FAB 2. Bucs See Browns Game As Measuring Stick

They have a young, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who was drafted first overall.

They have new coach with an old school mentality.

They were recently featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

They have a young, exciting playmaker at tight end, and Pro Bowl talent at wide receiver.

They have a young, aggressive defense with first-round draft picks at cornerback and along the defensive line.

Am I talking about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Cleveland Browns?

Browns QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Getty Images

National pundits and analysts will certainly tell you it’s the Browns, who seem to be this year’s media darling after Cleveland made several splash moves this offseason, including signing former Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt and trading for former New York Giants Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and former New York Giants defensive lineman Olivier Vernon on March 13.

Those moves come on the heels of the Browns using the first overall draft pick last year on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield, a rising star in the NFL, a second-round pick on running back Nick Chubb, and trading for former Miami Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry in 2018. Cleveland’s offense is loaded with head coach and play-caller Freddie Kitchens, a Bruce Arians disciple, and former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken at the helm.

The Browns defense is also stacked with former first-round pick Myles Garrett at defensive end opposite Vernon and alongside defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson with a secondary headlined by former first-round pick Denzel Ward, in addition to safeties Damarious Randall and Morgan Burnett, and rookie cornerback Greedy Williams, this year’s second-round pick.

The Bucs know what it’s like to be the 2019 Browns – under the spotlight of high expectations. They were the media darlings in 2017, coming off a 9-7 season the previous year and ready for prime time hype and the exposure that Hard Knocks would bring. Instead of meeting playoff expectations, the first of two 5-11 seasons occurred that ultimately led to Dirk Koetter’s firing and the hiring of Tampa Bay’s own old school coach in Arians.

Bucs LT Donovan Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Browns and the Bucs have been two of the worst NFL teams over the past decade with Cleveland posting a league-worst 41-118-1 mark since 2009 – with Tampa Bay’s 55-105 record not far behind. Both franchises are looking for that to change with a long-overdue playoff run in 2019.

“Both teams are just trying to get better, but at the same time this is going to be a great test for us,” said Bucs inside linebacker Kevin Minter. “They have some great weapons, they got some great players on their side – mostly guys that wore purple and gold (at LSU). For the most part, they’re a great team. We know the coach (Kitchens), me and Buc (Deone Bucannon) came up with him in Arizona. We know he’s going to come try to get B.A. a little bit, and I’m sure B.A.’s going to try to get him a little bit. It’s going to be a fun game, but I like I said, we’re both teams trying to get better and this will be a great measuring stick for us for the season.”

Bucs tight end O.J. Howard agrees with Minter that Friday’s game is more than just a preseason contest. It’s an opportunity for Tampa Bay to see how it measures up against a suddenly talented Cleveland roster.

“Yeah, we’ll be able to tell where we stand,” Howard said. “I think us as starters and their starters, I don’t know what they’re going to do, but we’re going to get a chance to play a little longer and get a chance to go out and put some stuff on film so we can correct it and get ready for the season. We’ll be able to tell, but by no means will this judge the entire season for both of these teams. There’s a lot of football to be played. Teams get better as the season go on, so this is going to be a starting point that both team can improve from.

“I mean, we want to put a good film on tape. The biggest thing for us, we just want to go out and do what we do in our game plan. We want to prepare ourselves for Week One. These games doesn’t count, but it’s great practice and great repetition for all of us to get ready for the season. So we’re going to play hard. We don’t have anything to hide. We’re just looking forward to going out there and getting better.”

Bucs TE OJ Howard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Defensive back M.J. Stewart said that the Bucs don’t mind the fact that the Browns come in with all the hype while Tampa Bay seems to be flying under the radar this year despite having an active offseason with new personnel moves and a new coaching staff.

“It’s cool – it’s cool being the underdogs,” Stewart said. “It’s cool that people are not talking about us because with our play on the field they’ll see it eventually. We ain’t really got to do much talking, let the play speak for itself.

“The Browns are definitely a great challenge. They have a star-studded offense and a great defense as well, so the one-on-one match-ups are going to be very important. Just because it’s preseason doesn’t mean there’s not a game. You’ve got to go into every game thinking like it’s a real game, regular season game, and that’s how we’re approaching it too. We’re trying to accept the challenge, and I’m excited to see what happens on Friday.”

In talking with several Bucs players prior to Friday night’s game, it’s easy to see that this team is ready to show up and ball against the Browns in a nationally televised preseason game on NFL Network.

“I think they get their credit, but I think we’re pretty good, too,” said Tampa Bay defensive end Will Gholston. “We’ll find out on Friday. I don’t think expectations are low around here at all, to be honest with you. I try to stay with the things I can control. Control the controllable – everybody else’s expectations you can’t control. You can control yours. Actions speak louder than words.”

Arians said that the Browns, who finished 7-8-1 last year, including an overtime loss at Tampa Bay, deserve the media hype they are getting.

Bucs LB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I think [it’s] totally justified, yeah, [because of] what they did in the offseason,” Arians said. “They’ve got a great young quarterback. I think he’s one of the best young guys to come in the league in a while. He brings a lot of confidence [and] a lot of energy to that team. You can just see them – I [broadcasted] them in the first game, then I did them later in the season – it was a totally different ball club, and it fed off to their defense. They’ve got some really good young players on defense, too. That’s a heck of a group of guys – you add the guys they added in the offseason and yeah, I think they’re a contender right off the bat.”

Minter said that the Bucs haven’t deserved as much hype or national media attention as the Browns have yet, and that’s okay. That’s what games like Friday night are all about – an opportunity to prove it.

“Deservingly so, they got a lot of LSU guys – I could only imagine the hype around that team!” Bucs inside linebacker Kevin Minter, an LSU alum, said with a laugh. “To be honest with you – the underdog – there’s nothing wrong with being that guy because we’re the guy that sneaks up on you. I feel like respect is earned. We haven’t necessarily earned that yet. When it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. At the end of the day, all we want to do is win. You can feel a certain type of way about it or not, but we’re going to hit you in the mouth on Friday night. There’s really nothing else to be said.”