Sean Payton: Beware Of The Bucs
February 5th, 2021
Beware of Bucs.
It seems the NFC South is sticking up for the NFC South.
Yesterday Joe brought word that Matty Ice is picking the Bucs, though it “pained” him to do so.
Matty Ice, who also played and damned near beat the Chiefs in Week 16, said the Bucs’ defense gave him a lot more fits than the Chiefs’ did.
Now it’s Sean Payton’s turn.
The coach of the slimy Saints, who the Bucs eliminated from the playoffs in the divisional round of the playoffs, said be careful of the Bucs in Super Bowl LV. Payton appeared this week on Keyshawn Johnson’s show on BSPN Radio. There, Payton explained why people should not be shocked if the Bucs upset the Chiefs Sunday night.
“Be leery of the team that has had to travel on the road three times to get to this game,” Payton said. “The road Tampa has traveled is the team [that] history has told us to be careful of. Because there is a confidence level that builds when you travel three in a row on the road and win and end up playing in this game.”
Keyshawn then asked Payton what was different about the Bucs when he faced them in the playoffs compared to the Bucs his slimy Saints beat twice in the regular season.
“I thought two things,” Payton began. “No. 1, their offense slowly progressed. We had them the opening game of the season. For any team, us included, with the COVID offseason, you are out there and you are learning and there has been no preseason game. And that was a fairly close game.
“We had a big win against them on a Sunday night game in Tampa. But I thought the last quarter pole of the season, the last five weeks of the season, you began to see their offense start clicking and you saw Antonio Brown’s involvement and you saw a good balance with the run and the play-action.
“The other thing I would say is that you began to see the confidence in the secondary.”
Payton then singled out Antoine Winfield as being a catalyst in the Bucs secondary. He raved about Winfield being such a smart and savvy rookie who played more like a four-year veteran. Payton credited Winfield’s smarts and skills to his dad — good genes and good coaching at home from his father.
Joe thought Payton made an interesting point. This Bucs’ playoff run is reminding Joe of 2005, when Pittsburgh went on a similar wild card run to win the Super Bowl.
The Steelers that year (Bucco Bruce Arians coached the Steelers’ wide receivers) beat Carson Palmer and the Bengals, then Peyton Manning and the Colts, then Jake Plummer and the Broncos, all on the road, before beating Seattle in the Super Bowl.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:15 am
Bucs have the better roster. Chiefs have the more dynamic players.
I like the Bucs chances at home.
The addition of Jamal Dean and Vita Vea(neither played against KC earlier this year) and with the Chiefs loosing their starting LT for this game I think will be a much bigger difference than most people realize.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:19 am
4 in a row would be magic!!!! Hey that TB12 guy has been known to pull a rabbit 🐇 out of his hat on occasion!!!!! GO BUCS!!!!
February 5th, 2021 at 9:26 am
It is nice to see the NFC South sticking up for the NFC South Team.
Atlanta picked us too !
February 5th, 2021 at 9:37 am
Let’s Go Bucs!!!
Get it done in Tompa Stadium!!!!!!!!
February 5th, 2021 at 9:38 am
Patience is the key. D don’t give up the big play and shut them down in red zone. 3 points is fine. Agreed after seeing what Vea did in GB, he is a force KC hasn’t seen yet. He can stuff the middle. Not even listed anymore on injury report.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:46 am
Vita is the difference this time, he makes everyone around him better.
Bucs win 34-31.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:50 am
Hopefully, the Bucs are far more worried about this game than I am. I believe that both the Saints and the Packers were tougher to beat than the Chiefs will be on Sunday.
The rest of the media continually talks about the Chief’s firepower on offense, but the Packers are just as loaded on offense as the Chiefs and the Bucs were able to hold them down when it counted.
The Saint’s defense might have been the best in the NFL this season, but the Buc’s offense got what they needed from them.
Sure, the Chiefs are likely to burn us a few times on offense, but they are a gimmick team that is saved weekly by Mahomes’ miracle throws, and I think there is no way that they can hang with the Bucs for 60 minutes. People keep predicting a close game, with 2/3rds of the picks going to the Chiefs, but this is likely to be a curb-stomping by the Bucs, leaving no doubt that Brady is the best QB to ever touch a football.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:58 am
Although it’s nice to hear this from Sean “Butthole Lips” Payton, I think his slight praise for us is more ego-driven than complimentary.
It was a pleasure beating you in the playoffs sir!
