“They Just Didn’t Seem To Have The Horses”
October 25th, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht
Do the Bucs have enough juice to win a Super Bowl after the major injury to Mike Evans, among others?
A Hall of Fame quarterback and the face of NFL Network took on this topic yesterday.
The Joe typing here believes if the Bucs want to win a Super Bowl, then they must add a receiver in the wake of Evans’ broken clavicle and Chris Godwin’s signficant setback, a mysterious fibula injury that’s cost him the past two games. There’s also the bad neck injury to second-year receiver Jalen McMillan. That happened two-plus months ago and he remains on injured reserve.
NFL Network film guru Kurt Warner, the legendary quarterback, told The Rich Eisen Show yesterday that he believes the Bucs can still contend for a Super Bowl without Evans.
Why? Because Baker Mayfield is having that good of a season and the Bucs still have playmakers.
However, Warner’s go-to playmaker for the Bucs is Bucky Irving, who has been out weeks with shoulder and foot injuries. It’s unclear how serious they might be. Warner also is banking on a Godwin return.
Rich Eisen absolutely agrees the Bucs can get to a Super Bowl without Evans, citing their success without him earlier this season.
As for Monday night in Detroit, Warner said the injuries finally tackled the Bucs.
“Give Baker kind of a solid group to work with because he is playing at an extremely high level, but [the injuries] caught up with them,” Warner said. “Detroit went and challenged them and played man-to-man coverage, and they just didn’t seem to have the horses to match up.”
And this is why the Joe typing here believes the Bucs should add a veteran receiver by the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.
Gambling an MVP-caliber season from Mayfield on injury recoveries and youngsters seems overly risky. It’s a passing league and three of your four big guns are in sad condition. Get another weapon!
Warner added the Bucs defense is a true wild card — as in it can drag the team down or have a major winning impact.
October 25th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Receiver, edge rusher, just do SOMETHING here, Jason. You only get so many at bats with a good to great team. Don’t squander this opportunity
October 25th, 2025 at 2:57 pm
Receiver and ILB, please.
October 25th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Nope. And u know what’s sad we are supposed to have leaders at every level on D. Like sapp,lynch, D Brooks. When are these leaders going to hold people accountable, Not a chance in hell this team goes to the bowl none.
October 25th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
They usually add an old guy past his prime
October 25th, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Fast track Tezs development.
EE is WR 1
J-Mac needs to come back strong.
Shep will be steady
Godwin will be a bonus
Time for Grizz to pivot away from an offense that runs thru Mike.
We need to rebuild a run game pronto.
I’d like to see us bring a new RB in if Bucky is not expected back soon. RW is great but I have continued doubts about Tucker. If Tucker gets perfect blocking he has speed to house one but he doesn’t seem to have any moves/elusiveness and doesn’t run with much power either.
Feel for Grizz but here’s where you earn your $ and build your rep bro. Let’s go Bucs !!!
October 25th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Well they added Reddick and got burned to the tune of $14 Million! More than anyone here will make in a lifetime yet he’s completely fine with underperforming. Glazers I’m sure are a little more conservative this time around.
October 25th, 2025 at 3:31 pm
“Detroit went and challenged them and played man-to-man coverage, and they just didn’t seem to have the horses to match up.”
———–
The Bucs had guys open all night, Baker just flat out kept missing them — not to mention the refs changing the rules of the game to award INTs and such.
It was just a terrible game by Baker, but he should be fine.
But as for the horses, yeah, there’s a reason that other teams pay even middling WRs $20m/year. Godwin will be back, if he wasn’t going to be back, then he’d be on IR. McMillan should be back, I’m still hoping we hear he’s practicing next week, but we shall see. It also certainly sounds like Evans will be back before the end of the year as well. Bucky will be back soon, if he wasn’t, then he too should have been on IR.
And, perhaps the biggest injury return of all is Luke. Heck is so bad, and Luke is so good, the upgrade there is massive – again, I hope we hear about him practicing after the bye week. I still have no idea why they don’t give timelines, there is no advantage to not doing that.
October 25th, 2025 at 3:38 pm
Understand Jason not wanting to give up pics to pick up what could be a rental period but if you look at free agents that are available that would not cost a pic there are some talented players out there. You have Donovan people’s Jones who was a Cleveland Brown and we have even played with Baker at one point. You have Tyler lockett. You have some good tight ends and even some guards and tackles that are more than serviceable. I think now is the time to add some players if we are having any hopes of making a sustained run later in the season.
