Buccaneers win third consecutive division title, Eagles comes to Tampa Round 1

[mdb1958]

Wait!

Who is in the booth?

[mdb1958]

Don't seem like the TV cameras ever spend much time looking up there and talking..

[mdb1958]

Do we got time to tell the Glazers we want a VIP booth filled with former Buc players - fly them in Glazers - do a Jerry..

[Doctor]

Something occurred to me. This isn't the old "yucks" anymore. Most of these guys, specifically guys who have been here starting in 2017, have been to the playoffs more seasons than they haven't. Winning is the norm for them now. They are built for this and know what it takes to win.

Part of core of this team from the SB, when they went in as the 5 seed and won it all, are here. These guys know how to win in the playoffs. So nothing would shock me honestly.

Say it again for those in the back!!!

The playoffs are hard, making the playoffs are hard. Its why SB hangover is a thing. Not every year is a deep run.

The difference is that for good franchises those down years are still competitive playoff borderline teams that keep swinging. Pittsburgh, Seattle, SF, LAR, GB, Baltimore. Mix results year to year, but good franchises. Run well.

We need to break the Stockholm syndrome addiction of being a joke franchise cycling thru first round QBs like lotto tickets.

It doesn't matter who the QB is, the Bucs compete, the Bucs are dangerous. And oh boy if they do bloom a QB, the league is in trouble. Because that's what good franchises do. Set standards. 4 years in the playoffs. Going for 5.

[Snake]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

[Jonny]

On paper, Bucs roster is as good as the eagles. They have Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, we have Vea and Kancey. Their outside edge rushers are struggling to bring pressure. So are our guys. Their secondary is playing like trash with ancient relic Darius Slay. Our secondary is playing like trash, but we have AWJr and two of the highest paid corners. They have AJ Brown and D.Smith. We have Evans and Godwin. They have Lane Johnson and Kelce. We have Wirfs and Goedeke. They have Hurts, we have Baker. It all comes down to coaching and execution in this game.

That is why I have high expectations from Bucs for this game. The only advantage Eagles had in week 3 was momentum from being a great team in 2022. They don't have it anymore. We could not have gotten a more favorable playoff match if you think of 12 other teams except maybe the Steelers.

[Grahamburn]

It all comes down to coaching and execution in this game.

That is why I have high expectations from Bucs for this game.

Uhh.

[Bootz]

You were going so well but then you lost it here...

They have Lane Johnson and Kelce. We have Wirfs and Goedeke.

Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are arguably the best at their positions in football. Wirfs, you have a case with. But nobody is losing sleep over facing Luke Goedeke. He is not in this hemisphere, let alone the conversation.

[Jonny]

You were going so well but then you lost it here...

They have Lane Johnson and Kelce. We have Wirfs and Goedeke.

Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are arguably the best at their positions in football. Wirfs, you have a case with. But nobody is losing sleep over facing Luke Goedeke. He is not in this hemisphere, let alone the conversation.

For this season, PFF has Lane Johnson one rank above Goedeke. Kelce is 9th best center, where as Hainsey is 12th best.

I am not entirely disagreeing with what you are saying, but is it possible that these guys are more popular than productive? A classic example is how Budda Baker made probowl over Winfield Jr. How Jonathan Vilma referred to Devin White as one of the best ILBs of NFL when 2 out of 3 games Devin White plays like trash.

[Jonny]

It all comes down to coaching and execution in this game.

That is why I have high expectations from Bucs for this game.

Uhh.

I have high expectations from our roster. Do I have faith in the coaching staff to bring the best out of them? Not really.

[GreatTimes]

You were going so well but then you lost it here...

They have Lane Johnson and Kelce. We have Wirfs and Goedeke.

Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are arguably the best at their positions in football. Wirfs, you have a case with. But nobody is losing sleep over facing Luke Goedeke. He is not in this hemisphere, let alone the conversation.

The Eagles poor players are better than the Bucs poor players. Especially when you compare the offensive lines. But the outcome of the games may very well depend on which team has the breaks go their way. Last week the Bucs had everything go their way. Winfield knocking the ball loose at the 1 yard line. The Panthers TD called back by an illegal formation. The dropped INT's by the Panthers DB's. It all went the Bucs way. The Bucs need everything to go their way against the Eagles. And no bad calls by the refs that go against the Bucs.

[Bootz]

You were going so well but then you lost it here...



Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are arguably the best at their positions in football. Wirfs, you have a case with. But nobody is losing sleep over facing Luke Goedeke. He is not in this hemisphere, let alone the conversation.

For this season, PFF has Lane Johnson one rank above Goedeke. Kelce is 9th best center, where as Hainsey is 12th best.

