@theknees if you’re right and we’re as talented as anyone in the league, then Bowles should lead this team deep in the playoffs. I’m looking forward to it.
I suspect our team’s success will have more to do with Baker, Egbuka, Godwin, McMillan, Bucky, Gainwell, Vea, Bain, Calijah, Diaby, Anzalone, Trotter, and AWJ
Read those names and know, my team is better than your team.
Damn we have some joy sponges on this board. Fucking crazy.
we had an offense that averaged nearly 30 points a game in 2024 and still were sitting at 4-6, taking a rally at end of year to end up with a mid record of 10-7. Have the same head coach, same quarterback and for what we hope is an offensive coordinator that can match Coen
sure we upgraded our defense, but still dont see it magically becoming the Seahawks defense because of Bain
Every year is different so all comparison come with a grain of salt, but the defense was only 17th in scoring defense in 2024 so it doesn't need to be the "Seahawks defense"
The defense should be better than last year and the offense better than last year. If they stay healthy they should do okay.
@theknees if you’re right and we’re as talented as anyone in the league, then Bowles should lead this team deep in the playoffs. I’m looking forward to it.
I suspect our team’s success will have more to do with Baker, Egbuka, Godwin, McMillan, Bucky, Gainwell, Vea, Bain, Calijah, Diaby, Anzalone, Trotter, and AWJ
Read those names and know, my team is better than your team.
Damn we have some joy sponges on this board. Fucking crazy.
we do not have a top 15 head coach and i'd rate our "talent" between 15 and 20th overall. You list a bunch of guys but act like there aren't better players or equivalent on other squads.
we had 2 losing records out of the last 4 and needed to have late season win streaks to claw our way to 9-8 and 10-7 seasons in one of the worst divisions in football during that stretch. Our only playoff success post Brady has been against a floundering Eagles team who lost to double digit loss Cardinals and Giants team to end the season losing 5 of their last 6 games.
I'd love nothing more to see 12 wins out of this team.
and i certainly prefer this mid 9 win seasons over the decade before Brady. Not complaining there but i hope im eating crow to see a 12 win Bucs team.
i'd rate our "talent" between 15 and 20th overall.
Okay buddy, I’m here for your list of 15 more talented rosters. It’s okay to not be a homer but it’s inexcusable to lie for the sake of lying. Grow up.
i'd rate our "talent" between 15 and 20th overall.
Very subjective obviously, but I think most would say the 2025 roster was heavily injured and I think they were probably 15th or 16th in wins. And most here say that Bowles drags them down
2024 they are probably top 10 or so and they were very healthy compared to 2025
2023 maybe top 15 or so.
Anyway, their actual win performance is more like top 12-15? With Bowles dragging them down lol. So, they have been punching above their weight if they are 15-20 in terms of talent.
and I am someone who thinks they have needed better talent
i'd rate our "talent" between 15 and 20th overall.
Okay buddy, I’m here for your list of 15 more talented rosters. It’s okay to not be a homer but it’s inexcusable to lie for the sake of lying. Grow up.
in no order
Elite Tier - Rams, Seahawks
Knocking on the Door - Eagles, Ravens, Bills, Lions
Top Tier - Broncos, 49ers, Texans,Patriots
Slightly Better - Bengals, Bears, Chargers, Packers, Chiefs, Cowboys
Same Grouping - Buccaneers, Vikings, Jaguars, Steelers
- Would argue the 16 teams i listed above them have better head coaches (sans have not been impressed with Zac Taylor or Dan Campbell)
- Would argue from a QB perspective, the Bucs are in same tier as Seahawks, Eagles, Lions, Broncos, 49ers, Texans, Patriots, Bears, and Packers
8 of those 9 teams made the playoffs last year.
6 of those 9 teams have made at least a Championship game over the last 3 seasons. The Bucs have not.
so with similar tiered QB, somehow the teams performed better than the middling .500 Bucs. It's either the Bucs have this stacked roster and Bowles is so bad, he's holding them back; or Bowles is manageable head coach and the rest of the roster is just mid, hence the QB is only taking us so far. Which is it?
It's either the Bucs have this stacked roster and Bowles is so bad, he's holding them back; or Bowles is manageable head coach and the rest of the roster is just mid, hence the QB is only taking us so far.
Or about a million other descriptions in between one of which is that while getting the Bucs back to fiscal discipline required by the owners Licht has done a decent job building a team primarily one draft at a time and Bowles has help d keep that incomplete team relevant until last year, a season racked by injuries and an inexperienced OC ...
oops and a QB who should not have been paid given his performance in the last 11 games
I love your optimism in your other posts here......but you are fucking delusional if you think this team has 5 or less losses. The ceiling is 9-8. That is the best they are going to be able to do. I think the real outcome is between 9-8 and my prediction of 6-11. I see losing games here: Cincy, Packers, Cowboys, Panthers at Carolina, Bears, Lions, Chargers, Ravens, Falcons at Atlanta, Rams, Saints at New Orleans. That puts us at 6-11.-So you are thinking (by your losses) that we sweep the Falcons, Saints, and Panthers all 3? I am fairly certain that has never happened and won't happen this year. In most years, they split those games.....so that would make them 9-8. I think they lose more than that.What about the rest of my post? Quite deflecting and give your losses
One thing you never do in football is look at last season or any other previous season as a gage for how good a team will be the next season. So while there are many reasons to think we will lose more than 5 games there is also reason to believe this defense will be largely improved.
