“Vibes Seem Ass” In Tampa
August 6th, 2026
Here’s one for the famous receipt box kept by Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
Pat McAfee, the popular and premier ESPN TV personality, has hosted Licht on his show and gassed him up as a top-flight GM. McAfee, however, now believes Licht is presiding over a messy situation.
Mike Evans leaving, Baker Mayfield lashing out and Vita Vea demanding a trade are not coincidences in McAfee’s mind. The former Pro Bowl punter and longtime friend of Bucco Bruce Arians thinks the feel around One Buc Palace stinks. He also throws Lavonte David’s retirement into that mix.
“I do believe vibes matter,” McAfee said on the ESPN show that bears his name. “It’s hard enough to win a game already. The vibes seem ass down at that place. Vibes seem ass down at that place; I see that carrying into the season.”
“That tells me a lot more than I think a lot of other people would assume. So I do not have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the NFC South,” McAfee said.
McAfee went on to say he believes the Bucs are ripe for finger pointing emerging when challenging times roll around this season.
Darius Butler agrees. The McAfee show regular and former Belicheats and Colts cornerback is down on the Bucs and sees the Panthers winning the NFC South.
Today, Licht said the culture at One Buc Palace rivals the best he’s seen in Tampa.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
Tank season loading….
August 6th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Well the vibes were great last year and we stunk it up….
August 6th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Panthers and Falcons have players dropping like flies. Carolina also has a first place schedule. So, I would say the team to challenge Tampa is those Aints.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
If last seasons 2-7 job wasn’t enough to wake the glazers up, I’m sure a season of finger pointing will.
I still think we get to 7, 8 or 9 wins.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
It’d be a lot easier to take the ex-punter seriously if he actually showed up, talked to at least one current player and didn’t just spout off without any first hand knowledge of what he was talking about.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Unless, you are inside the building, everything else is nonsense. Vita was literally on the practice field smiling and laughing with Bowels.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
If we do tank this year, I sincerely hope we don’t draft Arch Manning. He’s way overrated, in my opinion.
I’d rather give Jalen Daniels a shot to lead us on the cheap and beef up the rest of the team anywhere we can.
I’m cool with Baker as a person and a player, but high-salaried QB’s cripple a team’s ability to win a Superbowl.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
not-ROH-worthy snake-oil-selling Jason Licht is not to be believed – ever – the first four games of the season will tell the tale :
4-0 miracles do happen
3-1 steady as she goes
2-2 rough weather
1-3 run aground and foundering
0-4 abandon ship
August 6th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
Seems like the problems are with the older players who have been with the Bucs for some time. I like the direction of Licht and finding players with a little fire under their butts.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Pat is only a fan of the Bucs when BA is on the set or he’s talking directly to a player on the team on his show.
Darius Butler and AJ Hawk have the only opinions coming out of that show worth a damn. Everybody else is just like the crew members from “Waynes’ World” forgettable.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
7 – 10
Stop hating on me.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Punter….enough said
August 6th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
McAfee all Columbian bam bammed out of his mind again.
Panthers have a litany of injuries and they’re supposed to win the NFC? Okay. ESPN fired everyone and kept him so I guess he’s gotta keep it lively.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
“Vibes seem ass down at that place”
Yeah, he’s right.
Good job, Licht.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
Good thing they kept the head coach, that was repeatedly reported that all these players “loved to play for”
August 6th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
We will know very early in the season. See what kind of energy and urgency are there in Cincinnati.
Ok to lose that one if a strong gameplan and effort are put forth. But lose the next one at home and strap yourselves in for a looooong year.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Has McAfee been to camp?
August 6th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
LouisFriend Says:
August 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
It’d be a lot easier to take the ex-punter seriously if he actually showed up, talked to at least one current player and didn’t just spout off without any first hand knowledge of what he was talking about.