I am not entirely disagreeing with what you are saying, but is it possible that these guys are more popular than productive? A classic example is how Budda Baker made probowl over Winfield Jr. How Jonathan Vilma referred to Devin White as one of the best ILBs of NFL when 2 out of 3 games Devin White plays like trash.

That's a hit on PFFs credibility.

[Grahamburn]

One thing for sure is we will get out-coached. I have no faith that we won't come out trying to "establish the run" against the two monsters they have inside.

[Doctor]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

Yes. Even if you want to dismiss the accomplishment of making the playoffs as a random distribution and not a difficult act that still eludes many many teams, fine.... 44% chance, twice? Thrice? Fourithice?

The chances of flipping heads four times in a row is like 6%. But if you want to tell us it's really not that hard to stumble into the playoffs 4 straight years, go for it.

[Cheb]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

Yes and no.

The Jets haven't been to the playoffs for 13 years. It's been 8 years for the Broncos, 6 years apiece for the Panthers and Falcons, so obviously there's gotta be a bit of a barrier to getting into that 44% group. And indeed, doing anything against NFL competition is hard. Sometimes you can't even execute a basic blocking scheme or complete a pass on a slant route.

In regards to OUR team making the postseason and our recent run of successes, let me take a detour to basketball country. The average NBA player makes 77% of his free throws. You'd therefore think that making four free throws in a row wouldn't be too big a deal. People screw up this math all the time, but it's easier than you think. Basically you multiple the percentile of the chance by itself the number of times it's done, then you come up with your percentage of that outcome -- in this case, that's 0.77*0.77*0.77*0.77. Plug that into our local calculator and we find that in fact the likelihood of sinking four straight free throws from the average player is around 35%. Far more difficult than what we would initially think, and if it happens it can be indicative that the player in question is pretty damn good at shooting free throws.

How about these Bucs, making the playoffs for four straight years, sinking those free throws? If only 44% of teams make the tournament every year and we want to reduce a complex outcome (making the playoffs) to a simple (and arguably reductive) number, we do the same kind of math as before-- 0.44*0.44*0.44*0.44, and that's our percentage change of that happening.

The Bucs had a 3.7% chance of making the playoffs four years in a row, and yet they did it. Every year of Wirfs' and AWJ's careers. Impressive stuff.

[Bootz]

One thing for sure is we will get out-coached. I have no faith that we won't come out trying to "establish the run" against the two monsters they have inside.

Tell me you don't watch the Eagles without telling me you don't watch the Eagles. Teams have run inside on them all season. That's been a big part of their struggles defensively.
Overall they are 10th vs the run but they give up 4.3/carry.

[Bootz]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

Yes and no.

The Jets haven't been to the playoffs for 13 years. It's been 8 years for the Broncos, 6 years apiece for the Panthers and Falcons, so obviously there's gotta be a bit of a barrier to getting into that 44% group. And indeed, doing anything against NFL competition is hard. Sometimes you can't even execute a basic blocking scheme or complete a pass on a slant route.

In regards to OUR team making the postseason and our recent run of successes, let me take a detour to basketball country. The average NBA player makes 77% of his free throws. You'd therefore think that making four free throws in a row wouldn't be too big a deal. People screw up this math all the time, but it's easier than you think. Basically you multiple the percentile of the chance by itself the number of times it's done, then you come up with your percentage of that outcome -- in this case, that's 0.77*0.77*0.77*0.77. Plug that into our local calculator and we find that in fact the likelihood of sinking four straight free throws from the average player is around 35%. Far more difficult than what we would initially think, and if it happens it can be indicative that the player in question is pretty damn good at shooting free throws.

How about these Bucs, making the playoffs for four straight years, sinking those free throws? If only 44% of teams make the tournament every year and we want to reduce a complex outcome (making the playoffs) to a simple (and arguably reductive) number, we do the same kind of math as before-- 0.44*0.44*0.44*0.44, and that's our percentage change of that happening.

The Bucs had a 3.7% chance of making the playoffs four years in a row, and yet they did it. Every year of Wirfs' and AWJ's careers. Impressive stuff.

In regards to the point @Snake is trying to make, the only change is an extra wild card team. Your point sticks more if you provide the context. For obvious reasons you left that part out. But it's not as if the Bucs were the #7 seeds or even wild card seeds every year. They've won 3 straight division titles during this run. I don't think the league added additional spots for divisions.

[Doctor]

Seriously, a 3peat division crown and a 4 year playoff streak should be an awesome flex and instead some fans are bemoaning it. Some people just aren't meant to be winners.

[Buc2]

One thing for sure is we will get out-coached. I have no faith that we won't come out trying to "establish the run" against the two monsters they have inside.

