Not Buying What The Bucs Are Selling
March 26th, 2024
Perception clouds reality.
“The Heroes,” the four-man gang that comprises the “Around the NFL” podcast produced by NFL.com, hear what Bucs AC/DC-loving Jason Licht is saying. But their appear to have a quality standard that differs from Licht’s.
Licht has said recently he’s flabbergasted why so few (if any) NFL analysts gave the Bucs a snowball’s chance last year.
With the exception of Gregg Rosenthal, “The Heroes” just aren’t feeling it.
Dan Hanzus suggested Licht’s comments in the aftermath of his flurry of re-signings of the team’s valued free agents are akin to Hanzus using positive reinforcement on his son when he struggles at youth baseball.
“I keep hearing the Bucs, they are running it back,” Marc Sessler said. “You finished with the same record as Dennis Allen and the Saints. In a bad division.
“You won a playoff game against a team that had fallen off a cliff. But you’re running back something that will give you, again, eight or nine wins.”
The “Heroes” want to know if the Bucs were as good as they believe they are, why didn’t they dominate a sorry division?
Also … Baker Mayfield (what’s new?).
“The questions are mainly about the offense,” Patrick Claybon said. “To me, I feel confident in Todd Bowles. And that brings me back to Baker Mayfield.
“I know it was a fantastic season. But am I going to see Baker Mayfield in this vision the same way I see Kirk Cousins? The same way I see Dak Prescott or Jalen Hurts? I just don’t know if Baker gets them over that line.”
But why? Did Mayfield not deliver last year? What did Prescott do in the playoffs last year? What happened to Hurts when he played the Bucs in January?
Someone help Joe; these guys are banking on Cousins as the new NFC South version of Josh Allen at 36 coming off a blown Achilles. Seriously?
(Joe will remind people that Mayfield has twice as many playoff wins as Cousins.)
For too many, Mayfield is the same guy who blew chunks in Carolina. Nothing he can do short of turning into Tom Brady for two or three straight seasons can change that perception.
Are the Bucs the 49ers? No. Joe thinks they are at least on the Packers’ level, a team the Bucs punished in December. And the Bucs hung toe-to-toe with the Lions on the road in the divisional round.
Joe is beginning to think that if the Bucs had just about any other quarterback than Mayfield, they’d be getting their just due. But folks can’t get past that guy.
Mayfield is sort of like the new Jameis. Once people have their minds made up about you, nothing short of a Super Bowl ring will change that perception.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:08 am
Dan disagrees with Dan. The additions on defense, the stellar rookie class getting a year older and the offensive scheme staying relatively the same make the Bucs a better team his year than last year. I doubt that we see the mid season swoon again.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:18 am
The schedule appears to be tougher……..we need a few pieces……A C/G or both……another TE, RB & WR on offense and an Edge Rusher on D.
Other than that…..we’re good….
March 26th, 2024 at 7:22 am
Sounds to me like these particular ‘Heroes’ are really WHIMPS.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:25 am
Thankfully playing actual games is what matters…
Lol This post and many others like this particular one, can be called
“As the Stomach turns” daily soap opera
Hotlanta trusting in a 36 year old QB with a blown Achilles, lol lol, 100 million for a blown Achilles Qb really?????????????????? šš¤£šš¤£šš¤£
Going with Baker on this one
March 26th, 2024 at 7:27 am
You can’t get better without improving upon your weaknesses and the Bucs seem unwilling to admit that RB and Edge rushers are huge weaknesses. A rookie RB can help but they absolutely have to have a veteran edge rusher or the secondary will get torched on a regular basis.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:29 am
Claybon … ‘The questions are mainly about the offense. To me, I feel confident in Todd Bowles. And that brings me back to Baker Mayfield. I just donāt know if Baker gets them over that line.’
Fair assessment, in a way, BUT … it all depends on the TEAM we surround Baker with. Given quality blocking, our excellent receivers & a solid running game, Baker has the talent & ‘moxie’ to lead a productive offense. San Fran (12-5) & Philly (11-6) showed last year that you don’t need an elite QB to produce a winning regular season. And once in the playoffs, anything can happen.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:36 am
There are ALOT of stupid people in the world.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:37 am
Didnt they predict us for 4 wins last year.
Dont give a flying F what those idiots think. Are they not answering about their predictions last year? No? Never brought up?
Again, when you have a job with no accountability- then say anything. Just cowtail to the largest markets. Get the most āHitsā. Thats how you are a success. Truth or quality isnt an issue.
If we fix our few issues, we will repeat. Again. 4th time.
And the āheroesā havent predicted us to win one NFC south title, have they?
Just catering to Atlanta and NO.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:41 am
How dare you use the J word to compare Baker, Joe.
