Still a wasted, meaningless season?

[Babeinbucland]

The Bucs overachieved by most people's standards, with Brady it was always going to be SuperBowl or Bust. This is one thing I can't wait to see in Atlanta if they hire BB. If he doesn't win a SB in year 1, he's a failure, Brady is still the reason he had success, and that fan base will lose their minds because they still aren't over the Brady comeback in the SB.

The only thing you have to wonder is where do we go from here? I mean, do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles? Both have their moments, but do you think we'll put up a season like the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, or Ravens during the regular season? I don't see it, but I am also ok being the Team that can win any given Sunday. The Lions, Packers, Rams, Browns, Bengals, and Texans are teams that come to mind in that category.

Three of those five teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. We beat one of them.
So long as your regular season is good enough to get to the postseason, the rest of it doesn't matter. Hell, we were a Wildcard team during the Brady Superbowl and had to go on the road three times before hosting the Chiefs in Tampa and taking the victory.

"Do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles?" My brother in Christ, we are at the next level RIGHT NOW. They already brought us here. We are one of the best eight teams in football, two wins away from playing for a Lombardi and three wins away from winning it.

My brother in Christ? Ummmm he could be pagan…just sayin’

[Bootz]

The Bucs overachieved by most people's standards, with Brady it was always going to be SuperBowl or Bust. This is one thing I can't wait to see in Atlanta if they hire BB. If he doesn't win a SB in year 1, he's a failure, Brady is still the reason he had success, and that fan base will lose their minds because they still aren't over the Brady comeback in the SB.

The only thing you have to wonder is where do we go from here? I mean, do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles? Both have their moments, but do you think we'll put up a season like the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, or Ravens during the regular season? I don't see it, but I am also ok being the Team that can win any given Sunday. The Lions, Packers, Rams, Browns, Bengals, and Texans are teams that come to mind in that category.

Three of those five teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. We beat one of them.
So long as your regular season is good enough to get to the postseason, the rest of it doesn't matter. Hell, we were a Wildcard team during the Brady Superbowl and had to go on the road three times before hosting the Chiefs in Tampa and taking the victory.

"Do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles?" My brother in Christ, we are at the next level RIGHT NOW. They already brought us here. We are one of the best eight teams in football, two wins away from playing for a Lombardi and three wins away from winning it.

Thank you, Cheb. Thank you.

[Terry Tate]

The Bucs overachieved by most people's standards, with Brady it was always going to be SuperBowl or Bust. This is one thing I can't wait to see in Atlanta if they hire BB. If he doesn't win a SB in year 1, he's a failure, Brady is still the reason he had success, and that fan base will lose their minds because they still aren't over the Brady comeback in the SB.

The only thing you have to wonder is where do we go from here? I mean, do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles? Both have their moments, but do you think we'll put up a season like the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, or Ravens during the regular season? I don't see it, but I am also ok being the Team that can win any given Sunday. The Lions, Packers, Rams, Browns, Bengals, and Texans are teams that come to mind in that category.

Three of those five teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. We beat one of them.
So long as your regular season is good enough to get to the postseason, the rest of it doesn't matter. Hell, we were a Wildcard team during the Brady Superbowl and had to go on the road three times before hosting the Chiefs in Tampa and taking the victory.

"Do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles?" My brother in Christ, we are at the next level RIGHT NOW. They already brought us here. We are one of the best eight teams in football, two wins away from playing for a Lombardi and three wins away from winning it.

Just playing devils advocate here but......

Are we that good or have we just been super lucky to be where we are? We've only beaten one good team (Packers) and they were in some sort of slump at the time, coming off a horrible loss to the Giants. The Eagles were a playoff team but they were also a team that had completely collapsed and were clearly cooked. Everyone here pretty much said that before the game.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am both extremely happy and surprised to be where we are. Like everyone else, I knew this was the year we had to pay up for going all in with Brady and chasing a ring. I was ok with it, we got that ring and should have had a better shot at the second. I just can't completely get that above point out of my head. This Lions game is going to be the litmus test for me. They aren't top tier but they have been a consistently good team all year. They only lost to one bad team and the only game they lost by 2 scores was to Baltimore. How that game plays out should finally, definitively, answer a lot of questions.

