In case you are a Bucs fan or an NFL fan usually, you’d do your self a favor by trying out Marcus Whitman’s Deep Dive YouTube collection going into the 2024 NFL season. His most up-to-date breakdown goes over Tampa Bay, the place Whitman ranked the staff twenty third in his general rankings.
In explaining this and extensively breaking down the Bucs’ outlook for over two and a half hours, he was joined by Professional Soccer Focus’ lead NFL Draft analyst and Pewter Report alum Trevor Sikkema, who provided some detailed ideas about how he would rank the staff and a few points that stop them from being increased.
How Would PFF’s Trevor Sikkema Rank The 2024 Bucs?
In the beginning of Trevor Sikkema’s interview with Marcus Whitman, he started by sharing his ideas on the Bucs being ranked twenty third and why they’re a staff that’s more durable to put a finger on than others for a number of elements.
“I believe that’s just a little low, I believe they actually might be just a little bit increased,” Sikkema mentioned. “Now, the massive problem with the Bucs is kind of the inconsistency, proper? I don’t assume Tampa goes to enter quite a lot of video games this 12 months if any in any respect, the place you go, ‘Yeah, they haven’t any shot.’ They’re a staff with a decently excessive ceiling if every little thing’s figuring out, however then additionally, it’s kind of the modifications.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: USA Immediately
“The brand new offensive coordinator change once more. Is Todd Bowles going to proceed to evolve as a head coach? Generally it looks like he hasn’t. What model of Baker Mayfield are they going to get? The ageing top-tier gamers that they’ve, are they going to have the ability to proceed to hold this staff? Lavonte David, Mike Evans, these guys.”
After taking part in above expectations final season, it’s clear the staff has a excessive ceiling when every little thing clicking. However as Sikkema alluded to, there are inconsistencies. Shedding six out of seven video games midseason. Video games the place the offense can’t transfer the ball downfield. The protection not creating sufficient takeaways or making huge performs exterior of Antoine Winfield Jr.
With these points being on the forefront, among the many different variables listed, it elements into Tampa Bay having a decrease flooring than one would anticipate out of a playoff staff.
“The Bucs are kind of powerful to determine,” Sikkema added. “I don’t completely hate you having them within the early 20s, I’d most likely argue for them to be just a little bit increased simply off the highest of my head, with out seeing the checklist. It’s undoubtedly a staff that the ceiling is decently excessive, it’s a staff that clearly made a fairly good playoff run final 12 months. The ground can be decrease than you’d really feel snug with most likely placing a staff within the high 20, in order that’s kind of my general outlook.”
Why Have The Bucs Struggled To Set up A Profitable Run Recreation?
Bucs C Ryan Jensen and LG Ali Marpet – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
An enormous problem for the Bucs’ offense for years has been a run sport that’s in dire want of creating itself. After having a dead-last speeding offense for 2 years in a row, an enormous level of emphasis for brand spanking new offensive coordinator Liam Coen and the remainder of the teaching workers is once more to kind a balanced assault led by Rachaad White.
White has a brand new co-star within the backfield with fourth-round choose Bucky Irving, and with some new rookie and veteran additions alongside the offensive line, issues look as promising as ever for the staff to have the ability to have a extra constant floor assault.
When requested why the Bucs have struggled to run the soccer, Trevor Sikkema sees it as being a difficulty with deep roots that stem from the inside offensive line needing to be utterly overhauled on the fly and the powerful circumstances White and the opposite operating backs have needed to work with.
“I believe if you wish to return to a few of the roots, Ali Marpet [retired] when he did,” Sikkema mentioned. “I nonetheless consider that Marpet going, ‘Yeah, I’m achieved’ with lots left within the tank to be a rattling good soccer participant, that actually harm them as a result of while you mix that with shedding Alex Cappa.
