have in camp!
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:02 am
So what?
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:03 am
Just more Talking Head bulloney until camp starts. This is the worst part of the NFL seasonal cycle.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:07 am
1. Who’s in the top tier ?
2. Should of traded Godwin and got anything. He’ll be 60% at best upon his return.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:27 am
@Steven007
We know by what little the Bucs have been feeding the press that the rehab is going slow. Sometimes a player bounces back from an ACL team quickly, which is indicative of a minor tear and feast healing player. The reports of Godwin’s progress have been very cautious. And once again, it was a December injury. As of right now, Godwin will definitely not be back early next season, which I imagine is part of the demarcation point for Tannenbaum as evidenced by the absence of Gronk.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:32 am
Robert “ME not a route runner.”
???
You don’t Football much, do you? He’s a Hall of Fame lock. You don’t reel off 7 consecutive 1000-yard seasons by not being a route runner. What a simpleton’s take.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:41 am
Passing, yes I know definitely not early season. And I think even mid-season would be optimistic. But mostly that’s because of the timing of the injury. Traditionally the Bucs like most teams don’t share this kind of injury information. Obviously AP coming back a few years ago so quickly and strongly was an outlier.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:45 am
So to summarize, Tannenbaum is evaluating each team’s receiving options as of Regular Season Game 1, using the current roster.
Sure, the Bucs are second-tier. Does it matter? Yes, because those first four games are tough. Hopefully, Godwin will be close to 100% for the playoffs, and Gage will have developed good chemistry with Brady by then. Last, perhaps someone will emerge from the depths of the WR pool and prove himself a worthy WR3 (early) or quality WR4 upon Godwin’s return. And of course, no key injuries to any of them.
It isn’t how you start in this league, it’s how you finish.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:47 am
I wonder what that’s based on? 2021 combined yardage? Combined TD’s? Or is it just seat of his pants. I have a suspicion he pulled it right out of that hole where the sun don’t shine.
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:56 am
August 1976 Buc … ‘No other group of WRs has the GOAT throwing the ball to them. Advantage Bucs’.
Most definitely August. ME13’s catch percentage went up over 9% points since 2020 when TB12 arrived. Godwin’s catch % went up over 10%. Lenny’s always had a good catch %, but his increased by over 3% since 2020 also. Who your QB is makes a huge difference.
Besides not including Gronk (can’t blame him for that), he also didn’t include our newest RB White, even though he did include Otton, our newest TE. Personally I’m expected TB12 to be using his RBs a lot more this season, especially until Godwin makes it back & gets settled in.
June 2nd, 2022 at 12:21 pm
It’s a downgrade, even if Gronk returns. How many more car crashes does he have in him? He’s missed 14 games in two seasons in Tampa. Gage is a downgrade from Godwin. Many here think Godwin will be the old Godwin at some point this year. That’s unrealistic, and assumes way too much. Best case scenario for Godwin, is gives you around 85%, sometime during the final 8 games. AB is a cretin, a jackwagon, and a terrible person. He’s also still one of the most talented recievers in football. Replacing that production won’t be easy. Miller can’t stay on the field, and even if healthy is incredibly one dimensional. I think Brady has enough, but they are not as talented as last year.
I think the bucs realize these truths. It’s why you will see more running and play action.
June 2nd, 2022 at 12:37 pm
Joe fact is AB was injured often so if Gage has a really good year and develops chem with TB12 and stays on the field–he could end up better than AB was for the Bucs
June 2nd, 2022 at 12:59 pm
Jeff go troll some other message board. Godwin is gonna be good by October clown.
June 2nd, 2022 at 1:01 pm
O tannenbaum…O tannenbaum…
how lovely are thy branches
June 2nd, 2022 at 1:10 pm
I don’t know man. I liked Grayson and Perriman, hope those two show up big for us this year. Every player doesn’t have to be a star as long as they can contribute. GOBUCS!
June 2nd, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Yeah, AB back for bare minimum if Gronk doesnt come back. I know I know, i hate his head case situations too, but dude can play.
Why not? Shouldnt cost much, he knows what he did and needs to scrape what he can find…. BA is no longer the HC….just say hey, yeah it happened, lets start again. Thats how you deal with people like that.
June 2nd, 2022 at 1:42 pm
He listed the Dolphins as a top teir team sooo. Yeah this list is absolutely garbage.
June 2nd, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Why put Otten and not Rb R. White.
Maybe they should wait until teams rosters are a bit more settled to make a talent tier list.
June 2nd, 2022 at 2:07 pm
test…
June 2nd, 2022 at 2:12 pm
Eh, i made a post but whatever, it disappeared.
AB is a headcase yeah, but if we could bring him back at minimum….new HC….clean slate…lets start over. He’ll make something thats better than nothing….nobody will give him a chance except us….so why not?
June 2nd, 2022 at 3:43 pm
LOL, Tannenbaum is almost as bad as Ira (love ya man!) when it comes to ranking receivers.
June 2nd, 2022 at 6:39 pm
Godwin will be back, otherwise the Bucs would have cut him.
June 3rd, 2022 at 9:50 am
I’m guessing that none of you guys are doctors, and that even if you are you are not the ones working with Chris Godwin. Comparing his case to other ACL’s is a futile exercise. The truth is no poster on this site knows with any certainty when CG will be cleared tp play and how close to his old form he will be when he does.