[Cheb]

Three of those five teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. We beat one of them.
So long as your regular season is good enough to get to the postseason, the rest of it doesn't matter. Hell, we were a Wildcard team during the Brady Superbowl and had to go on the road three times before hosting the Chiefs in Tampa and taking the victory.

"Do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles?" My brother in Christ, we are at the next level RIGHT NOW. They already brought us here. We are one of the best eight teams in football, two wins away from playing for a Lombardi and three wins away from winning it.

Just playing devils advocate here but......

Are we that good or have we just been super lucky to be where we are? We've only beaten one good team (Packers) and they were in some sort of slump at the time, coming off a horrible loss to the Giants. The Eagles were a playoff team but they were also a team that had completely collapsed and were clearly cooked. Everyone here pretty much said that before the game.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am both extremely happy and surprised to be where we are. Like everyone else, I knew this was the year we had to pay up for going all in with Brady and chasing a ring. I was ok with it, we got that ring and should have had a better shot at the second. I just can't completely get that above point out of my head. This Lions game is going to be the litmus test for me. They aren't top tier but they have been a consistently good team all year. They only lost to one bad team and the only game they lost by 2 scores was to Baltimore. How that game plays out should finally, definitively, answer a lot of questions.

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

[Grahamburn]

Weird fanbase.

[Phantom]

Weird fanbase.

Yep, Most of them are here, but not the people I know that went to Bucs games regularly. Big difference.

[Buc2]

The Bucs overachieved by most people's standards, with Brady it was always going to be SuperBowl or Bust. This is one thing I can't wait to see in Atlanta if they hire BB. If he doesn't win a SB in year 1, he's a failure, Brady is still the reason he had success, and that fan base will lose their minds because they still aren't over the Brady comeback in the SB.

The only thing you have to wonder is where do we go from here? I mean, do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles? Both have their moments, but do you think we'll put up a season like the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, or Ravens during the regular season? I don't see it, but I am also ok being the Team that can win any given Sunday. The Lions, Packers, Rams, Browns, Bengals, and Texans are teams that come to mind in that category.

Three of those five teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. We beat one of them.
So long as your regular season is good enough to get to the postseason, the rest of it doesn't matter. Hell, we were a Wildcard team during the Brady Superbowl and had to go on the road three times before hosting the Chiefs in Tampa and taking the victory.

"Do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles?" My brother in Christ, we are at the next level RIGHT NOW. They already brought us here. We are one of the best eight teams in football, two wins away from playing for a Lombardi and three wins away from winning it.

I don't know what more the naysayers need to see. Crazy.

[CannonFire]

Honestly, I can't believe we have fans that are more delusional than the Eagles fans I live with up here. If someone told me that Eagles fans were more realistic about their team than Bucs fans about theirs, I'd have said those people were nuts... yet, here we are.

What's delusional is you expecting a first year QB in this town and a first year OC along with the cap constraints that came expecting more..

There is nothing delusional about enjoying the moment and being fired up about this weekend.

Maybe you should follow the Eagles then. Enjoy Jalen Hurts because this is the last youll see of him.. What's he getting paid??? LOL

This team was in pretty good shape, despite the cap restraints. I don't care how many years Mayfield was here... I think it's nice of you to make excuses for him though. Mayfield had a good pass blocking OLine, Evans, Godwin, and White. There's NO REASON AT ALL, why he couldn't throw for 4500 and 35 this year... especially against a weak schedule (ranked 25th in the league). Had he done that, we probably do win 11+ games this year and I'd have eaten crow, gladly. But the truth of the matter is that he had a year similar to the best of his career and we had a below average offense (20th in points/23 yards). I'm sure you have plenty of excuses why we only had 9 wins that points to something/someone else as to why it wasn't Mayfield... unless you're going to throw Canales or Bowles under the bus. I'm not sure how you can blame the #7 ranked points against defense, but I'm sure you'll find a way.

I always root for the Bucs to win... I never even hinted that I "WANT" them to lose. Now, I may expect them to lose because, well, we have Baker Mayfield and the Lions don't, but that doesn't mean I want them to lose.

Why would I care about Jalen Hurts? I don't like the Eagles... I just have to suffer living up here. I agree, I think it is hilarious how much they're paying him... just like I do about the Cowboys paying Dak.

