By Lenn Robbins
You figure it’s just a matter of time before the Kardashians are spotted in Raymond James Stadium. This will immediately be followed by unsubstantiated social media posts that they are good friends with supermodel Giselle Bundchen. Next will come reports that a Kardashian sister is said to have attempted to break up her marriage to Tom Brady.
Sounds preposterous you say?
O.K. How’s this for preposterous?
According to media reports, Brady, 44, was set to retire. Brady’s father and agent deny the reports. He retires. Then he unretired.
Or this. Coach Bruce Arians, upon hearing Brady will return, makes it clear his only goal is winning a second Super Bowl with the star quarterback.
“It all about the ring again,” Arians said on March 27. Four days later Arians retires and Todd Bowles is named head coach. Bowles was 24-40 in four seasons with the Jets.
If you’re a Bucs fan, print this article and redeem it for one vial of Xanax at your local Tampa drugstore (don’t attempt this.)
By the time quarterbacks are due to arrive at Bucs’ training camp on July 23, assuming Brady doesn’t retire and Arians doesn’t unretire, Tampa should win the NFC South and make a legitimate run at a Super Bowl championship.
Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. He has a great receiving duo in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, a punishing run game led by Leonard Fournette, and a smothering defense. The challenge for the Buccaneers is this: Can they find their center after one of the most bizarre offseasons for a quality team in NFL history?
Major Moves: The Bucs must transition from Arians’ “Risk It, No Biscuit,” persona to Bowles’s more subtle personality. Arians came up on the offensive side of the ball. Bowles made his bones on the defensive side. Byron Leftwich takes over as offensive coordinator. He established a solid relationship with Brady.
Free Agency: The Bucs biggest moves focused on retaining their own free agents – specifically center Ryan Jansen, the most irritating player in the NFL, and cornerback Carlton Davis. The wildcard is WR. Russell Gage, who the Bucs hope will replace Antonio Brown, whose career and state of mind are in limbo. Signing safety Logan Ryan after losing Jordan Whitehead to the Jets is a wash – one good player for another.
Draft: The Bucs curiously traded out of the first-round and used their second-round pick on Houston DE Logan Hall, who should immediately see time in Bowles’ rotation. Third round pick Rachaad White, a running back out of Arizona State, is the perfect backup to Fournette.
Drafting punters isn’t sexy but Georgia’s Jake Camarda can flip the field. Don’t sleep on seventh-round pick Andre Anthony from LSU. He blew out his knee in his senior year and might need a season to develop. No Risk, No Biscuit, with this pick.
Warning: This has been written every preseason for, oh say, the last decade: Can Brady remain healthy? He was only sacked 22 times last season. Yes, he’s in phenomenal shape for a man who will start the 2022 season at the age of 45. But he’s 45.
Key Early Game: We will start with the season-opener at Dallas. No team has a tougher opening stretch than the Bucs who then play at New Orleans before hosting the Packers and Chiefs.
Record: 11-6. But they lose the tiebreaker to the Saints which means no home field.
Fantasy: Brady. The greatest quarterback in NFL history is not a great fantasy QB. Having said that, he’s been unleashed in Tampa where he’s thrown 40 and 43 touchdown passes the last two seasons. We don’t believe in drafting QBs early but if Tom is available in the middle rounds, well, that would be Terrific.
BetBasics.com Bite: Godwin underwent ACL surgery in January making his return for Week 1 a 50-50 proposition. Gage is a capable receiver but has not worked with Brady. That leaves Evans, one of the toughest receivers in the league. He’s had 144 catches and 27 touchdowns since Brady arrived. We’re looking 85 catches and 15 touchdowns.