“They’ve got the offensive weapons. We’re talking about Jameis Winston coming on and having a much better year than he did last year, but he certainly has the resources around him. They’ve got to add to the running back position and if they can shore up the defense, they have already taken some steps towards it, then they could be that team, like we were all picking them last year, to maybe be a playoff contending team.” – Brian Billick
Billick believes that if Tampa can add to the defense by landing some talent early in the draft similarly to how the Saints did last year, that Tampa can be a contending team and possibly the NFC South Champs.
We were quick to jump on the train last year in thinking that Tampa was finally in a position to take the NFC South and more, especially when coming off of a 9-7 season. We were missing some key components to both lines, and for that our secondary suffered. Fans pointed fingers all over the place, blaming this guy and that guy, blaming lack of this or of that, but the fact was, last season was a mess all the way around.
This off-season, Tampa made some necessary moves to place veterans in positions of need and for that, we are already a better team. If we can nail the draft, I believe we nail the season. Playoffs? Maybe. Contenders? Absolutely. But for now, I just remain hopeful that we have a better season than 2017.
