Every year we hear the same thing..”Well the Bucs have to play the Panthers and Saints, thats four losses right there”. Or they may just say the same thing with two different NFC South Teams “Saints and Falcons, Bucs can’t win against them” …just because the year before perhaps the Bucs DID get swept.
But if you look back at the recent history in the NFC South vs the Bucs, and it doesn’t look half bad.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- Yes we’ve lost the last 5 games in a row, but three out of those five games were by a TD or less, one by 2 points. Between 2009 and 2010, the Bucs and Saints split their series, with each one winning ON THE ROAD! The Bucs split the 2008 series, and Swept the Saints in 2007! Drew Brees first year with the Saints was 2006 when the Bucs lost both games going a total of 5-5 vs N.O. before the current 0-5 streak. Brees is also quite overdue for getting the dreaded NFL Old Timers disease, you never know what year its going to be when age creeps up on an older NFL quarterback, and suddenly he looks human.
CAROLINA PANTHERS- Of course we were swept by Carolina last year, both lopsided losses. But thats the way it goes with the Panthers for the last several years, taking turns sweeping each other out the closet door! In 2012 Bucs swept the Panthers, which followed the 2011 Bucs falling in both games. 2010 saw Tampa Bay go 10-6 behind two wins over the North Carolina Pro football team, while the year before the Baby Blues got the best of us home and away. Over the last 5 years the two teams have taken turns sweeping each other, and the two years before that the teams split their home and away series. That makes them 7-7 against Carolina since the 2007 season. Does that sound impossible to overcome???
ATLANTA FALCONS- Oh those Dirty Birds, they fell down to earth last year, we even kicked their tails last year in Raymond James. If anyone predicts doom against Atlanta this year, they need to take a look at the record books! The Bucs have split the series with Atlanta each of the last 3 seasons, after getting swept by the Falcons the two seasons before (2010, 2009). You remember how close those 2010 losses were right? Legarette Blount just a foot shy of the goal line in one game, and the 10 Point lead in 4th QTR vanishing with a tightrope flag football special teams of the Bucs giving up a KO return for TD and a last second comeback thwarted by Falcons Corner Brent Grimes?! Of course the first loss of those two back to back sweeps was the December 2008 collapse under Jon Gruden that cost him his coaching job that year. It came on the heels of THREE STRAIGHT wins over the Falcons including a sweep during the 2007 season. So going back since then, the Bucs are 9-10 against Atlanta. Really? Unwinnable?
These people just look at how the Bucs played last year and assume it will be the same way again, thats all predictions are anymore. No one goes out on a bubble and makes a bold prediction. No one says the Patriots will crash and burn (they will one of these years) or that Kansas City is going to the Playoffs after a 2 win season. People just take the safe bet and basically retread what happened last year, but that never works. There is always a few good teams that will fall from grace, and also a losing squad that will be the cinderella for the year.
So they just say…”Bucs will have a hard time because they always lose games in their division”…
5-10 vs Saints, 7-7 vs Panthers and 9-10 vs Falcons, tells me we will be overdue for turning things around against the Gold and Black, and have a fair shot against the rest.
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