“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away…” Perry Como, recorded in 1957
When Ryan Fitzpatrick set the world on fire in the early weeks of 2018 a star had fallen. When Jason Pierre-Paul started dropping quarterbacks last year, again, that falling star was burning bright. But like falling stars, the light was not sustainable, and eventually the stars, and the 2018 season went dark. Very dark.
Not A Falling Star Anymore
These days, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting to shine as bright as they have in a decade. The difference? No longer “falling”, this star has settled into an orbit all its own and seems to have the potential to shine for the future.
Did You See It Coming?
Somewhere between beating the Falcons in Atlanta, and the Jaguars in Jacksonville, the Buccaneers moved into a tie for 2nd place in the division. The team carries the term “not mathematically eliminated” for another week. But the 2019 Buccaneers aren’t built for a short, burst of fleeting light. This team is beginning to glow. Stronger and stronger each week. That’s sustainable. Building for a future that affords the team a chance to win divisions, playoff games, and dare I say, a Championship?
Like So Many Seasons Past
The reason teams and their fans celebrate success so strongly is because it is hard to achieve in the NFL, unless you’re the Patriots. But when teams start to put enough of the right pieces into the right places. The chance of winning becomes much better.
Before you know it. The national prognosticators start predicting team success. You start getting Monday Night football games, and more flexed scheduling than a body building competition.
Have these Buccaneers, led by GM Jason Licht and HC Bruce Arians turned that corner? We will have to wait week to week as the rest of the 2019 season plays out. But being out of the NFC South cellar is a good start.
For the first time in many, many years. Buccaneer fans are basking in the beautiful glow of a rising star, and not trying to catch a falling one.
Photo credit: Tampa Bay Times
