Bucs Fans Are Steaming With Confidence

September 18th, 2022

Joe was a little surprised to see Joe’s flash poll last night revealed 73.4 percent of Bucs fans think Tampa Bay will beat the Saints this afternoon in New Orleans.

Joe gets the confidence, but why so strong? Joe and Ira Kaufman picked our beloved Buccaneers to lose.

Tampa Bay has dropped seven of its last eight games to the Saints, with the one win a comeback “W” in the playoffs two seasons ago.

Joe is fired up by the collective confidence of fans. Perhaps Joe is being to analytical? The Bucs, after all, are on a 23-5 run and have the greatest quarterback known to mankind facing a quarterback who hasn’t won anything, and the Saints have their share of injuries, too.

New Orleans is down a left tackle (the Bucs may be, too) and all-world running back Alvin Kamara (rib injury) is highly unlikely to play (though that news didn’t really come out until after the poll finished).

Most likely, Joe is discounting the retirement of Saints head coach Sean Payton. In fact, that didn’t come up at all in Joe and Ira’s chatter about the matchup.

The reality is that Dennis Allen, in his Saints head coaching debut last week, saw his team come out against a bad Atlanta team and get pushed around all over the field. The Saints came out flat and weak, and they were a Marcus Mariota fumble at the 3 yard line away from losing that game.

Like Allen, Todd Bowles took over for a legendary coach, but he had his team ready to play in a game against Dallas that wasn’t close.

Hopefully, Bucs fans are collectively smarter than Joe when it comes to this game. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks picked the Bucs to win, but he also picked them to lose in Dallas. And this is a guy with his pulse on the team as he regularly mentors Buccaneers savior linebacker Devin White. Man, it’s so darn hard to pick games. You can watch Brooks’ breakdown here on TAMPA TWO.


Ira Kaufman Talks Injury Report Gamesmanship, Bucs Bullying, A Fresh Look At Jameis History, Tough Saints Game Calls & Predictions, And More

49 Responses to “Bucs Fans Are Steaming With Confidence”

  1. Lt. Dan Says:

    Joe says, “it’s so darn hard to pick games” Dan says, “Parity my friend, parity”.

  2. alton green Says:

    I hope and pray these fans are right but when I read the headline I am reminded of this potential railway strike as soon as i heard it about it IIMMEDIATELY SAID “THIS IS A TOTAL SETUP. Joey will swoop in and SAVE THE DAY and take credit for averting the strike. This was all pre-determined. That should sound familiar. What’s the point???? people will actually believe this so i have to wonder how many players do we have to lose to say “we’re up s&^# creek. Like i said, i hope you guys are right. i’ve been a career Brady fan. One more thing. would somebody sneak Tom a Big Mac and large order of fries. If he starts getting hit I don’t think he has the strength to play the whole game. Yes, I hope i’m wrong too. I’ve seen Tompa overcome many things but I think this will be his biggest challenge

  3. alton green Says:

    BTW i’ve spent a large portion of my adult life in organized labor. Unions don’t work that way. They play to win. All Joey did was walk into their negotiations and wink wink and say “HOLD MY BEER”

  4. bucnut2 Says:

    fans on this site are historically homers and very often wrong. get ready for masses jumping of the bandwagon later today

  5. BucEmUp Says:

    Because the time has come.Not only will they win….they will dominate..Its going to ve a slaughter

  6. bucnut2 Says:

    if its not a blowout, this game will come down to defense and special teams and saints are better than Bucs in both areas

  7. Asdf Says:

    Really am surprised that more people aren’t talking about losing Peyton. He was easily a top 5 maybe too 3 head coach. That’s a massive loss

  8. Mike C Says:

    Exactly Asdf, QB is different for them as well, also our Defense looks MUCH improved over last years unit.

  9. Mike C Says:

    bucnut2 Says:
    September 18th, 2022 at 6:56 am
    “fans on this site are historically homers” what a huge surprise, a team web site has biased fan base, NO WAY! Really worthless comment bro.

