Worst Of The Best
August 18th, 2018
Tough task.
The Bucs are in a pinch.
Of course, the lone way in the NFL to cement a playoff berth is to win a division. OK, fine. But in the Bucs’ case, it would be a borderline miracle not unlike the 1979 Bucs.
The Bucs play in the toughest division in the NFL, potentially with three quarterbacks who could be headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
(Mock Joe for suggesting Cam Newton could be in Canton, but if he continues to put up numbers like he has for most of a career — he has the most career rushing TDs of any QB by a mile — he’ll have one helluva case to be inducted.)
The only time Joe can think of where a division had three Hall of Fame quarterbacks was the AFC East of the early 1970s that featured Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath and Bob Griese.
Vincent Verhei of Football Outsiders sort of feels sorry for the Bucs. He believes the only way Tampa Bay would be able to win their division this season would be if NFL strongman Roger Goodell suddenly forced a realignment.
The Buccaneers need to petition the NFL for realignment. It’s awfully hard to win a division when you’re competing against former All-Pro quarterbacks such as Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton every season. It’s even harder when your own franchise quarterback is suspended for three games, as Jameis Winston is this year. It’s harder still when your secondary consists mostly of young players with little track record of success in the pros.
Maybe the Bucs would have better playoff odds in the AFC, but as it stands they look like the worst team in the NFL’s best division.
Interestingly, Verhei does not list the Bucs as having the worst chance of going from worst-to-first this season, despite the strong division.
Verhei thinks the Jets, Bears and Giants will have a tougher time going from worst-to-first in their respective divisions than the Bucs.
August 18th, 2018 at 9:21 am
Iron sharpens iron!!! Who cares if you play in a weaker division or not, to me that just means your team is less prepared to win it all since en route to a SB ring you’ll likely play the best from other, better divisions
August 18th, 2018 at 9:22 am
Why feel sorry for BUCS?????
only because Jameis is their savior…….aka FRAUD franchise QB
……the BUCS will always be sucky with Jameis at the Helm
August 18th, 2018 at 9:33 am
^ Did this guy forget we went 9-7 in 2016 with Jameis at the helm?
August 18th, 2018 at 9:34 am
The Bucs are 8-10 against their division the last three years. JW is 8-9 against these QB’s. Fitz lost his start in ATL last year.
2015 > 3-3 Panthers in SB
2016 > 4-2 Falcons in SB
2017 > 1-5
I don’t understand the naysayers. This 2018 Bucs team is batter than any of the teams in the 3 previous seasons.
August 18th, 2018 at 9:48 am
Forget about the Saints, Falcons and Panthers. All are beatable.
Forget about Ryan, sCam (both over-rated) and Brees (easy HOFer but now OLD).
This is OUR division moving forward.
Buccaneers need only focus on getting better every day, getting closer as a team, developing all the talented youth and learning how to WIN.
The Bucs are as good or better – have as much or more talent – as any other team in the NFC South.
Focus on improving – focus on learning how to win and this team will get there!
August 18th, 2018 at 9:54 am
In the immortal words of Douglas Neidemeyer…
Thank you sir, may I have another…SMACK
Thank you sir, may I have another…SMACK
Repeat three more times.
August 18th, 2018 at 9:55 am
@Dapostman … “I don’t understand the naysayers. This 2018 Bucs team is better than any of the teams in the 3 previous seasons.” Finally a ray of hope … thank you Dapostman. Our goal shouldn’t be to crawl out of the cellar, or to make the playoffs as a wildcard, or even to win the NFC South. The only worthwhile goal each and every year is to WIN THE SUPER BOWL. Anything less means coming in second place … or worse.
If we can’t beat our NFC South counterparts, how could we possibly win the Super Bowl? Mike’s 100% right … “Iron sharpens iron”. Saints, Panthers, Falcons are ALL very good teams. Instead of crying in our beer with more ‘Woe is us”, how about we instead just beat the daylights out of them. All three of them have good offenses AND good defenses. Time for the Bucs to show that we do too.
Our problem historically has been that we beat ourselves. Our offense fizzles when it needs to be exploding, or our defense fizzles when it needs to be kicking ass & taking names. Not this year … enough is enough. No more excuses. Go Bucs!
August 18th, 2018 at 10:17 am
Brees will be done in a year. Newton completes 50 something %. Ryan chokes. The reason the bucs suck is coaching and defense imo, not other teams qbs. This guy needs a brain. But yeah who cares as Mike said. Games arent really won and lost by the opponents. If the bucs play up to their talent level and capability it doesnt matter who they are in division with.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:18 am
Hey postman, that is amazing stats you have. 8-9 is not back and beating every QB in our division.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:20 am
Well yeah Joe, I guess being the first dog in front of the last dog on the dogsled team is a step up from obscurity.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:30 am
Petition for realignment? Talk about frauds man anyone and everyone is trying to write about football and it’s getting watered down and you no longer have to have credentials just a means …… Just stupid reporting all summer long
Only reason people are saying winning the division can’t be done is because it hasn’t been done in so long. Put any guy in at quarterback for last year’s defense and none of them are taking that team to the playoffs. New Orleans always had the number 1 offense but want making the playoffs when their defense was trash.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:43 am
We are the most talented team in the division period. If we don’t win this team it’s coaching plan and simple. No one has better d line depth, no one has better wr or te depth, we have as good of linebacking core as the other 3 at this point, our corners are young but talented but so is everyone elses, and yes our QB is on the same level as the other 2 and better than Newton. The oline is questionable but so is the rest of the division and now that the Muscle Hopper is gone our back will be comparable.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:46 am
going to nfl site bucs are rated around the 4th toughest division.. i guess its all perception.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:49 am
Has Joe already given up on this season? C’mon Joe, have just a little faith. There was a time, not so long ago, when the other NFC South teams were weak. If Jameis is able to change, our team’s fortunes will change.