For a team that looked to be stacked really deep and receiver we will be lucky to get Mike Evans at all before end of season. Chris Godwin with his head backs may or may not provide much juice at all even if he does come back. And Jalen McMillan has not even started to practice yet this season and who knows how effective he will be when he does. I think we need another veteran presence here because right now our leading receiver is still a rookie..
October 25th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
Bucs should be calling the Raiders again about Crosby … and get Meyers and Devin White thrown in as well. That three player combo would be huge. Obviously Crosby is the headliner, by Meyers is a really good WR – and keep in mind the Bucs didn’t ‘need’ AB in 2020. Good teams don’t just get by, they stack positions and talent, and BTW, with all the injuries, the Bucs actually do need WR help, at least at the moment. Finally is Devin White, who has been playing great for the Raiders – leading them in tackles, just last week had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and an INT. With as much as you morons complained about White – and the vast majority of it was you idiots complaining about the scheme and thinking it was the player – White would be a pretty massive upgrade of Dennis right now. So you’re getting three players, one a long term starter at a position where it’s really hard to find guys. Not sure if the Bucs could get it done, but you figure it’s going to cost at least two 1st rounders. To me, I make the deal without hesitation – problem is I’m not sure two late 1st rounders would be enough for the Raiders to move on Crosby. Still, if they don’t want to trade him, I’d still call about Meyers and White, which might be more like a 5th or 6th rounder for both as a combo.
October 25th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
The Lions gave everyone the blueprint for stopping the Bucs offense. Double Emeka and press the Smurfs. Of course Todd wouldn’t think of using Devin Culp, Todd’s not satisfied with his hot dog sales performance and so is punishing him by not giving him on the field reps.
October 25th, 2025 at 4:03 pm
thit?
October 25th, 2025 at 4:07 pm
I am confident Licht will not give up draft picks to acquire a rental or long term player. This is unfortunate.
Bret Veach, the KC GM, makes moves when he feels it will help his team get to another Super Bowl, and in four of the last five the Chiefs were present. It’s not all due to Mahomes. A savvy GM is paving the way …
With Licht, we have knocked on door that leads to a deep playoff run and a possible Super Bowl appearance. We broke through once.
Jason, remember when you made moves to acquire Brady, Gronk and a looney Brown who caught everything? We wouldn’t have won our second Super Bowl without them.
Standing pat will just be a repeat of last year. So how about making some trade deadline moves and kicking the damn door down?
If you think the time is now for the Bucs to win it all, play the part and act accordingly.
October 25th, 2025 at 4:15 pm
I agree with Rid Munch post of 3:38pm. BM6 had a bad game. Get Luke back healthy that will shore up OL. BM6 Will produce with a better O-line. Get it done on Sunday…give the Saints ‘fans a good reason to drink multiple hurricanes on Bourbon St after the game!
October 25th, 2025 at 4:23 pm
We had the horses against Detroit. Our WR’s were getting open consistently. Baker just couldn’t throw accurate passes to them for some reason.
Hourly that was just a fluke bad game by Baker.
October 25th, 2025 at 4:24 pm
*Hopefully that just a fluke bad game by Baker.
October 25th, 2025 at 5:07 pm
What do you do with the veteran receiver when Evans comes back for the playoffs? He only hurt his clavicle. He will be back at full speed before the season ends! We don’t need one. Use ppl like Culp and pass to the backs more. We are loaded at receiver and they are all coming back except maybe Godwin.
October 25th, 2025 at 5:16 pm
I guess I was watching a different game than Eric’s pilot. he says our WRs were open all day. From the game I saw they were covered like a blanket. THEIR WRs were “Wide open!” most of the game.
October 25th, 2025 at 5:30 pm
BucfanOR
Baker missed MULTIPLE times… and in a game against a good team.. that’s deadly.
October 25th, 2025 at 6:29 pm
What receivers on the market Joe that makes sense
October 25th, 2025 at 6:38 pm
Blame Jason 100% if he doesn’t make a trade for an edge rusher. He saw what he needed to do on defense after last season and failed miserably. He exchanged bad players for more ineffective bad players. On top of that Todd is still DC. Now we have no edge rush and can not defend the edge. Detroit proved it. I don’t see this team making a run for the SB with all the injuries and poor defensive play.
October 25th, 2025 at 6:42 pm
I’m close to staying out of here, permanently. Between figuring out this stupid auto edit algo deal, and reading all the BS from actual humans who aren’t Bucs fans, I am done. The battered Bucs went to Detroit. They lost. Fine, but not fine when you see all the corrupt HS aka refs going down. Bucs will win and I hope it mirrors the game when Fitzpatrick was the QB. The Aints weren’t Aints and ahole Payton was the HC. Brees was the QB. It was played in NOLA. I hope the same thing happens only it is a total wipeout.
