A three-time Super Bowl winner who knows the Tampa Bay team well and has attended TV production meetings with Todd Bowles and several Buccaneers believes the Falcons are the NFC South’s clear winner.
It’s time to add another receipt to the bulging box on Buccaneers Ring of Honour general manager Jason Licht’s desk.
During an FS1 panel event last week, FOX game analyst Mark Schlereth, a former standout offensive lineman, agreed with one of his colleagues on the season’s “best” gamble. The Falcons were predicted to dominate the NFC South.
Schlereth couldn’t wait to weigh in on the Falcons’ selection. In fact, he cut off his colleague Danny Parkins, who predicted Atlanta would win the division title.
Then Schlereth piled on.
“This feels like a no-brainer to me,” Schlereth said after the Falcons won the NFC South.
“They’ve got tremendous perimeter players and ball handlers, right? They have an excellent offensive line, and I believe they have a really underestimated defence.
So, there you have it. Schlereth believes the Buccaneers have no shot. He didn’t even answer when another panellist accused Schlereth of insulting Baker Mayfield and a Buccaneers team that had recovered its top players.
The Falcons haven’t won a game since 2017, and they have a number of question marks, including head coach, offensive coordinator, general manager, and quarterback. But, yes, they are a “no-brainer” choice to win the division over the Bucs.
Joe is sick of being disrespected. Joe understands that there are solutions (apart from winning) to the Bucs’ continuous criticism. Will the Buccaneers figure them out? Do they care?
In a recent interview, Joe overheard Licht say that he has come to realize that disrespecting the Bucs is something that happens almost every year.
Joe would ask Licht if he has a “that’s-just-how-it-is” attitude towards anything else unpleasant about his organization. Of course he does not.
The same question is appropriate for Team Glazer.
Licht has far more serious problems than public perception, but many others at One Buc Palace do not.
Being urinated on by the national media has a detrimental impact on fan excitement and engagement, the Bucs’ schedule, ticket sales, and more. And team executives enjoy claiming that more devoted and enthusiastic supporters make a difference on game day.
Joe certainly hopes there is a clear and direct plan at One Buc Palace to creatively counteract the national Bucs hatred.
If it continues, the amount of disdain may erode team togetherness when adversity strikes. That would be an avoidable crime against all things Buccaneers.
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