The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a struggling franchise as of late. The Buccaneers had high hopes of their future when they drafted Jameis Winston #1 overall in 2015. However, Winston was not able to pan out and succeed in the NFL. The Buccaneers brought in offensive minded Bruce Arians as head coach to help Winston and better coach this team. Winston was able to lead the league in passing yards as he threw for 5,109 yards and was second in the league with 33 touchdowns thrown. However, he also led the league in most interceptions with 30. Seven of those 30 interceptions were pick 6’s. Winston was the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
In the ensuing offseason, the Buccaneers moved on from Winston and were able to win the Tom Brady sweepstakes. They also traded for former star tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Buccaneers have a lot of faith in their team next year and rightfully so.
Tom Brady is arguably the greatest player of all time and has six Super Bowl rings. Rob Gronkowski was one of the best and most dominant tight ends in the 2010s era. The Buccaneers also have stud wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They also drafted offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs to protect Brady and also have good offensive lineman Demar Dotson and Ali Marpet. Alongside Gronk, the Buccaneers also have good tight ends in OJ Howard and Cameron Brate.
On the defensive side the Bucs are just as talented. They have an amazing linebacker core in future star Devin White, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, and Jason Pierre-Paul. They also good defensive tackles in Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh. In efforts to upgrade their secondary they also drafted Antoine Winfield Jr. who looks like he can be a good player.
After looking at the Bucs roster and schedule, I think they are poised to be a very good team next year. However, the Bucs also have to play the Saints twice who are also a dominant team. Some other games that are worthy of watching are the Bucs against the Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Rams. If I had to make a prediction I think the Bucs will go 12-4 or 13-3. I still think the Saints will win the division but it will be very close. The NFC South is one of the most competitive divisions in football. The Buccaneers and the Saints are two dominant teams that I would consider Super Bowl contenders. The Panthers are a rebuilding team but have practically a brand new defense as they drafted all defensive players and still have powerhouse Christian McCaffrey who can hurt you through the ground or through the air. The Falcons are also a solid team who was in the Super Bowl a few years where they should have won instead of blowing a 28-3 lead against the Patriots.
Brian's World of Sports 