Tell me you don't watch the Eagles without telling me you don't watch the Eagles. Teams have run inside on them all season. That's been a big part of their struggles defensively.
Overall they are 10th vs the run but they give up 4.3/carry.

I hope they give up at least 4.3/carry Monday night.

[Buc2]

Seriously, a 3peat division crown and a 4 year playoff streak should be an awesome flex and instead some fans are bemoaning it. Some people just aren't meant to be winners.

They want 14-3 seasons every year, dammit!

But, seriously, if that's what they want, then get rid of the divisions altogether and just take the top 4 teams based on W-L record and be done with it.

[Navybuc]

Seriously, a 3peat division crown and a 4 year playoff streak should be an awesome flex and instead some fans are bemoaning it. Some people just aren't meant to be winners.

I think a lot of fans, including myself...the concern is there really hasn't been a lot of progress. We won the Super Bowl in 2020, then were a Cooper Kupp huge play away in 2021 from possibly winning it again (assuming we won the NFCC Game at home and then beat the Bengals). Arians left, a lot of the same roster was kept intact, and we started 2022 great against the Cowboys. But since that win on Opening Day against Dallas, we've gone 16-18. The only reason we've made 2 straight playoffs is because our division is complete and utter garbage. If we're in any other division in the NFL, we're not making the playoffs two straight years. That's just simply a fact.

That said, let's put all that aside because the playoffs are an entire new season. Anything goes. I can see a scenario where it's the Rams vs. Browns in the Super Bowl. Bucs can easily find a way to win this week, and then head to Dallas or San Fran, where okay, we prolly have 0% chance of winning, but at least we can say we outperformed last year and continue to give ourselves a chance.

[Snake]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

Yes. Even if you want to dismiss the accomplishment of making the playoffs as a random distribution and not a difficult act that still eludes many many teams, fine.... 44% chance, twice? Thrice? Fourithice?

The chances of flipping heads four times in a row is like 6%. But if you want to tell us it's really not that hard to stumble into the playoffs 4 straight years, go for it.

Context. Worst division in football for what would be....three of those?

[Doctor]

You're concerned we haven't improved much since our Super Bowl? That's a high bar.

Some fans will always be prisoners of the moment when it comes to the Kupp pass, no matter how much players will tell you there were several other key plays outside of that. Particuarly the one right before which put them in spitting shot of FG range. A sack secures overtime. Even then Wirfs wasn't coming back for OT. Point is fans hold fantasy grudges.

But yeah, I don't know how much better than champion you wanted/expected us to be by now...

[Snake]

Seriously, a 3peat division crown and a 4 year playoff streak should be an awesome flex and instead some fans are bemoaning it. Some people just aren't meant to be winners.

They want 14-3 seasons every year, dammit!

But, seriously, if that's what they want, then get rid of the divisions altogether and just take the top 4 teams based on W-L record and be done with it.

I wouldn't hate it. Divisions are dumb given the low number of games. Play every team in your conference once.

[Doctor]

You'd have almost zero cross conference action that way. Be creating a quasi two league system.

[Snake]

You'd have almost zero cross conference action that way. Be creating a quasi two league system.

Sounds fun to me. Why even have conferences if the difference is totally nominal and they play one another throughout the entire season?

[acmillis]

You'd have almost zero cross conference action that way. Be creating a quasi two league system.

Play every team in the conference once.

Play two of the four other conference's same place finisher as last year and rotate those two division every year.

In 2024, That's 15 NFC games, and (hypothetically), we play AFC N first Place (BAL) and AFC S (HOU) first place. In 2025, We'd play same place finisher from AFC W and AFC E.

Tiebreakers would be easy for even casual fans to understand come playoff time. Oh...you're tied with 4 teams with the same record. Did they beat you...you're out.

Sure, that means you may literally never play some of the AFC teams...like ever...but I like it. You'd still get those rivalries that "everyone" wants to see, too.

[Doctor]

Again... You're literally undoing everything that was done to merge the NFL and AFL together.

Essentially two leagues that meet in the Super Bowl and severely nerf all rivalries.

[Snake]

You'd have almost zero cross conference action that way. Be creating a quasi two league system.

Play every team in the conference once.

Play two of the four other conference's same place finisher as last year and rotate those two division every year.

In 2024, That's 15 NFC games, and (hypothetically), we play AFC N first Place (BAL) and AFC S (HOU) first place. In 2025, We'd play same place finisher from AFC W and AFC E.

Tiebreakers would be easy for even casual fans to understand come playoff time. Oh...you're tied with 4 teams with the same record. Did they beat you...you're out.

Sure, that means you may literally never play some of the AFC teams...like ever...but I like it. You'd still get those rivalries that "everyone" wants to see, too.

I like it.

[Buc2]

I don't like it. I like it as it is, but go back to 16 games but with just 1 WC team per Conference.

