The Real Tristan Wirfs Appears To Be Back
September 25th, 2026
He’s back!
Joe has remarked several times that Bucs All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is so damn good if he appears mortal on a play, folks start looking around as if Wirfs is an imposter.
Wirfs has set such a ridiculous standard of excellence — the only NFL player to ever be named All-Pro at both left and right tackle — that Bucs fans like Joe have become spoiled and expect nothing less than perfection in a sort of irresponsible way.
So last year, and in Week 1 this year, when Wirfs looked human, Joe did a Looney Tunes-like double-take. In fact, Joe was beginning to wonder if maybe we have seen the best of Wirfs? Maybe Wirfs already climbed the peak of the mountain and was now on the downside.
Well, it seems like last week Wirfs put any of those ideas to rest. Cleveland no longer has Myles Garrett. But they do have Jared Verse, who is damn good. And per offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn, Wirfs and Verse locked horns last Sunday on 13 “meaningful” snaps.
So, what was the score?
Wirfs 13, Verse 0.
So it appears the old Wirfs has returned.
Wirfs was dominant vs. Verse on all 13 of their meaningful 1v1 reps. A great performance that is easy to overlook due to the outcome of the game. pic.twitter.com/2oWxOXBJus
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 23, 2026
September 25th, 2026 at 3:54 am
Tank for Manning
Hopefully we can get off to an 0-3 start here
Gotta keep up with the Titans
Step for step
September 25th, 2026 at 5:43 am
Never be a better time to trade him for the rebuild that’s coming. Add Winfield to the list too.
September 25th, 2026 at 5:44 am
Not via the eye test. Don’t tell me 13 snaps he looked good. So did Todd Bowles and the defense lol
September 25th, 2026 at 7:01 am
Did we Win or Lose?
Last time I checked, its a Team game and if the team doesn’t Win, there’s more work to do.
I might be wrong but in the last 7 games we are 1-6. Not easy to watch these games. Very disappointing, but at least Wirfs is playing well.
September 25th, 2026 at 7:04 am
I appreciate some good news. Thanks, Joe.
September 25th, 2026 at 7:22 am
I still would like to see Wirfs and Barton on the Left Side. Barton is a better Guard than Center. Bredeson is a better Center than Guard. But the Bucs drafted Barton to play Guard, so ….. Bc the GM makes a mistake, the coaching staff can’t adjust?
How many holding penalties will Barton have this week vs the Vikes? Over/Under 1.5 (my odds not vegas).
September 25th, 2026 at 7:23 am
Ill go on the record right here that Manning does not have a better career than Baker! That kid will be fair to middling his whole career with a few splashes
September 25th, 2026 at 8:47 am
As much as I am a huge fan of Wirfs, it may be time to trade him and begin stock piling draft picks. By the time the Bucs rebuild (IF they can successfully rebuild) he will be on the down side of his career.
I have every confidence the Bucs will be tanking before the trade deadline gets here.
September 25th, 2026 at 9:34 am
A bad team would trade a future hall of fame player. For what a first and a second? Two firsts? We would likely end up with tryon shoyinka or Chris braswell
September 25th, 2026 at 9:48 am
Trading Tristan would be moronic, and anybody calling for that doesn’t know how to “build” a football team nor needs to be talking about “rebuilding” a football team. You don’t offload players that are top 5-10 consistently at their positions. That’s stupid.
September 25th, 2026 at 9:49 am
Jarrett Says:
“Tank for Manning”
The first live football game I ever went to was a Texas Longhorns game in Texas. My father took me. Was one of my better memories of my Dad and the couple years we lived in Texas were the greatest childhood times of my life.
I say this because I would absolutely love to get a Arch Manning on the Bucs…not because I know anything about him, but because I take my past as a sign that is what we should do.
Strange, I know, but these feelings have helped me find success when they come.
Draft him and make him earn the backup position until Mayfield gets injured or his guarantees run out.
September 25th, 2026 at 9:51 am
I should add…I do not think we should tank for him. Trade up. I don’t think he’ll enter the next draft though.
September 25th, 2026 at 10:03 am
Trade Godwin. We’ve got the next generation of WRs in the house already.
But the Bucs do not tank. Period. Bowles is trying to have a good legacy. There is no way he tanks.
And I don’t think the players dislike Mayfield at all.
What I do believe is that this team will turn things around this year. We’ll see if it’s in time to make the playoffs. But we are too talented to be this bad. If the coaching is truly so bad, the players will take it upon themselves to turn things around.
September 25th, 2026 at 10:48 am
They’re doing him a disservice by keeping Bowles and squandering peak years
September 25th, 2026 at 11:44 am
The folks here that want to tank, tearing it all down, including trading their best player are crazy. That’s what consistently bad organizations do. What you invite when that approach is taken are the lost decade scenarios. If things really go bad and we end up with a high pick, then by all means, draft that quarterback of the future. Keeping Tristan would be invaluable to a young quarterback. Of course, if the season continues to be a failure, then obviously, Bowles must be replaced. There is plenty of young talent on this roster and all that is needed is a coach to bring that talent out. If anyone saw the Falcons game last night, you got a view of what a good defensive coordinator can accomplish with mediocre talent on that side of the ball. They are without their best pass rushers and yet made Jordan Love look like a stiff. They pummeled him all night. That’s what any quarterback will look like when they are under siege constantly.
September 25th, 2026 at 11:46 am
And I might add, the Falcons as a team, played with a sense of urgency on both sides of the ball.
September 25th, 2026 at 11:47 am
That last post was an addendum to a previous one that was apparently moderated.
September 25th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
If we tank and draft Manning, we are dumber than I thought. He is not that good. Mendoza was waaaaay better and he can’t crack the lineup in Vegas yet.