This season
1) This team is still rebuilding. We can argue about whether they are going in the right direction or not, but even a fast rebuild takes time. The Bucs may still be headed in the right direction.
2) It's frustrating to see Winston's continued inaccuracy and bad decision making. This was particularly frustrating against the Broncos where Winston needed to be very smart and careful against a good Broncos defense. Winning involved not turning the ball over and he made too many bad throws (even some that weren't picked).
3) A side story in how the Bucs clearly miss Martin is how they lack a backup RB. Simms is never going to be an RB1 and that was very clear last year even when he looked great in space. How is it that Rodgers, a below average RB, is signed off the street and is better than any RB the Bucs have had on the roster (excepting Martin)? Especially given Martin's injury history - and I'm a big fan of Martin and he deserved the deal he got.
4) Mike Smith's defense needs time. While I understand the criticism and it's deserved, if this defense is a dumpster fire we won't really know until at least halfway through the season. It's rare for a team see a radical improvement (and stay improved). When improvement does come it usually takes time. I saw more blitzing and diversity from Smith and the Bucs got pressure through a decent OL.
5) Why was Verner benched? By what I was able to see he was the Bucs best CB through 3 weeks. I don't have All-22 so I certainly could be wrong but I thought he was outplaying Grimes who was very bad on Sunday.
6) Overall it feels like 2 steps forward 2 steps back for the Bucs. The QB and RG position is upgraded but the WR2, LT and TE positions are a mess. The Bucs have a strong interior but still lack a single pass rusher and have the worst safeties in the NFL. Are the Bucs even treading water?
7) Being positive: until you turn the corner you have to turn the corner. ie. even if the Bucs are moving in the right direction it won't be obvious until they've gone a ways in that direction. Players like Winston, Donovan Smith, Noah Spence, Kwon, etc. all need more time to develop. Year 3 at minimum is when we'll know what the Bucs have in these players. And year 3 or 4 could be when the light comes on and the Bucs go from cellar dwellers to playoff contenders in the blink of an eye. It's like "overnight success stories" - they only look like overnight success stories to those on the outside.
Licht & the Draft
1) Fans & PR were too quick to anoint Licht (and can be too quick to criticize). Some picks have clearly panned out (like Evans) while others are clearly busts (ASJ). But it takes time to evaluate drafts - we should have learned this from Dominik. For example, the Bucs had the 7th overall spot yet only managed Evans, Simms and Pamphile from that draft. And I think Simms was a bad pick even if he is a good CoP back. That's a below average draft. 2015 and 2016 look better but it's far too early to evaluate. It takes at least 3 years and it's possible Licht isn't the savior the Bucs hoped for.
2) This team is continually haunted by letting talented players go. This is obvious on a team like the Bucs where there is so little talent. Losing players like Penn, Zuttah, and Barron hurts when the cost of keeping these players is so low. If you want to replace them then let them get beat out and benched. We saw this mistake under Dominik with Bennett getting cut for Bowers. And while I still think the logic of replacing Revis was very sound the decisions they obviously made after were not.
