Jared Villani, a writer for clutchpoints.com, published an interesting article about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
According to Villani, the Bucs are in the playoff hunt and will surprise the football world in 2019.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on track to be one of the more surprisingly successful teams next season… Arians brought in his own coaching staff to join him in Tampa Bay and has spoken very highly of former 1st overall Jameis Winston… Arians is up to the task and knows things will be tough, but he could very well change the culture of the team as he did previously with the Arizona Cardinals. The Buccaneers could surprise many onlookers, and Arians’ presence puts Tampa Bay right in the hunt for a playoff spot next season.”
Furthermore, Villani predicts an outstanding season for Jameis Winston under quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians,
“The commitment head coach Arians has voiced in regards to Jameis Winston has to mean something. Considering the wonders Arians has worked with players at the quarterback position in the past, Winston could be in for a gigantic season… Arians has coached players including Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer throughout his career, so his presence could prove to be precisely what Winston needs to finally display his full potential.”
After two very Buccaneer-friendly predictions, Villani does not stop there. He believes the Buccaneers defense, with Bowles’ fast paced system, might end up being one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 season,
“The Buccaneers used their first four picks on defensive players most notably LSU linebacker Devin White with the 5th overall selection. White was highly regarded as the most talented linebacker in the 2019 draft… Alongside fellow linebacker Lavonte David, the tandem could be amongst the best in the league… Tampa Bay’s Achilles heel for the past several years has been their secondary, but with Todd Bowles, as the new defensive coordinator, it’s hard to believe the trend will continue. Bowles possesses a great defensive mind and could feature new draftees like Sean Bunting, Jamel Dean, and Mike Edwards into his defensive plans right out of the gate. The Buccaneers defense could very well be one of the big surprises of the 2019 season as they are poised for a huge turnaround.”
To put the icing on the cake, Villani expects Mike Evans to record more than 1,500 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns again.
Without a doubt, this is nice to read. Especially when Tampa Bay is used to reading articles predicting the team to struggle yet again. However, his predictions do seem far fetched, especially in regards to the defense. With the best player on the unit most likely out for the majority of the season, a turnaround of this young defense in Bowles’ first year is unlikely. That does not mean it can not be done, though. Whether or not the author is right remains to be seen, of course. Hopefully his predictions are correct.
If you would like to read his article, you can find it HERE.