No one deserves to be compared to JayMiss except JayMiss.
Heās in a class all by himself.
Just check his sheets.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:47 am
Bingo. Joe nails it with the last 4 paragraphs.
Also, Baker hasnāt exactly endeared himself to many in the media so some opinions might be skewed a bit.
I donāt see it that way, but thatās just MHO. The underdog role suits the Bucs just fine.
March 26th, 2024 at 7:57 am
it’s gonna be interesting to see what peter king has on us going into the season…
his predictions on the bucs and atlanta…
atlanta’s a team with a lot of talent and potential now, but new coach and qb and others take a minute to gel…
it should take 10 to 11 wins this year to grab the division…
9 will not do it…
the division on a whole has been bad for a while now…it can’t stay that way forever…
just like the nfc east was for a few years…it’s not anymore…
9-8 is not winning the division in 2024 – you heard it here first…
double digit wins….10 or 11 will be needed
March 26th, 2024 at 7:59 am
I just canātā¦.too easy
Go Bucs
March 26th, 2024 at 8:00 am
Lol they aren’t wrong though – wake me up when the 2026 QB draft class comes out. Two years of single digit win football sounds super fun though
March 26th, 2024 at 8:07 am
I’d be willing to bet that these master prognosticators picked Philly to be great in 2023, and the Bucs to be terrible. They probably picked the Eagles to win that playoff game, but now it’s as if the Bucs didn’t play anybody.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Last year Bucs were +800 to win NFC South and this year they are only +275, so Vegas has at least learned something. Oddsmakers are far more intelligent and prescient than pundits.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:15 am
Not should anyone be buying it. Last season we were 8-8 in the weakest NFL division (game 17 was won on three fields goals 9-0). Next season the division is stronger AND our schedule is much tougher. Look for another .500-at-best-season by Mr. .500.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:24 am
@adam from ny: “9-8 is not winning the division in 2024 ā you heard it here firstā¦”
That’s a pretty thick limb your going out on. I’d venture to guess that 8-9 & 9-8 division titles are more the exception than the norm.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:29 am
The Bucs will be better this year. I have more confidence in our new OC than our old OC. I expect the offense to be more open and aggressive. I don’t see a 1-6 swoon this year.
If the Bucs went 3-4 during that time, they would have ended up 11-6. I wonder what “The Heroes” would be saying then.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:30 am
With a good draft and no major injuries, I see at least 10 wins.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:35 am
I felt the same way as JL going into last seasonā¦ I was really pretty shocked at the lack of getting ANY ārespectā whatsoever, especially in THAT Division. I felt that 11-6 was a very attainable record with that schedule, & felt there were more than enough āpiecesā on Defense (if healthy), & with a PLAYOFF/Super Bowl pedigree. But, I did NOT expect Devin White to have the type of season HE HADā¦ I expected HIM to come back with a major āchipā on his shoulder (playing for a new contract), & having a career year. Also, I thought with a fully āhealthyā Godwin coming back to join Evans, with a new āNew Ageā Offensive Coordinator, that they could be āokā as long as Baker didnāt turn the ball over & was more of a āgame managerā while making āsmartā plays with his legs when needed, etc. But, I knew it would take Bowels figuring-out how and when to use his timeouts, & managing the end of games, clock management, two-minutes, emphasizing (being aggressive) the āMiddle-8ā of ballgames. I believed that would be the difference between being 11-6 vs 9-8ā¦ And it was. The Bucs were soooo healthy last season it was really unbelievable. For this upcoming season tho, as of right now, Iām feeling 8-9. Itās just much tougher schedule and ATL should be A LOT better (they had āRidderā last season, I mean come-on), with health. And, itās REALLY HARD to have the kind of āluckā we had injury-wise, in back-to-back seasons. I was thinking about a week or so ago, after seeing a pretty large number of people on here talking Super Bowl āContendersā and all thatā¦ I Bet Weāre Prob Barely, A āTOP-20ā Super Bowl Favoriteā Right Now, & just off the top of my head I counted about 16-teams MINIMUM, who would be āpickedā ahead of us. So, I figured yeah, weāre going to be in that 15-20 range according to the Vegas-Oddsā¦ Middle of the pack. Well, itās actually more like Bottom Third, as of right now. I saw the āoddsā shoot across the ticker last Friday, & Vegas literally had us as the NUMBER-20 betting favorite. Weāll see what happens next here in about a month, when the NFL Draft takes place. Fingers Crossed. Weāre gonna need it.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:35 am
I know the homer response is to get defensive and attack the messenger to defend your hallowed NFL image (of your projected selves), but let’s be realistic. We lost at home to ATL and NO, and struggled against lowly NC 2x last year. Yes, we resigned our studs, but lost very serviceable players in Shaq and Davis…. and what have we added… no edge help and a new OC/offense. Other than your zip code, what makes you so confident? Bowles’ great game/clock mgmt? Maybe it’s that <21 ppg for the past 2 yrs. Or possibly it's TB's give up the farm against rookie QBs soft zones?
