Team Tampa Bay’s Take

COURTESY OF TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

By: Carmen Vitali Buccaneers Staff Writer @CarmieV

FOR THE 2020 BUCS, SBLV MEANS MAKING HISTORY

Any Super Bowl season would be a historic season for a franchise that last appeared in the game in 2003, but should they end up there this February, the Buccaneers will have done something that has never been done in the history of the NFL.

The Super Bowl is the goal.

There have been no qualms about that this season, or really, any other season. That’s every team’s goal every year, after all. But in 2020, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that goal feels a little more urgent.

The Bucs rocked the NFL boat this offseason with the signing of future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady – and the waves kept coming. A month later, they’d trade for Brady’s buddy in tight end Rob Gronkowski, after luring the fellow future Hall of Famer out of retirement first. The moves turned an already upside-down world in 2020 on its head, which I think means it put Tampa Bay right side up. At least, it sure feels like it with a guy like Brady steering the ship.

In the midst of a global pandemic that has changed everything around us, football has remained constant – the North Star, if you will. The Buccaneers entered training camp relatively on schedule with fans already hyped up on what they could be. Then came another wave of additions beginning with the splash signing of veteran running back LeSean McCoy, who himself has a case for Canton.

And they still weren’t done.

Not only did McCoy jump on board, but so did former Jaguars’ running back Leonard Fournette, who is coming off a 1,000-yard season, one of two in his three-year career so far, at the ripe age of 25. Oh, and then the Bucs threw in another recent first rounder when they signed quarterback Josh Rosen to the practice squad, just for good measure.

Only, this time, it would be a feat unlike any other should the Bucs manage it. Tampa is playing host to Super Bowl LV this year and as I’m sure you’ve heard, no team has ever played in the big game with homefield advantage. For this team, led by this quarterback, the opportunity to do something that has never been done in the history of this storied league, cannot be understated.

The Bucs are all in.

“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht when the team signed Brady back in March. “I’ve known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”

Training camp has proved the best example so far of Brady’s impact, along with the impact of the other experienced players the Buccaneers acquired ahead of the regular season. Despite being in an entirely new system, Brady has taken command of his teammates and led one of the most intense preseasons the Bucs have seen in a long time, even with all the restrictions in place.

There is an offensive arsenal at Brady’s disposal with the likes of wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight ends O.J. Howard and Cam Brate (in addition to Gronk) and the running back room including the aforementioned two players along with third-year Buccaneer Ronald Jones. Plus, a solid offensive line that boasts one of the best tackles of the 2020 draft anchoring its right side in Tristan Wirfs. But where the Bucs have splashy new toys on offense, they have continuity and experience on the other side of the ball. Tampa Bay’s defense returned all of its starting front seven and picked up right where they left off at the end of last year, after they had made tremendous strides from the start of 2019.

“We didn’t get enough turnovers and we turned it over way too many times and if we corrected that, talent will not be an issue,” said Arians comparing last year to this one. “I don’t think talent will be the issue whether we make the playoffs or not. Now the Super Bowl, there’s some luck that comes with that, like staying healthy and some other things. But talent will not be an issue to keep us out the playoffs, no.”

The greatest quarterback of all time coupled with a “No risk-it, no biscuit” coach, the best defense Tampa Bay has seen in over a decade and Super Bowl LV right in their backyard.

It seems like the perfect storm brewing in Tampa Bay.

It’s time to Raise the Flags, Bucs fans. The 2020 season is here.