Buccaneers Observer

Full disclosure: we know nothing about the draft. But that hasn't stopped us from talking about something before! We talk bringing back the gang, where the front office should focus, baby announcements, rule changes, and more!

The Buccaneers have made some major moves since our free agency analysis last week. Tom Brady signed an extension, Shaq Barrett and Gronk are coming back, and Jason Licht and Mike Greenberg are magicians. 

The NFC South, on the other hand, is a mess. Drew Brees retires from football, leaving the quarterback position in New Orleans wide open for competition between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston. There's a steep drop-off at wide receiver after Slant Boy Michael Thomas, and the tight end room lost one of Drew Brees' favorite weapons last year, Jared Cook. The defense in New Orleans will require a lot of attention, but there's not a whole lot of cap space to pay for any of it.

The Carolina Panthers have plenty of money to spend, but a lot of holes to fill. Notably, the offensive line is in shambles. The team attempted to shop Teddy Bridgewater to Detroit when Matthew Stafford was on the table. It doesn't bode well for his future with the team. The team could upgrade at multiple positions on defense, including linebacker and the secondary.

The Atlanta Falcons pushed Matt Ryan's cap hit off another year, when he'll count $42M against the cap. The team likewise needs to rebuild its offensive line and running back room. Newly hired Arthur Smith does not have much cap room to build the team to his liking as most new coaches are wont to do.

BREAKING: Buccaneers tag Chris Godwin and sign Lavonte David to a two-year extension. (Mike Greenberg is a true magician.) We break down the Buccaneers cap situation, who we need to sign, who would be nice to sign, and who will likely walk. Plus, we discuss the murmurings of a Gerald McCoy return (ya'll stop, please).

We discuss how the defensive units performed in 2020, and where they may go in 2021. We also review the Buccaneers special teams.

We go over each position group on the 2020 Buccaneers offense and discuss our expectations on the season and how they measured up.

Bold take: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 is the best football team to ever play the game. Ever. If you can think of a better team, send us a message.  

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers DOMINATED the Kansas City Chiefs in every respect. By the end of the game, the Chiefs players were demoralized and frustrated. The efforts in the mainstream to diminish the Bucs total domination is an affront to the sport itself and it amazes us that no one is talking about how elite the Buccaneers are. After the Saints game, we said the Saints did not bring their A game. After we beat the Packers, we said the same thing. We would have said the same thing after the Chiefs game, except what are the chances that can be true three games in a row? The fact is, the Buccaneers defense shut down three Super Bowl MVP QBs three games in a row. There is something to be said for that and it's a travesty that no one is pointing it out.

 There was not a team in the league that could have stopped this team, and it's only going to be better next year.

What an incredible season it's been, Bucs fans. The Super Bowl was a perfect end to this journey. The Chiefs didn't stand a chance! And while the Bucs free agents shone in the game, we can't forget the homegrown Buccaneers who have slugged through to get us where we are today.

The Kansas City Chiefs gimmicky offense will be no match for the Buccaneers defense. Vita Vea alone would have been a difference maker, but we've also got JPP and Shaq, Suh helping up the middle, Devin White and Lavonte at linebacker, and a playmaking secondary. Jamel Dean was absent from the Buccaneers first matchup against the Chiefs, and he was the only one who could have matched Tyreek Hill's freak speed. The Buccaneers offense line was also hobbled that game. The Chiefs have not been blowing out teams as they were last season, or even the beginning of this season. The Buccaneers, in our opinion, have the edge in every respect and this game will be a double digit victory for the home team.

That echo is back! Ack. We'll be working on that this week.  This game was fascinating. It was evident that the Green Bay Packers did not bring their A game, and questionable decisions from the players and coaches contributed to their downfall. The Buccaneers defensive line was no match for their offensive line. The depth the Buccaneers has been great at all positions this postseason. When injuries have occurred to our elite players, their backups have subbed in without a hitch. This game was no different, with Aaron Stinnie, Mike Edwards and Steve McLendon all showing up on the game film. Brady once again played phenomenal, but the offensive standout was Chris Godwin. The Buccaneers coaches upped their game this postseason, creating dynamic game plans which differ from the regular seasons plays.

WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL. 

It still feels surreal. The Packers put up a good fight - which you expect with Aaron Rodgers at the helm - but the Buccaneers managed to overcome. The defense again showed up in a spectacular way. Sean Murphy-Bunting's interception was record-tying for most interceptions in the post-season, and we hope he can shatter that record in two weeks against the Kansas City Chiefs on the big stage. Jordan Whitehead's forced fumble set Devin White up to make a play, and Devin took the opportunity and ran with it (literally). Shaq Barrett and JPP together sacked Aaron Rodgers five times, in a season where the team has only allowed 25 altogether. And we can't talk about the defense without mentioning Vita Vea. While Vita didn't show up on the stat sheet, his impact was felt and will certainly appear on the game film. 

The offense made some great plays, with the bomb to Chris Godwin to convert on third down and set up Playoff Lenny to punch it in the end zone immediately after. All of the receivers made clutch catches. The team should focus on mitigating drops against Kansas City, but frankly it hasn't hurt us so far throughout the playoffs. Tom threw three interceptions, two of which went off the receivers hands and should not count against him, but the defense stepped up and kept the damage to a minimum, allowing just one touchdown and forcing two punts. 

The playcalling of the Green Bay Packers was headscratching at times, and Aaron Rodgers sounded despondent and like his future was uncertain in his postgame press conference.