March 26th, 2024 at 8:41 am
Peter King retired. Thankfully.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:42 am
Over the last 10 NFL seasons there have been 9 instances where a team won their division with 9 wins or less , so I would not say it is that rare. NFC South will be a dog fight just like it usually is , so 9 wins could certainly win the division. Bucs have claimed the division crown 3 years in a row and will do so again in 2024.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:44 am
Look, I thought the 6:1 odds for the reigning NFC South champs to repeat last yr were ridiculous… as such, I cashed in on my position. But to blindly say we’ll be “better” because we resigned the same players and we’re gonna nail the draft (HOPE… dirty indeed) seems a bit naive. I like the positive vibes, but I wouldn’t go around hurling insults to those who disagree. Besides, if they didn’t disagree, what would you have to talk about.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:49 am
With 8 division titles each yr over 10 years… Yes, I would say 9 out of 80 division titles at 9-8 is definitely more if the exception than the norm
March 26th, 2024 at 8:54 am
No one thought much about the Bucs last year. As for dominating the division, we had a new OC that really never called plays before. New QB and lots of rookies. I think they’ll surprise everyone again.
March 26th, 2024 at 8:55 am
Baker isnāt the issue. Fix the stupid in game coaching and fix the trenches on both sides of the ball and the Bucs will go far in the playoffs. Hope our new OC is a lot better than Canales.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Well at least he said he just doesn’t know. And the all Purdy struck out. So guess what. I don’t know if he gets them over the hump either unless he plays an inferior team. How many chances does he need?
March 26th, 2024 at 9:03 am
Baker can deliver if he isn’t running for his life. Also a running threat for teams to have to worry about would help greatly.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:19 am
If Carolina doesn’t fumble the ball in the endzone and miss a fg against us week 18, then we have the #8 pick in the draft and what does the off season look like then??
We won a division 2 years in a row with about a 500 record in a sorry a$$ division. The guy makes a few good points. We will see.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:27 am
Makes a lot of sense to reference a few QB’s that can’t seem to win a playoff game. One in particular that the Bucs mopped the floor with. Brilliant boys. GTFOH with these morons.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:31 am
Last year was new QB, new OC… if you throw out the first half of the season for those reasons, after that, they went 6-2…. that’s pace for a 13-4 or 12-5 season… plenty good for a playoff spot and likely a division championship.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:32 am
It’s not Baker, it’s Bowles. Until Bowles changes his ’60’s offensive mindset (pun intended) 9 wins is probably it.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:57 am
Winning 9 games, with our schedule, outside of the NFC South, will be a GREAT accomplishmentā¦AND it will likely be enough for post-season appearance.
And in the playoffs, the QB with the more conclusive datapoint – is NOT in Atlanta.
March 26th, 2024 at 9:57 am
peter kang………i just read is retired….or like semi-retired…will not be doing his weekly column and all the writing……
i’m thinking he’ll still still pop on with florio or maybe rich eisen, and a few things like that…
who knows…
i hope he still gives a bucs prediction tho š
but he’s no schrager or chris berman
March 26th, 2024 at 10:00 am
If we had been in any other division the last two seasons, we would not have made the playoffs even as a wildcard. The Fleagles were in a death spiral. Any team playing them was guaranteed a win. We have major holes yet to be filled, and a history of being overlooked and disrespected. We have a great core to build a team around. Who cares what outsiders think? What matters is what the players and coaches think. Let it go.
March 26th, 2024 at 10:06 am
schedule is brutal…and it’s way too early for concrete predictions…but i’m still saying this year you’ll need double digit wins to secure the division title…
insane early predictions:
bucs 10-7
falcons 9-8
saints 6-11
canales 4-13
and…
our ceiling is: 12-5 (12 wins w/ this schedule would be wild af)
our floor is: 8-9
and…
of course all this depends on how injuries affect us throughout the season
March 26th, 2024 at 10:56 am
SSDD
Go Baker~!
… and I get the Bills forced down my throat on TV every week… Josh Allen will NEVER~! win a SB
March 26th, 2024 at 11:04 am
These “analysts” only ever do surface level work on teams outside of Dallas, the east coast teams and whoever is “hot” – KC,SF.
I would love to find myself on a panel with these guys. Most teams would kill for 8-9 wins, that puts you in the hunt. The alternative plan was don’t run it back and sign replacements for the best WR, S, LB, possibly K and QB in FA?