[Bootz]

Why do we care if he throws for 4500 yards and 35 TD passes? We're in the tournament. In the final 8. That's the goal of every team, get in and make waves.

You're coming off as a bit of a troll quite honestly

[kaimaru]

What's delusional is you expecting a first year QB in this town and a first year OC along with the cap constraints that came expecting more..

There is nothing delusional about enjoying the moment and being fired up about this weekend.

Maybe you should follow the Eagles then. Enjoy Jalen Hurts because this is the last youll see of him.. What's he getting paid??? LOL

This team was in pretty good shape, despite the cap restraints. I don't care how many years Mayfield was here... I think it's nice of you to make excuses for him though. Mayfield had a good pass blocking OLine, Evans, Godwin, and White. There's NO REASON AT ALL, why he couldn't throw for 4500 and 35 this year... especially against a weak schedule (ranked 25th in the league). Had he done that, we probably do win 11+ games this year and I'd have eaten crow, gladly. But the truth of the matter is that he had a year similar to the best of his career and we had a below average offense (20th in points/23 yards). I'm sure you have plenty of excuses why we only had 9 wins that points to something/someone else as to why it wasn't Mayfield... unless you're going to throw Canales or Bowles under the bus. I'm not sure how you can blame the #7 ranked points against defense, but I'm sure you'll find a way.

I always root for the Bucs to win... I never even hinted that I "WANT" them to lose. Now, I may expect them to lose because, well, we have Baker Mayfield and the Lions don't, but that doesn't mean I want them to lose.

Why would I care about Jalen Hurts? I don't like the Eagles... I just have to suffer living up here. I agree, I think it is hilarious how much they're paying him... just like I do about the Cowboys paying Dak.

a weak schedule (ranked 25th in the league).

I assume you meant before the season
32 Atlanta .429
31 New Orleans .433
30 Dallas .446
29 Miami .450
28 Chicago .464
27 Buffalo .471
T-25 Green Bay .474
T-25 Houston .474
T-21 Philadelphia .481
T-21 Detroit .481
T-21 Kansas City .481
T-21 Tampa Bay .481

There's NO REASON AT ALL, why he couldn't throw for 4500 and 35 this year

So us running up the middle to create 3rd and long all the time in the early season and you expected him to hit 4500 yards and 35 TDs?

Josh Allen sucks because he only had 200 more yards and 1 more TD with an easier schedule? Jordan Love sucks because he only had 100 more yards and only got to 32 TDs against weaker opponents? Hurts absolutely sucks since Mayfield has much better stats against same level of opponents as Hurts? Goff didn't get to 35 TDs with arguable a better collection of offensive targets. Mahommes clearly isn't good as he has 100 more yards and 1 less TD than Baker. Horrible that Baker is such a sucky company of QBs that clearly can't get the job done up to your standard

[Doctor]

Just playing devils advocate here but......

Are we that good or have we just been super lucky to be where we are? We've only beaten one good team (Packers) and they were in some sort of slump at the time, coming off a horrible loss to the Giants. The Eagles were a playoff team but they were also a team that had completely collapsed and were clearly cooked. Everyone here pretty much said that before the game.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am both extremely happy and surprised to be where we are. Like everyone else, I knew this was the year we had to pay up for going all in with Brady and chasing a ring. I was ok with it, we got that ring and should have had a better shot at the second. I just can't completely get that above point out of my head. This Lions game is going to be the litmus test for me. They aren't top tier but they have been a consistently good team all year. They only lost to one bad team and the only game they lost by 2 scores was to Baltimore. How that game plays out should finally, definitively, answer a lot of questions.

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

Pretty sure I referenced the Giants in the offseason and was called a homer for using a "one in a million fluke season" as evidence.

I totally agree with you.

[kaimaru]

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

Pretty sure I referenced the Giants in the offseason and was called a homer for using a "one in a million fluke season" as evidence.

I totally agree with you.

The 2005 Seahawks won a bad division and barely at 9-7 and won the Super Bowl.

Even though they lost in the Super Bowl, the 2008 Cardinals won a crappy division at 9-7.

So teams can go on run. It's not a 1000:1 shot. More like a 20:1 shot

[Babeinbucland]

Just playing devils advocate here but......

