If I was a national pundit, I would say I’m shocked the Buccaneers are 3-1, but I actually know this team.
This team has surprised many in the national media since we did not in fact start 1-3. Of course, I am not. Not to flex or anything, but I have so far accurately predicted every single win and loss. Yeah, I know, I’m pretty good. That being said, I have been surprised by certain aspects of this team. Baker Mayfield looks even better than I anticipated. And I knew the defense would be good, but not two turnovers a game good. That being said, there are two that I have been the most pleasantly surprised by.
Defense
It is no secret that Devin White had many enemies this offseason. His contract demand for $18 million a year (which would put him near the top in terms of highest paid linebackers) seemed completely undeserved, especially after a lackluster 2022. He has always run hot and cold, but right now, he is steaming hot. I have been thoroughly impressed with how White has played. While he is not the best defender on the field (that honor is currently being shared between Antoine Winfield and Vita Vea), he is far from being the worst. His career passer rating allowed is 107.55. Not only that, but it had steadily been getting worse since his rookie year (from 99.1 in 2019 rating to 121.8 in 2022).
In comparison, Tremaine Edmunds did not allow a passer rating above 70 in 2022. But right now, he has forced one of the lowest passer ratings this season (he forced a 54.9). He also has 26 total tackles, 14 solo tackles, which makes him 4th on the team. And perhaps one of the biggest sighs of relief is that he is finishing tackles and I haven’t seen many egregious broken tackles.
Offense
The other guy is someone who received the Buccaneers’ ire during the 2022 season rather than after it. Luke Goedeke, the man that everybody had already resigned to a new career of being a turnstile. Well, guess what? Out of all the pieces on the o-line, he is the second best. He had absolutely no shot of dethroning Tristan Wirfs, but he has been doing a more than good job holding the RT position. He’s played 257 snaps and has allowed only one sack. But, more importantly, he picked up the adoption papers for Cameron Jordan. He absolutely owned the serial whiner, and has repeatedly faced high levels of competition. Goedeke has faced Danielle Hunter, Hasan Reddick, Cameron Jordan among others. All of whom would be challenging for Tristan Wirfs, and he has handled them extremely well.
Do you agree or disagree with Devin? Let us know in the comments section.
Make sure you check out Devin’s blog at cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.
Cannon Crunch with Devin Sanguinett
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