As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare for their first training camp of the post-Tom Brady era, it seems the only thing everyone has agreed upon is how awful the team will be.
That's the national narrative surrounding the Bucs, with most pundits revealing they didn't actually watch the team the last three years. From being dubbed the second-worst team in the league to being pegged as candidates to tank, the Buccaneers season is already over before it's even had a chance to begin.
Or so the majority thinks.
While the Bucs have once again been tossed into the swamp by most talking heads, not everyone on the national level is using the team for hot take target practice.
ESPN reporter defends Buccaneers after 'shocking' ranking
After the ranking was published, ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler signal boosted it on Twitter but did so by calling out how strange it was to see the Bucs so low.
Brace yourselves, the national media actually said something positive about the Buccaneers and it was 100 percent genuine.
A fun list.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 30, 2023
Gotta say, #Bucs at 27 pretty shocking. Still have at least 11 really good veterans, plus young players such as Rachaad White with star potential https://t.co/xaEWeaQoCi
Finally, someone has opened their eyes wide enough to see that there's actually a ton of talent in Tampa Bay despite the key losses this offseason. There's no denying that losing Tom Brady is a blow, but he wasn't the sole engine driving the team.
No one will ever seriously try to argue that Brady coming to Tampa Bay wasn't the key piece of getting the team to the Super Bowl back in 2020, but he's not the reason the Bucs won it. Todd Bowles' defense smothered the otherwise untouchable Chiefs offense and beat the absolute living hell out of Patrick Mahomes.
Brady didn't do that, but most of the guys who did are still here.
Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., Devin White, Lavonte David, and Jamel Dean are all still on the roster, with the latter two deciding to re-sign rather than leave in free agency. Offensively the Bucs still have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, and a healthy Ryan Jensen returning.
Where the Bucs had holes, Jason Licht and the front office reloaded in the NFL Draft by adding rookies Cody Mauch, Calijah Kancey, SirVoccea Dennis, and a handful of others.
Simply put, the Bucs are a good team that can easily outperform the low expecations being set for them. Losing Brady doesn't make the team better but the talent that remains is why the team didn't get that much worse, despite how what some may think.