Are we that good or have we just been super lucky to be where we are? We've only beaten one good team (Packers) and they were in some sort of slump at the time, coming off a horrible loss to the Giants. The Eagles were a playoff team but they were also a team that had completely collapsed and were clearly cooked. Everyone here pretty much said that before the game.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am both extremely happy and surprised to be where we are. Like everyone else, I knew this was the year we had to pay up for going all in with Brady and chasing a ring. I was ok with it, we got that ring and should have had a better shot at the second. I just can't completely get that above point out of my head. This Lions game is going to be the litmus test for me. They aren't top tier but they have been a consistently good team all year. They only lost to one bad team and the only game they lost by 2 scores was to Baltimore. How that game plays out should finally, definitively, answer a lot of questions.

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

I watched that game from a casino in Biloxi. When the Giants won the whole casino erupted in cheers. It was great!

And what the hell Cheb- You are posting here at 2am in the morning and again at 6:30 am? You must be massively sleep deprived m’dude.

[Terry Tate]

Just playing devils advocate here but......

Are we that good or have we just been super lucky to be where we are? We've only beaten one good team (Packers) and they were in some sort of slump at the time, coming off a horrible loss to the Giants. The Eagles were a playoff team but they were also a team that had completely collapsed and were clearly cooked. Everyone here pretty much said that before the game.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am both extremely happy and surprised to be where we are. Like everyone else, I knew this was the year we had to pay up for going all in with Brady and chasing a ring. I was ok with it, we got that ring and should have had a better shot at the second. I just can't completely get that above point out of my head. This Lions game is going to be the litmus test for me. They aren't top tier but they have been a consistently good team all year. They only lost to one bad team and the only game they lost by 2 scores was to Baltimore. How that game plays out should finally, definitively, answer a lot of questions.

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

There is one big difference between us and the Giants of that year. The Giants damned near beat the undefeated Tom Brady Patriots in the last game of the season. They had shown that they could hang with an elite team. We haven't done that yet.


Don't get me wrong, I hope we can.

[kaimaru]

@Terry Tate what about my examples?

[Cheb]

The Bucs have won six of their last seven games, man. That's very hard to do in the NFL, and yet we've done it. You can only play the teams on your schedule.

Remember Eli's Giants in 2011? Going on four years removed from a Superbowl victory, they started the season hot, slumped in the middle amid constant whispers that people should be fired, and they ended up barely winning a bad division to limp into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Everyone thought they were kings of shit mountain and would get blasted by better teams. People called them lucky to even be there, and just about everyone picked them to lose. Hell, they had to play games against teams that previously beat them in the regular season, what do we think is gonna happen? Yet game after game, they just kept winning. And nobody took them seriously until they won the damn Superbowl. And we forget all that previous stuff because Eli and his buddies got their second ring out of it.

We are sitting exactly where the Giants sat, to an uncanny degree when you look at what they did and how they did it. There is literally no reason we can't walk that same path.

I watched that game from a casino in Biloxi. When the Giants won the whole casino erupted in cheers. It was great!

And what the hell Cheb- You are posting here at 2am in the morning and again at 6:30 am? You must be massively sleep deprived m’dude.

Those Giants teams were fun to watch.

West coast time that's only 11pm and 3:30am, if that makes any difference.

[Babeinbucland]

Ahhhh that makes sense

[Babeinbucland]

,

[Terry Tate]

@Terry Tate what about my examples?

I didn't see them. TBH, I am not as familiar with those teams in those seasons as I am with that Giants season, simply because of the involvement of a 15-0 team and the fact that we lost to those Giants in the first round.

[CannonFire]

This team was in pretty good shape, despite the cap restraints. I don't care how many years Mayfield was here... I think it's nice of you to make excuses for him though. Mayfield had a good pass blocking OLine, Evans, Godwin, and White. There's NO REASON AT ALL, why he couldn't throw for 4500 and 35 this year... especially against a weak schedule (ranked 25th in the league). Had he done that, we probably do win 11+ games this year and I'd have eaten crow, gladly. But the truth of the matter is that he had a year similar to the best of his career and we had a below average offense (20th in points/23 yards). I'm sure you have plenty of excuses why we only had 9 wins that points to something/someone else as to why it wasn't Mayfield... unless you're going to throw Canales or Bowles under the bus. I'm not sure how you can blame the #7 ranked points against defense, but I'm sure you'll find a way.

