Bucs Are Still “Contenders”
October 4th, 2022
Mea culpa.
Adam Schein is issuing a mea culpa.
The popular national sports television and radio host also types a weekly column for NFL.com.
On his weekday morning SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio show, Schein said this would be the slimy Saints’ year to recapture the NFC South crown.
After four games, Schein confesses he read the tea leaves wrong.
Well, this is probably more about the Saints’ pratfall than the Bucs’ promise. I gassed up New Orleans all offseason, predicting they’d win the NFC South in Year 1 without Sean Payton. Then the Saints lost to the Bucs at home in Week 2, beginning a three-game losing streak during which Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas were sidelined by injury. Just doesn’t seem like January football — much less, a division title — is in the cards for this New Orleans group.
I remain concerned about multiple aspects of the Buccaneers, including the depleted offensive line and injury-prone receiving corps. The offense is extremely disjointed. But Tom Brady’s still the G.O.A.T., and the defense remains deep and talented, even though Patrick Mahomes kinda put it on Tampa on Sunday night. (It happens.)
Bottom line: The Bucs are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the NFC South.
In fact, Schein labeled the Bucs “contenders” and the slimy Saints pretenders.
But Schein is right in that the Bucs have to find a way to keep guys healthy and somehow cobble together a running game.
Right now Joe is more worried about what happened to the Bucs defense than the disappearance of the running game.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:43 am
In the Beckles article he hits the nail on the head. The Bucs are contenders but like Beckels said one word the Bucs cannot be describe is “consistent.” They are a good team but until they are consistent they will not be a great team. It’s only game 4 and the injuries hurt the team but that allows the rookies and back ups to get playtime and when the starters return we will have more consistency with backups and starters. We lost to packers because of injuries and the chiefs to bad luck with injuries coupled with two turnovers (not consistent). Bucs have the players and talent to go all the way but we need some luck on injuries and hopefully the last two losses put a massive fire in the bellies of all the players to play greater. And I will agree Suh will help.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:44 am
Bowles better figure out something. When other teams defenders stop our players head on but ours slip and slid there is a problem. Most of the time our defenders look like they are on roller skates. Truly disgusting.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:48 am
@DBS:
do you think darden is giving them skating lessons?
October 4th, 2022 at 8:49 am
Look the Rams last night just got pay back like the Chiefs did against the Bucs. We beat K.C. bad the last time we played, and they were out for revenge. Just like the 49ers put it to the defending S.B. champs. It ain’t easy being the hunted. The Bucs still are the hunted, and must remember every team wants to beat them with T.B.12 extra bad. This week at the so far den of depression, Atlanta will be playing their S.B.. Bucs better be ready to play theirs.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:53 am
they’ve been hunting the rams for a long time now…
mcvey can not beat san fran…
they’ve lost to sf 7 times in a row now…
kinda like the situation we’ve had with the saints in recent years
October 4th, 2022 at 8:54 am
Only four games have passed. Offense will continue to get it going. Defense now realizes they have to do more than just show up.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:54 am
@Adam
I hope they are not taking lessons from him on anything. But you never know.
October 4th, 2022 at 8:56 am
Nfc south is ours but after that i dont see it as is right now
October 4th, 2022 at 8:58 am
I tell you what, we better not sleep on Atlanta. They’re getting it done and Mariota is experiencing a new revival.
October 4th, 2022 at 9:20 am
Sign SUH now Licht brain.
October 4th, 2022 at 9:30 am
WWay too much as being made of this loss to KC. The Chiefs more the more talented and better team on the field Sunday night. No doubt about it. Buccaneers came in also facing a considerable amount of adversity not even counting the injuries. Nfl athletes are conditioned to follow a regiment each week. That regimen was deeply disturbed by the anxiety and tragedies that are being brought with it. I’m not making excuses for the buccaneers. From play one you could see that the Chiefs were emotionally much more ready to play. It is no accident that all three Florida teams lost last week. We will get to see now how they rebound from an embarrassing loss.
October 4th, 2022 at 9:58 am
Not too worry. Yet! A lot of last years contenders are 2/2 right now. Parity? Might make the whole season more interesting and competitive. Bucs will bounce back. No complacency for sure.
