Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Why the team needs to start over
By Rob Leeds
We so badly want to believe
The odds for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make the playoffs this year are extremely long to say the least. The issue with this is that the general consensus is that the team is simply a piece or two away from being a playoff caliber team. This is an extremely naïve take considering the team needs around 5-6 new pieces to be relevant, one of which being a new general manager.
Perpetuating this myth that the team is “knocking on the door” so to speak is what is keeping the team in this Purgatory-like state outside of the playoffs that they have lived in since 2007. The Bucs do have some great pieces on their team and a great coach, but the best way to describe the team is “close, but no cigar.”
More from The Pewter Plank
- Devin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on Twitter
- ESPN predicts surprising outcome to Devin White trade saga
- Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicamp
- Todd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with Bucs
- The Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023
Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, the front office has been anything but realistic both in their expectations for the team and in their draft picks/free agent signings. This problem was highlighted especially in the preseason for the 2019 season.
The Bucs drafted two corners who don’t start, a kicker who has been very hot and very cold at very inopportune times, and a defensive lineman who could not fill the gaps that they needed. The drafting of Matt Gay alone should scream that the Bucs front office is deluded and should raise some serious red flags, especially after the Roberto Aguayo debacle. If the front office is so ill-prepared to evaluate talent in the draft, perhaps their judgment in other areas may also be lacking.