@ Falcons - W 24-20 [1-0] - Last season we seemed to have the Falcons number and I see no reason for that to change in 2016. Granted, it is never easy to play in the dome, and week one will feature a healthy group of Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones, and Mohammad Sanu on offense. I believe that with Grimes and Hargreaves stepping up big time, and the run defense still playing at a high level thanks to McCoy, Gholston, and our LB Corp, we can come away 1-0 to start the season. Gameplan: The Falcons have one of the better offensive units in the league. When Matt Ryan plays like 'Matty Ice' he is a top 7-8 QB in the league. His weapons are there in all-pro Julio Jones and newly acquired, versatile wideout Mohammad Sanu. The secondary will have it's hands full with those guys. Grimes will likely be on Jones. I expect both Grimes and Jones to make their plays in a pretty even matchup. I also feel that Alteraun Vernor will cover Sanu, and I'm hoping that he does his homework b/c quite frankly I don't like that matchup. This may be a gutsy call, but I'd actually put Hargreaves on Sanu and ATV in the slot. If we force the Falcons to pass I think we've got this one wrapped up. That said, in order to force them into 30-40 passing attempts, we have to make stopping Devonte Freeman a priority. He has great vision, good power, and worst of all, I believe the Falcons O-Line will be much improved at least in the run game, especially factoring in the addition of Alex Mack at center. The great thing is, our defense actually played really well against the run last season. With McCoy, McDonald, Gholston and our LB's we should be a top 10, maybe even top 5 run defense. Offensively, we are actually somewhat comparable to Atlanta in that we have a pretty balanced unit. The gameplan on offense will be the same gameplan for virtually every week of this season.. sit back and take what the defense gives us. If there are 7-8 in the box let Jameis drop back and hit VJax/Evans/Brate/Vitale/Sims for a completion. If they drop more guys into coverage let Doug pound the rock in between the tackles. Sounds pretty simple, and it is when you have the personnel that we finally have here in Tampa Bay. Looking at their defensive roster I like the matchup that Sims/Brate should have in the passing game. With Sims, he's likely to be shadowed by rookie LB Deion Jones for most of the game. While I really like Jones as a prospect, this will be his first NFL game. Sims is a smart cat who knows how to beat LB's for the football. Jones has the speed no doubt, but does he have the instincts and play recognition to effectively keep Charles Sims III at bay? I have my doubts. The same can be said for the matchup of our TE [whethere it's Brate/ASJ/Vitale] vs another rookie in Keanu Neal. Once again, I like Neal as a prospect, but in his first game I expect there to be some busts in coverage. Neal is very physical but I think it's going to take time for him to adjust to the speed of the NFL's passing game. I don't expect eye-popping numbers from our wideouts, or really from any one particular player on the offense. I think getting a win in Atlanta is going to be dependent on how smart and how patient we can operate, as a team, for 60 minutes.@ Cardinals - L 30-20 [1-1] - If this game was played closer to the end of the season [and hopefully it will be if you start thinking about the playoffs], I might have a different outcome. The Cards are one of the best overall teams in football and will be operating at a high level right out of the gate. While we do win in Atlanta, I expect a learning curve for the defense that may last through the first quarter of the season. No shame in losing to a great team like Arizona, just as long as we can capitalize on winnable games like the home opener against St Louis.vs Rams - W 17-12 [2-1] - The defense continues their up and down start to the season. After giving up a couple of boneheaded scores in Arizona, they succeed in keeping Todd Gurley and company from reaching the endzone. More of a defensive battle than anything, the Bucs prevail despite some tough hits on Jameis once again, courtesy of Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn. BOLD PREDICTION: With the Bucs up 14-12 and St Louis driving in the last couple minutes of the game, Vernon Hargreaves picks off a pass from Jared Goff to seal the deal.vs Broncos- W 24-16 [3-1] - Call me crazy, but I see the Broncos picking in the top 12 of next year's draft. They've lost Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson, and several key role players in both sides of the trenches. Aqib Talib may not be available after being shot in the leg in Dallas, which depending on the league's investigation could even have Talib suspended for this one even if he was able to go. Von Miller is in a heated contract dispute which doesn't look too good, though you have to figure it will get worked out soon enough. But how will missing this much football effect him early on? Offensively they do retain a good running back in CJ Anderson, but we will no doubt force their QB to throw all day long. If it's rookie Paxton Lynch I think our D will feast. If it's Mark Sanchez, well.. you see what we did to him in Philly last year.. I don't see how they will be able to move the ball in 2016 against teams equipped to stop the run. Offensively, we do have to respect their secondary, even without Talib. They've still got Chris Harris Jr, Bradley Robey, and TJ Ward. That's not to say we need to live or die by the running game, we just have to keep it balanced and keep those DB's on their toes. I think we can do that. I'm sure they will gameplan to stop Martin first and foremost, but do they have the personnel up front to execute?@ Carolina - L 28-31 [3-2] - Long story short, we lose. But in a nationally televised Monday night game against the reigning NFC Champs, we play our hearts out, especially Jameis, and make it a nail biter, right down to the finish. I believe that Cam will have to do a lot of improv and scrambling in this one, and it gives them the edge. Make no mistake this game will be FAR different from the games we played against Carolina last season. Also, like the Arizona game, I would feel differently about the outcome if this wasn't so early in the season. Spoiler Alert: The Panthers won't be sweeping us this year, but they do get this one.