I always root for the Bucs to win... I never even hinted that I "WANT" them to lose. Now, I may expect them to lose because, well, we have Baker Mayfield and the Lions don't, but that doesn't mean I want them to lose.

Why would I care about Jalen Hurts? I don't like the Eagles... I just have to suffer living up here. I agree, I think it is hilarious how much they're paying him... just like I do about the Cowboys paying Dak.

a weak schedule (ranked 25th in the league).

I assume you meant before the season
32 Atlanta .429
31 New Orleans .433
30 Dallas .446
29 Miami .450
28 Chicago .464
27 Buffalo .471
T-25 Green Bay .474
T-25 Houston .474
T-21 Philadelphia .481
T-21 Detroit .481
T-21 Kansas City .481
T-21 Tampa Bay .481

There's NO REASON AT ALL, why he couldn't throw for 4500 and 35 this year

So us running up the middle to create 3rd and long all the time in the early season and you expected him to hit 4500 yards and 35 TDs?

Josh Allen sucks because he only had 200 more yards and 1 more TD with an easier schedule? Jordan Love sucks because he only had 100 more yards and only got to 32 TDs against weaker opponents? Hurts absolutely sucks since Mayfield has much better stats against same level of opponents as Hurts? Goff didn't get to 35 TDs with arguable a better collection of offensive targets. Mahommes clearly isn't good as he has 100 more yards and 1 less TD than Baker. Horrible that Baker is such a sucky company of QBs that clearly can't get the job done up to your standard

No, 25th post-season.
http://sagarin.com/sports/nflsend.htm

Wow, you're really reaching with those excuses. LOL. Both Hurts and Allen supplement their passing games with rushing, Mayfield doesn't, but you knew that already, but tried REAL hard to pretend it meant something else. Either that, or you don't know much about football.

Mahomes with this talent throws for 5k and 45+. Or do you not think Mahomes isn't that good?

[Buccabeer]

The Bucs overachieved by most people's standards, with Brady it was always going to be SuperBowl or Bust. This is one thing I can't wait to see in Atlanta if they hire BB. If he doesn't win a SB in year 1, he's a failure, Brady is still the reason he had success, and that fan base will lose their minds because they still aren't over the Brady comeback in the SB.

The only thing you have to wonder is where do we go from here? I mean, do you see us getting to the next level with Baker and Bowles? Both have their moments, but do you think we'll put up a season like the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, or Ravens during the regular season? I don't see it, but I am also ok being the Team that can win any given Sunday. The Lions, Packers, Rams, Browns, Bengals, and Texans are teams that come to mind in that category.

I'll just leave this here for all you dumbasses who think we are going next level with Baker and Bowles. Congrats on a 9-8 season and winning a Playoff game, but changes need to be made if you have SB in your future

[Doctor]

Oh my, is winning a Super Bowl really hard? What a brave take.

[Al Bundy]

It really was. This team still has a shit HC, a shit defense staff, has 4 good players on defense and wasted a season on a retread bad QB.

[Cheb]

We have a bunch of young talent throughout the roster, and possibly found our QBotF. We lost a one-score game against a very good team on the road, and it was close at the end even though we had major fuckups and injuries.

Are we a finished product? Of course not. But I wouldn't say that we had a wasted season, especially now that it's over. Were the Dungy seasons "wasted," when we got bounced out the playoffs in four out of six years? No. They allowed us to build a foundation of core players who learned how to play and win together, and it ultimately led to our first Superbowl victory.

Sometimes successes in life comes swiftly, and it can be lovely when it does. But to build anything that lasts takes time, and anything built quickly often comes undone just as fast.

Go Bucs and chins up, my friends. We were one of the best teams in football this season. Hang your hats on that.

[kaimaru]

I assume you meant before the season
32 Atlanta .429
31 New Orleans .433
30 Dallas .446
29 Miami .450
28 Chicago .464
27 Buffalo .471
T-25 Green Bay .474
T-25 Houston .474
T-21 Philadelphia .481
T-21 Detroit .481
T-21 Kansas City .481
T-21 Tampa Bay .481



So us running up the middle to create 3rd and long all the time in the early season and you expected him to hit 4500 yards and 35 TDs?

