Bucs Are Back To Being Ignored
February 5th, 2026
No Bucs buzz.
Remember last year? So many Bucs fans, even as high up as Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht, wondered why every half-ass team and two-bit player in the league got run but the Bucs were virtually ignored?
This even got to Conor Orr of SI.com and Kay Adams of FanDuel TV. The two agreed and started to give the Bucs some extra love.
Then, prickly Pete Prisco freaked out his CBS colleague and predicted the Bucs to have the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
So what did the Bucs do in the 2026 season as a result of more attention in the spring and summer? Shat all over themselves.
Joe remembered back in December thinking, ‘Boy, if the Bucs whined about little attention before, they’re going to have a reason to get irked this coming offseason. An unpopular coach on a bad team is not good for buzz.’
There has been no buzz about the Bucs seeping from San Francisco this week, where the NFL world has descended upon to celebrate Super Bowl Week.
Have you heard any Bucs players on any of the dozens of radio shows and podcasts based in San Francisco this week? Have you heard any show discuss the Bucs? Joe hasn’t after long hours of listening.
Aside from Lavonte David doing a few hits from his Miami home, including on Kay Adams’ show, there is zero buzz about the Bucs. ZEE-row.
Whatever street cred the Bucs built with national media types prior to the bye of 2025 has all been burned to ashes, it seems.
Joe even read a statgeek’s Substack Wednesday night, where the guy typed he wasn’t sure if the Bucs can overcome their first big mistake of the 2026 season: No one at One Buc Palace could inspire change at head coach.
(The statgeeks are not fond of Bucs coach Todd Bowles.)
It’s going to be that kind of offseason, Joe fears. But things will pick up two weeks from Monday when the combine begins.
Here is another example of how far off the Bucs have fallen. Gilberto Manzano of SI.com typed up his projection of the Top-100 NFL Players for 2026. Manzano has but two Bucs players on his list and none in the top-70.
There’s just no buzz for this team right now.
February 5th, 2026 at 5:13 am
Joe … ‘There’s just no buzz for this team right now.’
Nor should there be. When a team loses 7 of their last 9 in a season to drop from contender to irrelevant, the only buzz they should expect is the buzz of buzzards looking to make a meal on the carcass.
February 5th, 2026 at 5:16 am
And BTW Joe, in your photo above, Jason Licht looks very much like Tom Moore in his coach’s photo. Obviously 2025 didn’t give Jason much to smile about.
February 5th, 2026 at 5:37 am
Its because we suck
February 5th, 2026 at 5:39 am
The Bucs kept one of the worst Head Coaches in the NFL. What do you expect?
February 5th, 2026 at 6:00 am
What would any media person talk about ??
Hurt QB
Defense was awful
Lost the South which is a Joke
Most important the Bucs Kept Bowles
No one will say it but Woke Doesn’t get it
Winning Does
NO OTHER NFL TEAM WOULD HAVE KEPT BOWLES PERIOD
February 5th, 2026 at 6:05 am
Has anyone else taken a look at, or been keeping an eye on the MLB Top 100 Prospects List over the last year-plus!? Well, it just keeps getting much worse. As the stadium saga continues on. It’s desperation time. This farm system SUCKS. Wander really screwed us over a good one. Last weekend at RayJay was by far THE MOST exciting regular season hockey game I’ve ever seen!!!! GO LIGHTNING.
February 5th, 2026 at 6:08 am
In the NFL you can go from Hero to Zero in a heartbeat. The good news is you can go from Zero to Hero in the same amount of time. A healthy offense and an experienced play caller might just tip the scales. You reckon? I sure do.
February 5th, 2026 at 6:12 am
I am such a big Licht supported but keeping Bowles will lilkely cost him
February 5th, 2026 at 6:13 am
Are there any Bucs even in San Francisco right now? Can’t interview people wo aren’t there.
February 5th, 2026 at 6:45 am
Anyone out there looking forward to another Todd Bowles interview??? Dude speaks with his teeth clenched in that Bowles mono-tone……yes, the Bucs are very “Ignor-worthy” —
February 5th, 2026 at 6:46 am
“It’s going to be that kind of offseason, Joe fears. But things will pick up two weeks from Monday when the combine begins.”
Trust your fears Joe. It is going to be that kind of offseason. The Bucs ownership and management are hoping time and different offseason events will calm the rabid fanhood but that’s not going to happen. We watched over 2 months of the worst football this team has produced in years. We watched the great collapse of 2025 where they lost to 2nd AND 3rd string QB’s in the most critical games of the year. When questioned about why they can’t break out of their slump Bowles says….
As coaches we’ve done all we can do. That line ALONE should of gotten this guy fired. Bowles with help from Licht has made this franchise a laughingstock again. Until this team gets serious about trying to win the Glazers/Licht and Bowles will have a target on their backs. AS THEY SHOULD.
February 5th, 2026 at 6:55 am
A few years back, my company sent me to, of all places, Buffalo for a two year stint. It was go or seek other work, so I reluctantly went. After all, who wants to live in Buffalo? They don’t have beaches and our warm weather is replaced by tons of snow. And then I learned they have something we don’t, a unified, diehard fan base. I was impressed. Even my trips to the grocery store became a thing of beauty after spying half the women donned in Bills, Sabres and even Buffalo Bisons gear. Wanna talk business? Fine, but you gotta talk Bills first.
