The Bucs Are Really Old
July 11th, 2021
The oldest defensive player in the NFL is on the Tampa Bay roster, as is everyone’s favorite ancient gunslinger, Tom Brady.
But the magnitude of the Bucs’ old-man club runs deeper.
Ben Volin, longtime Patriots/NFL writer of the Boston Globe took some shots at Tampa in his latest column but Joe will ignore them today.
What did grab Joe’s interest were nuggets on the NFL’s endangered species: players 30 or older.
“The NFL has been getting younger and cheaper in the past decade … of the 2,880 active players, only 274 (9.5 percent) are age 30 or older,” Volin wrote.
So Joe got a calculator and did a little research. The Bucs have 17 guys that will be 30 or older before opening day. That means about 6 percent of the NFL’s old men are on Tampa Bay’s roster. That’s a big number in a 32-team league.
Defensive tackle Steve McClendon, 35, is that oldest defensive player in the league. Newcomer running back Giovani Bernard turns 30 before Thanksgiving.
Joe’s not sure what this all means for 2021, if anything, but logic says the Bucs have hard work ahead of them to remain a lasting contender.
July 11th, 2021 at 2:14 pm
George Allen would be proud
July 11th, 2021 at 2:30 pm
Yah but look at starters who are / will be contributors (that matter)
Lavonte
JPP
Suh
Jensen
AB
Succop
Gronk
Brady
Brate
Bernard
(Mcclendon is only rotational)
Pretty solid all star team there
July 11th, 2021 at 2:47 pm
No substitute for experience.
July 11th, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Rather have a 30 early something former multiple probowl quality player, than a 25 year old marginal player. As long as he is healthy,.
July 11th, 2021 at 3:29 pm
oldies but goodies
July 11th, 2021 at 3:40 pm
Always smh with the “over 30” bullspit. 26-30 is the new prime. Did we not prove this a few months ago??? Your starting to sound like these natty’s that say the Bucs only won the Super Bowl because they were healthy all year. That’s not true and It’s their way of saying Brady’s too old because they wouldn’t dare to make that statement again. McClendon is good depth. The older vets can be the best depth if you can pick em. At 28, we should dump Marpet and Evans now before they totally tank on their 30th birthdays. HURRY YOUR ASS UP JULY 23!!!
July 11th, 2021 at 4:01 pm
ack Burton Mercer Says:
July 11th, 2021 at 2:47 pm
No substitute for experience.
That’s right, Jack, always look for the silver lining!!!
July 11th, 2021 at 4:30 pm
The Bucs have a large core of young players on their roster and the older guys on the roster are mostly on one year contracts.
July 11th, 2021 at 4:37 pm
There is a nice mix> just have to draft well
July 11th, 2021 at 4:47 pm
George Allen won a lot with the Over the Hill Gang
July 11th, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Won a lot in the regular season but didn’t do a whole lot in the playoffs. They ran out of gas.
July 11th, 2021 at 5:49 pm
Leave it to Brady to skew our numbers. lol
July 11th, 2021 at 5:52 pm
Vets have some experience and savvy you just don’t get with young kids. They know how “it” works and I trust a 30 year old a HELL of a lot more than some 22 year old kid all else being equal. Talent alone won’t win anything. You need dudes who have experience and grit. Show me a 30+ year old NFL player that doesn’t have heart and I’ll show you an ex NFL player. Otherwise they’ve been replaced by cheaper labor and they’ve washed out of the league.
Let 2023 worry about 2023. That’s a post-GOAT era. All-in means all-in. Load up on vets and let’s roll.
July 11th, 2021 at 5:59 pm
The Super Bowl window is 2021 and 2022. After that it’s going to be an ugly few years around here.
July 11th, 2021 at 6:25 pm
This means nothing for 2021, is what it means. The guys are all signed for this year, many to one-year deals, so it is what it is. We know guys like Brady and McClendon skew the average way high, and we know (sadly) their days are numbered. Get that last little bit of lightning out of the bottle though.
Now, going forward, the average age is not so telling as would be the median age (the age most players are), as well as the median number of years players are under contract. I think the situation could be better than having the old heads like the aforementioned plus guys like Suh, JPP, and Bernard showing the new guys the way.
July 11th, 2021 at 6:27 pm
Don’t forget too…all the guys on the roster that are not old now and doing short contracts, that still have lots of years left…will be one year better, maybe two…so I don’t agree that it’s going to get rough around here at all. 1976 is rough. 2014 is rough. I don’t think we’ll see that again for a long, long time.
July 11th, 2021 at 6:33 pm
Hmm, the Redskins lost to the 49ers on the road due to one bad call (Nixon) is running out of gas? Losing to the undefeated Dolphins by a touchdown is because they were old? Losing to the Purple People Eaters on the road but scoring 20 points on a legendary defense is because they had 30 year olds.
Being 30 isn’t old, certainly not with today’s nutritional plans. But it’s July. We have to write about something, right?
Anybody want to take the abacus out and see what the average age would be without Brady? Anyone want to give last year back so we can have a younger team?
July 11th, 2021 at 7:04 pm
Pewter plank wrote a ridiculous story
about Harry coming from the Pats.
