Buccaneers Observer

The Buccaneers have historically struggled against rookie quarterbacks jettisoned to a starting position only weeks or sometimes days before our matchup. However, Kenny Pickett will face a different Buccaneers team. The Buccaneers will dominate the Steelers the same way the Bills did: with unstoppable deep threats, namely Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Our defense must look for opportunities for turnovers as the Steelers are weak in nearly every position group on offense.  Ralph delved into the Atlanta game film. It was a cleaner game penalty-wise than originally thought, and certainly moreso than last week. The Buccaneers defensive line is not getting the push we want or expect, particularly out of Vita Vea and Logan Hall. The Buccaneers interior offensive line was beaten by Grady Jarrett during this game, while LT Donovan Smith manhandled Lorenzo Carter. RB Leonard Fournette had a few missed blocks this game, and has changed his run style a bit to target the defensive players.

The Buccaneers rise to the top of the NFC South with their win over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. Leonard Fournette had a great game, topping not just the rushing stats but the receiving stats as well. The Buccaneers defense also clocked five sacks on Marcus Mariota.   This game, however, is in the headlines for another reason: the trash officiating. The roughing the passer call on Grady Jarrett in particular has fans in a tizzy. However, the officials missed calls all over the place, including in the prior play where the Falcons got away with an egregious DPI against Scotty Miller.

This was a close game where the defense was able to hold Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to only 14 points. The Buccaneers offense was incohesive. The absence of their top three receivers was felt. Nevertheless, the offense nearly came back to tie the game and take the Packers to overtime.

Ralph and Molly not only give their thoughts on the Bucs win over the Saints in week 2 but they also cover the Dallas beatdown in week 1. All of this while also regaling of our adventures moving to the new house. Nothing is set up yet for recording, so this was done in a makeshift manner.

The Buccaneer will face their first regular season opponent this week when they travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Cowboys are a slightly weaker team than the one the Bucs faced in the 2021 season opener, having lost LT Tyron Smith to a devastating hamstring injury. Rookie OT Tyler Smith will start in his stead. In addition, the team released RT La'el Collins this offseason, opting instead for Terence Steele. The team felt Steele won the job. Collins' $10M cap hit didn't help his cause, to be sure.  In addition, the Cowboys have lost stud receivers Amari Cooper to a trade with the Browns, and Michael Gallup to an ACL injury that required surgery. Gallup will return this season but is not expected to see the season opener. CeeDee Lamb remains from the elite trio the Bucs faced last year.  The Buccaneers finalized their roster earlier this week. Surprisingly WR Tyler Johnson did not make the cut. Head coach Todd Bowles said receivers Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller beat him out for a roster spot because of their versatility on special teams. Johnson was signed by the Texans. Bucs traded LB Grant Stuard to the Colts, who have said his special teams prowess is a reason they signed him.  The tabloids are reporting there's trouble in the Brady home, with Gisele being upset at Tom's unretirement. Mrs. Brady reportedly stormed out of the home and is with family in Costa Rica, leaving Tom with the kids.

We finally got a taste of what the Buccaneers will look like this upcoming season, with both the starting offense and defense making their debuts. It was a welcome relief from the sub-par football we've seen from the depth guys. The Buccaneers offense drove down the field, putting three points on the board. The defense was maybe more impressive, holding Matt Ryan and the Colts offense to punts the first two drives.   The rest of the game was not as impressive. Once again, the wide receivers who need to have a good showing in a crowded room underperformed, particularly Scotty Miller. Special teams may have been a bigger disaster, with missed tackles and confusion galore. The Colts had great field position the whole game. Our returners couldn't get blocks to help them out of our redzone.   Molly's theory: this is the first draft class post-Covid. It's a mess, as expected.   Thankfully, our starters are head and shoulders above. They just need to stay healthy.  C Robert Hainsey suffered an ankle injury during the game, but it is not expected to be longterm. In addition, his replacement Nick Leverett suffered a shoulder injury. That injury is also not expected to keep him out long.   Our division rival the Carolina Panthers have also suffered several injuries, including backup quarterback Sam Darnold and kicker Zane Gonzales.   The Buccaneers have begun cuts in advance of the league's August 30 deadline. The first casualties: WR Jerrith Sterns, OLB Andre Anthony and CB Kyler McMichael.

