“Take The Word ‘Sneaky’ Out”
July 29th, 2025
All smiles for Todd Bowles and Jason Licht.
The national disrespect of the Bucs may be over. At least temporarily.
Joe had to rewind the DVR a couple of times to re-hear the raised voices on Stay In Bed on ESPN TV (aka Get Up). NFL insiders Jeff Darlington and Dan Graziano were adamantly singing the praises of the Bucs as host Mike Greenberg was almost screaming about how Baker Mayfield may be the most underrated player in the NFL.
Darlington, the pride of Seminole High School, doesn’t want to hear the Bucs described as a “sneaky” Super Bowl contender.
“Take the word ‘sneaky’ out,” Darlington said. “I just think especially in the NFC. This is a team that is not sneaky at all. They should be respected and believed in. They’ve got what it takes.”
That got Greenberg to interject passionately. “I’ll tell you why they’re not [respected]. The reason they’re not is because the world has still not caught on to Baker Mayfield being this good.”
And then Greenberg was interrupted with the usually mild-mannered Darlington shrieking, “Yes!”
Greenberg said history shows it’s ridiculous to say Mayfield failed in Cleveland.
Joe thought the love feast was over but then in came former cornerback Ryan Clark to tell the world Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback with the added bonus of possessing the toughness that makes players believe in him.
Clark also said too many fans and media forget the Bucs 2023 playoff performances and how close they were to beating the Commanders. He also noted Todd Bowles’ growth.
“This is a team you better be extremely scared of,” Clark said.
No, it wasn’t over.
In came former Jets and Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum, a confidant of Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht, to share that Mayfield throwing 51 of 69 touchdowns over the past two years while the Bucs were lined up in a three-receiver set speaks to the brilliance of drafting receiver Emeka Egbuka in Round 1.
Joe doesn’t buy in to everything said above. Most of it? Sure. But it is fun to hear and, yeah, it’s getting very hard to call the Bucs underrated.
Calling the Bucs “underrated” is nearing the level of nonsense spewed about how certain Bucs don’t make the Pro Bowl because the team is low-profile. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has spent the last five years in the playoffs and has played a loads of prime time games in that span.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:30 am
The media won’t respect the Bucs until they win some playoff games
July 29th, 2025 at 11:43 am
I’d rather the players keep the underdog mentality and stop playing down to the weaker teams. Crush the weak teams and win the night games. This preseason hype means nothing.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:45 am
@LakelandBuc
I see your point because I feel the same way. When you actually look at it though, I feel like we have won the playoff games and coming off a 4th straight division title (yes, I know it’s the NFC South), I wonder why the narrative is still that we’re ‘sneaky’.
2020 – Ring
2021 – Divisional L (still hurts to this day, WHY WAS KUPP SO FREE)
2022- 1st Round L
2023 – Divisional L (much like 2021, keeps me up at night)
2024 – 1st Round L (see 2023)
July 29th, 2025 at 11:46 am
The reason they are still sneaky is because nobody has seen how this defense is going to look. When both sides of the ball are closer to a balance and not so lopsided the recognition will come. Right now the bics are like a Ferrari with bald tires and an Expert driver. The defense is the new set of tires…hopefully.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:51 am
Until we look like a respectable team in PRIMETIME, none of this matters. We crap the bed every chance we get on a primetime game (Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games). We are a capable team, the moment is usually just too big for this organization when media wants to see it. Lets right that ship this year. Go Bucs!
July 29th, 2025 at 11:51 am
“I’d rather the players keep the underdog mentality and stop playing down to the weaker teams.”
Same here, stay hungry and always remember the media will be just as quick to talk down on you as they will talk you up.
Winning football games is the easiest way to put those who play, watch, and report on football on notice.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:53 am
I’m just surprised Greenberg would have an opinion about ANY other team than the sorry azz Jets.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:56 am
They need to start winning prime time games. Try to stay injury free as much as possible and the sky is the limit. I do agree the defense is key. As that has been a problem the last few seasons.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:01 pm
@Baker Bowl
That 2021 playoff loss still infuriates me too. It was bad situational awareness to call a zero blitz given the circumstances. Rams had no timeouts and an injuried kicker that missed badly from 47 a couple drives ago. All they had to do was guard the sideline and not let anything over 20 yards and the game was going to OT. The play before also gets overlooked with SMB slipping and letting Kupp get a 20 yard catch and get out of bounds. Im still convinced that if that won that game they would have went back to back
July 29th, 2025 at 12:06 pm
@Dom
Yeah, I don’t put too much weight on the play before, mistakes happen, but any good coach/player/leader knows, a mistake is fine until it happens twice. And leaving Kupp (TRIPLE CROWN WINNER BEST RECIEVER IN THE LEAGUE) wide open 2 plays in a row was just the absolute WW2 of mistakes to be made twice.
