No Late Bye
May 12th, 2021
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians.
Last year the bye week came at the perfect time.
While Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians thought at the time it came a little late, it’s hard to argue with the timing in retrospect.
The Bucs, after the late bye — one of two teams who had the latest bye in the NFL — came out like gangbusters, as if they were a new team. They were on fire, rattling off eight straight wins ending in a Super Bowl victory.
Joe is convinced the Bucs played so well because they had fresher legs, especially the defense, due largely to the late bye.
The Bucs have no such benefit this year.
While the Bucs’ bye comes after Week 8, Joe was hoping for a later bye, especially in the inaugural 17-game season with older players like Lavonte David that played so many snaps last season (David logged 99 percent of the defensive snaps in 2020).
Four of the Bucs’ final nine games after the bye come against 2020 playoff teams (Washington, Indianapolis, Buffalo and New Orleans).
Like last year, the Bucs end the season with cupcake teams — two against the Stinking Panthers sandwiched around the Jets with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.
In a little over a month (Nov. 14-Dec. 19) the Bucs will face four 2020 playoff teams in a six-game stretch, WTF, Colts, Bills and the slimy Saints).
(Graphic courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
May 12th, 2021 at 8:32 pm
Have the same concern Joe. Hope we have enough fuel in the tank to drive it all the way home. The good news is the we have enough weapons and depth to rest a few studs against the panthers (twice) and jets.
Pile drive ordered up!
May 12th, 2021 at 8:36 pm
Get the first round bye.
May 12th, 2021 at 8:42 pm
Lavonte went on NFL Network (which is killing ESPN’S coverage tonight) & Winfield Jr went on NFL Radio. I’m pumped!
May 12th, 2021 at 8:43 pm
However, look at that October 4th, 10th, and 14th stretch. I’m sure the Bucs will appreciate their by over the first week of November!
May 12th, 2021 at 8:44 pm
A mid season bye may be just fine. Last season they were coughing & wheezing ( like the time Ira played Billie Jean King in a tennis match ) as they approached the bye. Not too early…could be ideal actually.
May 12th, 2021 at 8:44 pm
17-0, how do we only have 1 Monday night game.
May 12th, 2021 at 8:46 pm
They don’t play a 2020 playoff team until week 7
May 12th, 2021 at 8:50 pm
Ignore my last comment, who approved the Rams and Charger’s logos looking almost identical?
May 12th, 2021 at 9:23 pm
The last three games can be a bye for certain players. Give a couple of them a game off. We can win all three games without a player or two on defense and any one or two players not name Brady on offense. Except the Jets. Don’t need Brady for the Jets. Add in the first round bye and we are in good shape. Even better than the late bye last year, because we had to win every game down the stretch and play the wild card.
May 12th, 2021 at 9:24 pm
Fewer MNF and Thursday games the better
May 12th, 2021 at 9:43 pm
Washington does not count as a traditional playoff team. That division shat the bed and the tallest weed in the bin won.
Giants, Jets, Panthers, Panthers, plus I think it’s fair to say losing a HOF QB and unloading players for salary cap makes the Aints vulnerable and would not be surprised to see them struggle to get to .500.
In BA I Trust!
May 12th, 2021 at 9:55 pm
It could have been week 4, so I’ll gladly it.
May 12th, 2021 at 10:03 pm
Cake schedule
May 12th, 2021 at 10:10 pm
you guys aren’t going to like what i have to say about the new orleans game…
i see 2 rest periods in the season…
it’s like this…
go hard until the new orleans game…then go light and rest if necessary during that game and thru the bye week…then we have an extended rest period from like the 25th to the 14th of the next month…
then go hard again starting in washington, until carolina…
then have an extended makeshift type rest period the last 3 weeks of the season…
if we have the luxury to do that…
forget the first new orleans game…let jameis and crew sorta toot their horns if they win…but literally thump them in the second meeting in december – when it counts…
so go hard…rest a bit…
go hard again…rest a bit…
then hopefully enter the playoffs refreshed and somewhat healthy…
i see us at 13-4 or 14-3 on the season…
we are going to lose to a bad team in a wtf just happened type game…
we are going to lose to a really good team…
we are going to lose to a divisional opponent…
and let’s maybe throw in one more loss for good measure to an average team…
don’t forget we are the superbowl champs – everyone is gunning for us…we are their superbowl game…we wear the target…
13-4 is just fine…but i’ll take 14-3
if we go 15-2 that would be amazing…and any of you thinking higher that that is simply not thinking at all…
stay focused buc fans…stay focused
May 12th, 2021 at 10:29 pm
This year our late bye will be wild card weekend Joe…
May 12th, 2021 at 10:58 pm
@idiot with keyboard
Hell yes!
May 12th, 2021 at 11:15 pm
adam from ny…you’re always a trip to read. Thanks for that..
14-3 and a repeat is in store for us long suffering Bucs fans.
Go Bucs!!!
May 13th, 2021 at 12:36 am
lol@WTF
May 13th, 2021 at 2:06 am
@Bucs1987:
anytime my bucs brotha, anytime…
#WeReadyForYall
#ReadySteadyGo
May 13th, 2021 at 4:53 am
I’m not going to complain about a week 9 bye. We used to get week 5, and not to mention the week one nonsense. Anything after week 8 is a win in my book
May 13th, 2021 at 7:48 am
Nit picking Joe. Mid season is pretty good for the bye. Certainly better then the hurricane bye a couple of years ago.
May 13th, 2021 at 11:04 am
Bye is in a good spot. If we had it a few weeks earlier last year, maybe we are better than 7-5 at the bye. I like it here because I think this team will have to push really hard at that time for the #1 seed. Those final 3 games seem like great opportunities to let veterans rest. Perhaps we even witness the offensive stylings of Gabbert in a couple of games. Odd feeling this optimistic about our Tampa team, and i havent even cracked open a Big Storm yet.
May 13th, 2021 at 1:26 pm
Week 9 bye seems pretty good late bye seems like a really good spot