October 4th, 2022 at 10:03 am
@buddha
On paper bucs have more talent. But we are injured so continuity is not there. Something tells me bucs is playing mind games. It’s only week 4 and KC unloaded some tricks in their bag. This tape will be useful later on
October 4th, 2022 at 10:10 am
What a nasty defense last night. No comparison between the Bucs and niners
On both sides of the ball. We don’t have a truly dominate get to the QB type Defense. And our O doesn’t have any creativity or game breakers.
The we have Brady can only take us so far.
October 4th, 2022 at 10:14 am
A hurricane will stress you!!! It don’t care who you are and it takes several days to get over it
October 4th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Without Logan Ryan the secondary is average at best. They can handle bottom of the barrel
teams & maybe on a good day average teams, but against the top they get lit up. Hopefully this was a reality check for the defense because they looked like a JV team on Sunday & nobody in the league is afraid of the Bucs D. Time to figure it out, as well as the O-line. It starts in the trenches & we have to start figuring it out because we could have lost TB for the season by not picking up that blitz. Maybe start running out of the I formation w/ a fullback? Try anything to get the run game going. The Bucs need to really put it on ATL this weekend, a real beat down!
October 4th, 2022 at 10:18 am
Without Logan Ryan the secondary is average at best. They can handle bottom of the barrel
teams & maybe on a good day average teams, but against the top they get lit up. Hopefully this was a reality check for the defense because they looked like a JV team on Sunday & nobody in the league is afraid of the Bucs D. Time to figure it out, as well as the O-line. It starts in the trenches & we have to start figuring it out because we could have lost TB for the season by not picking up that blitz. Maybe start running out of the I formation w/ a fullback? Try anything to get the run game going. The Bucs need to really put it on ATL this weekend, a real beat down.
October 4th, 2022 at 12:30 pm
Contenders for a Top 10 draft pick if Bowels continues to prepare the defense for games like he did for the Chiefs. Top 5 draft pick if Bowels and Leftwich keep insisting on opening the games with the plod plan. Send these two guys clown suits, red noses and the Bozo wig.
October 4th, 2022 at 12:30 pm
Mike Titan …you should say that again….:)
October 4th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Not impressed with defensive effort vs KC. Andy Reid has so many unique offensive plays and the Bucs were not ready for any of them. Bowles doesn’t game plan to take out offensive stars.
How do you not have help covering Travis Kelse? How can you not cover the screens to the outside and the slants? Pat Maholmes never was threatened by that defense.
It was a giant setback, perhaps it will send a shockwave to Bowles to get his defense better prepared.
Only a fool would not coach up a defense to prepare for the run-option and scrambling offense Marriott brings. If the keep him in the pocket he is a dink and dunker.
If the let him get to the edges he is dangerous throwing on the move. Just stop it!
October 4th, 2022 at 6:38 pm
That 1 yard up the middle on 1st down has got to go. The Bucs are awesome in the hurry up. In the preseason I picked Atlanta to win the NFC South. They got it going on. The Bucs need to score 40 pts to have a chance. BUCS got no beef on defense. Where is number 9 been? I haven’t seen him make a play except in a clean up. Just tell Tom go do your thing, that’s the only hope.
October 4th, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Unless something radically changes, I do not see us winning another Super Bowl.
If we get beat at home against Atlanta, it will be very very bad for us.
Atlanta is emerging as our rival for the division title, and a loss to them on Sunday could really send shockwaves through our ranks.
October 4th, 2022 at 7:19 pm
The Bucks are not only contenders they will be back in the superbowl! This team is strack! Early season woes and gelling issues are very common in the nfl! It is not the first four games you want to hit your stride it is the last four games you want to hit your stride. You Play well enough to win your division and in the last four games light it up. This KC team will not keep that pace up. They will peak and die in the end. My hope however is KC makes it to the superbowl. I want the bucs to wipe that cocky smirk off mahomes and that fair weather team in the superbowl!!!
October 7th, 2022 at 6:02 pm
Duh and Gronk