@ 49ers - W 28-10 [4-2] - Aside from a late garbage-time score, our defense keeps SF out of the endzone, much like they did against St Louis. It's never easy traveling coast to coast, but given the fact we'll be coming off a bye, our guys are going to make it look like a walk in the park. I'm not sure what SF's identity is offensively. They don't have many playmakers. With Chip Kelly running the show I expect a lot of Kaepernick doing what he did in Las Vegas, running the pistol offense and using up-tempo strategy. Although we destroyed Chip's team last year in Philadelphia, I think that a lot of it had to with his team not wanting to play for him. The 49ers will play hard, but it just won't be enough. I expect our defense to come away with at least 4 sacks and multiple turnovers as Colin Kaepernick will be running for his life often, and trying too hard to make the play that isn't there. They will not be able to stop our passing attack and Jameis will throw 4 TDs.vs Raiders - W 31-20 [5-2] - This game will be looked at as one of the best matchups all year. Two up and coming teams. Derek Carr vs Jameis Winston. Mike Evans vs Amari Cooper. Khalil Mack vs Noah Spence [yeah I believe in Spence that much]. No doubt, Oakland will be a good team, but for one reason or another I think we handle them fairly easily. I remember VH3 going up against Cooper in colllege. Both guys made their plays. Grimes may be the safer choice but I think Hargreaves could hold is own against Cooper. I don't fear their running game, although they do have a hell of an offensive line. My biggest concern is their TE Walford. Guy is basically what we've all been hoping to see from ASJ. I don't know that we have a safety on the roster that can cover him up. I would actually put one of our corners on him most of the game, either VH3/Grimes/Vernor. Offensively, I expect Dougie to show up, but this game will be won with the team on Winston's shoulders.vs Falcons - W 27-10 [6-2] - Falcons are sticking to their losing ways, their coach may already be fired by this point of the season as the team barely manages to eclipse 6 wins all year. Easy money. Dont' look now but our Bucs are tied with Carolina for the division lead and 4-0 at home. Plenty of exposure from the national media. vs Bears - W 21-18 OT [7-2] - Expected to steam roll the inferior competition, the Bucs goof a few times during this game, making it a close one. Thanks to some clutch, late-game field goals, we manage to tie the game, go into OT and win. This game alone proves the importance of having a quality kicker you can depend on. @ Chiefs - L 24-13 [7-3] - I have a slight feeling that our offense is going to struggle against the Chiefs defense. Let's just be real, the Chiefs are one of the best defense's going. While a lot of talk is made about Houston or Seattle or Denver having a great defense, the Chiefs may be my top ranked unit. They're virtually stacked across the board. This would have to be an ultimate grind-it-out defensive battle, but at the end of the day, I think the Chiefs' versatility on offense will prove to be the difference as they pull ahead in the fourth quarter.vs Seahawks - L 31-17 [7-4] - Uh oh... Our first big loss of the year, and our first loss at home after starting the season 5-0 in Ray Jay. With the defense getting lit up and the offense struggling for the second week in a row, it's time to refocus and get right. BOLD PREDICTION: An article is published on ESPN/NFL/SI etc that will straight up disrespect the team, essentially writing us off as the cinderella-story team that has finally been exposed as a fluke. This article will set the tone for the rest of the year, propelling us onto a whole new level.@ Chargers - W 41-13 [8-4] - Blowout city. The Bucs go ahead and draw up the blueprint on how a young team on the rise should respond in the face of adversity. After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, we rebound in a big way, on the road and handle business to get right back in the division race against the 9-3 Carolina Panthers. This is no fluke of a squad. Considering the success of the offense compared to the early 2000's, this is a different Bucs team then we have seen, maybe ever.vs Saints - W 24-10 [9-4] - Let the good times roll. The Saints come marching in, buy they leave with a limp. The Saints just are not nearly as explosive on offense when they play on the road. Our defense will have possibly their best game of the season. Drew is on the decline. Maybe not entirely, but by this point of the season he will be winding down. Let's face it, Willie Snead isn't scaring anyone. Brandin Cooks should be much further along than he is, which makes you wonder if he will ever truly 'get there'. Brandon Coleman is basically the WR version of TE Tim Wright, and I'm not only saying that because they both came from Rutgers. And I'm sorry, but I don't see Michael Thomas being a major threat, at least not in year one. ..... Mark Ingram will not be able to mow down our front seven, which means a lot of passing to alot of weak receivers. With our improved pass rush really hitting it's stride interceptions will abound as Drew is forced to hold on to the ball waiting for a receiver to get open. @ Cowboys - L 27-28 [9-5] - This might as well be a playoff game. Both teams come in as favorites to make the post-season. Playing in Dallas will be tough. Jerry's world will be rocking. I expect this one to be similar to the Panther's game on MNF earlier in the season. We play our hearts out, Jameis wills his team right to the very end, but Romo and Dez connect in the end for a last second score that gives them the W.@ Saints - L 31-30 [9-6] - Another heartbreaker lost in the waning moments. After handling the Saints with ease just two weeks ago, we find ourselves in a whole different fight playing in the Super Dome. That explosion that was missing from the Saints offense is there this time. No one player on offense dominates, they all just do their job and keep it tight. The clock gets us in the end, as the veteran Drew Brees capitalizes on great clock management to go up by a point with only about 20 seconds left on the clock. Dropping to 9-6 has us out of the running for the division win, but right in the mix for a wildcard. Still, we have to win against the Panthers to ensure a spot in the playoffs.vs Panthers - W 23-20 OT [10-6] - The division winning 11-4 Panthers come into the game having already locked up a playoff berth, but still fighting for a first round bye. Meanwhile the 9-6 Bucs are hoping for that elusive tenth victory that will ensure a wild card and our first playoff game in nearly a decade. Good battle here, could be the most entertaining game all year as the bucs go up early, carolina ties it, and Aguayo gets his second game winning overtime field goal after a sack fumble from Noah Spence on Cam Newton.BUCS FINISH 10-6, [4-2 in the division], [7-1 at home] and earn a Wildcard Berth!!!