One of the youngest teams in the league, 14 rookies or whatever it was getting experience in 2 playoff games! I don’t think the Bucs are gonna win 11 games but they will be competitive and back in the playoff mix. If not, Bowles has to be gone or Licht royally botched the draft but even that shouldn’t turn this current team into losers.
March 26th, 2024 at 11:37 am
I disagree because if they think baker isn’t on par with dak, cousins, hurts, or even Murray. None of them has what it takes to get a team to the championship, they haven’t been watching and they are incorrect.
March 26th, 2024 at 11:39 am
Win*
March 26th, 2024 at 11:52 am
So glad we still have doubters in the know nothing world of sports analysis! Did any of these fools even play a game? Anyways, let them doubt us and let Baker get wind of it. Just lighting fires under the asses of our players and I like it.
March 26th, 2024 at 11:53 am
Maybe it is because the team didn’t rely on Maybefield to win. So the made up notion that Maybefield carried the Bucs is just not true.
Can he repeat what he accomplished last year Maybe, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The guy had 1 great game during the regular season, that’s not going to cut it IF the other teams in the division improve.
March 26th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Why is it the same people week in week out are the same one that spew negative commentary never get it rite 8&8 with week 17 won by 3 field goals last I checked they do count field goals that doesn’t change the score to 8&8 9&8 u r like woke change facts how do u listen to stupid people with such stupid analogies it gets so boring to where u need a change of view from dumbbells morons if u prefer!
March 26th, 2024 at 12:54 pm
Baker had 1 great game I mean WTF do u people come from planet knucklehead plz stay the f*** off this site u suck worse than baker ever dreamed of
March 26th, 2024 at 4:09 pm
We didn’t dominate the division. We won it by the skin of our teeth.
March 26th, 2024 at 4:18 pm
Funny how all the big shot national media guru’s were all over Baker and Evans before they resigned with our Bucs. I mean, EVERYONE had Evans going everywhere except back with the Bucs. Same thing with Baker. He was the answer to every QB needy team not named the Bucs. It’s not the players, it’s just the Bucs they love to hate. Now that Brady is gone , our Bucs don’t matter anymore. I mean , really ?? They all picked us winning 3 to 5 games and finishing last in the division, if not a top 3 pick. Just like Mel Kiper and his 2000 mock drafts so he can say he was correct on half of them , the media knows nothing about the Bucs.
March 26th, 2024 at 4:28 pm
The NFC South teams are all pretty decent on defense. Very underrated division!
Folks hate Baker for pscho-political reasons, apparently. It is bizarre.
March 26th, 2024 at 4:29 pm
Spent 40 mil on a guy who dinked and dunked the Bucs to 9-8
March 26th, 2024 at 4:30 pm
@Buc Bonzai – It was the first year without Brady , and a OC that had never called plays in his life, on a team everyone including most of the people on this site wrote off . They played a hard schedule, and the defense wasn’t as good as years past . Now that we have some continuity and stability, the Bucs will only get better. Had a LOT of injuries last year too . And at the end of the day, who cares if they won the division at 9-8 and won a playoff game against the defending NFC Champs ? And were 2 plays and 10 more seconds from beating the Lions in that loud as it gets stadium . You people are not really fans and obviously never watched a game during the lost decade. Then maybe you wouldn’t be so spoiled. I mean, we just won the Super Bowl and 3 division titles in the last 4 years. What more do you want. Did you see how happy the Lions fans were just to be playing in a playoff game for the first time in 30 years ?? Bucs have more Super Bowl wins then half the NFL.
March 26th, 2024 at 4:33 pm
It’s not 40 mil, get your facts right before farting out you’re mouth. And even if it was ? Other teams were lined up to pay him that much. And he was a top 10 QB at throwing deep balls. Did you watch the same games ? Geez you people are babies
March 26th, 2024 at 11:12 pm
Who cares what people said we would do before the season? We did what we did and this team played exactly as Mayfield has always played. In the end he’s a middle ground qb, win some lose some and the Bucs played the exact same way looking at our record. What makes you fanboos think he’s going to do any different when a 6th year vet plays like crap in too many games and only plays well against bad defenses? Now he has a new OC AGAIN, just another excuse for you all to hang your hat on!
March 27th, 2024 at 10:12 am
I don’t get the cousins idolizing going on in the league. we played him last year, when he was still healthy and not coming off the Achilles, he coughed up 2 fumbles and a pick. so now he is on a new team, all new teammates, and coming off an injury that likely caused some minor atrophy from resting to heal. we cant overlook him, but this doesnt scream that he is something to be feared. the sky is not falling, its just cousins, and I hope he has his life alert tucked in the jersey.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Baker will have to be more consistent if there is any chance. Yes, sometimes he did good, but not often enough last season.