“I believe that they had been like, ‘Okay, that is wonderful, we are able to make up for it, we received remainder of the inside offensive line.’ Rapidly inside the span of a 12 months, shedding Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa to free company as a result of it most likely wasn’t of their plans when that occurred, after which Ryan Jensen received harm. Now you go, ‘Oh okay, we’ve got zero inside offensive linemen, zero.’”
With these three rapidly leaving the image, the staff tried to suit a sq. peg in a spherical gap by taking part in Luke Goedeke at left guard, having Robert Hainsey soar right into a beginning position, and buying and selling for Shaq Mason as a band-aid at proper guard. Then final 12 months, attempting to fill the left guard spot with two below-average gamers in Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie, sticking with Hainsey, and drafting and shifting Cody Mauch from being a left deal with at North Dakota State to an undersized NFL proper guard.
Bucs C Graham Barton and RG Cody Mauch – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
It’s been an extended, arduous course of to rebuild what rapidly was torn aside.
“They needed to get our bodies on the inside offensive line,” Sikkema added. “I believe the timeline was so accelerated for once they needed to substitute these actually good inside offensive linemen that they’ve simply been attempting to play catch up. I believe it’s going to be higher this 12 months, I really like the Graham Barton choose. I believe you’re anticipating Cody Mauch to be just a little bit higher this 12 months.
“With them having an improve at middle I believe with Barton, even with him as a rookie, one other 12 months with Mauch, you’ve received your two solidified offensive tackles. Ben Bredeson most likely choosing up that left guard spot, he’s received some expertise there on the very least.”
General, the outlook for the offensive line appears extra promising, and that ought to give Rachaad White extra of a chance to construct off final season and turn out to be extra of a dynamic menace within the backfield.
There’s A Large Query Mark In The Bucs’ Secondary
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and LB Lavonte David – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Shifting over to the Bucs’ protection, and particularly the secondary, there’s one participant talked about who must play higher and make huge performs in 2024 – Zyon McCollum.
McCollum was on the Pewter Report Podcast earlier this offseason and talked about that he’s able to be a playmaker, however he might want to put all of it collectively this season after being trusted with a beginning position.
“[Zyon] McCollum is anyone they love the dimensions and the pace,” Sikkema mentioned. “6-foot-2, just a little over 200 kilos, he’s received a loopy mock draftable chart with how athletic this man is. Once I have a look at McCollum although, I believe the most important space that he nonetheless has to enhance – for corners he’s nonetheless on a comparatively anticipated path as a result of it’s actually onerous to play nook within the NFL – he’s nonetheless studying the anticipation components of issues.
“The zero interceptions in every of the final two years… regardless that I hate pointing to interceptions as a essential key stat for corners, it’s for McCollum as a result of his greatest problem proper now could be he must anticipate higher. I assure you, due to his size and due to his dimension and pace mixture, if he anticipates higher, you begin getting turnovers.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
McCollum made huge strides final season, taking part in as a defacto third beginning cornerback with each Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III being injured at instances. Sikkema pointed to at least one stat that confirmed the enhancements that he made, but in addition that there’s extra room for the third-year participant to develop and take the following step.
“He had ten compelled incompletions final 12 months in comparison with one the earlier season, and I believe that was at the least a touch at a step in the precise course. He’s choosing it up just a little bit extra, however I used to be watching just a little little bit of his movie simply to sort of get myself refreshed earlier than this podcast, and there are quite a lot of moments the place he’s only a tick late.
“He’s seeing it after which reacting, and while you play nook within the NFL, you bought to see it earlier than it occurs. They very clearly have quite a lot of religion in who he’s and what he could be as an out of doors nook, there’s motive to consider it, however actually, one other step that he’s received to take.”
Watch Marcus Whitman And Trevor Sikkema’s Deep Dive Into The 2024 Bucs
To listen to every little thing Trevor Sikkema needed to say in addition to Marcus Whitman’s breakdown of the 2024 Bucs, remember to test it out right here on the That Franchise Man YouTube channel, the place every staff can be ranked and previewed.
