Apparently Charles Robinson isn’t expecting much from the Bucs.
The long-time Yahoo! NFL columnist reacted like he just learned he needed an emergency colonoscopy when fellow panelist Frank Schwab said the Bucs are a team on the rise during a recent airing of Yahoo! Sports’ NFL podcast,
Robinson seemed generally surprised (shocked?) that Schwab would go there with the Bucs, though Robinson does think the Bucs will win the NFC South. But Schwab explained how the Bucs, in his eyes, are no joke.
“I think they are close to being a Super Bowl contender,” Schwab explained. “I think this offense is awesome. I think adding Emeka Egbuka in the first round was a little bit unconventional, but when you look at it, you’re like, ‘Make your strength stronger. We’re just gonna make Baker Mayfield the best quarterback we could possibly make him.’
“This is a team that won at Detroit last year. They should have won at Kansas City, if they go for two — just a bad mistake to let Patrick Mahomes win in overtime. But this is a team I think is right there. I think they’re they’re very, very close.”
Yes, on paper, the Bucs look strong. For Schwab, there is one big (legitimate) question.
“Now, can the defense take the next step?” Schwab asked. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
And that right there is the key question. Joe admits to being taken aback last week when noticing the Bucs were ranked in the 20s in passing yards allowed every year since Bucs coach Todd Bowles arrived except for 2022.
How can that be with a defensive-minded head coach? All the players Bowles has had and only once in the past six seasons have the Bucs had a pass defense ranked above No. 20? (That was No. 9 in 2020.)
Knowing the Bucs had targeted Emeka Egbuka this spring when Bowles spoke at the NFL owners meetings before the draft, he said he wasn’t opposed to drafting offense at No. 19 because a team has to score points. Joe was shocked Bowles would say that but this is all coming together now for Joe.
Maybe Bowles doesn’t believe he can turn the defense around quickly enough to take advantage of the offense, so why not add more fuel to the offensive fire and be fully dominant on one side of the ball?
And if you thought Schwab was drinking the Bucs’ Kool-Aid, he continued to talk up Tampa Bay as a contender.
“I just look at this team, I think they’re loaded,” Schwab said. “I think Bucky Irving’s awesome. I think Baker has come into his own as one of the best NFL quarterbacks in the NFL.
“I think they win this division by three, four games. I just I have high hopes for the Buccaneers this year.
“And I can see a scenario where we’re sitting here at the end of the year saying the Buccaneers are going to Super Bowl. They’re one of the best teams in the NFC I really have high, high hopes for the Bucs this year.”
Who is Joe to argue with such logic?