Thats never going to happen even if he played for free.
July 11th, 2021 at 7:08 pm
Jerry
“The Super Bowl window is 2021 and 2022. After that it’s going to be an ugly few years around here.”
Don’t worry. The bandwagon will always be there for you to jump on and off of.
July 11th, 2021 at 7:18 pm
Joe Says:
July 11th, 2021 at 5:17 pm
George Allen won a lot with the Over the Hill Gang
Won a lot in the regular season but didn’t do a whole lot in the playoffs. They ran out of gas.
Hey Joe….. Billy Kilmer < Brady lol
Ok then we can try Sonny,J, nope advantage Brady lol lol
GO BUCS!!!!!!
July 11th, 2021 at 7:19 pm
SOE….
Well said sir
July 11th, 2021 at 7:26 pm
Jerry Says:
July 11th, 2021 at 5:59 pm
The Super Bowl window is 2021 and 2022. After that it’s going to be an ugly few years around here.
Remains to be seen what will happen beyond 2021 -2022
But the Bucs should be better then Grudens season after season of a .500 % winning bunch with retreads after he led the Bucs to the Promised Land.
GO BUCS!!!!
July 11th, 2021 at 8:14 pm
SEOBucs …
The Super Bowl window ends this year, yes. But, the Bucs should remain respectable and in playoff contention for years to come with a solid defense and great roll players on offense.
We could end up nabbing another proven vet QB and keep the train rolling.
July 11th, 2021 at 9:14 pm
Brady – 44 – played some of the best football of his 21 year career last year
Suh – 34 – barely seems to have lost a step. Still one of the best DTs in the game
Gronk – 32 – injuries have taken their toll but Gronk at even 80% of his prime is better than 95% of the rest of the league’s TEs. Scored “two tuddies” in the SB!
JPP – 32 – yea, his knee issues may well be somewhat chronic at this point. But are YOU going to bet against JPP ballin out like an All pro this year? Didn’t think so…..
Lavonte David – 31 – Plenty left in the tank as we saw all year in 2020. Basically still in his prime and his knowledge/experience more than makes up for any perceived lost half step or whatever…..
Ryan Jensen – 30 – In his prime right now – had low mileage/usage early in his career.
There’s your “over 30” starters
AB at 33 is not a “starter”. But for $3.5M or whatever he was guaranteed, he represents extremely high ‘value’ based on last year’s results in 8 games…
I will take that group of VET leaders all day every day.
Everyone else who truly ‘matters’ on the Bucs roster is either currently in their prime years (27-29) or younger
Bucs are a ‘young’ team – not an old one.
Jason Licht has been killing it in the draft. (Evans,Marpet, Godwin, Vea, ROJO, Davis, Dean, Cappa, Whitehead, White, SMB, Dean, Wirfs, Winfield….)
If that draft success continues, the Buccaneers will be “relevant” for many years to come post-Brady….
July 11th, 2021 at 9:21 pm
I think Arians has the mix he has been shooting for all along. He’s always wanted a veteran presence in each of the position rooms. The only place he’s lacking is CB and Safety rooms. I really like the balance and a lot of young players are getting the best coaching they’ll ever see. How many stories has Joe written about Suh and the young players. Between the veterans and having the biggest coaching staff in league allowing the 2 practices at a time, this team is going to be very hard to beat.
July 11th, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Super Bowl window is a dumbass term. We’re going back to back to back for the rest of time. One game at a time.
#WeHaventWonSh!t
July 11th, 2021 at 11:03 pm
Joe Says:
July 11th, 2021 at 5:17 pm
George Allen won a lot with the Over the Hill Gang
Won a lot in the regular season but didn’t do a whole lot in the playoffs. They ran out of gas.
His conservative approach to gameplay increased 2 fold in playoff games. Picture Woody Hayes in the NFL
July 11th, 2021 at 11:30 pm
O- Line is average to young.
WRs are young . AB is old. Evans getting up there but has 5 years left.
RBs are old. Bernard is older but few miles on him.
QB- they got a rookie to learn from gramps
TEs- old. The young one is the one who’s hurt all the time
D line- older but nothing one singing and one draft does ant fix
LB- need to draft LVD replacement.
DBs are young
July 12th, 2021 at 3:32 am
Playwright David Mamet quote: “Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance”. (In our fighter squadrons had a similar saying: “Old age & cunning will trump youth & skill every time”).
That’s our Bucs to me. Our veterans like Suh & JPP have been playing at an elite level since Day 1 of their careers and have learned how to compensate for the effects of age.. They’ve seen it all & learned every trick in the book by this point (as has Tom Brady obviously). And our ‘youngsters’ like Vea & Tryon are the beneficiaries of being able to learn from elite players with those kinds of skills & experience.
July 12th, 2021 at 5:54 am
The Bucs DID get lucky with injuries last year…when compared to the past 10 seasons.
That isn’t the only reason we won a Superbowl, but it certainly played a role.
That seems to be the case with every Superbowl inner.
July 12th, 2021 at 5:56 am
David Says:
“LB- need to draft LVD replacement.”
Agreed.