PFF Tribe: Bucs “Poised For Another Big Year”
June 14th, 2025
Question mark.
Joe cannot sit in JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters looking at all the empty pizza boxes, dead soldiers (dried up beer bottles) and Ira’s check stubs and type with a good conscience that the Bucs had a “big year” last year.
The Bucs had a good year marred by a preventable ending in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bucs had way too many injuries to swallow (including the devastatingly destroyed foot of Chris Godwin) to sit here and type that the Bucs had a “big year.”
Seemed rather small to Joe. But Mason Cameron of the PFF tribe seems to think last year was big for the Bucs. And he predicts the same for this year.
What needs to go right: The Buccaneers’ offense [top-three] during the regular season, powered by a career year from Baker Mayfield. Although they head into 2025 without Liam Coen calling the offense, the unit retains all of its key contributors, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving and a surging offensive line. With the sixth-easiest strength of schedule, Tampa Bay is poised for another big year.
The Bucs should have a big year. They hired the next-best guy to replace Liam Coen, and that was Coen’s right-hand man to run the offense.
And the Bucs drafted and signed needed bodies: cornerbacks, edge rushers, and yes, a receiver.
For Joe, for the Bucs to have a “big year,” offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard cannot let the job be too big for him. If the Bucs are top-10 in offense, that should be enough.
So for Joe, there are two questions: Is Grizzard, who has never called plays before, up to the task? And can Sirvocea Dennis stay on the field for 15 games? If those two questions are answered in the affirmative, the Bucs could have a big season.
June 14th, 2025 at 12:14 am
Not worried about Grizz at all. The smears are there. He has experience strategizing and coordinating third downs. This is not rocket science. He doesn’t need to be perfect. Buccaneers have the talent to win 11 to 13 games. This is the year we will learn if Baker is truly elite. Eagles won last year with the 2nd least injuries. All will come down to health.
June 14th, 2025 at 12:55 am
Top 10 offense may not be enough if we have a bottom 10 Defense.
The offseason looks good on paper. It has to translate to the field.
June 14th, 2025 at 1:42 am
There is one key to the Bucs having a big year, or not.
Significantly improved pass defense. Bottom 4 doesn’t cut it in a passing league.
They’ve depthed up in the DB ranks, Some DL help. No LB help, no Beast in the middle (the Big Gator is a long shot).
Can the part time DC, who is also now conflicted being happy and sad about picks in practice, teach the players their assignments in the Exotic Quarkian Physics schemes? Or maybe, just play press man more?
We will see.
June 14th, 2025 at 1:43 am
It’s all about the defense this year. I rewatched a few games and the tackling was terrible at every level, the secondary was always getting beat, and the D line wasn’t getting any pressure on a lot of plays. The way offenses moved down the field and converted on every third down against our defense was sickening. Did the Bucs do enough in the off-season to improve the defense? Think this will determine if the Bucs have a good year.
June 14th, 2025 at 1:48 am
Does anybody really ever have the talent to win 17?
June 14th, 2025 at 2:18 am
6th best strength of schedule? I always have to chuckle a bit when I hear that strength of schedule stuff before we even start camp.
Every year there are some surprise players and teams who turn all of that on its head. Not to mention injuries to key players. See Bucs last year and Brady’s last hurrah.
Go Bucs!
June 14th, 2025 at 2:42 am
If it helps at all with the speculation about Grizzard, he was in charge of the 3rd down offense, and the Bucs led the league in 3rd down efficiency. Does that an offensive coordinator make? No, but it can’t hurt.
June 14th, 2025 at 3:12 am
When I am looking for highlight videos, I sometimes come across CGI replays.
Surely, one of those could be programed to give Grizzard real time simulation training.
An AI driven simulation could use player histories and game histories and realistically challenge the play caller.
The last time I played Madden was decades ago. But, surely these days, instead of clicking plays on a menu and trying to move a player around, a voice interactive system could let you call out plays and substitutions and give you feedback from the QB radio, the booth observers, the head coach, and individual players – “Coach, I’m gassed and need a breather.” Or, “Coach, I was open. Match me up with that guy again, and I will take it to the house!” Etc.