Oh well, defense appears better than last year (underwear football notes and pure vibes), I trust in Bowles (by a thread), near misses are good fuel for the fire.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
The national media still think we had success because of TB
They don’t have the same amount of respect for Baker
Baker gotta win some playoff games for them to buy in
July 29th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
@LakelandBuc
Makes sense, even though I don’t understand them for not respecting Baker, it makes sense.
Still over the moon we have him, Browns front office saw their first playoff win in a while and said ‘Nah, his shoulder is sus’. Can never complain about Licht & Co. because of bonehead moves like that around the league.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:35 pm
As soon as those fools start blowing sunshine & daydreams, a storm comes calling. They can keep their respect as long as it doesn’t rain on our next SB season parade.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
LakelandBuc Says:
The media won’t respect the Bucs until they win some playoff games.
^^^^^^^^
I agree with this take. Bowles and Baker haven’t won in the playoffs.
The Bucs have been in rebuilding mode the last few seasons, needing to shed dead cap. The next 3-4 seasons is there time to shine and I think they will.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Everyone’s still focused on the Bucs’ OFFENSE. A large part of their opinions seem to rely on how they feel about Baker.
Personal opinion: how well we do this season will depend more on our DEFENSE’s growth & performances. If our defense makes Top-10 we’ll almost surely win the NFC South. If we end up Top-5, we’re in the Super Bowl discussion no problemo.
July 29th, 2025 at 1:06 pm
Defense Rules, I truly believe we were in the Super Bowl discussion the last 2 years. Yes, our defense was injured and playing with new faces practically every week. But we were as good as any team in the league the last few years. The difference is this year as good is not what we are. Better than is what I’m seeing. We’ve got to be better on both sides of the ball. Sure we’d like another Beast at Nose Guard. But our defense hustles to the ball with bad intent. A little bit of continuity and a few less injuries and we will be just fine. Go Bucs!
July 29th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Need to play well on national TV a few times…win some playoff games.
LFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
July 29th, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Joe,
But what is our record in all those Primetime games?
I’m pretty sure it’s dismal.
That’s why people don’t respect the Bucs much nationally.
Because we usually play like crap in front of a national audience.
July 29th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
Slot offense.
July 29th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
The Bucs don’t just lose almost all of their primetime games, they lose in ugly fashion and always look both outcoached and out skilled
July 29th, 2025 at 1:35 pm
I think our weak link on defense is ILB. If Dennis and Lavonte stay healthy, we should see a huge improvement. If either go down….
July 29th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
Baker Bowl dead on Kupp was so open because Bowles was the dc. Miscommunication. We will never win a Super Bowl or nfc championship with him a nice guy but loser. Just like shaheem the dream dumby smith and Tony dumbgy as a buc coach. 10 yrs here 11 in Indy 1 title give me arians gruden winners not nice guys. Football coaches who know how to win
July 29th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
What are you trying to say George?
July 29th, 2025 at 2:22 pm
The media won’t respect the Buc’s until they win the majority of their prime time games IMHO.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:23 pm
Bowles needs to get his act together. He makes too many mistakes.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
It don’t fall on the HC
It falls on the QB, no different with Lamar, Josh Allen
July 29th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Tony Dungy couldn’t win a Super Bowl in Tampa with trash QBs
But he won one as soon as he got to Indy with Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning won one in Denver, the QB has to win it
TB12, seven of them
July 29th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Prime time games….yup.
July 29th, 2025 at 6:25 pm
Now you have said it, SlyPirate, Lakelandbucs. I have high expectations for this and several years to come. We will earn respect this year. Subsequent years will take care of themselves.
Go Bucs!
July 29th, 2025 at 6:43 pm
The defense will be the same old Bowles soft serve. He can’t and won’t change.
July 30th, 2025 at 2:19 am
I’d rather see them disrespected and stay under the radar, put that chip on their shoulder.
The funny part is the Stay in Bed crew saying they’re underrated and not talked about enough. 😂. Aren’t they the ones that spend 20 minutes of every hour talking about the New York Jets over the last couple years? A team that hasn’t won more than 7 games since 2015?!?
July 30th, 2025 at 6:03 am
Jmarkbuc unfortunately I picked up on that vibe too, no room in this world for small minded people like George
July 30th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
@JimBobBuc – I’m with you 100% on that.
Historically, this franchise always plays better when we’re the underdogs / disrespected. Honestly almost everytime we start to get thrown some flowers, we usually have a huge letdown performance.