Looking At 8-8
July 19th, 2016
NFL analyst gives his take on the 2016 Bucs.
You know training camp is near when NFL.com starts pumping out preseason predictions.
So too is the NFL Network. And in a segment during NFL HQ, former NFLer Solomon Wilcots was asked if the Bucs would have more or less than six wins this season.
“I’m going to give them more. I think they will settle in as a team. They were very competitive last year. They just have a find a way to finish off wins.”
Wilcots added he thinks the Bucs will be 8-8.
Joe thinks that is a fair if not reasonable expectation. But Joe isn’t so sure the Bucs were competitive very often. They got curb-stomped by the lowly Titans to start the season (“Tennessee-ready”) which was the beginning of the end for Lovie Smith, the way he was downright negligent in getting his defense prepared for Marcus Mariota, a guy he heavily scouted.
The Bucs also got beat up by the Stinking Panthers twice. The beat down in St. Louis on national TV at the hands of the rotten Rams and quarterback Case Keenum was nearly as shameful as the ketchup and mustard uniforms the teams wore that night.
But, yeah, for the most part, the Bucs lost close games. This just in: Most NFL games are close no matter if the coach is Lovie or Bill Belicheat.
July 19th, 2016 at 7:15 am
8-8 and try Super Bowl!
July 19th, 2016 at 7:29 am
8-8 would be a nice start for this team and the new staff……would break the “losing season” run…..!!
July 19th, 2016 at 8:33 am
Man Wilcott looks like Ray Lewis, only smaller!
July 19th, 2016 at 8:36 am
DavidBigBucsFan99
i thought the same exact thing
July 19th, 2016 at 8:37 am
I’m not gonna call for a super bowl run, but I think that these guys are going to surprise a lot of folks this year. I think the arrow is pointing way up on the team. We’ve got a real coach for the first time in a while. Bringing in Mike Smith to supplement whatever learning curves that Dirk has in settling in to his new role was a master stroke. I don’t think people are talking enough about how this is Jameis first offseason in his life where he’s been able to focus on strictly football. That same guy that everyone has called the best QB prospect to come out since Andrew Luck, he’s been doing it part time his entire life. He’s finally putting every minute in to honing his craft. It’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch this kid grow and bring the team along with him.
July 19th, 2016 at 8:38 am
i am going with 9-7 just missing playoffs… fragile DTs and weak WR corp keep them from playoffs
July 19th, 2016 at 8:46 am
I’ve said this many times but a couple of made FG’s plus Kwon Alexander playing the last four games and the Bucs would have been 8-8 and very possibly 9-7. Of course, every team’s fan base in the NFL can say that.
Conversely, if the Buccaneers have one more score against the Rams, Saints, or Bengals in 2014 the team misses out on both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.
Thanks Lovie!
July 19th, 2016 at 8:49 am
I think the Bucs surprise everyone…
The Defense is going to be in Fire..
The will look much better with Winston being more comfortable in his role as a leader..
Unleash the dog’s….LVD AND KWON WILL BITE!!??
Go Bucs
July 19th, 2016 at 8:50 am
I’d like 16-0 but would be happy with 8-8
July 19th, 2016 at 8:53 am
8-8 sounds fair. Thats were about half of the NFL teams look at the start of the season. In the nfl the difference between 8-8 and and 10-6 is a few TDs instead of FGs and a few fortunate turnovers. And the difference between 8-8 and 5-11 is a few stupid penalties and a few bad turnovers.
July 19th, 2016 at 9:02 am
Let me see how many different preseason Bucs predictions I can make, I’m bound to hit on one of them. I’ll go with 2-2 in preseason and half wins when it counts, + or – 1 game.
July 19th, 2016 at 9:16 am
I think 8-8 is a fair expectation. You’re not really going out on a limb, if you know what I mean!
TBBF stole my thunder though! 16-DASH-ZERO all the way baby!
July 19th, 2016 at 9:25 am
Bucs are Superbowl bound.
July 19th, 2016 at 9:26 am
@Mike —
There is some chance at work, but a lot more consistency. The Bucs were a bad team from 2009 — 2015. Even with the 2010 mirage, they did not have the horses or the culture to win more than 5-6/yr. they MAY have turned a corner, and will show it with 8 wins or more.
By contrast, the Broncos are not sweating a 5-win season, nor are the Seahawhs or Pats or Panthers or Packers. We hear , “On any given Sunday . . “. Yeah, well, if a playoff berth is on the line try suiting up on a Tuesday against the Pats. Some things are not fair, and most of those are not luck.
