It was the best of times. It was the best of times. No seriously, absolutely nothing bad happened to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the entire off season. It was almost dream-like perfection. Horror and hope set in for the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kickoff
The whistle blew, pads clashed and helmets knocked, and the Buccaneers drove down the field for a touchdown just like every fan dreamed of imagined all summer. Then, suddenly and without compassion, reality set in like rush of ice cold water. The wunderkind quarterback threw his first interception and the blood drained from the face of fans. Was it Evans fault? What happened? It was the same old questions all over again.
Bam! Lavonte David obliterates a New Orleans play. Crack! Devin White tosses Alvin Kamara to the ground like the powerful running back was little more than an afterthought. Then the sound of crickets, as Michael Thomas face was being rushed to market on the side of milk cartons as the feared wide receiver was now a missing person.
Don’t Act Surprised
This is the reality that everyone saw coming. The sloppy and uneven start to the season is exactly what so many predicted. No OTAs and no preseason come with a price. The season opener is a part of that price as you had the Saints, a veteran team that has played together for years taking on a squad assembled in the months leading up to the game. This was the first action this Buccaneers team had seen against a different uniform. The Saints had been battled hardened for years.
There was plenty of reason the hang your head in disgust and disbelief. Fans had to endure the unthinkable embarrassment of yet another pick 6, and topping it off it happened under the no doubt snickering gaze of Jameis Winston. Oh how I wish the camera fell on Winston at that moment and yet oh how glad I am that it didn’t.
Hard to Swallow
Equal parts hope and disgust aren’t easy to digest. When visions of Carolina Panthers dance in the heads of fans will there be more Donovan Smith or will there be a fair proportion of Lavonte David?
There is great cause for concern and there is great cause for hope. The one thing to be sure of is that the team you saw Sunday will not be the same team you see at the end of the season. Coaches will make adjustments and players will rise and fall.
Welcome to the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season. There are reasons for hope and reasons for concern. That’s why we watch this glorious battle every year. Right now the feeling is horrific, but the glorious feeling of victory will soon come. It always does. For now both horror and hope have set in for the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let’s just hope it comes more often this season and there aren’t too many reruns of last season like we all witnessed on Sunday. That tune is a little overplayed here in the Cheap Seats.