June 14th, 2025 at 3:14 am
Tim, I didn’t realize that. I recall saying at one point last season the offense looked best on 3rd down. Thanks, I was already optimistic and now even lore so
June 14th, 2025 at 5:13 am
Looking forward to this season. We have great coming-together roster and feel we can be top contenders for the Super Bowl. Also feel Grizz is the hidden gem that was there before and now will show us just that. Go Bucs!
June 14th, 2025 at 5:35 am
“If the Bucs are top ten in offense, that should be enough.” Seriously?
June 14th, 2025 at 5:41 am
several big things… a run game revival, top 5 offense, and like joe mentioned we won the division and made the playoffs. big bad… injuries, passing defense, and lack of a fearmongering edge rush.
if we can retain the former and rectify the latter, we will be a g*****n force to be reckoned with. any given sunday. any given team. any given prime time spot.
June 14th, 2025 at 6:15 am
Nice lead-in to the article by Mason Cameron & the PFF Tribe (NFL Betting 2025: Win totals for every NFC team). Would’ve been fun to read it if it wasn’t hidden behind a paywall.
The lead-in was interesting though. Cameron highlighted 2 things pertinent to the NFC:
1 – Too much uncertainty surrounds the Lions: Detroit will have to contend with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. To make matters worse, they face the second-most-difficult strength of schedule in the NFL next season, featuring 11 games against playoff teams.
2 – Can the 49ers rebound in 2025? San Francisco holds the easiest projected road in the NFL this season, with just three playoff teams on the schedule.
Since our Bucs play both of those teams this season, it’d be nice to look a little deeper at both of them.
June 14th, 2025 at 7:10 am
WHEN is the last time we beat SF? Has to be pre-Brady. I want to hold them up in the air by the ankles and take their lunch money
June 14th, 2025 at 7:46 am
Beeej… Yes!
A beat down of SF and a sweep of the Falcons (a sweep of the south even), would be real sweet.
June 14th, 2025 at 8:41 am
The Bucs early exit from the playoffs was hard to swallow, but there was a silver lining. It alone made possible our 19th pick in the draft…which in turn allowed JL and company to pick EE.
No crystal ball here, but if I had to predict the impact EE’s play might have on our early games (prior to Chris Godwin availability full time and at full health), I would suggest that 19th pick might be the difference maker in an early game or two.
June 14th, 2025 at 11:07 am
For this team to break thru (12 wins, second or first seed and conference championship appearance) the offense will probably need to be top 5, unless the defense turns into a turnover scoring machine.
That’s going to require our HC to use that game consultant and get more aggressive.
If it’s more ‘4th and 1, 4th and 2, 4th and 3 – time for me to kick’ it ain’t happening.
June 14th, 2025 at 11:36 am
Not worried about Grizz because he has plenty of talent on the field (barring injury). An offense with as much talent as the Bucs can and should be able to overcome OC deficiencies as long as they can execute and Baker can audible.
As bad as Lefty was in Brady’s final year, the Bucs simply didn’t have the talent to overcome it, especially with Brady having his personal off-the-field issues. The o-line was dreadful, no running game and Gronk and A.B. were both gone… not to mention Evans and Godwin both had stretches of being banged up and missed time. In other words, there were lots of excuses to go around in 2022.
2021 should have been another trip to the SB had it not been for a defensive lapse against the Rams in the final 2 minutes… and that was with Lefty and Brady, Gronk and A.B.
I look at this year as being as talented as 2021, if not more, (better o-line and run game) as long as Baker keeps baking and Grizz gets in ‘form’ by playoff time. My only concern is keeping guys healthy.
June 14th, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Interestingly enough every time I watched a Bucs game, I could not believe how incredibly bad teams were at tackling Bucky Irving.
My concern on offense is after watching a years worth of tape, do teams figure that out a lot better.
It does not mean Bucky won’t be solid. I just wonder if fans will be complaining about him, coaching or O-Line, if he only garners something like 4.2 to 4.5 yards per carry.
Sometimes it is about the other team making some adjustments as well.