If you look at this thread those making the highest success projections are the loudest critics now
some exceptions but…
I think I was at 10-7 but 5-5 at this point. I wasn’t expecting falcons to be as good or to sweep us.
at 4-6, we are under my expectations, I am revising down to an optimistic 9-8 with remaining losses against chargers and saints
we will be 9-7 heading into last week after a nice streak again of 5-1; but Bowles team comes out flat when it matters last week against a tough division opponent
The Bucs will have to run the table 7-0 for me to be right this time.After correctly predicting the 9-8 record last year, I'll go for 11-6 this year.
Thanks for digging this thread out. I predicted 9-8 which is still achievable. Have to finish 5-2.
Thanks for digging this thread out. I predicted 9-8 which is still achievable. Have to finish 5-2.
You and ehinote and Goodtimes . . . right on it!!
As expected some of the "loudest" posters NOW predicted a big season THEN . . . at least one seems to have made the prediction THEN to set up the noise NOW lmao
@bucsbits - I believe I said 9-8, possibly 10-7 - but I felt more confident with 9-8.
dont think I was alone in saying the defense would be a problem, and if we could stay healthy…
Also, Baker has elevated his game…he’s downright franchise-esque… if he only had some receiver weapons…
@bucsbits - I believe I said 9-8, possibly 10-7 - but I felt more confident with 9-8.
dont think I was alone in saying the defense would be a problem, and if we could stay healthy…
yep another one that is looking pretty spot on
For the record I was wrong in suggesting they might get off to a bad start
but also said that STATISTICALLY SPEAKING they were very likely to have injury problems, unlike last year
In his Fab 5, SR puts the defensive woes now on the coaches and he just raised that again answering a fan question but that answer also includes this:
"But remember that almost all of the free agent money available this offseason was used to re-sign the likes of Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans, Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs, All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., inside linebacker Lavonte David and kicker Chase McLaughlin, while also adding free agent strong safety Jordan Whitehead. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay was still dealing with a good chunk of dead cap space to the tune of $58.7 million."
the Bucs are gettign bad defensive play form both of those safeties and LVD is not the LVD of the past. Evans is out injured and so is Wirfs.
Thats FIVE key players in the "free agent class," if you want to call it that
NOT excusing the coaching, just pointing out REALITY . . . . that was recognized as a potential problem by several BEFORE the season
I was actually shocked the game was as close as it was. 9ers special teams gave us an opening.
@bucsbits - not me at 8 and 9.
Yep pretty spot on. Maybe you expect a little less from the offense then we got (pre-injuries) but called many things right
our schedule/matchups
upcoming defensive downfall
we will have 3 or 4 non-division games that we will be huge dogs in.
we go as far as our offense can take us this year
Lots of good takes in here. Kermit calls the better O-Line play. A couple people mention injuries as a wildcard
Lots of good takes . . .
and some hardcore trolling LMAO
wouldn't be the RB without it
Apparently there are quite a few gamblers on the RB so this is what Warren Sharp said preseason:
"Many people viewed the loss of OC Dave Canales as a big issue for Baker Mayfield, and that without Canales, this offense will not be as effective. . . . I don’t view his absence as the biggest issue for the Bucs.
The larger issue is simple regression after their incredible luck last season related to schedule ease, turnovers, fumbles, field goals, health, and third down performance."
I was actually shocked the game was as close as it was. 9ers special teams gave us an opening.
Really is something else when you think about the last 2 weeks
49ers had CMAC, Kittle, and Samuel. We had Cade Otton
Chiefs undefeated. We have Sterling Shepperd.
The geniuses in Vegas only missed by 2.5 this year. And Bet MGM said to take the under! That's closer than the last two years when Vegas missed by 3 games or more. I predicted 11 wins, so I missed by one, worse than last year when I predicted the correct number. Perhaps Vegas should find another insider, this time try to find somebody who has a clue.PR reports over under is 7.5 for Bucs wins, which would be the worst season since 2019 when they went 7-9.
BetMGM:
LEAN Buccaneers Under 7.5 Wins (+120)
Tampa managed to stave off a disaster of an offseason, but this play is purely based on the price.
I can’t think of many reasons to fade this Tampa team, but Dave Canales’s departure could prove an arduous one to overcome.
It’s tough to make that determination on a one-season sample size. However, it’s worth noting Tampa ranked 20th in offensive EPA per play under Byron Leftwich.
Last year in 2023, under Canales, Tampa jumped to 12th in offensive EPA per play, according to rbsdm.com.
To replace the departing Canales, the Bucs opted for Liam Coen, who last coordinated the Rams offense in 2022.
That unit ranked 29th in offensive EPA per play that year, albeit while dealing with myriad injuries.
Additionally, I can’t help but wonder if two departures on defense could lead to some regression.
Both Shaq Barrett and Devin White moved on from Tampa, along with corner Carlton Davis.
Virtually all of Tampa’s wins last season came as a function of a strong defense. Of their nine wins, six came while allowing 17 or fewer points.
In the event their defense doesn’t sustain levels from 2023 – they ranked 17th in defensive EPA per play – it’s easy to see a scenario where Tampa finishes under this number.
In an NFC South where I expect improvement from both Atlanta and Carolina, it’s the under or nothing for me. However, given Tampa has the 11th-easiest schedule this year, I’ll pass.
I just think this logic comes from an outsider who doesn't really know the Bucs. Is Coen going to be worse than Canales? Nah, I think most of us can see it's an improvement. And we can see that the O-line will be better with Barton leading the way. Barrett and White were not anything to write home about last year, which is why they aren't here this year. If this is the kind of information that is resulting in the Bucs having a 7.5 O/U then I'd say it's a pretty safe bet to take the over.
