I have made the statement which I will repeat again that the Bucs made no more changes then most NFL teams do except at QB. They had a good draft class it appears. You really will not be able to judge that for several years to come however the rookies in this draft class contributed. The running game was not appreciably changed. Fournette had a very similar year to Peyton Barber. Since you are such a believer in Pro Football Focus, Last year PFF ranked the Bucs offensive line as the 7th best in the NFL. I believe they rank them 5th this year. That change could very well be all because of Brady - getting them in the right protections and not holding onto the football. Gronk has not had a huge impact in the passing game. He is a very good blocker but so is Marcedes Lewis and most people would take OJ Howard over him. AB did not even get to the team until the 9th game. The secondary is better then they were a year ago. They started playing well towards the end of 2019 and it carried over to this year. The front 7 is probably not quite playing at the level they were last year. They had more sacks last year and they were better against the run. The kicking game improved this year. Succup is a decent NFL kicker. Our kickers have been lousy the last several years. People act like Brady was handed the keys to a Ferrari and Jameis was given the keys to a Yugo. Offensively the Bucs were loaded last year. The offensive line is only slightly higher rated this year and it may very well be the result of the quarterback play and not the other way around.
Tampa Bay Bucs
- Thread starter GvilleNole
- Start date
Jameis had a good offense, but to pretend like the defense and OL and yes, running game, aren’t noticeably better is ridiculous. Jameis failed due to horrible decision making.
Brady made a giant improvement, but the OL is better, even by PfF ratings, and played a harder schedule. The run game is miles apart, RoJo added almost 300 yards and his per carry average was above 5 this year. Fournette had a similar season to Barber, except averaged almost a yard more per carry than Barber.Devin White is better, the safeties are better. The WR are better. Gronk is a big upgrade at TE for blocking, and still flashes big games receiving. OJ has the potential to be better, but isn’t right now.
Brady does have a noticeably better team. Jameis failed with plenty of weapons and an adequate run game, but Brady has a better team in great part because he makes it better.
Do most teams change starting QB, RT, FS, TE, and Slot Receiver in most offseasons? Especially by adding former super bowl champions and guys who ran for 1,400 yards? The Bucs roster was changed at the most important position, and then got a major face lift at other key positions.
I will admit that the team other then Brady is better then it was last year. What I disagree with is that the team was completely remade. Bleacher report said to start the year Godwin and Evans were the number one receiver duo in the NFL. This is pre AB. They were there last year. Gronk and Howard were considered the 3rd best tight end combo this year. Howard and Brait were considered 5th best last year. Offensive line was considered solid both years. The offense was loaded last year. One of the NFLs most talented units last year. There is exactly one different player on defense and the defense lost one of its best players for most of the year this year. If Brady had played on last years team they might have gone to the super bowl. Sure the Bucs improved, probably most importantly the kicker but it is Brady that made the big difference and he might have been just as impressive had he showed up a year earlier.
I am not going to check every NFL roster. However I did arbitrarily pick the Steelers roster to compare this year to last year. They changed more positions then the Bucs. 2 new wide receivers, a new tight end and two new offensive lineman. I would say that in todays NFL that is typical. Right now the Bucs have a bunch of players that will be free agents after this year.
Just curious. do you think 24 fewer turnovers might have had a positive affect on the defensive statistics? Looking at the numbers above 17 turnovers last year might have produced a better result then 2020.
You are aware that there is only one different player on defense and he is a rookie. Albeit a good one. Vita Vea is a stud and he missed most of this year. Do you think one of the major differences for the defense was the that the offense turned it over 24 less times? By the way when I said it was likely that Wirfs would not have as good a career as Datson it was because most NFL careers are short. Think of guys like Sam Cowart and William Floyd. They were playing at Hall of Fame levels but injuries shortened their careers. The NFL stands for Not for Long. Datson having 140 plus starts is in pretty rare company for a lineman. The odds are not good that any rookie will get there. I hope he does but it is a rough league.
This is still incorrect. You keep saying it but he has 113 or 114 starts. Not 140. He hasn’t even played in 140 games.
Not sure why you started this debate to change it several times. I’ve stated That Brady is the primary reason it’s a different team, and then commented that the other main differences were Wirfs and Winfield. That was my original take that you started commenting on.
But stop pretending Dotson is even a league average OT anymore. He probably won’t be on a roster next year as a 34 year old RT with injury history.
Wirfs is more talented, younger, more physically dominant, and overall a better player than Dotson.
And you continue to push a minor point which is not what this subject or what my point was about. Other then Brady this team is not that different from last year. Probably about average for changes that NFL teams go through yearly. You want to insist that difference in right tackle is monumental. I disagree. I also disagree that Gronk or AB had a huge impact. Fournette is having an impact in the post season. His regular season contribution was minor. One change on defense and one of their best players was out for most of the year. The single most significant change this year was kicker, of course other then Brady. By the way the over under on starts that Wirfs will have would probably be lower then 112 games. The point I was trying to get across was that Jameis was not hamstrung by bad personnel which is what a lot of people that post on this board believe. You want to make it Wirfs vs Datson. I think Wirf's is great. I am not ready to put a rookie, especially an offensive lineman in the Hall of Fame.
Jeez, you guys are cracking me up. Your team is in the flippin' Super Bowl! Seems like you could try and enjoy that. You could be a Falcon fan, after all.
RIP V-Jax. Great player and an even better person off the field. He was great to us Vets that ever got the chance to meet him (which I did). He will truly be missed. So young too.