Hope to do it again next year.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:15 am
I felt like this is the longest 2 weeks ever. I’m so excited to see the BUCS play this sunday. Here’s hoping for the best. GO BUCS!!!!
February 5th, 2021 at 10:26 am
123 – It has been a long two weeks. Normally, I almost forget about football these two weeks and then the Super Bowl happens. Completely different this year.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:30 am
I wouldn’t say gimmick team, they are the defending champs and have a knack of coming back from deficits. As does Brady. KC was 10 points down last year against probably the best D San Francisco. They are hear for a reason. 17-1
February 5th, 2021 at 10:31 am
I think that both the Saints and Packers were just as tough, if not tougher than the Chiefs.
Both the Packers and the Saints had much better defenses. Hell, the Saint’s had one of the best defenses in the league. Didn’t matter.
The Packers literally had the best offense in the league. Didn’t matter.
Go Bucs. Make us proud.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:44 am
Bucs are just balanced and can really beat you in so many ways. If they play smart, they will win this game.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:50 am
I didn’t realize Vea didn’t play against KC. That’s a real advantage.
I see many positives with Vea’s return …
1. You can’t simulate Vea in practice.
2. You have to single cover Vea, Suh, or Gholston.
3. Suh and JPP are rested.
Add to that, this is Shaq’s last game before becoming a FA. He’ll ball out.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:56 am
The hell with him and the Saints. Arrogant arse team dancing in people locker room. Better hope they have a decent team because I have a feeling most teams in the bro looking to smash them next season especially in this division
February 5th, 2021 at 10:58 am
We will win the Superbowl because we will win in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The return of Vea was huge coupled with the Chif injuries on the OL. Our OL will hold their own against the Chiefs front 7.
We got this.
February 5th, 2021 at 12:05 pm
I say this is more like the 2007 Giants, 3 road trips, starting in Tampa Bay, the only game they were expected to win. I remember everyone talking about the Giants being bounced every step of the way, and particularly by the 16-0 patriots who beat them earlier in the year.
I remember people pronouncing the genius of Belicheat , there was no way anyone can beat a Belicheat team !!!!!
February 5th, 2021 at 12:12 pm
sly pirate I agree , I think Suh will be particularly motivated, this may be his last chance for a ring, even if he is considering coming back next year one never knows if they will make it back ! All these vets will have super motivation to get a ring, Suh, JPP, Shaq, and the youngry guys, particularly White will bring it and keep the other young ones motivated and energized. Even lazy Donovan is going to play through the whistle for his game, doesn’t want tom tearing him a new arse.
BTW, I apologize for the Raheem Morris reference, probably inappropriate.
February 5th, 2021 at 1:02 pm
Starts up front and we’re better on both sides of the ball.
February 5th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
R E S P E C T.
February 5th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Great coach, but is by far the person I hate most on the NFL…. Bounty scandal……He is a VERY bad loser…….Remember when he lost against Koetter Bucs?
February 5th, 2021 at 2:14 pm
zz
He’s a total d!ck…… but I respect his ability to win.
February 5th, 2021 at 2:40 pm
LMAO! Coach Vicodin isn’t sticking up for the Bucs. It makes the Saints look better if they lose to the SB Champions than an also ran. Give me a break.
