The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are prepared to kick off their season with a match-up against the Chicago Bears. We took time with Mike Burzawa of Bear Goggles On to get to know what they see and expect out of the game.
No one is more excited for this weekend’s game than Buccaneers fans. They’ve zoned in on the new look Bucs, expect a big jump forward for Jameis Winston and the offense, and are ready to get this season underway.
But how many of them know anything about the Bears?
That’s why we spoke with Mike “Boomer” Burzawa of FanSided’s Bear Goggles On to get an inside look as to what the Bucs are facing this Sunday.
1.) Social media exploded when Mike Glennon had a painful debut in the first preseason game. Last week, however, Glennon won the game against the defending NFC Champions twice, only to see his teammates drop the ball. Is there a little more optimism in Chicago regarding Glennon as the starter or is everyone all in on Mitchell Trubisky?
I think that Glennon helped to hold off team Mitch for another week, but let’s face it, this is a results-oriented business. The fact is, if Glennon gets that ball to Howard a second earlier so he can secure the ball and square himself to the goal line, Howard has a much better chance to get into the end zone. If Glennon could elude the pass rush, maybe the Bears have a chance on fourth down.
I feel bad for Mike Glennon and honestly don’t know why the Bears signed him if they knew they were going all in to get Trubisky. They could have re-signed Brian Hoyer or any other placeholder. The worst part is the front office apparently didn’t communicate with the marketing department when they planned the team’s official draft party. They invited Glennon to be one of the hosts of the party and he was as shocked as anyone that the Bears traded up to select his replacement.
Now, for the second straight team, Glennon is a lame duck. People are just waiting for him to fail so they can slide in Trubisky. I have the Bears making the move to the rookie in Week 10, after their bye week.
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2.) Tarik Cohen was a massive surprise to the NFL world Sunday. Was there a feeling around the team that Cohen was going to be this kind of player or were you as surprised as everyone else? What do you see as Cohen’s role moving forward?
I think all Bears fans knew that Cohen was an electrifying player, but the big surprise was how much a part of the game plan he was in Week 1. The Bears really kept their plans for Cohen under wraps and caught the Falcons by surprise. Unfortunately, they won’t catch the Bucs by surprise. You never know what you’re going to get when a kid moves from a non-BCS school up to the NFL, but Cohen appears to be legit.
3.) The receiver cupboard is bare in Chicago. What do you see the Bears doing, if anything, to try and help Glennon out in the passing game?
The cupboard was pretty bare before the season even started. They’re down their top two wide receivers in Cameron Meredith (torn ACL) and Kevin White (broken scapula) and haven’t been able to get free agent pickup Marcus Wheaton on the field. It’s looking pretty grim for the Bears passing game.
The Bears showed some elements of what they plan to do in the passing game last week. They’ll use Tarik Cohen in the passing game a bit. They’ll also use their tight ends, including Dion Sims, Zach Miller and rookie Adam Shaheen to take some of the pressure off Glennon in the passing game. But overall, I expect the Bears to take the air out of the ball and try to ground and pound with Jordan Howard and the running game to keep the Bucs offense off the field.
4.) The defense stepped up in a big way against the Falcons last week. Is this defense better than expected? How do you think they’ll approach what’s expected to be a high powered Buccaneers offense?
The defense is definitely the strength of the Bears team. The front-7 is the backbone of the team, led by Eddie Goldman up the middle and Akiem Hicks at defensive end. Leonard Floyd, last season’s top draft pick, has high expectations to elevate his game in his second season.
The defense suffered a big blow after Sunday’s loss, losing inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman for the season to a pectoral injury. Nick Kwiatkowski will step into his role.
If there’s a weakness on the Bears defense, it’s in the secondary. They’re working without top cornerback Prince Amukamara while working with two new safeties to backstop the defense. If there’s a vulnerability in the Bears D, that’s where the Bucs should try to attack.
5.) Finally, what’s your score prediction for the game?
It’s going to be a steamy game in Tampa and I’m predicting at least two pulled hammies and three Bears down to dehydration. As far as the score of the game, I think the Bucs take advantage of the extra week off and wear down the Bears. The Bears offense is too one-dimensional while Winston and the Bucs find a few soft spots in the Bears D to notch their first win of the season.
Bucs 20, Bears 16
Next: Five Key Buccaneers vs. Chicago
What say you, Buccaneers fans? How do you see this game shaking out? Drop your score predictions in the comments below!