THE BUCCANEERS FILE
Home field: Raymond James Stadium
Coach: Todd Bowles
Offensive star: QB Tom Brady
Defensive star: LB Devin White
2021 Season: Lost 34-11 to Rams in Wildcard Round
Super Bowls: 2002, 2020
Greatest Player: LB Derrick Brooks
Factoid: Of the six canons on the Bucs’ Pirate Ship, four fire confetti; two make canon noises.
By Lenn Robbins
Looking for the most unsettled franchise in the NFC going into 2022? How about the franchise
that won the Super Bowl just two seasons ago?
Why are we so down on the Bucs, who have the greatest quarterback of all time, and the
potential for an ass-kicking defense? Because the 100-foot, good ship Pirate is taking on water
like the Titanic.
Tom Brady left camp and missed the team’s first two preseason games. The rumors had gotten
so outrageous that a self-described fantasy football league expert analyst suggested, we hope
humorously, that Brady stepped away to record appearances on The Masked Singer.
Dear Football Gods – let it not be true. Brady has always presented himself as the ultimate
competitor, the supreme team player, the leader of all leaders. He would not put that legacy on
the line for The Masked Singer, would be?
Then again, this of course, is after he retired and then unretired.
But if Brady’s mystery absence isn’t enough to sink a team, combine that with this: Offensive-
minded coach Bruce Arians stepped down suddenly and defensive-minded Todd Bowles
replaced him.
There’s more: The vaunted offensive line that protects Brady the way a bull elephant protects
its herd has been savaged. Guard Ali Marpet retired suddenly. Center Ryan Jensen was injured
early in camp and could miss the entire season. And star tackle Tristan Wirfs suffered an
oblique injury and his status is uncertain.
Do the Bucs have as much talent as almost any team in the league? Yep. Do they play in a weak
division? Yep. Do we believe in them? Absolutely not.
Look, the Bucs have a world of talent on defense and are the class of the division. Just
remember, the Titanic was considered unsinkable when it sank.