TAKING STOCK: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

BY ADAM GREENE

I got a special birthday present in 2022, or so I thought. Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time and the man who has, single-handedly, made me more miserable than any other human on the planet (and I’ve gone through a divorce), not only retired from the sport of football, but actually shared my article on his retirement, where I basically blamed him for everything that’s gone wrong for me personally over the last 20 years, on his Instagram.

It was a solid troll from TB12 and one I appreciated.

But we were, all of us, deceived for another ring was sought and pursing it would cost Brady his marriage to Gisele Bundchen, and put forth his first and only losing regular season record as a starting QB. Brady decided to un-retire and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 8-9, but still made the playoffs thanks to a pathetic NFC South division. There would be no return to the Super Bowl for Tom Terrific. His team was knocked from the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round.

It was a rough outing all around for the Buccaneers who barely even made it to eight wins on the season. Six of their eight victories were by a single score. A different bounce of the ball and this could have been a 2-15 team and Todd Bowles’ head coaching job would have likely not survived the offseason.

Brady finished his career going 8-9 as a starter, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Leonard Fournette, currently a free agent, led the team rushing with 668 yards and three TDs. He caught 73 passes for 523 yards and three scores. Chris Godwin caught 104 passes for 1,023 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Evans had 77 receptions for 1,124 yards and six TDs.

On defense, Vita Vea led the team with 6.5 sacks to go with 31 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Devin White and Lavonte David co-led the team with 124 tackles apiece. White added eight for a loss, 5.5 sacks, five passes defended, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. David had 10 tackles for a loss, three sacks, five passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

2022-23 Record: 8-9

Playoffs: Lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round

2023 Super Bowl Odds: +10000

2023 NFC Championship Odds: +3500

2023 NFC South Odds: +750

NOW WHAT?

Oof. Well, first off, we have a new quarterback in town, and while Bowles has opened up the competition between third year man Kyle Trask and newly acquired Baker Mayfield, most of us feel Mayfield will get the gig. Honestly, I’m disappointed that Trask hasn’t blossomed into more of an NFL quarterback. A dude like that really needs to get the reps in a minor league football system and I, just so happened, to have come up with one.

Punditry is dismissing the Bucs this season for good reason, but I don’t think they’ll be as bad as predicted. They’ll be bad, sure, but not 3-14 bad. More like 6-11 bad.

Ticking through their schedule, I could see an 0-4 start easily with games at the Minnesota Vikings, hosting the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and then traveling to the New Orleans Saints. This team had issues with the Saints with Brady QB. It’s not going to be any easier without him. After that rough patch, it just gets bumpier, with games hosting he Detroit Lions, at the Buffalo Bills, at the San Francisco 49ers, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars and then the Saints again. Will a 6-11 finish, with this QB situation, keep Bowles employed in Tampa? I don’t know. But if this team even wins seven games, it’ll be the best coaching job of Bowles’ career.

THE DRAFT

Since the Bucs haven’t traded away all their picks to chase for a ring, they had all of them available in April’s draft, earning a B+ grade in the process. They opened the draft taking Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the first round. Tampa Bay followed that with North Dakota State offensive tackle Cody Mauch in the second and then selected Louisville defensive end YaYa Diaby in the third. All those guys should be contributors this season at some point.

FREE AGENCY

While they haven’t traded away draft picks, they have used up their salary cap. Because of that, the Buccaneers weren’t especially active in free agency in the spring. In addition to Mayfield from the Los Angeles Rams, they brought in defensive tackle Greg Gaines, also from the Rams. Guard Matt Feiler joins the Bucs from the Los Angeles Chargers, safety Ryan Neal from the Seattle Seahawks, running back Chase Edmunds from the Denver Broncos, kicker Chase McLaughlin from the Indianapolis Colts and, one more Ram, in back up quarterback John Wolford.

NFC SOUTH

The NFC South remains the worst division in the NFL and a nine-win campaign from any team could claim the division title, a home playoff game, and the ensuing shameful NFC Wild Card loss that comes with it. Hell, all it took last season was eight victories. Because of that, and the offensive talent Tampa Bay still boasts, you can’t completely count them out. Their problem is, with Brady, they weren’t but a game better than the rest of their division in 2022. And the only team in that group they swept last year, the Saints, looks like the best squad entering this season. The Carolina Panthers will be better. The Atlanta Falcons won’t be any worse. The math just doesn’t make sense for the Bucs to be standing at the end. And, frankly, with Caleb Williams sitting out there as a potential No. 1 overall draft pick and franchise quarterback, faceplanting into a tank job isn’t the worst idea.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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