  10. David Says:

    I know I am very confident because I think the Buccaneers defense is as good as it was during the Super Bowl run. I also believe Tom Brady and BL will have a game plan (basically it’s personal, I don’t believe they’re going to be taken for the fifth time in a row, they are too good for that). Step one obviously is help Wells on the left side.

    Then there is Jameis Winston. He is still going to give you opportunities for turnovers. He showed that against Atlanta. I know he only had one fumble but he threw a few up when pressure was in his face that could’ve been intercepted. So it’s about the Bucs pressure and from what I saw with the Saints line against ATL, the Buccaneers should get pressure.

  11. Kgh4life Says:

    I put the loses to the Saints on the coaches, specifically BA and Leftwich. They were not able to counter act what Dennis Allen was doing on defense. This Sunday I don’t think that will change.

  12. Anonymous Says:

    Tampa needs their OFFENSE TO BE HEALTHY. why t hey haven’t tried to search for veterans is crazy. Coach doesn’t seem to care thinks it’s a joke hopefully Brady doesn’t get hurt .

  13. Cindy Says:

    Injuries happen, I blame the coach if Brady goes down!! Does he want to loose the best quarterback????? Get him some protection!!!!!

  14. Alvafan Says:

    I voted “Not Sure”. It’s easy to homer it but it’s intellectually dishonest. So a thinking man(person) would need use present trends or past evidence. Because preseason is a joke, the sample size of serious football is one game. That’s hardly enough data to make a strong case for either team. The Bucs have the edge so far. They were very consistent on offense. Everyone is pointing to the red zone deficiencies, considering Tom Brady’s hiatus for most of training camp and preseason that didn’t surprised me. He had a lot of new pieces to get acquainted with. so if he hadn’t had all the distractions he probably gets the ball in the end zone more than once. The O-line played better than expected considering all the new parts. Being able to move the ball on the ground may prove to be the O-lines identity. I always thought O-lines need time to jell. The best ones work together to confuse the defense and provide the time for the QB to read the blitzes and coverages. The Defense? What can you say? With the help of a ball control scheme by BL, they were dominant. The Saints coaches must be wondering whether they can move the ball today. As for the Saints they proved they’re resilient. They’re also cocky because of their dominance in the regular season. The Bucs can win today if they believe they can. The Bucs have changed their culture since Brady arrived. The Saints are the last remnant of how things used to be. Can they get over this hump? They should but I’ve thought that before, many times and been bitterly disappointed

  15. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    I’m confident because our defense is 100% healthy…..and it’s good….

    I think Winston will have his problems if they can run the ball…

    And……if Taysom Hill is in….he’s running.

  16. Pickgrin Says:

    Defense and running game look strong and will win this game for us just like last week.

    Bucs 23 – Saints 13

  17. NCBucfan Says:

    Bucsfans,

    It is time to turn the tide against these dirty slimy Aholes!! 3-17, that is our regular season record against the Stupid Saints since 2012. That is not a typo! The time has come for us to dominate them! Go Bucs! LFG!!!!!

  18. Anonymous Says:

    For me, it’s the way the poll is worded. “WILL the Bucs beat the Saints”. I don’t know. I don’t claim to be Nostradamus. Do I think the Bucs will win? Sure!

  19. Kentucky Buc Says:

    Random thought here. Hill looked slower on his runs against the Falcs . I know he broke some good runs but he looked slow.

  20. NCBucfan Says:

    Kentucky Buc,

    He may, but we can’t underestimate that Bastard! I want us to wipe that stupid sly smile from his face!!!

  21. Buczilla Says:

    Payton being gone is huge. The law of averages has got to come into play eventually and they have a Jameis. Jameis has far more “wtf is he doing” games, then “oh wow, he’s a legit franchise guy” games. Anything other than ultra Jameis and we’re crushing these backward a$$ fools.

  22. orlbucfan Says:

    bucnut2 Says:
    September 18th, 2022 at 7:00 am
    … this game will come down to defense… and saints are better than Bucs….
    ————————————-
    Are you serious? If Bucs win and break the losing streak, it will be cos our Defense is BETTER than the Aints!

