The Bucs’ Best Player
June 20th, 2024
Props from CBS.
Recently, sometimes humorist Adam Rank of NFL.com argued that the one player the Bucs can least afford to lose is All-Pro Safety Antoine Winfield. Given how many games he has changed by himself, that’s hard to argue against.
But a man who loves to argue football might disagree. And that would be prickly Pete Prisco of CBS. This week, Prisco released his annual summer thunderstorm known as his NFL Top 100 list.
Unlike the NFL Network’s annual Top 100 players list, Prisco actually puts thought and effort behind his annual project.
Tristan Wirfs, Prisco believes, is the Bucs’ best player. The way Wirfs was able to handle playing left tackle in the NFL for the first time in his stellar career greatly impressed Prisco. He ranked Wirfs as the No. 24 player in the NFL.
He made a smooth transition from right tackle to left tackle last season, continuing to be a dominant offensive lineman. He wants to be paid like it, too, which is why he missed some offseason work. (Last season: No. 46)
Unlike MIA Randy Gregory, not one person to Joe’s knowledge had one word to say about Wirfs missing mandatory minicamp and OTAs. Why? Wirfs, unlike Gregory, has massive street cred.
And Wirfs was at One Buc Palace. He attended all the classroom sessions. He was in the weight room damn near daily. Wirfs just wouldn’t step onto the practice fields behind One Buc Palace.
He’ll get his contract. And Wirfs will once again be a team leader.
June 20th, 2024 at 2:40 am
Wirfs is on a road to Canton but to get there he needs to avoid Logan The Oaf Hall.
June 20th, 2024 at 3:23 am
4 year 120….we got this
June 20th, 2024 at 4:54 am
Vea and Wirfs may be the largest and greatest athletes to ever live in this planet.
And they are on the same team.
The Bucs are blessed. Magical. Divine.
Name 2 men who are bigger and more athletic than Vea and Wirfs?
You can’t.
They are literally two Giants!
June 20th, 2024 at 5:47 am
Wirf is one of the best and well deserving to be close to the top twenty.
My discord is that Evans and others should be higher on the list. Evans listed 88, David 97…
Unsure about Rodgers and Burrows being top 20 quite yet. Since last season, both were injured. Including Jalen Ramsey at 43 on the list. Knee injury last season. They have Cousins at 88. Jared Goff at 76. Trevor at 62 who just got a huge contract. Where is Baker on the list? Didn’t see him on it. Other Bucs not on it either and should be top 100.
June 20th, 2024 at 5:48 am
Dave Pear: I don’t know if you’re new to this football thing, but sometimes guys get hurt playing it.
June 20th, 2024 at 6:11 am
#88 – Mike Evans:
The Bucs re-signed the veteran receiver in large part because he continues to be a big-play threat in their offense. He had 13 touchdown catches and averaged 15.9 yards per catch in his 10th season. He’s gone over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his 10 seasons. (Last season: NR)
#42 – Jaylen Waddle:
He caught 72 passes for a 14.1 average and four touchdowns last season, all numbers that were down some from previous years. But coach Mike McDaniel said he was better last season. He did battle through some injuries that kept him out of three games. (Last season: No. 62)
Now how in the F can Prisco justify this crap?
13 TDs vs 4,
15.9 yards avg vs 14.1,
ME: 1,255 yards on 79 recp vs Waddle 1,014 on 72 reap
Prisco put work into this? Ok…
June 20th, 2024 at 6:15 am
big wirfs with great war paint ^^^
June 20th, 2024 at 6:26 am
So true Senor Harry. I am baffled and mad with all of it too. What was he thinking…
June 20th, 2024 at 6:28 am
Tristan will be getting his bag. He knows it. The Bucs know it. We know it.
June 20th, 2024 at 7:28 am
if you are going to put Winfield and Wirfs up for Comparison both have upsides so you have to look at weakness.
Wirf’s does not have any that I can tell. As far a Winfield it’s probably the yards he gives up after the catch. In 2023 Bucs Safeties gave up a lot. Izen was the 3rd and Winfield was the 5th worse at giving up yards after the catch.
Winfield made up for it somewhat by chasing down ball carriers and stripping the ball as with Ridder until he didn’t in the case of Gibbs in the Divisional game.
Most of the yards after catch could be attributed to the Bucs not being able to cover the Texans receivers in one shoot out game, was a one off, and will be different in 2024.
June 20th, 2024 at 8:39 am
Wirfs is better at his job than Winfield is at his. And Winfield is awesome. So it is fantastic that of the 22 starting positions on the field, we have the best at two of them. And since LT is generally considered more important than FS, that makes Wirfs more important. But it’s close, real close.
June 20th, 2024 at 8:46 am
Reason why Waddles was ranked so high is he’s not wearing a Bucs uniform. Evans, Wirfs and Winfield would be 5 to 10 to even more ranking spots higher if they wore a lot of other jersies. The Bucs and their institutional disrespect on full display.
May it fuel them onward in 2024! Go Bucs!
June 20th, 2024 at 9:56 am
Tom Brady was a splash signing, over the hill, washed, and the Bucs should never have signed him.
Right Hoe in Michigan?
June 20th, 2024 at 10:48 am
Get Wirfs extended and make a move for Reddick… plz.
June 20th, 2024 at 11:38 am
Dave Pear: Yeah, that was a bad take on my part, but it was 4 years ago. You say stupid sh!t pretty much every day. Jensen got hurt, what, 2 years ago? You’re still not over it? Are you in the 6th Grade, or just have the mentality of a 6th Grader?
June 20th, 2024 at 12:04 pm
WiscoJoe Says:
Get Wirfs extended and make a move for Reddick… plz.
^^^^^^
What you’re saying is use Wirfs’ contact to free up cap to get a solid pass rusher. The Bucs have $8M in cap. Wirfs counts for $18M against the cap.
Hasson Reddick’s salary is $15M. Signing Wirfs could definitely get the Bucs in a position to afford Reddick.
The Bucs are serious NFC contenders with an elite pass rusher. What would the Jets want for Reddick is the question? A 3rd and I’d support the trade.
June 20th, 2024 at 2:20 pm
Hoe in Muschigan – Better get yourself some extra feminine hygiene products, if a little snark about Logan The Oaf triggers you so much. Your discharge is obvious and probably embarrassing.
June 20th, 2024 at 4:43 pm
Dave Pear: What kind of idiot blames a player for an injury, like you do with Logan Hall? Any of you MFers who blame Hall and/or Goedeke for Jensen getting hurt are idiots, let alone that it happened TWO YEARS AGO. Do I blame any of my injuries and concussions on anybody? No, because IT’S WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR by playing football. To still bring it up, Dave Pear, you’re an idiot.
June 22nd, 2024 at 2:29 am
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