Despite questions about the roster and coaching staff, a bold new prediction suggests Tampa Bay could go on a deep playoff run.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't received much love from the national sports media heading into the upcoming season.
Despite aggressively bringing in high-profile free agents like Alex Anzalone, Al-Quadin Muhammad, A'Shawn Robinson, and Kenneth Gainwell, and a stellar rookie class that includes Rueben Bain Jr., who looks like a future star, and Josiah Trotter, analysts have remained pessimistic and full of doubt about the Bucs' chances of competing this year.
Even the ones who are picking Tampa to win the NFC South expect them to do so with a losing record.
The doubt surrounding the Bucs is easy to understand. They collapsed down the stretch last season, going 2-7 in their last nine games to finish 8-9 and miss the playoffs, putting head coach Todd Bowles on the hot seat to start this season. Franchise legend Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons, though the selection of Bain made him wish he hadn't. Another Tampa icon, Mike Evans, left in free agency after a dozen seasons with the team. So did Jamel Dean, who was the Bucs' best cornerback.
Tampa also had a pair of high-profile contract disputes become very publicly messy. While the team was able to fix one, finally reaching an extension with star defensive tackle Vita Vea after he had staged a "hold-in" and then requested a trade, the Bucs and quarterback Baker Mayfield still have not resolved theirs.
Applauded offseason or not, that is a lot for a team to overcome.
Mayfield, who has vowed not to let his contract situation affect his play, has heard the media's doubts. He is determined to prove them wrong and predicted that the Bucs will "shock a lot of people" this season.
One person who won't be shocked if Tampa has a great season is Kimberley Martin of ESPN. Martin appeared on First Take and said she believes the Bucs "easily can be in the NFC title game."
Believes Bucs Are In NFC's Second Tier
Like most, Martin places the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the top tier of the NFC. After those two teams, however, Martin believes the conference is wide open, with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and, yes, the Bucs, in the NFC's second tier.
Martin thinks that Tampa's success this season will come down to Mayfield's ability to protect the football.
"I just think if Baker protects the football...When it's crunch time, Baker just needs to protect the football and this team...behind Seattle and the Rams, those are the two favorites, I think, in the NFC, and then the Eagles...When you look at some of the other teams, Lions, Packers, the Bucs are right there, and they easily can be in the NFC title game."
That is a way more optimistic take on the Bucs than we are used to hearing for this season. While the Bucs are clearly a talented team, they are seen as a team that has to prove themselves on the field before people will get behind them as contenders.
Not Martin. She thinks Tampa is right in the middle of the NFC powerhouses and can "easily" go on a long playoff run. Putting the pressure all on Mayfield may prove wise. He usually plays his best football when he feels like he has something to prove, and he has a lot on the line this season.
Final Thoughts
While I believe that the Bucs are a tier beneath teams like the Lions, Packers, and even the San Francisco 49ers, I do think they are clearly the best team in the NFC South by a considerable margin.
If Tampa can win its division, the Bucs will get a home game to begin the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, anything can happen. They have the talent to go on a run, they just need to play to their potential, something the team has struggle to do recently.
This season is very important for the Bucs. How it goes will likely lead to a clear path for the future. If it is a successful year, winning the division plus at least one playoff game, the team will likely re-sign many of its impending free agents and continue with Bowles as HC. If they fall short, the Bucs may begin a rebuild of sorts, almost certainly with a new coach and possibly even a new quarterback.
The regular season is right around the corner. It won't be long before either the doubters or the believers like Martin are proven right about the Bucs.
