Bucs Have “Work To Do”
September 4th, 2026
Bucs need “work.”
In the mind of one NFL columnist, the Bucs must resolve several issues before they can consider themselves on the cusp of being a contender.
That’s how Eric Edholm of Yahoo! sees Tampa Bay. He had a preseason power ranking of all 32 teams, but instead of ranking them from Nos. 1-32, he broke them up into four different groups.
He had the Bucs in the third group under the heading “Work to Do.” Interestingly, Edholm has the entire NFC South landfill in this category.
The bottom category is “Tankers,” where Edholm believes four of those six teams will break out into an MMA match for the right to pick quarterbacks Arch Manning or C.J. Carr.
Edholm has a subgroup of four teams under “Work to Do:” Bucs, Vikings, Colts and Steelers. Those four teams, Edholm noted, could surprise and maybe rise up to the No. 2 group, “If Everything Breaks Right,” but those four will not be contenders.
… all had stretches last season where they were competent to very good contenders with some actual clout, but they all had incomplete seasons. With good health and more consistent quarterback play, each of them are capable of rising up the ranks.
Joe doesn’t think Edholm is exactly wrong. What is that you say, the Bucs’ defense is much better? Well, the way the defense quit and collapsed on the Bucs last year, it left many with a rotten taste in their mouths. Unless or until the Bucs show they have a competent defense, those folks will have trouble being believers.
Joe has zero issue with the offense. But that defense, losing its best corner and banking on three rookies to play like veterans, well, Joe doesn’t know how objective observers can’t have questions.
September 4th, 2026 at 3:34 pm
“But that defense, losing its best corner and banking on three rookies to play like veterans”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
7-10.
Our GM and HC need to go.
I love all Buc fans!
September 4th, 2026 at 3:35 pm
Gee, ya think???? News to me!!!
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
September 4th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
3rd and 28?
September 4th, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Eric Edholm … ‘With good health and more consistent quarterback play, each of them are capable of rising up the ranks.’
Interesting that Edholm never mentioned our defense. Needing to stay in good ‘health’ is a given for every NFL team to be competitive in 2026. Needing ‘more consistent QB play’ doesn’t exactly take reading between the lines.
September 4th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
When the Glazers kept Todd, after how last year went, week after week of lifeless losses. Then Mike Evans not coming back, it set the tone for this offseason. The preseason did nothing to change the overall sense about this team. It does not mean they will have a losing season, but it sure looks like a pile of poop coming up.
I hope that does not happen, I want to enjoy Sundays this season.
Too many times the preseason has been mirrored in the regular season over the years for whatever reasons.
September 4th, 2026 at 3:51 pm
Right now everyone is 0-0
Therefore all 32 teams has “Work To Do”
You’re not going to win a Super Bowl without outworking everyone else
September 4th, 2026 at 3:57 pm
HOW much better is the defense than last year? Improving to middle of the pack would be good enough
September 4th, 2026 at 3:58 pm
How long before the draft process implodes? College players are already paid athletes. They’ll soon want to enter the league as free agents. Arch may be first. He could extract $1B on a 10 year deal from a Jerry Jones, not go to the Cardinals and be part of another rebuild.
September 4th, 2026 at 3:59 pm
The Rams are Super Bowl favorites
Does that mean the Rams can goof around and win it all?
Not hardly, they have to win it on the field
Remember the undefeated Patriots?
None of these so-called analysts gave the Giants a chance
But the Giants actually won it on the football field
September 4th, 2026 at 4:03 pm
“It’s true I guess, that some of us never learn”
——————–
Joe going with the don’t worry about the offense (again) even though that’s what he said last year when our offense out stunk the defense statistically.
Anyone with more than a casual interest (or knowledge) of the Bucs WOULD be worried about the offense unless they had a narrative to push. Any guesses what the narrative is ?
I certainly hope the offense is much more efficient and explosive but it’s just silly to think the defense and Todd are solely, or even mainly, to blame for our collapse last year.
September 4th, 2026 at 4:08 pm
Jeeze, wakie bakie trolls, lol…..give him a chance, ya’ll know i hated his coaching too the past 2 years….but, i think we might do something this year…its so much better being on this side, the positive….give it a chance, you never know
September 4th, 2026 at 4:15 pm
Why would anyone want manning for anything other than TV ratings? He’s a pick waiting to happen.
