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The preseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a nightmare and a complete disaster. But the preseason doesn’t count. They are exhibition games that are there to get a team ready for the first real game. In the case of the Buccaneers, that game comes Sunday against the New York Jets.
As I stated on our weekly podcast, I’m expecting the Bucs to absolutely clobber the Jets. My prediction in the podcast was 38-17, but I’m going to change my tune a little and go, 41-10. Here’s why.
The Buccaneers have better players than the Jets at just about every position. The most important position, quarterback, the Bucs have a stable situation, while the Jets have a mess. The Buccaneers have the best and second best receiver. They have the better O-Line, better secondary, better linebackers, better running back, should I go on?
But it’s not just talent. The biggest factor to why I believe the Buccaneers will dominate is mindset. The Jets come in to the game trying to fight the demon of losing their best player, questioning their young and inexperienced QB, and not exactly sure of the identity of the team. Meanwhile, our Bucs are the exact opposite. They are riding high because of the revamped defense, a quarterback who’s ready to lead and make his money, and a real belief that this is the year they take the step from pretender to true contender.
The Buccaneers have had their focus on the Jets since the second that rumor came out that the Revis Bowl would occur on September 8th. The Jets have fought off questions about the uncertainties surrounding their team.
Not to mention, the Buccaneers offense will finally get a chance to play all together. With Doug Martin, with a line that should stay consistent, and with a quarterback who’ll have the leash let loose. The Jets will likely have a vanilla game plan in an attempt to limit mistakes from Geno Smith.
The Bucs’ defense is a question mark to me. They need to prove this year will be different. Well, this is the perfect situation to do so. The Jets don’t have a single truly dangerous playmaker on the entire roster. Santonio Holmes is the closest they get, and he’ll be hobbled and Revis’d. The running game is sub-par at best with Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory. And the quarterback should make some shoddy decisions that put the Buccaneer defense in great positions.
All this adds up to one thing. A butt whipping. I’m still concerned about the entire season and how the Buccaneers will matchup with teams like the Saints, Falcons, and Seahawks, but the writing is on the wall for Week 1. The Bucs are going to dominate this game, just don’t get too high after they do. It’s only the Jets.