Despite Tampa going 6-2 in the second half of the 2016 season and having improved in many areas of the team, PFF still projects the Buccaneers to go only 9-7. PFF cites that the main problem for Tampa will be their competition; believing that the teams in our division have an HC and a QB that has been to the National Championship in the last ten years. PFF also believes that The Buccaneers
PFF also believes that The Buccaneers the Bucs have only a few good players and nowhere near the depth that most teams in the NFC have. they believe that again if the Bucs lose a key player at a position that it could devastate the team much like we saw last year.
They ridiculed our defense by saying that most of our best players are too old and will not likely get better, or have passed their prime. However, PFF isn’t stupid, as they did make mention that if our team is healthy and continues to play at the level they did in the second half of the 2016 season that we are a playoff team.
Well, some of this may have been true if we had not had so many players who were injured last season come back healthy. We went 9-7, last season without Sweezy, Bond, Martin for the part, Jacquies Smith, and Robert Ayers missed a little time as well.
As far as the “Old remarks” yes we have some older guys, Ayers and Grimes, are probably who they wee talking about, but these guys have plenty of gas left in the tank. Hell, I’ll even go as far as to say that Grimes is the best Corner in the NFC South; Possibly the entire NFC. (That’s my opinion don’t throw names at me like Sherman, Norman, or Janarois Jenkins )
I think PFF is stuck in the past and does not give our team enough credit. We should far surpass 9-7 even if some injuries do occur, which they do and will likely. I said it before that I could throw numbers out there as projections all day long. For shits and giggles, I said 11-5 However, a realistic guesstimate would be somewhere around 10-6. there is no way we do not continue the improving trend that Dirk Koetter has brought to Tampa and by that trend, we are good for least one extra W on our record.