Here we get none of that. Here, you’re in the minority if you’re a Bucs fan as sports bars are filled with patrons wearing the jerseys of other teams. It sickens me because, despite our great weather, I know things around here could be different. If you don’t believe me, take in a Lightning game. Our hockey fan base is tight.
Why? Because they have ownership who wants to win the Stanley Cup every year.
The Bucs have ownership who rewards mediocrity across the board.
If Bowles were retained in Buffalo with an 8-9 record after four years of crap in a horrible division they’d have a thousand fans picketing the facility.
That’s not gonna happen here and the Glazers know it. They don’t care if the Bucs are “ignored.” They get rich either way. The Glazers are NOT SPORTS FANS!
In Buffalo a 12-5 record gets you fired. In Tampa an 8-9 record gets you another year of job security.
So yeah, the Bucs are now ignored and deserve it. And for the few of us who still care, it sucks!
Unless your goal is to have no goal, 2026 season is over before it starts. Great job Glazers!
February 5th, 2026 at 7:10 am
What’s there to talk about? We’ve got a turd that didnt get flushed as a head coach after a pathetic season in an amazingly weak division. Its not just the Bucs, there is literally nothing to talk about in the entire NFC South division. No super stars and no good teams.
Bowles loves to crow about winning the division three years in a row….he won essentially the weakest division in football with little better than a .500 record each time. Pat yourself on the back.
Apathy is what they get. It isnt going to change anytime soon. Our good players are just getting older and our young players arent getting any better.
February 5th, 2026 at 7:20 am
Unfortunately it is completely justified. Lame duck coach, crazy tough slate of opponents upcoming- it’s going to take a miracle of Biblical proportions to have any semblance of a competitive team much less a winner….
February 5th, 2026 at 7:26 am
Can’t blame them. When a team knowingly keeps the weakest link in the chain around after realizing they extended him prematurely, kind of kills the buzz.
Thanks Brady, never would have happened without you.
February 5th, 2026 at 7:37 am
About as much attention as a Walmart bathroom.
February 5th, 2026 at 7:44 am
JA – you’re not wrong.
February 5th, 2026 at 7:49 am
Make or break year imo. Unsuccessful 26-27 season good possibility leads to a full on rebuild. God I hope these boys can prevent that
February 5th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Could idk wtf my stupid phone would change could to good in that exact sentence
February 5th, 2026 at 7:55 am
The Glaziers must know something the majority of fans do not. Why else did they keep Bowles as h/c? Did they watch any of the last 9 games this season? I watched the 0-26 times and had more of a positive outlook coming than what is coming next year with Bowles. The players love him because he cuddles them rather than leading them
February 5th, 2026 at 7:55 am
2024 and 2025 were seasons marred by massive injuries to entire position groups- secondary and O-line, in order. Prior to those 2 seasons we were recovering from the salary cap hell of amassing a Super Bowl team. This season coming up is probably the last of a top shelf offense unless we sign Baker early. So we need to make a bunch of moves this off-season to put together a contender again. We can’t get swamped by injuries *every* season. Nobody has that had of luck. We have a very talented offense and some good pieces on defense that need an infusion of talent. With the right off-season moves and draft, we are capable of becoming a contender this coming season.
Let’s see how it shakes out.
February 5th, 2026 at 7:57 am
I wrote a big long comment and it disappeared, Joe.
February 5th, 2026 at 8:00 am
It’s super bowl week, and we are not in the super bowl. Sometimes not being talked about is a good thing. You see what happens once the media started patting us on the ssa, we started play like ssa.
February 5th, 2026 at 8:01 am
But the media and fans say we have a star QB who’s in commercials, so the Bucs should be the talk of the town. Lol…why should anyone outside of the fans talk about this team? When the media shows this team love, especially before a prime time game, they go out and lose in front of the entire country. The Bucs are 2-9 in primetime with this HC and QB over the past 3 seasons and 5-12 for Bowles entire tenure as Bucs HC.
This team has not been good since losing in Detroit in the Divisional round. But hey, running it back with the same HC, a new OC and ST coach will certainly get this team over the hump.
February 5th, 2026 at 8:09 am
“Putrid NFC South”…. They had more wins than the putrid NFC East or the putrid AFC North!
February 5th, 2026 at 8:33 am
We earned it. As simple as that.
And besides having a great offense in ‘24 what exactly did we accomplish that season? 10 wins in the nfc south and a first round playoff exit, the peak of Todd Bowles ability. And we screwed that up by letting the guy responsible walk out the door.
And the stats geek guy is correct. It was a mistake.
If the franchise wants relevance and love nationally it’s up to the family that owns it to set the standard. Until then we should all get comfortable with hovering around .500.
Hopefully only 11 more months of this nonsense.
February 5th, 2026 at 8:35 am
The Lakeland Lichts have dimmed. It’s better to burn out than fade away as they say.
February 5th, 2026 at 8:35 am
#1 there is at least 20 teams no one is talking about also #2 we sucked last year always happens when we get a lot of love
February 5th, 2026 at 8:38 am
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. As the Who once sang, we won’t be fooled again.