The other concern is simply how good a playcaller is Grizz going to be? I doubt he'll get through the first 4 games without making some mistakes
I hope they start strong, but when you add this good point to Wirfs and Godwin out and a tough schedule . . .
Week 1 - shootout. Offense takes the lead late on a fg. Defense gives it right back up and we lose. Bowles lovers blame Coen for the fg not being a TD.
Week 2 - we bounce back and our d-line has a breakout game against one of the worst lines in football. Bowles fans rejoice as he finally wins in primetime.
Week 3 - game is closer than we'd like. Fields runs for 2 TDs and throws for 2 more but we run out the clock in the end on a long 8 minute scoring drive to clinch.
Week 4 - starters are back. This is a coin flip but I say we won at home in a close game.
3-1
Well done, sir.
Lol.
3-1... 4-0 is possible, we had the Eagles number last year.
3-1... 4-0 is possible, we had the Eagles number last year.
Bucs were 0-4 in prime time games last year and 0-2 the year before for a combined 0-6 under the Bowles/Baker era
Last year, 1 game was against the Dallas Cowboys with their backup QB; a game where the Bucs have just won 4 in the row and needed to win to control their own destiny in the division. We lost at a time where we could not be riding higher
We also lost and couldn't stop anyone on defense earlier in the year against the Falcons; can't fault them to losing to better teams in Baltimore and KC.
The only prime time game we won was in a playoff game against the Eagles in 2023; a team that lost 5 out of their last 6 regular season games after starting 10-1 to finish 11-6; they lost to bottom feeders in Arizona and the Giants to end the year. Yeah, we'd really be in trouble if we lost that one
so needless to say, until we buck the trend, hard for me to pick the Bucs in a prime time win, no matter the opponent
My hot take: Texans will be an absolute mess offensively. Their defense looks damn good tho. I'm giving them 9 wins max
My hot take: Texans will be an absolute mess offensively. Their defense looks damn good tho. I'm giving them 9 wins max
the Texans are mid at best. Wouldnt shock me at all if Jacksonville won that division
but versus the Bucs on prime time, i'd be hard press to pick any opponent i'd feel comfortable beating. Even take out the teams starting QB and it's a 3 point game.
The thing with the Texans is they hit a hard reset on fixing their OL but yeah they can still sneak out a win against the Bucs. Why? Their edge rushers are just tough even with Wirfs and that secondary can play tight.
Against the Eagles it is 50/50 as it has gone back and forth but it comes down to line play and rotation.
Falcons offense could surprise the Bucs defense if they are not firing on all cylinders. Penix can really bring the pain if he is given a CLEAN pocket. The same with Stroud so yeah Bowles will have to prepare some blitz packages.
The Jets are question mark and Fields could cause havoc if he is not bottled up. But he may not have enough help on offense but that defense of the Jets once again has edge rushers that can cause fits for the Bucs offense without Wirfs.
With that said Bowles is undefeated with openers if I remember correctly.
2-2.
Wins against ATL and NYJ
Lose to HOU and PHI
Falcons down to a 3rd string tackle
2-2 is probably the safe bet, but getting Tristan back in week 3 may give the line the boost it needs to steal one more, so I’m going with 3-1.
Pretty optimistic. I'll say 3-1. They'll lose one out of Houston/Philly, why not win the rest?
3-1.
Could be 4-0. But we don't know yet how well Heck will fill-in at LT, and if the dropoff is cliff-like, against PHI for example, that could lead to a L. But this roster is good enough to win all 4, barring injuries to critical players.
The other concern is simply how good a playcaller is Grizz going to be? I doubt he'll get through the first 4 games without making some mistakes. Will he bounce back quickly after making a bad call? Or will he turtle up? Or will he compound a bad mistake with more?
I think he'll be okay, but he might have a bad game or two coming out of the gate, so 3-1.
Nice take!
Jeez, the haboob sounds like it's going to tear the roof off right now.
Haboob? Are you in Arizona?
Oh man, the Texans are a legit club. They honestly could be in a window. That will be one hell of a game for us to win. Tough.
@theknees their oline is a mess, I dont see that roster in a window. Their secondary is amazing tho.
Also does Stroud play like last year? (Mid) or like his rookie year? Thats gonna make ot break their season, Stroud was not impressive last season.