Fine, losses to Cincy, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Rams.
We will have 5 losses or less.
Just because of your smugness to others and the fact you are the last person on this board that should be smug about anything based on the stupidity you flow on a regular basis:@theknees if you’re right and we’re as talented as anyone in the league, then Bowles should lead this team deep in the playoffs. I’m looking forward to it.
Baker, Egbuka, Godwin, McMillan, Bucky, Gainwell, Vea, Bain, Calijah, Diaby, Anzalone, Trotter, and AWJ
- Baker, whom I absolutely love, is an up and down QB. He has really great moments and then has really shitty ones. As long as he's healthy, team has a chance.
- Egbuka is someone I think is a special type player, BUT, he has all but disappeared since the first half of his rookie season. I need to see more from him this year and stay healthy.
- Godwin was supposed to be the next big thing in Tampa and I thought we stole him in the draft......BUT, he's injured too often and his injuries have been critical injuries.
- McMillan had a promising start to his career, but that's where it ends. I also need to see more from him and he needs to find a way to stay on the field.
- Bucky is not equipped to be the bell cow back. Very few 190 pound guys can sustain life in the NFL carrying the full load.
- Gainwell was a really great addition and he may singlehandedly take care of Bucky's issue.
- Vea is Vea. Older but still the most dominating force at the position in the NFL. He is going to slow way down sooner rather than later. I hope its not this year.
- Bain was the steal of the draft. But, I have concerns on how the grinning idiot is going to use him.
- I cannot even believe you seriously offered Calijah Kancey as anything other than a wasted Buccaneer draft pick. The guy is garbage and until I see otherwise, he will remain in the trashcan.
- YaYa Diaby was born on 3rd and thought he hit a triple. I like his play but it really isn't that great and certainly not as great as he envisions his payday to be.
- Anzalone was best FA signing Licht pulled off this year and should improve what looked like a very slow and often out of position linebacking corps.
- Trotter is hopefully everything Bowles thinks he is and more......I have my doubts.
- AWJ can't make up his mind whether he wants to be the cream of the crop at the Safety position or just an average Joe. It would be nice if he decided on the latter.
So of that gaggle of players you listed, you think an 8-9 team is going to turn into at worst (according to you) a 12-5 team. HAHA. Ok. It has nothing to do with being a "joy sponge". It has to deal with reality and fiction. I will let you figure out which one most of the board thinks you live in.
Reasonable takes on all of these. Agree with the underlying theme that the Bucs have a number of players who have shown flashes but not the ability to deliver consistently.
Baker, whom I absolutely love, is an up and down QB. He has really great moments and then has really shitty ones. As long as he's healthy, team has a chance.
- Egbuka is someone I think is a special type player, BUT, he has all but disappeared since the first half of his rookie season. I need to see more from him this year and stay healthy.
- Godwin was supposed to be the next big thing in Tampa and I thought we stole him in the draft......BUT, he's injured too often and his injuries have been critical injuries.
- McMillan had a promising start to his career, but that's where it ends. I also need to see more from him and he needs to find a way to stay on the field.
- Bucky is not equipped to be the bell cow back. Very few 190 pound guys can sustain life in the NFL carrying the full load.
- Gainwell was a really great addition and he may singlehandedly take care of Bucky's issue.
- Vea is Vea. Older but still the most dominating force at the position in the NFL. He is going to slow way down sooner rather than later. I hope its not this year.
- Bain was the steal of the draft. But, I have concerns on how the grinning idiot is going to use him.
- I cannot even believe you seriously offered Calijah Kancey as anything other than a wasted Buccaneer draft pick. The guy is garbage and until I see otherwise, he will remain in the trashcan.
- YaYa Diaby was born on 3rd and thought he hit a triple. I like his play but it really isn't that great and certainly not as great as he envisions his payday to be.
- Anzalone was best FA signing Licht pulled off this year and should improve what looked like a very slow and often out of position linebacking corps.
- Trotter is hopefully everything Bowles thinks he is and more......I have my doubts.
- AWJ can't make up his mind whether he wants to be the cream of the crop at the Safety position or just an average Joe. It would be nice if he decided on the latter.
Conceding that I am only offering mostly hopes and dreams, my small additions to your comments would be
Mayfield - we know he does pretty well in a structured, short/quick passing offense like 2024. Hopefully that is the 2026 offense.
Egbuka - could be wrong but a big part of that late disappearance was them sending him outside when he is not prime Evans, he's Godwin 2.0
Kancey - definitely has to show he can stay healthy and play at a high level. One bit of hope is that he entered in Game 6 of the 2024 season and not only get 7.5 sacks himself but helped the pass rush overall. I think there best sack day was before he came back but then when he is back they are 1-4 most games.
Diaby - unless he has a massive let down he is getting paid just because of the market. Most seem to think $30 m per is crazy but that seems to be the basic going rate for #2/#3 pass rusher, at least according to JQ?