The Buccaneers performance against the Tennessee Titans in the second preseason game left something to desired. In contrast to the first game where the receivers and tight ends really shone, there was no player or position group that stood out in the second week. We saw some notable starters in this game, including Leonard Fournette, S Mike Edwards and second string CB Jamel Dean. We lost a potential starter in G Aaron Stinnie when he suffered an ACL tear and MCL sprain in the third quarter. Stinnie went on IR and is lost for the season.  Rookie guard Luke Goedeke is getting first string snaps at guard in the aftermath of the injury. T Tristan Wirfs strained an oblique last week at practice with the Titans but should be ready by the regular season.  After much fanfare and conjecture, Tom Brady returned to practice this week from his 11-day hiatus. A theory emerged last week that Brady may be a contestant on the Masked Singer. NFL insiders insist the absence was for a family vacation scheduled during Brady's brief retirement.  We may see some starters in the upcoming matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Dolphins barely squeaked out a win over the Buccaneers in Week 1 of preseason. Overall, the Bucs performance was satisfactory, with the exception of a few freak plays that put the Dolphins ahead. Kyle Trask fumbled the ball, which could have just as easily been called an incomplete pass. The Dolphins got a freak interception on a checkdown pass to a Bucs receiver: the two struggled on the ground and the Dolphins came away with it. The game ended on a missed field goal by Jose Borregales, a headscratcher that looked like it could have been blocked but most certainly wasn't.  Aside from those plays, the Bucs played well. WR Tyler Johnson stood out as the best player on either team. WR Kaylon Geiger showed flashes and we'd like to see more of him in the next two games. The Bucs tight ends were blocking with gusto. OL Fred Johnson stood out at right tackle, largely for his size and tenacity. The Bucs defense got constant pressure on the Dolphins offense and kept it a close game. Overall, it was a good showing by the Buccaneers depth.  OLB Cam Gill, who made big plays in the Dolphins game, left the game early due to injury and was spotted at Monday's practice with a boot and using a scooter. RB Gio Bernard was also held out of practice, although there were no visible signs of an ankle injury.  The NFL released its bottom 50 of its top 100 list. Buccaneers on the list included Shaq Barrett at #86, Antoine Winfield, Jr. at 75, Devin White at 64 and Mike Evans at 53.  Former Buccaneer Aqib Taleb was present at a youth football game where his brother got into an altercation with an opposing coach and fired on the man, who died from his wounds.  Former Buccaneer Mike Williams was set to be arraigned today, August 15 after a warrant was issued for his arrest on July 22. Williams turned himself in to police.

The Buccaneers kicked off joint practices with the Dolphins today. Things got chippy quite a few times, a common occurrence in joint practices. The Bucs will face the Dolphins at home this Saturday. We probably won't see starters, but could get a peak at the offensive line prospects, as well as the new defensive line.  How will the Bucs fare this season with a completely new interior offensive line? This is a big question mark as Bucs fans eagerly await news on Ryan Jensen's injury. He's a huge anchor up front, particularly when both guards are new this year. A new center would make the line vulnerable where it would hurt Brady the most: right up the middle. We have confidence in Robert Hainsey, but Ryan Jensen will be sorely missed. A glimpse of light, however: Jensen was spotted at practice with just a knee brace. Time will tell how serious the injury is. Our prediction is the Bucs won't show their cards any sooner than they have to.  However, they need to name starting guards soon so the guys have time to gel together. Todd Bowles is aware of this predicament, voiced also by Donovan Smith. The unofficial depth chart shows Aaron Stinnie at left guard and Shaq Mason at right guard. They're both the most logical at those positions, but there's still a competition for the job.  The NFC South is in rough shape. Unofficial depth charts show the Falcons are weak at wide receiver. The Saints show Jameis Winston as starting quarterback, with Taysom Hill gracing the top of the tight end roster. The Panthers are a mess, with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold both at the number one quarterback spot.   Injuries have plagued the Bucs at training camp. However, it appears it is mostly heat related (with the exception of Ryan Jensen's injury). His replacement Robert Hainsey went down this week and was carted off the field. Not to worry: we're told it's just cramps. Mike Evans and Russell Gage also left practice for cramps. Stay hydrated, boys!