[Snake]

Less money for the owners? Can’t have that!

[Jonny]

Seriously, a 3peat division crown and a 4 year playoff streak should be an awesome flex and instead some fans are bemoaning it. Some people just aren't meant to be winners.

Barely winning within the worst division, with a roster comprising of a youngish core of players that have already won a Superbowl is nothing to feel great about. Good lord, we were in an elimination game last season against the Panthers for division crown. The same Panthers who started out 1-5, fired their head coach and released their starting QB. That team had a real shot to win the division going into 4th qtr of that game with a lead.

Also the optimists act like we are complaining about how the team performed during Arians' seasons. The problem is with since Bowles has taken over, we have been an underperforming team barely scraping by in a horrible division. If we played in most other divisions, we would not sniff the playoffs even as a wild card team despite this 7 team setup.

[Snake]

44% of NFL teams make the playoffs. Is it that hard?

Yes and no.

The Jets haven't been to the playoffs for 13 years. It's been 8 years for the Broncos, 6 years apiece for the Panthers and Falcons, so obviously there's gotta be a bit of a barrier to getting into that 44% group. And indeed, doing anything against NFL competition is hard. Sometimes you can't even execute a basic blocking scheme or complete a pass on a slant route.

In regards to OUR team making the postseason and our recent run of successes, let me take a detour to basketball country. The average NBA player makes 77% of his free throws. You'd therefore think that making four free throws in a row wouldn't be too big a deal. People screw up this math all the time, but it's easier than you think. Basically you multiple the percentile of the chance by itself the number of times it's done, then you come up with your percentage of that outcome -- in this case, that's 0.77*0.77*0.77*0.77. Plug that into our local calculator and we find that in fact the likelihood of sinking four straight free throws from the average player is around 35%. Far more difficult than what we would initially think, and if it happens it can be indicative that the player in question is pretty damn good at shooting free throws.

How about these Bucs, making the playoffs for four straight years, sinking those free throws? If only 44% of teams make the tournament every year and we want to reduce a complex outcome (making the playoffs) to a simple (and arguably reductive) number, we do the same kind of math as before-- 0.44*0.44*0.44*0.44, and that's our percentage change of that happening.

The Bucs had a 3.7% chance of making the playoffs four years in a row, and yet they did it. Every year of Wirfs' and AWJ's careers. Impressive stuff.

I appreciate the effort put forth here. but all free throws are created equally difficult. in a vacuum. not all division titles are equally difficult. so, I do applaud the team for winning the division. it's not like they're winning the AFC North, or the NFC West.

[Selmon Rules]

You'd have almost zero cross conference action that way. Be creating a quasi two league system.

Play every team in the conference once.

Play two of the four other conference's same place finisher as last year and rotate those two division every year.

In 2024, That's 15 NFC games, and (hypothetically), we play AFC N first Place (BAL) and AFC S (HOU) first place. In 2025, We'd play same place finisher from AFC W and AFC E.

Tiebreakers would be easy for even casual fans to understand come playoff time. Oh...you're tied with 4 teams with the same record. Did they beat you...you're out.

Sure, that means you may literally never play some of the AFC teams...like ever...but I like it. You'd still get those rivalries that "everyone" wants to see, too.

The schedule is set up the way it is so that teams do play every team in the league in a 4 year (I think it's every 4 years but I could be wrong) span.

I like it that way, I want to see the better teams play each other regularly instead of hoping they meet in the Super Bowl.

[kaimaru]

Better than the majority of teams and players in this league can say.

The Bucs have the longest active playoff streak the NFC over the past 4 years than the Bucs. No NFC team has won more playoff games over the past 4 years than the Bucs.

If we're using your logic, this bodes extremely well for the Bucs as we are quite literally the most experienced and successful playoff team in the NFC.

I'll wait for you to move your goal post.

My logic? IDK what you're talking about, I simply said this team's core is 1-2 over the last two years.

Also, IMO, experience means nothing whatsoever in the playoffs. When we won the SB with Brady, how many of our core players had ANY playoff experience? How could we ever win with so many inexperienced playoff players?

Previous season wins also mean nothing, whatsoever, to this years' results.

I'm not even sure what you're trying to point out here.

Our QB, the most important position has more post season experience out of everyone. It was reported he would have team meeting before each playoff game to go over strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of the opponent. If that isn't experience, IDK what is. Our starting RB in the playoffs, Lenny had experience. So did our back up RB LeSean McCoy, our third WR Antonio Brown, our starting TE Gronkowski, K Succop, OLD Barrett, OLB JPP, DT Suh, even Jensen had a playoff game with the Ravens. So that is that's 5 starters on offense and 3 on defense plus our kicker. That sounds like experience to me