Buccaneers: Still no respect from the national media or from Las Vegas

The over/unders are out for 2017, and it is clear that the Buccaneers still get no respect.

Dirk Koetter presided over quite the turnaround for the Buccaneers last year. He took a team that finished 6-10 in 2015 and brought them within an eyelash of the playoffs. They went on a winning streak that included wins over teams such as the Seahawks and the Chiefs. They sported a potent offense and a defense that, at times, reminded fans of the 2002 Super Bowl winning defense.

It becomes very difficult to square that with the news that came out about the upcoming year. After the draft is the time we start to have an idea of what rosters may look like. It doesn’t account for injuries and surprises, but we tend to get a general idea.  With that, the early predictions begin to ramp up, and so does Las Vegas. You can even wager on week one if you really wanted to.

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Recently, Vegas released their “over/under” predictions. In plain English, Vegas predicts how many wins each is going to get, and people can select either over or under that total.

Courtesy of South Point hotel in Vegas, we can take a look at these predictions. Take a look at the Bucs prediction:

We have talked a lot about the lack of respect given to the Bucs. That problem is still quite evident here.

They set the Bucs at eight wins. Why? They were 9-7 last year. They were 4-2, good for second in the NFC South as well. For anyone in Vegas that forgot, that division is the one that has the NFC champion Falcons in it. The Bucs finished one game behind them in the division. But yet they are predicted to amass eight wins, last in the division?

There is no respect at all for the team from Tampa Bay.

If the team had lost some of the main cogs from 2016 it would make sense. There is a lot of turnover in the NFL as we all know. Big-time players often migrate from team to team. Had that happened here, the reduction in wins predicted by Vegas would make sense.

But that didn’t happen. Jameis Winston is still here. Mike Evans is still here. Gerald McCoy is still here. Keep reading down the roster. All of the major components to this football team that finished 9-7 are still here.

And there is more. DeSean Jackson is here. O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin just arrived. Don’t forget about Chris Baker. Even without playing a down of football, you could argue that the Bucs roster is already better than it was last year, when they finished 9-7. Despite all of that, they still have the team taking a step backwards. It makes no sense.

Next: Four takeaways from the NFL draft

It’s about time the Bucs finally get some respect. It will happen. Once they get between the white lines this season, it will happen. The league will be sorry it underestimated the Bucs.