August 18th, 2018 at 10:51 am
Bucs could be demoted to a high school division and still find thier way to the basement. Pathetic owners with no leadership skills. Lakeway High School in Texas drew brees alma mater could put 30 on captain blowouts soft arse defense with zero heart.
August 18th, 2018 at 11:06 am
Problem with the Bucs is we don’t put complete games together. If the offense does good, defense gives up the booty. If defense balls out, offense turns the ball over and can’t sustain drives. If both offense and defense show up, the kicker shanks field goals all over the place.
August 18th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Hey finish we are too weak to win can you put us in another class?
B.S…..get better and win games
August 18th, 2018 at 11:30 am
Dewey, Dewey,Dewey,
The point I am making is we are playing against 3 great QB’s for 6 games every year and yet we aren’t 5-13 against them the last 3 seasons but 8-10 with a young QB, no running game and a bad defense save for 5 games in 2016. This 2018 team seems better than any of the previous 3 Buc teams. I can see a 4-2 division record this year. Then what will the naysayers have to say? BTW, before last year we were 7-5 against these great QB’s with two teams that ended up in the SB.
#Get After It!
August 18th, 2018 at 11:48 am
NFC South is like American League East…….tough going for Rays, Orioles & Blue Jays….but can be done……occasionally.
August 18th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Scotty in SA
I think that’s Kevin Bacon’s character in Animal House that says that to Neidemeyer.
And the Bucs just need to win. It’s not impossible…. geez.
August 18th, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Joe is losing patience, pal. –Joe
August 18th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
No different than the Rays being in the AL East division with Yanks and Sox.
You have to man up and ball out…period.
August 18th, 2018 at 12:57 pm
The proof is in the pudding. Let’s see how we do tonight. If we keep giving up the run our defense is still in trouble. Hope we have fixed that and our outstanding Offense does well again! Go Bucs!!!
August 18th, 2018 at 2:13 pm
The competition in the NFL will only get tougher because the league isn’t expanding anytime soon (hasn’t since 2002 – Texans, and really since 1995- Jaguars and Panthers) – can’t use tough competition as excuse as overall talent of league will continue to upgrade without expanding.
Every team that wants to be successful needs to :
minimize turnovers ( Bucs had alot of fumbles last year)
run the ball with success ( Bucs were among league worst – cue martin hate)
stop the run – injuries and weak secondary cost Bucs last year
score 26-28 points per game to have a chance at winning
August 18th, 2018 at 3:30 pm
This is loser mentality. It comes from the top. Koetter has no confidence or motivational fire. All three of those teams lose almost half their games each year. If the Bucs are unable to beat teams that lose almost half their games each year then they are useless. What the hell are they doing here?
August 18th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Newton? Can you get into the HOF for wearing the ugliest, cheesiest outfits ever? In today’s society I wouldn’t think it’s so far fetched.
August 18th, 2018 at 4:29 pm
Calling our division the best is just off-season fodder. Come next off-season it will be the NFC East or West.
And everybody says we are the best and they are all wrong. If this claim were true the NFC South would have been represented in the Super Bowl, let alone the NFC Championship.
August 18th, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Jimmy – Saints should have been in the NFC championship game last year – Falcons and Panthers both went to the Super Bowl in the 2 years prior…
August 18th, 2018 at 5:52 pm
The division you play in means nothing!!! It comes down to desire of the players and the coaches imposing their will on them. There are a few freak athletes in the league but there are only 53 humans on each team which requested to 1632 in total. Take away 10 on each team that never see the field (back up QB’s, kickers/punters, other backups)….that leaves with a little over 1300 humans. You can’t tell me that with all of the evaluations of players prior to the draft and Developement of these players when on a team that any one 6’5” 320 pound oLineman on ANY team is that much different from an athletic perspective from another. It’s all mind of matter.
August 18th, 2018 at 6:03 pm
LOL, The sheep trying to rationalize…
The most talented team rosters make the playoffs…EVERY YEAR EVERY TIME
In our division ATL, NO,and Car are stacked with talent and have done very well every year in the drafts
Vegas (Professionals) have these 3 teams at the top 6 of most wins in 2018
We have less talent than these 3 teams and we have 2 huge holes that Gump has not plugged (corners/off line)
vegas states 6.5 wins
“Bet your disability check on the under”
Kobe Faker
August 18th, 2018 at 6:21 pm
Ok Pickgrin. You just watch, by this time next year nobody will be calling us the best division. All this fodder will amount to an excuse and nothing more.
August 18th, 2018 at 6:34 pm
4-12