Software says…
No, Joe didn’t expect the Bucs to get much respect from a computer program licensed, if not owned by the four-letter.
Joe has come to expect that the powers that be in national sports media think of the Bucs as mere pests who are capable of winning a poor division and not much else.
(Getter slapped around regularly in prime time games when not playing the Eagles tends to reinforce such an image.)
So when Seth Walder, a man who never met a number he didn’t like, was giddy as a schoolgirl with the release of BSPN’s power index.
How excited is Walder with this release? He ran out of his office to celebrate by buying a new mousepad.
So it seems the chipmunks who programmed the software seem to think the Bucs are the No. 14 team in the league.
Again, Joe is not surprised, but he has some issues with four teams ranked ahead of the Bucs.
Packers No. 8
Are the Packers really that much better than the Bucs? OK, yeah, they finally got a receiver for Jordan Love. Joe could make an argument the Bucs are on the very same level as the Bucs, probably better.
Joe would take Baker Mayfield over Jordan Love in a heartbeat. Love is still too up-and-down. He’ll have a stretch of good games and then stink out loud for two or three games.
Joe also remembers the Bucs — in December, no less, where Florida teams go to freeze! — two years ago, marching into Lambeau Field and putting a beat down on the mighty Packers on their beloved frozen tundra.
But, the Packers play in the NFC North and Vince Lombardi and Brett Favre and drama queen Aaron Rodgers made their bones there. So naturally, with such a large fanbase, the Packers will always get the benefit of the doubt over the Bucs.
(Always remember and never forget, when it comes to the NFL, it’s not about integrity or fairness. It’s all about how many eyeballs you can pull to the flatscreen.)
Chargers No. 9
Joe witnessed with his own eyes from the press box of SoFi Stadium the Bucs absolutely curb stomp the Chargers. East Coast teams aren’t supposed to do that on the Left Coast.
Have the Chargers improved that much? OK, yeah, new coaches in their second seasons usually hit their stride. And Joe is a big Jim Harbaugh fan.
Still, though Harbaugh believes in physical football, the Bucs flew to Los Angeles, punched the Chargers in their mouths and destroyed them at their own game.
49ers No. 11
Do people love Kyle Shanahan that much? The 49ers *barely* pulled off a win in Tampa last year in the last second of the game on a field goal, and that was when the Bucs played on a short week, without Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jamel Dean.
There’s no way you can tell Joe the 49ers are better this year. They lost a lot of talent, especially on the defensive line. And Christian McCaffrey isn’t getting any younger.
This isn’t the first time Joe has seen the 49ers ranked higher than the Bucs for this fall. Joe just cannot figure that out at all.
Texans No. 13
So Houston lost a really good left tackle and their best receiver and they are supposed to be better than the Bucs? That’s another one Joe can’t figure out.
For Joe, it boils down to this: Do you think the Bucs improved this offseason? Joe thinks they did. Apparently, folks who program software don’t believe so.
First look at NFL FPI ratings for the 2025 season! pic.twitter.com/k6s2fg40X7
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) May 27, 2025