July 19th, 2016 at 9:30 am
Numbers are meaningless this year!! Just establishing the mindset!!! Seeing what can be salvaged from the old roster!! And setting up the table for the playoffs next year!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!
July 19th, 2016 at 9:37 am
@Mike … “In the nfl the difference between 8-8 and and 10-6 is a few TDs instead of FGs and a few fortunate turnovers.” I agree with those 2 factors Mike but tend to think there are a couple of others that drive the train just as much.
All NFL teams have roughly similar talent; these guys are the best of the best. Coaching to me is THE critical differentiating factor. Training guys up right and inspiring them to ‘play up to their potential’ is what I look for in great coaches. Coming up with great offensive & defensive schemes and tactics which put guys in the best position to win is all part of that I think. Lovie didn’t show me that, but Greg Schiano did … to a degree (not nearly enough though). Dirk Koetter & Mike Smith (and the staff that they’ve put together) look to me like they hold great promise in that area.
Injuries are another critical factor. Great coaches can do a lot with 2nd & 3rd string ‘depth players’ but at some point too many injuries to key players can’t be effectively overcome it seems. And oh ya, as your ‘fortunate turnovers’ implies, Lady Luck seems to play her part in the whole season-record thing. Seen far too many Bucs games turn south based on just 1 or 2 ‘bad bounces’ or bad calls or just plain old bonehead plays on the part of 1 player.
July 19th, 2016 at 10:15 am
Although we may want more wins this season, 8-8 is very realistic and a goal for the Bucs. If Koetter can get to 8-8, then is he officially building something. Anything less and its back to the drawing board. Yes, the schedule is tough. Whats the next excuse? This is the NFl. On any given Sunday…..
July 19th, 2016 at 10:57 am
I agree with you and the first person to look at, outside of the Glazers, is Jason Licht. Of course, to some of the mouth breathers around here a 6-10 record under Dirk Koetter is better than a 6-10 record under Lovie Smith because it somehow feels better.
July 19th, 2016 at 12:03 pm
I’m not making a prediction, but I will state for the record what is acceptable to me, not that it matters.
8-8 is acceptable as an overall record. A better record is preferred of course, but this would be acceptable.
7-9 would only be acceptable if they were “pretty” losses…meaning the team played very well, didn’t quit, and were just beat by better team.
Playoffs? Only if we can win at least one game in the playoffs. Otherwise, I prefer to miss them so it doesn’t hurt our draft position.
But…
…there is a part of me that feels this team could surprise all of us…and win big. I just don’t want to push it out there and make a bold prediction, only to be disappointed (as has happened many times in the past 40 years).
July 19th, 2016 at 12:07 pm
@Mike
I think you are off a little bit, but just a little. A FG can win a game just as easily as a TD.
And bad calls by the refs, or biased non-calls by the refs, decide more games than not these days.
My one concern in regard to Miko Grimes…that the refs will screw us in a game, and she will target them in her rants, resulting in turning the refs against us more than they already are (and they certainly have been for years).
July 19th, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Being negative..I am going 9-7
Being positive..I am going 11-5
We WILL make the playoffs this year…
And I too thought it was Ray Lewis..lol..
July 19th, 2016 at 12:46 pm
6-10 is not good not matter what but if anyone thinks getting blow out by the Titans and Rams is the same as losing close games to the Seahawks and KC and ending up with the same record really shouldn’t be watching football.
July 19th, 2016 at 1:19 pm
I’ll take 8-8 now. We won 6 last year with a weak schedule. Anything over 8 I’d be thrilled. I don’t see us as a real good football team right now. Just like decent.
July 19th, 2016 at 1:55 pm
F-Rome I haven’t heard anyone say they’d be happy with a 6-10 record.
July 19th, 2016 at 5:06 pm
@realist….here you go setting up excuses….numbers have heavy meaning this year….the magic number is 9 imo….win 9games and then you can say this coaching staff has established a mind set….winning only 8games is a minor improvement and major disappointment….that’s like when we won 6 games after winning 4 the previous year….people including yourself said the team looked worse with a 2game improvement….that can be the same case if we went 8-8….I believe and im sure mr. licht would agree with me that winning 10games and a berth in the playoffs is expected this year….GO BUCS!!!!
July 19th, 2016 at 8:16 pm
This team is going to surprise a lot of people this year. If you look back over the past two years you can see so many close games that should have gone our way. The player who will make the most impact is Noah Spence. I expect him to dominate just like he did in college. A defensive front four of Spence, Robert Ayers, Gerold McCoy and William Gholston is going to get to the passer.
July 20th, 2016 at 4:13 pm
Take a look at the schedule and tell me how the Bucs get to 8 wins.