September 11th, 2026
Kings of the hill, BSPN says.
You can rest easy Bucs fans.
All is right with the world. There’s no reason to worry. Every day you wake up is sunny now. Every night when you go to bed, your significant other looks like Hannah White. Every beer you grab is ice cold. The Bucs will have a home playoff game to open the postseason because the Bucs will win the NFC South landfill.
Who says? Why, it’s no less an authority than follically-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN, albeit Billy says, by default.
Why? Because the NFC South is a landfill.
I’m not sure any of the four teams in the NFC South should be huge favorites, but somebody has to win it. I’ll lean toward the Buccaneers, who saw their running game deteriorate last season as they battled injuries to both their lead back (Bucky Irving) and much of their offensive line. Baker Mayfield was able to pull out games with fourth-quarter magic early in the season, but the offense stagnated as the year went along. Tampa also had some of the worst special teams in the league, which should hopefully be alleviated by the addition of legendary Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith.
While the Bucs shed talent in losing veteran standouts Mike Evans and Jamel Dean this offseason, they were able to retain Vita Vea and should be the best team in the division along the offensive and defensive lines. Mayfield, having finally agreed to terms Tuesday on the long-term contract he sought, should still have enough in the way of playmaking talent to live up to the new deal. … I don’t feel great about the Bucs, but I feel worse about everyone else.
The way Joe looks at it, the Bucs will live or die based on how the defense plays.
Joe has no issue or worry about the Bucs offense. There are enough weapons to get the job done and Joe is a big fan of the Bucs’ offensive line if they can stay healthy.
But it’s the defense that gives Joe the shivers. As Brother of Chucky said this week, cornerback is a major concern. Unless you have a pass rush that is other-level ferocious, you cannot hide bad cornerback play in the NFL.
The other element that freaks Joe out is the Bucs are banking on three rookies playing like veterans right off the bat. One rookie, sure. Two rookies? Well, OK. Three rookies? That’s pushing it.
If any of the three rookie starting defenders struggle, rest assured they will get exposed by opposing offenses. For example, if, as the haters are convinced, Josiah Trotter cannot defend the pass, what do you think Joe Burrow is going to do tomorrow? That’s right. Burrow, if Trotter struggles, will pick on Trotter all day.
Joe honestly thinks this defense, and the playoff fortunes of the Bucs, are a season away.
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