I've been a Bucs fan since the mid 90s. I haven't felt this good about Tampa in 13-15 years. We just annihilated a good Saints team on the road. We were 2 bad turnovers away (Evans and OJ fumbles...guys who won't be fumbling much) from making the reigning Super Bowl Champs look like they weren't that good (and they still didn't look that good today).
And this is where the problem right is with football analysis. In Week 1, the Saints were bad on defense and gave up a lot of points. In week 2, the Eagles struggled.
You know what I think? I think the Bucs are really *ing good. Like really good. Maybe not best team in the NFC, but we can shred almost any defense in the NFL.
DeSean Jackson is a serious problem for opposing defenses. If he gets a 1 on 1 and Fitz places the ball right, then that defense is gonna get roasted. Nobody is touching this guy. He isn't getting #1 CBs because their best CB has to guard Evans.
Chris Godwin is playing out of his mind. Let me know if he's dropped a ball this year. I can't remember one yet. He just makes plays. He's sneaky explosive. He gets open. If teams leave him open, then it's just a big play for us.
OJ Howard is probably going to make the Pro Bowl this year. There was a reason he was supposed to go top 10. He's just gonna make a lot of big plays for us this season. He's a problem.
Mike Evans. One of the most underrated WRs in the league. PROBLEM. (Tampa has 2 of the top 9 WRs in the league for receiving yards right now...and I honestly think if they stay healthy they are going to combine for around 2500-2700 yards this season. Sick.)
Offensive Line. Playing pretty freaking great so far, all things considered. Philadelphia has a really good defense. Our OL is giving Fitz all kinds of time in the pocket. Doing enough in the run game to move the chains (against 2 really good DLs).
FitzMagic. Shades and chest hair in all its glory. Dropping dimes. Leading the league in passing yards and ypa. He just roasted the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (oh yeah, and it could have been worse for them). I'm done with Winston. I don't care. If you want to grope Uber drivers and party, then get out. I don't want another Josh Freeman all-hype, mediocrely productive QB on this roster. I want a baller. FitzMagic is a BALLER. His accuracy, decision making, and arm is almost perfect for this offense. He's never played on an offense this good in his life. That's why he's playing so well. We aren't the freaking Texans, Jets, Titans or Bills. We have the best receiving corps in the league. Our OC is on fire.
I haven't started talking about our defense yet. We are just getting started. We aren't even good yet. Imagine how good we are gonna be when Vita Vea gets some seasoning late in the season. Teams have to deal with a 6'4, 347 lb. monster next to Gerald McCoy? Curry and JPP are looking good. We have depth on the DL now. I am so hyped about Vea. I think he's going to be really good. I think he has the potential to take our defense to another level. What if teams just can't run on us this year? What if McCoy and Vea just collapse the pocket time and time again? Putting teams in bad 3 down situations? I think by the end of the year, our DL is going to be a throwback Bucs DL. Athletic. Nasty. Powerful. Relentless. Deep.
I don't love our DBs (yet) but I think we have potential to not suck there. Brent Grimes hasn't even played yet. What if our rookies/Ryan Smith/Justin Smith get better? They will get better because they are still young pups. We will get VH3 back later in the year. Might be a blessing in disguise to get your young DBs some experience now.
And the thing I LOVE about this team the most...their *ing attitude. They just have a swagger. They sound like winners. They don't get full of themselves after beating the Super Bowl Champs. They are happy, confident, and ready to get back to work. DeSean honestly sounds like he's been around the block. Our team is feeling the FitzMagic. He has a great combination of charisma, toughness, energy, and professionalism. I honestly don't care about his past seasons. He's never been on a team this good before. And yeah, I'm not afraid to say that.
The Bucs are good. And by the end of the year...I think the Bucs are going to be really good.
The NFC is the better conference this year. The NFC South is brutal. The Bears look solid. Green Bay/Minny are both really good. I don't think the 49ers are awful (Week 12 is big for playoff implications). But the Bucs are in the mix. That's what happens when you beat playoff team on the road and the Super Bowl Champs back to back.
So I'm not saying we are a lock or anything. But I think we're freaking good. I think we have a shot. And I think once we get in the playoffs...anyplace, anytime, anywhere. This team will be ready. Nobody will want to play us. Not with our weapons. Not with our DL. Not if FitzMagic is doing FitzMagic things.
I'm not saying we are gonna win 12 or 13 games. We could. With our offense playing like this, how can anyone rule it out?
But we're good. And we are going to get better.
The Bucs are back.
