The 2011 Doesn’t Seem So Tough
February 1st, 2011
Yeah, Joe knows it’s a crapshoot looking at a schedule in February to see if it will be formidable or not.
The Bucs took full advantage of a soft schedule highlighted by the dregs of the NFL known as the NFC West. This year the schedule, at face value, seemed stout.
But hold up, says eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. He believes the schedule is soft. Again. So he wrote on the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.
Of Tampa Bay’s 10 out-of-division opponents next season, only three (Bears, Colts, Packers) posted winning records in 2010. Good omen?
Joe suspects the Dolts will bounce back from all their injuries. Hey, Opie Taylor is still quarterback. The Bears? Depends what Jay Cutler’s blood sugar is like. The Packers? Joe believes they are on the cusp of a dynasty but if the Packers win Sunday, teams always have Super Bowl hangovers that last until the next season.
So even with three non-division teams on the Bucs’ 2011 schedule with winning records, Joe’s not hiding in a closet yet.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:06 am
You never really know until the season is over. Who would have expected the Colts or Cowboys to have the seasons they did.
Only GB lived up to expectations and that was after some rocky times during the season.
I have said it already, going 10-6 again next year will be good progress in my book.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:13 am
Of course Ira is saying our schedule is weak next year. That way if the Bucs have another good season he can minimize it. I really wish he would move and cover another team. We were about middle of the road as far as our schedule last year but it seems everyone tries to use that as an excuse for having a winning record.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:24 am
Plus, shouldn’t we be pretty decent ourselves?
February 1st, 2011 at 9:36 am
Hey Joe,
I want to follow up on your chat last night if okay. You mentioned your funny relationship with 1 Buc. Do they know how popular your site is and what your numbers are? I would think so and in some ways that makes you very powerful in regards to their image. Do you know your competitors numbers? BucStats, PR, and others? You have to be up there. I would think your numbers have to be comparable to Buccaneers.com. Can you share a little more info on the subject and are you guys getting full press access like Cummings and a few others? I’ll check beck this evening. Thks.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:47 am
BigMacAttack:
Joe’s relationship with the powers that be at One Buc Palace have greatly improved, but like most business relationships, Joe’s confident the Bucs don’t want any correspondence or intimate details they may have had with Joe to be public record. Let’s just say the Bucs know all about Joe… shoot, Joe can see the IP addresses of those who visit Joe and, in short, Joe’s a popular read for those who work at One Buc Palace.
Joe has no idea how to document what other sites have in traffic, and frankly Joe’s not concerned.
February 1st, 2011 at 4:39 pm
You can never tell what is going to happen.
If SF was as good as people thought at the beginning of the year and Seattle kept pluggin along like the start they had… no one would be mentioning anything about the Bucs so-called weak schedule.
February 1st, 2011 at 5:50 pm
I’ll go on record right now…I predict we will beat the Bears twice, fall to the colts once, and fall to the Packers once…maybe twice.
I think there is going to be problems in the lockeroom with the Bears. I think Rodgers will be the big guy in Packer Country, and our biggest challenge in the NFC. I think Peyton is declining slightly, but I not enough to matter. I think the Colts offense as a whole is on the decline.
And I’m not predicting overall record yet for the Bucs…too early. Really I should not have made the predictions above now that I think about it.
We still need the draft, free agency, and we need to see who gets suspended in the new season (because under Morris they always have someone), not to mention injuries.
Speaking of which, I bet injuries will be a huge problem if the players will be locked out (in the first season they play when it starts up again).
February 1st, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Hey Joe, I tried to read this great article of yours but there is one problem. Every time I get to the highlighted part my eyes keep veering to right and I cannot seem to make them go back to the article. Could somebody please tell me how it ends……
February 1st, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Expect the Texans and Cowboys to bounce back next year too Joe. I live in SA and see them play probably more than I get to see the Bucs. They’re both very talented teams. The texans have a dangerous offense but if they just improve their defense a little, they’re set to go. The Cowboys just need to get it together bottomline but right when Jason Garrett took over they went 5-3.
The game against the Lions will be a tough one. Don’t exclude the Vikings either. All they need is a good QB and that will change a lot right there.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:16 pm
OK, so only 3 opponents (plus 2 division opponents twice) had winning records in 2010, so that’s 7 games vs teams with winning records the previous season.
Well, our easy schedule last year had these teams with winning records in 2009: Arizona (10-6), Cincy (10-6), Pittsburgh (9-7), Baltimore (9-7)… plus two division foes twice (Atlanta (9-7) & N.O. (13-3 plus Super Bowl win)). That’s eight games against teams with winning records from the previous season.
It stands to reason that next year the schedule would be “easier” based on that. Of course, we had 5 games against teams that didn’t have more than 5 wins the year before in 2010. Next year, we only have 2 games against the Panthers that had 5 or fewer wins. Every other team we play had at least 6 wins this year.
Obviously, none of that will mean anything once the season starts next year. Just like Cincy was pretty good in 09, but pretty bad in 2010, any of the teams we play next year could step up or step back next year.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Pete said “I’ll go on record right now…I predict we will beat the Bears twice, fall to the colts once, and fall to the Packers once…maybe twice.”
I have to ask you what year it is, you may have suffered a concussion when you fell off your bar stool. Just messing with you, but I thought we were in the 90’s again for a moment.