If this prediction happens, there should be many, many, many happy Bucs fans come January.
In Joe’s eyes, the strength of this Bucs team is a complete and total no-brainer: You have a Hall of Fame receiver, another Pro Bowl receiver, a rookie who appears to be the real deal and another receiver who is quicker getting off the line of scrimmage than Cheetah Hill.
Oh, and pulling the trigger on this passing attack is last year’s Pro Bowl MVP and a former No. 1 overall draft pick.
But then you have a run game that’s been the NFL’s worst two years running.
However, Jenna Laine of ESPN believes that will change this year in a major way. She thinks the strongest element of the Bucs this fall will be its run game.
Biggest strength: The ground game. After averaging 3.3 yards per carry in 2023, the Bucs’ 4.4 YPC average this preseason is tied for fourth best in the NFL. They invested a first-round draft pick in new starting center Graham Barton, a fourth-rounder in running back Bucky Irving and a sixth-rounder in guard Elijah Klein. They also signed left guard Ben Bredeson in free agency and have a better understanding of the blocking scheme and how to attack the holes.
Look, Joe is a burning bush kind of guy. Joe has to see evidence that something is good before Joe can declare it good. And Joe has learned the hard way this past summer, once again, that underwear football and practices and worthless preseason games are not real games.
So no, there is no way Joe can type on this Labor Day that the Bucs’ strength is a run game.
Should the run game be better? Yeah. The team’s strength? Joe cannot take that leap. Sorry.
Joe will type the following: If the Bucs’ run game really does turn in to be a strength of the team and the receivers are healthy, the Bucs ought to at least advance to the NFC title game.
