Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

As the Buccaneers enter the 2021 season as defending world champions, the entire league is eying the potential super bowl favorites for this season. Despite winning the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers were not impervious to defeat as their regular-season record saw them give up 5 losses. Two of the losses came at the hands of divisional opponent New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams. However, what made Tampa Bay so special last season was the way the team finished. After a week 13 bye, the Buccaneers did not lose another game on their way to winning the Super Bowl. As one of the most complete rosters in the league, the Buccaneers look to maintain the type of continuity that has made Tom Brady led teams so consistent over his career. We are going to take a dive into the 2021 Tampa Buccaneers and how they plan on repeating as the World Champions.

The Roster:

The Good

The key to winning football games when your quarterback is one of the best in the business is to keep him protected and upright. The Buccaneers have shown a commitment to keeping Tom Brady safe by securing one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. In 2020, the Buccaneer offense only allowed 22 sacks on the year, which was 4th best in the entire league. The ability to protect the passer made the offense click throughout the season and is the major reason why Tampa Bay was able to win so many games last season.

The Offensive Line has a perfect mix of experience, youth, and health. On the blindside of Tom Brady, veterans Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith are durable guys who have been consistent over their careers. Donavan Smith has missed only two games over his 7-year career, while Marpet, who has also been in Tampa for 7 seasons, stays pretty healthy as well. On the other side of the line, young guys, Alex Cappa and Tristan Wirfs are among the best young guys at their respective positions. In 2020, Tristan Wirfs rookie year, he allowed only one sack and committed only 3 penalties the entire season. This type of consistency is mind-boggling considering Wirfs was a rookie and he matched up against some of the best pass rushers all last season.

If you get a chance to watch a Tampa Bay game this season, it will be clear as day why Tom Brady and the offense rarely go backwards and why they are the defending World Champions.

The Bad

With one of the most complete rosters in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have much bad, let alone, ugly on their roster. However, the area in question for the Buccaneers is in their Quarterback room after Tom Brady. Tom Brady is the guy. Clearly. But if Tom Brady happens to get hurt, backup Blaine Gabbert is far from a guy that you would want to come in to finish a season. The last time Blaine Gabbert had an extended period as a starter was in 2015. During an 8 game stretch, Gabbert had 10 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, which isn’t stellar. Luckily, the Buccaneers don’t anticipate Blaine Gabbert having to save the team and with the strength of the Offensive line and the priority of keeping Brady untouched, it is unlikely this “bad” will not be an issue.

The Ugly

The RB Room

If you were to look at media headlines about Leonard Fournette, you would think that he was the worst running backs in the league. However, before his 2020 as a backup to Ronald Jones, Fournette was able to go over 1000 yards in his final season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fournette is undoubtedly one of the most questionable young first-rounders still looking to create a long career. If Fournette can increase his production on the ground in 2021, he could potentially become a starter again with another franchise. It is unlikely he will ever take the starting spot from Ronald Jones.

After Ronald Jones, Giovanni Bernard is listed as the 3rd Running Back. Bernard’s role in this offense is questionable. With Jones and Jones, two prototype running backs, Bernard is likely to be the third-down back in special situations. His role will surely be decreased in Tampa compared to his time in Cincinnati.

Ronald Jones nearly ran for a 1000 yards in 2020, which was obviously not stellar, but he performed well enough to keep his starting job. Jones is also a young back and his contract year is approaching after this season. This can be a make-or-break year for Jones and depending on how Fournette answers this season, it could be a committee-type backfield this season. This running back battle will be competitive, but it definitely could get ugly