Consider the Joe typing here excited for tonight’s Bucs-Cowboys game.
First, it’s Buccaneers football. There are only so many games in ones lifetime. Joe savors all of them. Every year brings 60-plus hours of action and about 100+ times that in hours of analysis. Yeah, those hours pay Joe’s bills, but the games are what is special.
So tonight Joe (and Ira Kaufman) believe the Bucs are poised to get hammered by the Cowboys and suffer their first loss by multiple scores since the debacle in Los Angeles last November.
However, Joe is eager to see rookies Rueben Bain, Josiah Trotter and Keionte Scott on the field together on defense, along with quarterback Jalon Daniels and Ted Hurst in a No. 1 receiver role. They’re all healthy and ready to roll. That’s five rookies, and Joe sure hopes coaches’ egos get put aside and rookie guard Billy Schrauth (fifth-round pick) gets activated tonight and plays if the game is a blowout. Schrauth getting reps is far more valuable than Ben Bredeson or Cody Mauch finishing a lost game.
There’s a lot to examine tonight and to hopefully enjoy. It’s a safe bet half the current roster will be with the Bucs next season. Pay attention.
If the Bucs do get clobbered, Team Glazer needs to decide if they want all their young prospects under a head coach that no longer seems equipped to lead their professional development.