Buccaneers Observer

Bucs are back to form. This game was really not even close. The Eagles managed some garbage time touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but in reality this was a trouncing by the Buccaneers. All the Bucs playoff opponents from last year experienced PTSD watching that game.   With Dallas falling to the 49ers last night, the Bucs will face the winner of the Rams/Arizona game tonight. It will be a big mat...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers in a week 18 beat down, securing the 2nd seed in the playoffs. Mike Evans and Gronkowski balled out. Evans posted his 8th straight year with 1,000+ yard season, a new NFL record. The Philadelphia Eagles, a hated rival, are up next for the Bucs.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/buccaneers-observer/message Support this podcast: https...

Antonio Brown's career is more notable for his bullshit than his skill. While his skill is up there with the best, the bullshit is unparalleled. He showed that again this week. Let's recap:   The week before the Jets game, his people go to the Bucs front office and ask for his incentives to be guaranteed. The team says no, most obviously because AB was on pace to hit them.   The Friday before the...

Molly is thankful for the distraction as the Jets were WAAAY too close to beating the Bucs in that one. A two-minute drive from the GOAT sealed the W for the Bucs. Cyril Grayson came in clutch again, causing Ralph to consider retiring the "Doink" nickname.   What happened with Antonio Brown? We're getting bits and pieces from the media but nothing definitive. Bruce Arians may or may not have bench...

To be fair, the Panthers came out with no energy and it showed. But it appeared the Bucs were feeding off their lackluster. A few guys had some oomph - Whitehead, Gholston, Stuard. But otherwise, we could have used some juice. Ralph hopes we're just saving our energy for the playoffs.   Our next matchup on the way to playoffs is against the Jets. We've seen teams like the Jets before, and they wer...

What we lacked in pass protection, we also lacked in the ability to catch passes and run without falling. The game film was worse than the initial viewing, as if that was possible. The young guys failed to show up once they were called up.    The defense played well.   The refs missed some calls. The play where Patrick O'Connor was injured was particularly egregious given that Grant Stuard was fla...

The Buccaneers looked nearly flawless against the Bills, with the exception of the first offensive play and the first defensive play. After that, we made few mistakes.   Leonard Fournette has taken over the bell-cow role in large part because of his pass protection. The man is a phenomenal blocker, often sacrificing his body to keep his quarterback upright. It's no wonder Brady trusts him the way...

It turns out the Falcons' offensive line isn't that bad. Shaq Barrett had a hard time against OL Kaleb McGary, and I daresay Barrett got beat for the first time since I've watched him. Others on the defensive line, like Ndamukong Suh and Will Gholston had good performances against the division foe.   Our offensive line just dominated. Donovan Smith played hard the first half, but then just looked...

THAT was an entertaining game. The Bucs should have been up by 20 to be sure, but they couldn't get it together in the first half.    While our expectations are high for the team, we have to remember that last season was not all sunshine and rainbows. We went through a lot of pain to get to the Super Bowl, and that made the victory that much sweeter.   It feels like the team is coming together aga...

The Colts put a whooping on the Bills last week, but what does it actually mean? After watching the game, it was clear the Bills lost that game. The Colts simply capitalized on their mistakes. There's something to be said for that, to be sure, but what are the chances of a repeat this week against the Buccaneers? We both agree it's slim.    Tom Brady has said football starts after Thanksgiving, an...

While the Buccaneers were flagged for what felt like an exorbitant number of penalties, in reality the Saints only scored three points off of penalties. Overall, the one that hurt us the most was the holding call on Ross Cockrell. The Buccaneers were the benefactors of seven non-calls in a complete turn of events.   In general, this game was not our best showing. I wouldn't go as far to say it was...

Who wants revenge more: Sean Payton, Jameis Winston, or the Buccaneers?    Sean Payton's franchise quarterback got retired by the Bucs.    Jameis Winston is facing his former team for the first time as a starter.    The Buccaneers were swept by the Saints in the regular season last year, and while they exacted their revenge in the playoffs, was it enough? Or does the Buccaneers defense want a piec...