Josh Allen sucks because he only had 200 more yards and 1 more TD with an easier schedule? Jordan Love sucks because he only had 100 more yards and only got to 32 TDs against weaker opponents? Hurts absolutely sucks since Mayfield has much better stats against same level of opponents as Hurts? Goff didn't get to 35 TDs with arguable a better collection of offensive targets. Mahommes clearly isn't good as he has 100 more yards and 1 less TD than Baker. Horrible that Baker is such a sucky company of QBs that clearly can't get the job done up to your standard

No, 25th post-season.
http://sagarin.com/sports/nflsend.htm

Wow, you're really reaching with those excuses. LOL. Both Hurts and Allen supplement their passing games with rushing, Mayfield doesn't, but you knew that already, but tried REAL hard to pretend it meant something else. Either that, or you don't know much about football.

Mahomes with this talent throws for 5k and 45+. Or do you not think Mahomes isn't that good?

They are wrong. I used NFL site data. You're saying that the dripped after beating a team over .500 and to have an even lower .400s opponent record. GTFO

[CannonFire]

No, 25th post-season.
http://sagarin.com/sports/nflsend.htm

Wow, you're really reaching with those excuses. LOL. Both Hurts and Allen supplement their passing games with rushing, Mayfield doesn't, but you knew that already, but tried REAL hard to pretend it meant something else. Either that, or you don't know much about football.

Mahomes with this talent throws for 5k and 45+. Or do you not think Mahomes isn't that good?

They are wrong. I used NFL site data. You're saying that the dripped after beating a team over .500 and to have an even lower .400s opponent record. GTFO

LOL, your NFL site data uses final W/L record only. Jeff Sagarin calculates a teams total strength based on the current top 10 teams and overall top 16 teams... meaning, how good was your schedule vs good teams. That's a better indication on how hard your schedule really was.

We had a soft schedule with a lot of bad teams on it. We lost to all 4 of the good teams, 9ers, Lions, Bills, & Eagles... 3 by double digits. Let that sink in. We played 4 good teams, out of 17, and only won 9 games.

[kaimaru]

They are wrong. I used NFL site data. You're saying that the dripped after beating a team over .500 and to have an even lower .400s opponent record. GTFO

LOL, your NFL site data uses final W/L record only. Jeff Sagarin calculates a teams total strength based on the current top 10 teams and overall top 16 teams... meaning, how good was your schedule vs good teams. That's a better indication on how hard your schedule really was.

We had a soft schedule with a lot of bad teams on it. We lost to all 4 of the good teams, 9ers, Lions, Bills, & Eagles... 3 by double digits. Let that sink in. We played 4 good teams, out of 17, and only won 9 games.

So bullshit. Gotcha

[CannonFire]

LOL, your NFL site data uses final W/L record only. Jeff Sagarin calculates a teams total strength based on the current top 10 teams and overall top 16 teams... meaning, how good was your schedule vs good teams. That's a better indication on how hard your schedule really was.

We had a soft schedule with a lot of bad teams on it. We lost to all 4 of the good teams, 9ers, Lions, Bills, & Eagles... 3 by double digits. Let that sink in. We played 4 good teams, out of 17, and only won 9 games.

So bullshit. Gotcha

Look in the mirror. They played FOUR good teams and lost all 4, and Mayfield looked bad in all 4.

[Al Bundy]

So bullshit. Gotcha

Look in the mirror. They played FOUR good teams and lost all 4, and Mayfield looked bad in all 4.

Yes and this team will regress next season, we have seen the absolute best Bowels and Baker can be. Neither of them can be better. Both will be worse next season.

[Doctor]

Look in the mirror. They played FOUR good teams and lost all 4, and Mayfield looked bad in all 4.

Yes and this team will regress next season, we have seen the absolute best Bowels and Baker can be. Neither of them can be better. Both will be worse next season.

It's amazing how you could be so wrong about Bowles and Baker all off season and all year long and then still come back and make such confident declarations. Applause my friend.