October 25th, 2025 at 7:14 pm
Any idea on when Jmac will be back? Thanks ‘Teeth’.
October 25th, 2025 at 7:33 pm
Its not the horses is the head horse, other teams have way less quality in their stables and somehow do better.
October 25th, 2025 at 8:01 pm
It is impossible to say as the Godwin, MacMillan, and Irving returns are all complete mysteries. Goedeke, too.
October 25th, 2025 at 8:44 pm
McMillan returns week 14 at the earliest. Mike back week 17 or 18. Godwin, who the hell knows. Tough games ahead. Need to bring in another receiver.
October 25th, 2025 at 8:47 pm
Josh Williams needs to get some touches at running back tomorrow. He was impressive in the preseason and Tucker has not looked that good.
October 25th, 2025 at 9:22 pm
Cashius Howell is a beast, and he’ll probably be out of reach in the 2026 NFL Draft. With Evans’s potential retirement, Godwin’s injury history, and Cade Otton hitting free agency, expect wide receiver or tight end to get the first-round push
October 25th, 2025 at 10:03 pm
Did someone actually say Evans “only hurt his clavicle?!?!?!????!!!”
He broke it you simp. Ever broke a collarbone? It’s 6 weeks minimum just for it to heal, then you’ve got to rehab the atrophied musculature, and then you’ve got to go back to a job where you’re gonna be slamming it on the turf again with dudes landing on top of you.
Fargin idiot. Oh, I’m sorry — is that a politically incorrect take?
October 25th, 2025 at 11:01 pm
No 7 injuries on offense
Bucky rt rg
5 wr hurt Evans Godwin mcmill eubu Sheppard all injured 2 are playing hurt…
This offense has wirf baker white 2 Johnsons otton..
Honestly we should go single back 2 te offense maybe dual rb..
I know free agency and scout teams got a few dogs we can kick tires on…staying as this current team will kill our chance…
October 26th, 2025 at 1:50 am
Sorry, but I just don’t see any game-changing EDGE rushers whom are even available, right now. And, we can’t come close to what Dallas could package for Crosby. They have the assets and we don’t. Hell, they have FOUR 1st-Round Picks over the next two drafts now, since the Parsons Trade. And, Hendricks missed his last game due to TWO separate injuries… Plus, the Bengals aren’t ‘sellers’ yet, anyway. The only one I’d see being a real ‘game-changer’ that I’d even want, would be Jeffrey Simmons… And, supposedly, he’s not available right now, either. I would take DWhite tho, and maybe another depth piece with Reddick now, OUT. I’d take Sickles very own, “Ray-Ray!” Since, he wouldn’t cost any picks, and he’d almost be FREE… IF, we didn’t have too many midgets already, as it is.
October 26th, 2025 at 3:44 am
Mike and Godwin are on the way out its sad but the truth this was the beginning of the end for them with his yearly hamstring injury amd Godwins compensation injury you can already see the writing on the wall, but they drafted some really good weapons and dont need to be desperate utilize TE sets more. Until McMillan returns which will open up the playbook. And please use all 3 backs In rotation stop abusing RB1
October 26th, 2025 at 8:34 am
I couldn’t agree more, but if giving up two mid to low draft picks for an edge rusher and WR makes you a legit super Bowl threat, you do that in a heart beat.
October 26th, 2025 at 10:19 am
I hate to make it Crystal Clear but Jason Licht IS NOT, “I repeat”, IS NOT expecting to get to the Big Show.
There are CLEAR tell, tell signs. He is simply laying back and letting it unfold, AS IS! He’s made NO TRULY AGGRESSIVE OR EVEN HALF A$$ED ATTEMPTS at filling in the holes much less upgrading! And to keep it simple…. That’s All you really need to know. He’s NOT going for a Super Bowl….
He WILL NOT spend draft picks on desperately NEEDED quality, much less UPGRADES… now THAT’S LAUGHABLE!
The Telling sign is to simply look back a few years and during the Super Bowl run to see that Jason WAS ALL IN! Making Super Savy, and Gutsy moves,… NONE STOP!
Now ask yourself if he is in ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM in the same mindset as he was going for the Title in 2020/2021?… And the answer IS…. Not even sort of! He’s a whisper in the wind. Not a Thunderous, talent grabbing stud. It’s plain to see that all this talk of Max Crosby or ANY substantial ANYTHING IS JUST DREAMING.. It’s NOT going to happen.