The path of the Tampa Bay Bucs has been a steady arc to success over the past couple years, and they appear to be in a very good position to compete for their division this season. We cannot predict if they will catch up to the Falcons, but we can ask questions about how the team is structured given the offense they have. They are no longer led by a hall of fame defense that they once had, and they are featuring a young offense that must be given as many chances to score as possible. Can Dirk Koetter scheme around some holes in the roster, or will they fall a little bit short this season?
Jameis is solid
Jameis Winston has proven to be as solid as he could possibly be, and he expects a lot from the team around him. He has remained quiet, and he is matched up very well with the people who are on the roster. The roster is filled with people who are buying into what Winston says, and he is so young that he could be with this team for another fifteen years. The team needs to buy into what he does, and they will play better just because of how much expectation he has put on them.
There are many people who will want to see Winston go into the playoffs this year, but he should merely compete if we want to see real improvement. Russell Wilson ruined it for young quarterbacks when he magically won a title on his rookie contract.
Most guys are not going to do that, and Winston probably will not, either.
The team is managed well
The team has managed to keep most of its talent uneven though Donald Penn left for Oakland, and the defense is good enough to keep them in games. The head coach is running the offense that was made for Jameis, and he could be so good at running this offense that Koetter could retire one day and simply let Jameis run it himself.
He would be in much the same position that Peyton Manning was in late in his career, and it led him to two Super Bowl titles.
The Bucs are flying under the radar
We are not talking about Tampa too much because they are simply not as flashy as some of the other teams in their own division. The NFC South is proving to be very complicated, and the Bucs are not going to make as much noise as the Falcons with Julio Jones or the Panthers with Cam Newton.
The Saints have Drew Brees, and the Bucs are simply trying to build a program that can remain competitive for years to come. We should applaud them for how much work they have done to grow their team, but they are not quite there yet. When they are competing for titles, we will know about it.
