“… [E]nd of the empire.”
Joe believes there is a kernel of truth buried in the sarcasm here.
Joe’s good friend, NFL columnist/humorist Mike Tanier, tried to pinpoint the mental frame of mind of each team’s fans.
Before you know it, the stench of spent Fourth of July fireworks will be in your nostrils and training camp will kick off.
Tanier thinks Bucs fans of all shapes and sizes should realize the Super Bowl Bucs era is over. Time for a rebuild, Tanier said. And that requires a change of thought for Bucs fans to embrace depressing reality: the Bucs are no longer Super Bowl contenders.
In addition to [Mike] Evans’ departure, Lavonte David retired, leaving Bucs fans with few tethers to Super Bowl LV. It’s now the Post-Post Brady Era, a.k.a. the denouement, a.k.a. the time to start thinking about firing coaches and GMs and accepting the reality that Baker Mayfield peaked when he was an MVP candidate for about 20 minutes last October.
Last year’s 2-7 finish was the end of the empire. Many Bucs fans surely accept that. But accepting that the Bucs are no longer even the best team in the NFC South is gonna cause some severe cognitive dissonance.
Tanier has a point. If the influence of the Super Bowl-Bucs was still dominant, no way the Bucs close the season out 2-7 last year. Contenders don’t do that.
And yeah, only five starters remain from the 2020 Super Bowl champs: Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield and Tristan Wirfs. Two players on each side of the line do not make a Super Bowl contender.
(Yes, Joe knows “Nacho” was on the Super Bowl team, too. He played a key role playing for the injured Vea. But Nacho wasn’t and isn’t a starter.)
Now, it’s baby steps in Joe’s eyes. First, get back to a winning record, then win the NFC South landfill. The division is so rotten, a winning season should get you the division crown by default.
Super Bowl? Well, if New England and Seattle (who the Bucs stomped on the road last year) can make it to the Super Bowl, you cannot rule out the Bucs.