[Grahamburn]

Yes and this team will regress next season, we have seen the absolute best Bowels and Baker can be. Neither of them can be better. Both will be worse next season.

It's amazing how you could be so wrong about Bowles and Baker all off season and all year long and then still come back and make such confident declarations. Applause my friend.

Just keep doubling down until you’re right. People did it with Tom Brady too. Ha! See! Told you so!

[Buc2]

Agree? Disagree?

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
JEFFEREE WOO | Times
The best and the worst of the 2023 season

TAMPA — The season is over in Tampa Bay, and that can only mean one thing:

It’s time for bouquets and bellyaching.

In the business world, they might call this a performance review. Around here, it’s more like drunken stream-of-consciousness while sitting at an airport bar because every flight out of Detroit has been canceled until spring thaw.

So, feel free to agree or disagree with these assessments. I’m 86% certain that almost half of them are correct.

Todd Bowles: B-plus
Oh, people will complain about this one. They love to toast Bowles for his calm demeanor, as if Hall of Fame coaches such as Tom Landry and Chuck Noll weren’t equally stoic. I’ve written this multiple times, and I’ll say it again:

Bowles was the right man for this team in 2023.

He had the patience to allow offensive coordinator Dave Canales time to find himself as a play-caller and to give a roster filled with first- and second-year players time to grow. He kept the team together during a horrific stretch of six losses in seven games, and he delivered another division championship when most of the NFL world was picking the Bucs for last place in the NFC South.

The only thing keeping him from an A-plus grade was some of his decisions as a defensive coordinator, including a lack of aggressiveness in the fourth quarter against both the Lions and the Texans.

Devin White: F
Can’t remember a player falling out of favor so quickly and lacking the self-awareness to understand his own culpability.

White averaged 120 tackles, five sacks, nine tackles for loss and 1½ forced fumbles per season from 2019-22. In 2023, he had 83 tackles, 2½ sacks, five tackles for loss and no forced fumbles. Just as bad, he behaved as if nothing was wrong. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he had lost his starting job to K.J. Britt.

The Bucs almost certainly will not re-sign White, who is a free agent.

Baker Mayfield: B
Is he a franchise quarterback? That depends on your definition. He’s not one of the top five QBs in the NFL, but he might be in the top 10.

Mayfield’s numbers were very similar to his best seasons in Cleveland, but they came without the unrealistic expectations of a No. 1 pick. He cut down on his interceptions, but he still holds the ball too long waiting to make plays that aren’t there.

He deserves a big raise and he’s going to get it, but the question is where?

Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis: C-minus
They are both among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, but neither played like it in 2023. On a team that had to cut salaries to make up dead money under the salary cap, the Bucs needed Dean and Davis to perform commensurate to their paychecks. They both fell short.

Offensive line: B-minus
It’s clear that some of the pass-blocking praise they received in 2022 was due to Tom Brady getting rid of the ball so quickly. Still, this is a young, inexpensive group, and they got better as the season went along. Particularly when it came to run-blocking.

Free-agent acquisitions: A-minus
That grade is due almost entirely to Mayfield. You get a playoff-caliber quarterback for $4 million (plus incentives) and you’ve had a good offseason. Also, Chase McLaughlin was a steal at kicker.

However, the Bucs missed on other free-agent signings. Matt Feiler lost his job at left guard to Aaron Stinnie, and Ryan Neal was benched at strong safety. Greg Gaines got almost as much guaranteed money ($3.5 million) as Mayfield and didn’t offer much on the defensive line.

Draft class: B
Good, but not great. Cody Mauch started every game at right guard but was one of the lowest-rated offensive linemen in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby had nice rookie seasons but weren’t difference-makers. Christian Izien was an excellent pickup in the secondary for an undrafted free agent.

Overall: A
To be among the final eight teams standing when more than a quarter of your salary cap was taken up by players no longer with the team is a remarkable accomplishment. This ranks among the half-dozen best seasons in franchise history.

[Grahamburn]

Pretty spot on.

[Backside]

That draft class grade is crap. Kancey wasn't a difference maker? Made the biggest play by the team in both of our playoff games.

How do they arrive at an overall A when the individual grades were mostly mediocre?

[Betsy]

Just trying to free minds from the cult.

I laughed.