  23. Hodad Says:

    Joe, NFL rosters change so much from year, to year I wouldn’t go by what happened in the past. The Saints roster is nothing like the one that beat us in 2020. Heck, the Saints don’t even have the same coach. The same goes for us. Two different teams, so past be damned, I’m taking the Bucs in a low scoring game.

  24. DoooshLaRue Says:

    No Butthole Lips on the Saints sideline.
    JayMiss is gonna get rattled by our feisty D.
    Lenny’s gonna gouge.
    Lattimore is gonna implode.

    Who dat?

  25. SOFIERCE Says:

    Go bucs

  26. George Says:

    I want the Bucs to win

    I voted we will lose , because I don’t think we can put enough points on the scoreboard against The Saints defense

  27. SOFIERCE Says:

    The Tampa Bay buccaneers are going to make the Saints look like they’re in the middle of preseason.

    1. Our defense can now apply pressure with just the front four and not have to be blitz happy throughout the entire game.

    2. Tom Brady has made it a point of emphasis to sweep the Saints this year. Wanna argue with Brady stats on when he sets and achieves goals?

    3. This is not Sean Payton’s and Drew Breeze Saints anymore.

    All shall be exposed!

  28. ModHairKen Says:

    Why so strong? DEFENSE. That performance last week was like the Sapp-Brooks-Lynch-Barber-Rice days.

  29. Winny Testaverde Says:

    Lots of voodoo in Sewer City N.O. Noted Buc and more so Brady antagonist Fan Boy Florio ( to his credit…he props up JBF.com…which is a good thing ) thinks the Taints will come after the wafer thin Brady. Let’s make it the final visit to Sewer City in 2022…shall we ( and early 2023 for that matter ).

  30. Anonymous Says:

    Bucs Defense looks good and Winfield Jr. was used to confuse Dak who he is a better QB. We were more physical against Dallas and that is something we have lacked at times while saints have been physical. Kamara is listed as likely out UF not he is hurt. Winston has back issues and was sacked 4 times. Falcons got 200 running yards on their defense and Bucs ran the ball well against Dallas. Game plan had Brady release fast or hand off to run. Bucs are the better team but Arians has often stuck to his plan to throw our way out. I like to believe the Dallas game is an indicator that Bowles, Leftwich and Brady want more runs to force saints to cover a run so we can throw with success. Finally, just the power of belief or hope makes a difference. Fans have to have it.

  31. Casual Observer Says:

    The defensive backs strategies and communication seem much improved in game one over most of last year. Hope that is a solid and consistent change. If so, watch out.

  32. WillieG Says:

    My confidence comes from the fact I watched Winston play almost 80 games as a Buc. I know how fired up he gets, how over confident he is, and how he doesn’t seem to have a clue where to throw the ball until the play is developing.

    He will overthrow receivers, and throw interceptions. He will hold onto the ball too long and take big sacks. Our defense will make him pay dearly for his mistakes.

    And we have a pissed off Tom Brady. If this truly is his last season, he’s going to show the Saints who the boss is. It’s like the fight scene in the finale. The hero always gets knocked down by the bully a few time, but he gets back up and beats the crap out of the villain. After the fight, he gets the girl and rides off into the sunset…….

  33. SOEbuc be Says:

    Defense gonna tear Jameis up with no Kamara

  34. Rayjay1122 Says:

    I went to Nola the past 3 seasons to see the Bucs play the Saints. All losses. I stayed home this year and that means we are for sure going to win.

  35. Zoocomics Says:

    I think the reason why people are positive is that for the past 2 seasons, we’ve actually been the better roster on paper, yet we’ve managed to be outcoached/outplayed.

    Whoever doesn’t think Tampa wins this game is taking the cursed route and not what we actually have on the roster. Don’t get me wrong, I’m damn near buying into that theory as well. HOW THE F@CK do we lose to Trevor Siemian? What a blessing that Jameis gets knocked out of the game on a clean hit, and yet Siemian dominates us? He’s still a 3rd String QB somewhere. Somehow we manage to sh!t the bed in these situations. We manage to play our worst football against this team where NOTHING goes right and we make poor decisions. I still can’t get over last years away game, on the final drive we call 2 long unnecessary throws, which the first one was almost picked, served as a precursor when on the next throw, an even longer down field pass was a picked. I know I’m an armchair QB here, but as I recall we had just under 2 minutes, 2 timeouts, damn did it seem like those throws were more desperate then they needed to be…felt like a poorly timed “no risk it, no biscuit” BS move. Don’t even get me started on getting blanked at home in our only home loss last year, ugh.

