Are The Bucs Are A Great Or Good Team?
November 11th, 2025
Classifying the Bucs.
Joe has a high standard for “great.”
Sadly, over the years, the word “great” has been badly watered down. Many use the word “great” when “OK” is more apt. Sometimes, it’s worse.
On Sunday, Joe saw a reference to the Bucs’ pass rush as getting “great pressure.” Lawd.
So yesterday, Bucs coach Todd Bowles was asked the difference between a good and a great team.
Bowles has played on a great team, the 1980s and early 1990s Redskins under head coach Joe Gibbs. He’s coached very good teams with the Bucs and one when he was defensive backs coach under Wade Phillips in Dallas.
Shoot, Joe wouldn’t even consider the 2002 Bucs or the 2020 Bucs great teams. They were very good and loaded with very good players as well as great players. But those teams only won one Super Bowl each.
Great teams win several.
Bowles was asked Monday in his day-after presser if the Bucs are a great team or a good team? And, what is the difference between great and good?
“The difference between a good and a great team is preparation on a daily basis,” Bowles said, likely sending a not-so-indirect message to his Bucs.
“I don’t think we’re great,” Bowles said. “We prepare. Most of the time, we’re very good. It’s just one or two guys that have a blank or a ME (mental error) here or there that costs everybody else, and it’s a different guy each time, and we’ve got to get that fixed.”
Joe doesn’t know if, as we stand on Nov. 11, the Bucs are a good team. Yeah, you are what your record says you are. But in two of the past three games, did the Bucs look like a good team to you?
At times they sure looked good. Other times, like this past Sunday, not good.
November 11th, 2025 at 3:08 am
“Are The Bucs Are A Great Or”… Bucs are or a good team right now, soon to be great again though.
Just having fun Joe lol…
November 11th, 2025 at 3:19 am
GOOD enough to make the playoffs? YES. GREAT enough to go far in them? NO. That is the breakdown in the simplest of terms.
November 11th, 2025 at 3:31 am
The roster can win a Super Bowl.
The actual players playing is not SB ready.
Whatever happened to Baker, injuring his oblique or other injuries not mentioned, has caused a different version than the Baker before the Detroit game.
The Bucs need the Baker version from before the Detroit game to have any real chance to go anywhere, let alone a SB.
6-5 is staring the Bucs in the face…. with Buffalo and the Rams coming up,
sure hope not, but it is way to possible
November 11th, 2025 at 3:51 am
Whatever adjective one uses to describe the team, the roster assembled by Jason Licht had the potential to compete with anyone, and play in the Super Bowl. But the team as it is at present, with all the injuries, and lack of continuity on the on-line, isn’t very good IMO.
They’re still good enough to get into the playoffs because of their strong start and their easy schedule from Thanksgiving on. And if they can get Bucky, Evans, and some other key guys back, there is still a chance they can go deep into the playoffs. But I’m getting the feeling that this just isn’t their year. I hope I’m wrong. I’d gladly consume an extra large serving of crow if I am.
All that said, I believe the criticism of Bowles & Licht is rediculosly ignorant. After losing three of their top four WRs, their #1 RB, the continuity of their o-line, Kancey & Walker on the defense, and well as others, the ceiling for this team is nowhere close to where it was back in the preseason. The offense certainly had the potential to be great. But our areas of strength back then are now areas of weakness. That’s neither the fault of the HC or GM.
November 11th, 2025 at 3:53 am
This is a joke, right?
They have the talent to be better than good but lack the attitude and confidence that great teams have. They are not killers.
We all know that Bowles is what’s preventing this team from taking the next step.
November 11th, 2025 at 4:08 am
Good, not great. Too many weaknesses. Think part of it is lack of depth and experience in the backups, injuries of course, missing a few key players like a proven edge rusher, and a big problem with poor coaching on both sides of the ball. Grizzard is pretty bad so far. OJT with an OC that has never even called a HS offense is not good for a team with this much talent. Stupid really.
November 11th, 2025 at 4:32 am
Good to great is what I’m hoping to see during the rest of the season. We’ve seen it before.