Respect Is Coming But Must Be Earned
July 3rd, 2025
Starting to get attention.
Joe has noticed a slow-moving narrative simmering beneath the surface.
Some folks in the national media are beginning to pay attention to the Bucs.
Oh, they sure did when Tom Brady was here. Had to. He was the farm animal. The international celebrity. And he wasted no time guiding what was a moribund franchise to the mountaintop as Super Bowl champions.
But when Brady left, it was as if folks in the northeast forgot there was a team on the west coast of the east coast. Meanwhile, all the Bucs have done is win divisions and make the playoffs.
Now, for reasons Joe isn’t totally sure of, that is beginning to change.
Kay Adams has been hyping up the Bucs. That’s a good place to start! She likes Lavonte David, admires Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht and is smitten with Tez Johnson (lucky guy). All the better.
You can add Albert Breer to the slowly growing crowd outside Tampa who believe the Bucs are worth monitoring this year.
Take a successful franchise with (on paper) a very talented roster and sooner or later, the attention will come, Breer typed on SI.com.
After a Super Bowl title and then four consecutive division titles, can the Buccaneers get some respect? The roster is deep, balanced and homegrown. While the edge rushers and corners could be better (and maybe they will be), there’s no huge unanswered question here other than how 35-year-old Josh Grizzard will do as OC after following Canales and Coen.
Breer isn’t wrong. Haason Reddick and/or YaYa Diaby terrorizing quarterbacks (preferably both) will go along way to repair what has been an awful pass defense.
Joe stated when the Bucs first signed Baker Mayfield that he is largely thought to be used bubble gum, and it would take two, maybe three years of strong play for Mayfield to shed his past image as a No. 1 overall pick who didn’t live up to the hype.
Well, we’re entering Mayfield’s third Bucs season. His two previous were career years. And just as Joe suspected back in 2023, it seems slowly people are beginning to recognize Mayfield for who he is: one of the better signal-callers in the game.
With that also comes respect for the Bucs.
July 3rd, 2025 at 1:09 am
It’s a double edged sword.
Glad we get recognized. Prefer to be under the radar.
July 3rd, 2025 at 3:46 am
When we start winning those nationally televised games on our schedule (SNF, MNF, TNF) it will go a long way to herald that the Bucs have arrived. Until we do, we are just another “wanna be”.
Teams that win super bowls win the difficult games when it matters, when eye balls around the country watch it play out on their tv screens. Teams that complain about “not getting respect” find a way to lose those games, annually whining like Rodney Dangerfield that “they just don’t get no respect”.
Joe’s headline above says it all.
July 3rd, 2025 at 3:47 am
I want to stay under the radar doggonit….we’re nothing! I like us feeding off the disrespect lol. Oh well. We are going to be a force but Grizzard is going to have to earn his. You can tell, he’s green. But thats ok, gotta start somewhere. I just hope he allows Baker to do his thing at the line.
July 3rd, 2025 at 5:51 am
Ypu Yup and Yup!
Can I get Kay Adams to hype me please?
Go Bucs!
July 3rd, 2025 at 6:18 am
garro, I’m cool waiting on Kay. After she’s done hypeing you she can hype me too!
July 3rd, 2025 at 7:14 am
@Vinny said it all – respect will come with winning the night games.
July 3rd, 2025 at 7:31 am
respect is earned in the playoffs….
do damage there, and you’ll get respect!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
July 3rd, 2025 at 7:54 am
Not just winning the night games but winning close games against other top ranked teams. People are watching our games when we play Kansas city, San Francisco & Baltimore, games we lost. The first two were pretty close and the Baltimore game was a travesty injury wise. We started off well with wins against Washington, Detroit and Philly, but then the injuries came.
We’re a much deeper team this year.
July 3rd, 2025 at 7:59 am
Vinny nailed it
July 3rd, 2025 at 8:12 am
813 . Thank you bro I agree 💯 percent that’s my whole point barley winning a trash division and then lose in the first or second round of the playoffs ain’t a team that deserves respect. Regardless of Baker Mayfield numbers in the regular season.
July 3rd, 2025 at 8:35 am
Go Baker. Go Bucs!!
July 3rd, 2025 at 8:45 am
What is the rule about practicing at night under the lights? We look like a different team in the night games. I don’t understand why.