Anzalone - agree, our ILB play was not far from the worst in the league in 2025 so can only go up. Hopefully way up.
Yeah, Olaf, I dig your additions and will not really dispute any of them. My overarching point is uptohiskneesinstupidty makes it sound like this team is the second coming of the Dolphins from 72. They aint. Far from it. They are going to lose some games. I think they lose a lot of games. He thinks they win a lot of games. The cool thing is one of us is going to be right and I am ok with where I think this team lands this season regardless of whether I am right or not. I want another Super Bowl. I am 100% convinced they will not sniff that with Bowles as head coach.Reasonable takes on all of these. Agree with the underlying theme that the Bucs have a number of players who have shown flashes but not the ability to deliver consistently.
Baker, whom I absolutely love, is an up and down QB. He has really great moments and then has really shitty ones. As long as he's healthy, team has a chance.
- Egbuka is someone I think is a special type player, BUT, he has all but disappeared since the first half of his rookie season. I need to see more from him this year and stay healthy.
- Godwin was supposed to be the next big thing in Tampa and I thought we stole him in the draft......BUT, he's injured too often and his injuries have been critical injuries.
- McMillan had a promising start to his career, but that's where it ends. I also need to see more from him and he needs to find a way to stay on the field.
- Bucky is not equipped to be the bell cow back. Very few 190 pound guys can sustain life in the NFL carrying the full load.
- Gainwell was a really great addition and he may singlehandedly take care of Bucky's issue.
- Vea is Vea. Older but still the most dominating force at the position in the NFL. He is going to slow way down sooner rather than later. I hope its not this year.
- Bain was the steal of the draft. But, I have concerns on how the grinning idiot is going to use him.
- I cannot even believe you seriously offered Calijah Kancey as anything other than a wasted Buccaneer draft pick. The guy is garbage and until I see otherwise, he will remain in the trashcan.
- YaYa Diaby was born on 3rd and thought he hit a triple. I like his play but it really isn't that great and certainly not as great as he envisions his payday to be.
- Anzalone was best FA signing Licht pulled off this year and should improve what looked like a very slow and often out of position linebacking corps.
- Trotter is hopefully everything Bowles thinks he is and more......I have my doubts.
- AWJ can't make up his mind whether he wants to be the cream of the crop at the Safety position or just an average Joe. It would be nice if he decided on the latter.
Conceding that I am only offering mostly hopes and dreams, my small additions to your comments would be
Mayfield - we know he does pretty well in a structured, short/quick passing offense like 2024. Hopefully that is the 2026 offense.
Egbuka - could be wrong but a big part of that late disappearance was them sending him outside when he is not prime Evans, he's Godwin 2.0
Kancey - definitely has to show he can stay healthy and play at a high level. One bit of hope is that he entered in Game 6 of the 2024 season and not only get 7.5 sacks himself but helped the pass rush overall. I think there best sack day was before he came back but then when he is back they are 1-4 most games.
Diaby - unless he has a massive let down he is getting paid just because of the market. Most seem to think $30 m per is crazy but that seems to be the basic going rate for #2/#3 pass rusher, at least according to JQ?
Anzalone - agree, our ILB play was not far from the worst in the league in 2025 so can only go up. Hopefully way up.
The talent on this team is a .500 ball club. Licht needs some of these players to become stars or consistent all pros. That is the only way out of .500 ball. And honestly a better coaching staff could squeeze out 2 more wins out of this group but if you really want to consistently win 12 games per season you need to draft pro bowlers. Licht should not escape scrutiny on this one just because Bowles is mediocre.
The talent on this team is a .500 ball club. Licht needs some of these players to become stars or consistent all pros. That is the only way out of .500 ball. And honestly a better coaching staff could squeeze out 2 more wins out of this group but if you really want to consistently win 12 games per season you need to draft pro bowlers. Licht should not escape scrutiny on this one just because Bowles is mediocre.
Exactly. The Football Gods aligned for us in 2020 with Brady, Gronk, Fournette, AB along with Wirfs and AWJ in the draft
Feel like he said, ok that's enough suffering, throw them a bone!
It's either the Bucs have this stacked roster and Bowles is so bad, he's holding them back; or Bowles is manageable head coach and the rest of the roster is just mid, hence the QB is only taking us so far.
Or about a million other descriptions in between one of which is that while getting the Bucs back to fiscal discipline required by the owners Licht has done a decent job building a team primarily one draft at a time and Bowles has help d keep that incomplete team relevant until last year, a season racked by injuries and an inexperienced OC ...
oops and a QB who should not have been paid given his performance in the last 11 games
reference more the championship game angle in the last 3 years and you can throw out Bakers poor play during the collapse last year
point being is that Baker is in same tier as many of those other QBs where 6 of the 9 teams made a championship game in recent seasons whereas the Bucs are clear playoff pretenders beating up on a team who quit back in 2023. (Which again was better than last year who lost to a team who quit in the Dolphins)
It's more to say that the talent on the Bucs team is nothing special, mid as the kids are saying.
Sure Bowles isn't great but it's not like he has the 49ers talent out there
