It’s been a tough offseason for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, one that is being framed as far worse than it actually is.
Tom Brady retired in February, something that set in motion a narrative that the team might as well skip every Sunday since it stands such little chance of finding success this season. Without Brady the Bucs are a different team, but the degree to which they’re being buried alive is getting ridiculous.
Peter King called them the second-worst team in the league, most early NFL Mock Drafts have them picking in the Top 3, and their win projection is bleak to say the least.
Not everyone is down on the Bucs, though.
Fans have remained steadfast in their belief that the team will turn things around and surprise the haters. It’s a sentiment that extends beyond the stands all the way inside of the Tampa Bay locker room.
Tristan Wirfs makes bold win-loss record prediction for Buccaneers
Appearing on the Vikings podcast Vikes Verified, Wirfs was asked what he thought the Buccaneers record would be this upcoming season and dropped the mic so hard it almost fell to the core of the earth.
“12-5,” Wirfs said after going deep into thought when prompted with the quesiton.
It’s sort of a throwaway question and Wirfs certainly isn’t going to give a bad record prediction. But the fact that he took time to seriously think about his answer should give pause to those who are already writing the Bucs off.
Of course, record predictions in June don’t mean much in February, but neither does the hate the Bucs are getting now from the national media. No matter where you turn, the Bucs are being buried as the second-worst team in the league with a head coach who will be fired. It’s easy to overlook the Bucs after Tom Brady’s retirement, but it’s also foolish to do so.
The subtext of Wirfs making that record prediction is what matters. While most in the media don’t believe in the Bucs, the players in the locker room do. That’s the first step needed toward proving everyone wrong, and it sounds like Tampa Bay is well on its way to attempting to do exactly that.