September 4th, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Bain will win DROY, Trotter and Scott will also get votes. The O line will lead the way to the best running attack and the defense will be top 3 against the run and top 5 against the pass. You heard it here first.
September 4th, 2026 at 5:45 pm
Anyone looking atthis Bucs team with an objective eye can see there are too many variables that have to work out perfectly to contend.
OC – Can Robinson turn the offense around?
QB – Can Mayfield stay healthy and consistent?
RB – Will Bucky turn the clock back to 2024, and not 2025?
WR – Will a WR1 emerge on this team? Right now it’s a committee.
OL – All 5 starters must remain healthy.
OLB – Will Bain become Bane? How will Diaby respond?
ILB – Will Trotter be as good as advertised?
CB – Can they at least be average and stay healthy?
S – Will Pro Bowl level Antoine Winfield show up this year?
P – Can Dixon stay consistent for the entire season?
HC – Will Bowles be more aggressive or fall back on his conservative ways?
Too many things can go wrong to expect to all go right.
September 4th, 2026 at 6:57 pm
Joe…..it’s too bad the negative guys are still wasting our time. I was really hoping they’d go find another team to whine about.
Thanks to Lakeland and MadMax…… we are 0-0 and it’s actually fun to be positive. Some of you guys should try it this year.
And thanks Joes….I’m really looking forward to all of your insightful stories!
September 4th, 2026 at 8:54 pm
Bucks ‘n’ Bucs Says:
We are 0-0 and it’s actually fun to be positive. Some of you guys should try it this year.
**********************
Tried it and it didn’t take. Strive for realism and never be disappointed.
September 4th, 2026 at 9:42 pm
The Glazers certainly have work to do. Hopefully they are already vetting a new GM, who can then vet a new HC.
September 4th, 2026 at 10:15 pm
@ Louis my friend..
You can say that for every team!! Capt. Obvious…
September 4th, 2026 at 10:36 pm
All we need to go right is a buttload less long term injuries to players in the trenches we cannot afford to lose- ESPECIALLY both guards. And both tackles. Only the center played every game though sometimes not at center, lol.
September 5th, 2026 at 1:51 am
It seems to me that we historically do mich better when consensus of “analyst”’s is expectations are low. Or at least we don’t do so well when national pundits consensus is high.
Empirical evidence? Perhaps not. Call it a theory if you prefer. Perhaps someone has time to feed the question to AI. What was Bucs record when national consensus was majority positive (?).
PS: don’t remember there being that many seasons over my lifetime though I remember when there wasn’t such a thing as internet. And only rich people had cable in every room – if you had cable at all (which I didn’t).
September 5th, 2026 at 2:45 am
I’m gong to have to check-out this dudes list, when I get time tomorrow, if I remember. I’ll be in HEAVEN watching College Football beginning from about 9:00am with GameDay, SEC Nation, Big Noon Kickoff (all of em), & will not conclude until about 2:00am Sunday morning… So, prob about a solid 15-HOURS WORTH TOTAL!!!!
It looks like we might be almost exactly on the same page here. Interesting. Like, possibly identical. Pretty Crazy. Damn, he’s good. This guy must know what the hell he’s taking about. Sounds SMART and really on top of things. Hmmmm…
September 5th, 2026 at 8:16 am
Joe…..it’s too bad the Pollyanna guys are still wasting our time. I was really hoping they’d go find another team to pompom wave about.
Thanks to Louis and Marine…… we are 0-0 and it’s actually fun to be realistic. Some of you guys should try it this year.
And thanks Joes….I’m really looking forward to all of your insightful stories!
September 5th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
I have no idea what to expect from this team this season. Understatement of the decade….. that they they left a bad taste in my mouth. Let’s see how they are midway through the season and how they are playing. Go Bucs!?
September 5th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
The defense is primed for massive improvement. I hope the Danny Smith special teams will improve. The offense should be good to excellent.
September 5th, 2026 at 3:23 pm
Louis you ain’t my friend like all 32 teams don’t have the same list just different names?