At least from a public perception, Joe thinks this prediction is right on the mark.
From the eyes of the NFL public, the arrow for the Bucs is pointing down. Just when folks around the football world were starting to believe in the Bucs, and the Bucs started getting buzz in national media circles, what happened? They fell flat on their faces.
Baker Mayfield melted down. Mike Evans got hurt. Bucky Irving had several issues, including needing shoulder surgery. Lavonte David got old. Emeka Egbuka went from Offensive Rookie of the Year to the federal witness protection program. The defense became a joke. A locally unpopular coach was retained.
So yeah, Joe can see why folks are down on the Bucs.
But it’s not just locally. Conor Orr of SI.com is of the mind that when training camps open up in about five months, few people will be wagering that the Bucs will once again own the NFC South.
The Buccaneers will not finish the offseason as one of the two betting favorites to win the NFC South.
While betting against the Buccaneers may ultimately be a fool’s errand, the team has yet another new offensive coordinator, could lose Mike Evans and has seen the rest of the division change coaches in an effort to rapidly close the gap.
While Orr may be right, that doesn’t mean the Bucs won’t win the NFC South. If you think about it, if one believes last year’s collapse could have been preventable, then why shouldn’t the Bucs still be in the mix?
Consider: The Bucs had a terrible collapse in the second half, losing seven of their final nine games. A collapse worthy of thinking someone at One Buc Palace should have embraced one of the NFL’s slogans and worked to inspire change at head coach. That clearly didn’t happen.
As bad as last season was, the Bucs still only lost the division by a tiebreaker. The Bucs should be better this fall so if you agree with that, why shouldn’t the Bucs be in the mix for the NFC South crown again?
If the Bucs miss the playoffs next year and have another losing season, Joe is confident someone at One Bucs Palace will be motivated to inspire change.
But no, Joe doesn’t think our friends in the desert will smile upon the Bucs come July. Joe thinks Orr is accurate in this assessment.