February 5th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
I am with bucfanforever. If the media blind chose these teams without the names, they would pick Tampa Bay. Kermit is just the shiny new guy who they want to beat Brady and it isn’t going to happen. Vea and Dean back who didn’t play in Week 12. Two weeks to rest, don’t have to travel and Brady had a bad second half against Green Bay and the Bucs STILL won. Brady will not be bad two games in a row. In fact, he is usually dominant after a bad game and with two weeks to stew over what happen in Wisconsin, this guy is going to be an animal that KC won’t know what to do with. Packers and Aints were both better and tougher overall than KC. KC is a finesse team that seems like they don’t want to get hit. A fast break team. So how do you stop a fast break team? Make them play half court and get physical with them because that is the LAST thing they want. So many Super Bowls over the years have featured a finesse team (especially on offense) against a grinding, punishing team (especially on defense but the Bucs can be on both sides of the ball) and the finesse team loses much more often. KC and their offensive line has been downplayed by the media who like the Chiefs but when Mahomes is constantly picking himself off the ground and they just give up on the run because they can’t do it, it will be interceptions galore for the Bucs. The Falcons/Chiefs game was the roadmap to beat these guys and that’s when they HAD Eric Fisher. That game was over, 14-10 for Atlanta if the Falcons DB could catch an easy interception late in the 4th Quarter. Earlier, an Atlanta LB dropped another INT that was thrown right to him by a confused Mahomes. I BEG Kermit to throw three interceptions on Sunday against the Bucs, which I think is a very real possibility. I think we get at least one fumble, too. If that happens, it may be a Bucs waltz. We aren’t San Francisco. The Bucs are finishers. Remember, KC was at full strength in the SB and trailed the Niners by 10 starting the 4th Quarter last year. Tampa Bay is hungry and feeling disrespected. And it won’t be close. Brady is 18-0 in the playoffs when he wins the turnover battle. We take the ball from them and hold onto it ourselves and we win. Period. My main agreement point with bucfanforever is that I think the Bucs are going to pound the Chiefs. All game long. The Bucs will win in a dominant fashion just like they did the last time they played an AFC West team in the Super Bowl. It may not be as much as 27 points but it will be much more than 3-7 like the media thinks. No one thought the Raiders losing Barrett Robbins would be a big deal in SB 37. How did that work out for Oakland/LV? We tormented Rich Gannon. I think we are a combo of the Super Bowl XL Steelers and Super Bowl XLII Giants. Far better offense than either and just as good defensively as both. Plus we get two starters back. Both of those Wild Card Teams mentioned won three playoff games before winning the SB. Just like Tampa Bay. We also have defeated the 4th, 2nd and 1st seeds in our conference on the road just like the Giants did in 2007-08. I think us Bucs fans will not be stressing at the end of the game because we will have the game put away in the win column with a couple of victory formation kneel downs, a cooler drenching of Bruce Arians and Tom Brady raising his SEVENTH, and more importantly, the Buccaneers SECOND LOMBARDI TROPHY as World Champions.
February 5th, 2021 at 3:36 pm
Seemore Bucs….the return bar….
Is your friend.
Go Bucs!!!
February 5th, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Buc1987 – lol. For real. TLDR
February 5th, 2021 at 4:05 pm
This is why Howie Long and Michael Strahan keep picking the Bucs.
They were both on teams that did the same thing.
Won 3 road playoff games and then won it all.
This is the biggest point IMO nobody is talking about until now.
Kudos to Payton because he is exactly right.
Go Bucs
February 5th, 2021 at 4:57 pm
Seemore you write too much !
I wondered why they didn’t douse BA after the NFC championship game, have they been warned that might give him a heart attack ?
February 5th, 2021 at 9:24 pm
With a good game plan we can win it for sure. And we will. But an easy win? Against a Super Bowl team? Not so sure.
If a team is there, it’s because they are damn good!
Andy Reed is no fool. Mahomes is a freak. Hill is a missile. Kelce a mountain.
Our BUCS are better. Brady is better than Mahomes, Evens is better than Hill, Gronk is better than Kelce, and we still have Goodwin, AB, Miller, Johnson, and an awesome O-Line.
But the difference is in our better defense. JPP, Barrett, Vea, Suh, White, David, Winfield, Dean and all his fellows are better than their Chiefs opponents.
We will win. We must! But don’t expect an easy win. He, it’s the Super Bowl!
I will not panic when we will fall behind, (and it will happen), because we will get back for the Lombardi! You hou!
GO BUCS!
February 5th, 2021 at 9:25 pm
Bucszn
For the same reason KC didn’t either…. old coaches, cold weather, and COVID.
February 5th, 2021 at 11:18 pm
1. The Buc’s defense is better than KC’s defense
2. The Buc’s offense scored more per game than KC’s offense
3. T Hill Has been held to 79 yards or less TEN times this season.
4. The Buc’s O-line has been simply dominant in the postseason
5. The Buc’s D-line has been simply dominant in the postseason
6. Browns & Bills at home was a lot easier road.
7. Browns & Bills Played panicked and hurried and beat themselves.
I am not taking away anything from KC, they have been awesome this year, and the last three years, but going into and through these playoffs, the Buccaneers have been the better team.
All I have heard from the “experts” this week is how will the Buccaneers stop KC.
NEWSFLASH- The Buccaneers have a better defense and a higher scoring offense.
Someone should be asking “What is KC going to do to stop the Buccaneers!?”
BUCCANEERS 38
chiefs 27
February 6th, 2021 at 9:11 am
Exactly David. But it’s better to be the underdog and have KC use their arrogance to already win the game in their minds. It makes our victory that much sweeter.
Go BUCS Go!
February 6th, 2021 at 11:06 am
@Seemore Bucs:
Loved your post, and agree wholeheartedly!
tickrdr