Season preview: Bucs will win another ring with the GOAT

The preseason is over, and there’s much to rejoice.

No more talks of which receiver is going to make the roster. No more wondering if TB12 is going to miss more time in order to appear on “The Masked Singer.”

The Bucs start the season this Sunday. Exciting isn’t it?

While the Bucs come in with the oldest roster in the NFL, they’re still an incredibly deep team in a lot of areas (look away from the O-line and secondary). So despite their players being a bit long in the tooth, they should have the depth to make up for any injuries or “load management” that needs to take place with some of their veterans.

The Bucs also have an incredibly tough schedule, fourth toughest in the league by last year’s records, with matchups against the Chiefs, Rams, Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Cowboys, Cardinals, and 49ers, all teams with a great amount of talent on both sides of the ball. It’ll certainly make for exciting football and very competitive games, but the Bucs will have to work a lot harder than they have the past couple of years with their relatively easy schedules.

No more coasting to wins over teams like the Jets or Dolphins, and the Bucs really can’t afford any duds like their loss to Washington last season. They’ll need to take advantage of the few weaker opponents such as the Falcons, Panthers, and Seahawks.

Despite the tough schedule, it is my belief that the Bucs can and will win the Super Bowl this year, going 11-6 in the regular season and winning the NFC South in the process.

It may sound like I’m being overly optimistic, but the signs are all there.

The South is not the powerhouse division it used to be (except for those pesky Saints) and the NFC is incredibly winnable, with the Rams and Packers being the only major competitors.

Plus, with the Bucs’ schedule providing so many tests, they certainly will be ready for playoff intensity after going through the wringer of their regular season schedule. Hopefully they won’t be banged up and limping into the playoffs, but  empowered by some gritty, hard-earned victories.

The GOAT is certainly motivated after a tough loss at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champs, and this roster is still loaded. Their main areas of concern will of course be the offensive line because of the still-unknown severity of star center Ryan Jensen’s injury, and the secondary due to a severe lack of depth at the cornerback position that was exposed last season  (a problem not properly addressed in the offseason).

But they can overcome both of these issues.

I mean, with 45-year-old Tom Brady, anything is possible. Right?

This article appears in Sep 1-7, 2022.