When ex-Bucs Aqib Talib and Gerald McCoy are arguing, Joe pays rapt attention. With 11 Pro Bowl trips between them, these dudes are passionate and knowledgeable about all things NFL.
Today’s topic was the Bucs.
In-studio for The Arena with Skip Bayless and world famous soccer streaker and international TikTok influencer Kinsey Wolanski (what a country we live in), Talib and McCoy got into it on the state of the Buccaneers.
McCoy, of course, is the lead Bucs cheerleader in the national media. He’s always got solid analysis and can argue his takes well, but he’s all Bucs homer and can’t hide it. McCoy predicts the Bucs will be in this season’s Super Bowl.
Talib is more of a realist. He likes Baker Mayfield. He feels good about the Bucs, but don’t dare tell Talib they’re top quality.
“That team don’t drip championship at all,” Talib said.
The 2008 Bucs first-round draft pick who played with Tom Brady in New England and won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning in Denver, Talib says the Bucs are the fifth-best team in the NFC. He’s adamant that the Rams, Packers, Eagles and Lions are better than Tampa Bay.
For Talib, it’s all about the Bucs not having a good enough defense.
“I don’t know if [Baker] can win the chip unless he get a Ravens defense or a Broncos defense,” Talib said. “He’s not a game manager, but you fu**’n need legit defense to win chips. And I don’t know if he got that right now. … Now if you’re like a Tom Brady type of guy, then your defense can be a little lower level and you can really drive the bus. I don’t put Baker in that [category].”
That got McCoy’s voice to rise signficantly. He sees the Bucs as already overcoming massive adversity to be 2-0 and says that’s a sign of how strong the team is.
Joe sort of agrees with McCoy and Talib. Joe doesn’t see a Bucs defense that’s ready to win playoff games, but it’s very early and the Bucs might just have the offense (when fully healthy) to overcome a middling defense. Special teams? No comment.
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