The Atlanta Falcons' coaching change took an unusual approach this year by keeping the existing roster largely in-tact. The consistency might help veteran Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees, who coached the Ravens' Super Bowl-winning team. However, the secondary had significant turnover with three of the four starters leaving.    On offense, the Falcons are missing a huge piece in Julio Jones, who wa...

The Buccaneers squeaked out a victory against the Dallas Cowboys. We underestimated the Cowboys; their game plan was superb and well-executed. But the Buccaneers persevered thanks to Tom Brady, the receivers and the Bucs pass rush. Vita Vea made his presence known. Sean Murphy-Bunting sustained a gruesome injury. Bruce Arians said it was just a dislocation and is optimistic SMB will be back. Speci...

This likely will be a very good showing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on primetime. Todd Bowles' defense is well-matched against the Dallas Cowboys' run-first offense. QB Dak Prescott likes to play conservative and mitigate risk.   Chris Godwin joined the injury report with a quad injury. Others like Rob Gronkowski and Steve McLendon sat out today for a veterans' day off. The only player officially...

This week is an odd week so we've broken up the preview into two parts. In this episode, Molly discusses the changes the Cowboys made in the offseason, offensive line concerns and Dak Prescott's injury. Is the Dallas wide receiver corps a top ten trio? Top five?   How much of an impact will the defensive line have against the Cowboys offensive line, particularly with their right tackle out on the...

K Ryan Succop and OL Nick Leverett return from the Covid list. OLB Cam Gill is (finally) moved to injured reserve for his mystery injury.    Your hate is Tom Brady's fuel.   Is Cam Newton's NFL career over? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/buccaneers-observer/message

Jameis Winston had Twitter in an uproar this weekend as he scored two touchdowns in typical Jameis fashion. Saints fans are clamoring for Jameis to become the starter, and we couldn't agree more.   Buccaneers Kicker Ryan Succop was diagnosed with Covid this weekend, which Bruce Arians linked to a dinner he had with former teammates from the Titans. Arians has announced the team, whether vaccinated...

The game didn't go haywire for the Buccaneers until the odd Tanner Hudson fumble for a touchdown. Prior to that, while it wasn't great, the guys competing for jobs showed some promise.    The Buccaneers saw all they needed to see from OLB Quinton Bell, WR TJ Simmons, S Nate Brooks and S Lawrence White. The players were released Sunday, which brought the team to the 80-man roster limit. RB Troymain...

Yesterday's practice with the Titans got lively as four skirmishes broke out, including one where Antonio Brown clocked a Titans defensive back. The starters will not play Saturday, leaving plenty of snaps for guys fighting for jobs. TE Tanner Hudson needs to make a splash, but it's not even clear he'll play with his wrist injury. OLB Cam Gill is another player whose tenure may be cut short due to...

THAT was an entertaining preseason game. Backups on the defense showed a lot of promise. Nate Brooks, Antonio Hamilton and Joe Jones impressed. That list is not exhaustive, either. On the offense, Jaelon Darden made splashes reminiscent of Tyreek Hill. Giovanni Bernard also made plays against his former team.   In other news, the Buccaneers made three cuts ahead of Tuesday's deadline to reduce the...

Training camp warriors have emerged on both sides of the ball. What does that mean for the regular season?   Ryan Succop reportedly been inconsistent this camp. Should that be cause for concern?  The sports writers have been going after players for nonconformity on vaccination orthodoxy. The NFLPA pulls a bait-and-switch with Covid protocols. Whose side are they actually on? --- Send in a voice me...

The schedule was released last night and Molly is less than thrilled about the season opener against the Cowboys. The strength of schedule for the year certainly favors the Buccaneers. Is there a team in the league that can compete with the Bucs?  We were in the fortunate position of drafting best available player rather than need. The Kyle Trask pick has garnered some criticisms, but we prefer a...

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! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/buccaneers-observer/message

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. T...