    I hope it’s our day, and we shake this monkey. If for nothing else, even if we were a bad football team, we’re due to take one from a division rival.

  36. AbucAway Says:

    We win because Bowles is in charge now. Love BA but it just seemed like he wouldn’t make adjustments when required and stayed very one dimensional:
    BA (on first down)- “Byron, dial up a heavy does of running at them!”
    Run up the gut for one yard…
    BA (for the rest of the game) pass. Pass. Pass. Pass..pass….

    Brady and Leftwich, in their own way, basically said the same thing about what needs to happen on the field. “multiple” and “balanced”.

    I think the Saints are going to scheme to try and make the Bucs pass the ball to try and win. Based on past games, the BUCS couldn’t do it through the air. But, this year, our D seems to be up to the challenge of slowing them down this allowing the balanced attack to work.
    BUCS win

  37. Scooter Says:

    Chiefs have won 13 consecutive games against the Denver Broncos.

  38. ChiBuc Says:

    Picking games is easy, just say a name. What’s difficult is wading through tangential non-germane political rants in order to enjoy our diversion from the daily grind. Joe while your pick ’em record is a 50/50 dart toss at best, you have the power to 100% filter out the static that detracts from friendly FOOTBALL banter.

  39. D-Rok Says:

    I voted Yes for confidence reasons, and because it’s a silly proposition to not expect to win each week with a good team.

    In reality, I see this as a 50/50 game and the winner has less turnovers. It’s probably as simple as that.

    Lots of nuances and scenarios have been discussed all week, and all I hope is we play a competitive game and win with class and dignity, like the Champions we are.

    GO BUCS!!!

  40. TorontoBucsFan Says:

    Can I assume that ALL long-term Bucs fans consider all those reg. season losses to be trivial
    compared to that amazing playoff win in Jan./
    21?

  41. Cobraboy Says:

    If the D is as good as they showed in Dallas, and the O avoids turnovers and penalties, this will not be a close game.

    If not…well…8 in a row.

  42. Cobraboy Says:

    No Smith is a push with no Saint’s LT.

    No Kamara and Peyton are yuge. Ingram is no Kamara, and Allen is no Peyton.

    Gotta put the clamps on Hill, however. No Kamara = lot’s of Hill.

  43. A Says:

    My approach is to expect a loss to the Saints until the Bucs prove they can win…saying that, I get the feeling with BA gone – the Bucs are going to do things differently. We are actually going to game plan and not send out 5 receivers and tell Brady to go find someone. I think you’ll see the Bucs play conservative on offense…I’m actually excited to watch this game…if we go back to 5wr game plan I may just turn the channel…

    Go Bucs!

  44. CrackWise Says:

    Is Payton stoned doing this Fox Pregame show? His eyes are telling on him.

  45. Miller5252 Says:

    With all the injuries on the offense, the only way they win is if the D has another lights out performance. I think the Saints win today unfortunately. Top 4 receivers all hurt/banged up, Lenny banged up and the line down players. The D could put everyone on notice today if they dominate. Fire them cannons!!

  46. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Bucs 17-Saints 13

  47. Goatfarmer Says:

    It’s the DEFENSE. Now – was what we saw at Dallas because our DEFENSE is that good, or the Cows are that bad? Probably some of both?

    For sure, this is a tougher test for them, especially if Good Jameis shows up.

    LVD and DW – hope you men practiced with the JUGS machine this week. Winston’s kryptonite always seemed to be a middle drop by a LB that he’d throw right to.

    It’s time.

    LFG!

  48. firethecannons Says:

    winston could be and may end up in a wheelchair throwing passes and bucs lose sorry but the saints are the bucs killers
    it is truth, not fun but real

  49. Mike C Says:

    Eat it haters!