^^^^^^^^^
The defense has been terrible the last few years, and the same guy is running that sh!t show. It’s not hard to figure out.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Bowles #1 deficiency!!!!…lack of URGENCY!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
August 6th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
@ LouisFriend – Number one, I believe that it is fairly obvious enough, for almost everyone to clearly SEE for themselves. AND, Number two… HE is extremely CLOSE to BA. Bruce is literally ON “HIS SHOW” every (Monday or Tuesday), during the season. And, do YOU REALLY, believe that HE doesn’t have PLENTY of close ‘connections’ from right inside of that Bucs Locker-room, and probably speaks to most of them quite often!? I mean, Seriously. BE REAL.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
@ Erik with Clean Athletics™ – Oh My God, Dude. Well, then “your opinion” is STUPID. PLEASE STOP Commenting. Just PLEASE.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
this is your answer on why evans left
August 6th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
it’s about talent and professionalism not vibes
August 6th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Awesome, it’s not like we can see those ass vibes too pat. What a mess and the season hasn’t even started yet.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Panthers win the South? Haven’t they already lost 4 starters for the season, and training camp has barely started?! Do these tv ass clowns even bother to do a little bit of homework before spouting off BS???
August 6th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
Some of you are downright funny.
In your minds: If Talking Head X predicts the Bucs to be cellar dwellers, the “overrated dude is an idiot who’s never been to one practice and has no idea what he’s talking about.”
But if Talking Head Y, who also has never been to a single practice, claims the Bucs will go 12-5 and win the division, that dude, a football guru, must’ve watched hours of tape and tops all sports media charts for NFL knowledge.
Theoretically, if attending practice is the barometer for making a great football analyst, both guys should be idiots.
But not here …
August 6th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
If they are in the top 5 picks for next year it cant be a miss or its another lost decade
August 6th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Lazy reporting.. Hell, anyone can look at the situation and surmise that things aren’t well. We have a lot of players that DO want to be in Tampa, and are working hard every day. It’s a make or break year for Bowles and Baker. We’ll know soon enough whether Baker’s dispute is a distraction or not.
Trade Vita. He obviously doesn’t want to be here.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Oh no, not “the vibes”.
Dear God September can’t get here fast enough
August 6th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Predictions are ass…. and stupid.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Baker and Vea want to be paid, so they will play hard. If McAfee would have pointed out the lack of depth at OL or LB, then I would know what he is talking about.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
I say the vibe has been great and I’m as plugged in to the Bucs as McAfee is ! 😎
August 6th, 2026 at 1:58 pm
LOL @Drunk fan
It’s like that old saying – Better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Or something like that. A lot of it going around lately.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:13 pm
Take the under on wins. The schedule is hard. Too much drama already. Licht has lost all control. What a mess. I already plunked down money on Cincy. That’s gonna be ugly.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:21 pm
LOL it’s the Vibes. Bwaaaaahahaha
August 6th, 2026 at 2:21 pm
people can smell the phony bucs management and coach every time they open their mouths. they just make crap up and toss it out at the fans, especially jason and bowles.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:28 pm
most Bucs wins in a regular season :
Arians 13
Gruden 12
Dungy 11
Bowles 10
Raheem 10
McKay 10
Koetter 9
everyone else <8
so is Bowles more like Raheem or more like Dungy Arians Gruden ?
the answer is clear – his ceiling is 10 but I would not bet on it
August 6th, 2026 at 2:28 pm
most Bucs wins in a regular season :
Arians 13
Gruden 12
Dungy 11
Bowles 10
Raheem 10
McKay 10
Koetter 9
everyone else <8
so is Bowles more like Raheem or more like Dungy Arians Gruden ?
the answer is clear – his ceiling is 10 but I would not bet on it
August 6th, 2026 at 2:32 pm
Wait Joe. I thought Tom Brady forever changed the culture at One Buc Palace? You know, the same culture that let the team play like “ass” last season after the entire team quit on that staff. This season will be more of the same until they truly change the leadership. STARTS AT THE TOP.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:09 pm
The vibes are bad in these comments and on news sites that only have contracts to write about. The press conferences seem as peppy as ever.
We are not the dolphins! (Or even Flacons…cheer up everyone sheesh)
August 6th, 2026 at 3:09 pm
BTW, I don’t mean this news site. I mean PFT and the talk shows