Booger McFarland Believes Bucs Still Rule The NFC South Landfill

July 23rd, 2026

Has a Bucs winning plan.

In the eyes of former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland, the Bucs have one of the best offensive lines in the league — when healthy.

So he believes the Bucs should take advantage of such an advantage.

Booger wants the Bucs to go old school and play smashmouth football. No need to be cute. You have hogs up front. Let them root.

“It’s the best to me,” Booger said of the Bucs’ offensive line. “It’s the best. If not, it’s top-three from an offensive line standpoint in all of football.

“They got to get back to bludgeoning people. If they do that, I think the Bucs win the South, and maybe quite easily.”

Bold statement but he may not be wrong. There’s only one catch: Who can be the smashmouth running back? Kenneth Gainwell, Joe doesn’t think, is not a bruising back. We all know Bucky Irving is a little guy. And Sean Tucker? He might be.

Joe thinks the Bucs may miss Rachaad White. No, Joe was not a fan of White as a running back. But what White did do well was that he was maybe an underrated guy running between the tackles.

White was the best the Bucs had last year getting a few tough yards in traffic when they needed it.

Joe believes Booger is onto something. There’s way too many “ifs” about this defense. What’s the best way to cover for a (potentially) leaky defense? Play keep-away. Control the ball. Smashmouth football.

And you have got to figure that would put a smile on KitKat-eating Todd Bowles’ face. Smashmouth football is right up the alley of defensive coaches.

"I think the Bucs are the best team in the [NFC] South." @ESPNBooger has high hopes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 👀 pic.twitter.com/up0HRKbB2Y

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 22, 2026

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One Response to “Booger McFarland Believes Bucs Still Rule The NFC South Landfill”

1. BoriMex 813 Says:
   July 23rd, 2026 at 4:29 am

   Booger is ABSOLUTELY onto something. He’s preaching, Joe. The analytics back him up. The Bucs’ biggest advantage isn’t just talent, it’s a top-tier offensive line as mentioned. When you consistently win at the line of scrimmage, everything improves: rushing efficiency climbs, third downs get shorter, play-action becomes lethal, and your defense stays fresh because it’s defending fewer snaps.

   But here’s another wrinkle: if Sean Tucker is going to be the downhill producer, where’s the lead blocker? We’ve almost abandoned the true fullback in today’s NFL, yet some of the league’s most physical offenses still use a fullback or H-back to create an extra gap. Behind a dominant offensive line, that extra blocker can turn a 2-yard gain into an 8-yard statement.

   Smash-mouth football isn’t old school, it’s championship football. Win first down. Own time of possession. Wear down the front seven. Force safeties into the box. Then let Blue Chew Baker carve up single coverage with play-action. That’s complementary football at its finest.

   Let Sean Tucker be the hammer. Let Bucky Irving be the lightning. Let Gainwell be the spark, quick, elusive, and dangerous as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Let Blue Chew be the assassin when defenses sell out to stop the run. Oh Lord!

   If this offensive line stays healthy, I don’t just see another NFC South title, I see a team nobody wants to face in January.

   Great read, Joe. 22 days until Pre-Season Buccaneers football graces our Televisions…

   🔥 LFG!!
   ☠️ Join me… or hate me.

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