Tag: bucs 2020 schedule

For Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski ‘it’s go time’

Bucs QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski are ready to begin the next chapters of their NFL careers.

Buccaneers players are returning to the facility today for the start of training camp, which will be all about testing for COVID-19 in the beginning days.

For new Bucs Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, this camp marks the beginning of a new chapter in both their careers.

Brady left the New England Patriots after 20 years and six Super Bowl rings, while Gronk came out of his one-year retirement to reunite with Brady in Tampa, hoping to get the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Gronk took to Twitter today to show his excitement for his Bucs voyage, and Brady was right there ready to support him.

Take a look.

This is going to be a fun season.

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Tom Brady (and his watch) are ready for the next chapter

Bucs QB Tom Brady took to Instagram today to show his excitement for the start of his Tampa Bay career.

While training camp is set to get underway next week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, today is the day rookies and quarterbacks will report, which means Tom Brady’s career in Tampa will officially be underway.

The future Hall of Famer is looking to prove doubters wrong this season, and show that he can win without mastermind Bill Belichick on the sidelines. Brady seems ready for the challenge, as he’s been putting in countless hours over the past few months working out at a local Tampa prep school with some of his teammates.

Today, Brady took to Instagram to show off his excitement for the next chapter in his career.

Take a look.

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Top 3 reasons why the Buccaneers may miss the playoffs

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Bucs DON’T make the playoffs in 2020. But here are three reasons why the team could miss out.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, like all NFL fans, are hoping the 2020 season kicks off without a hitch. While Tampa Bay finished 7-9 last season, they had an offseason for the ages, highlighted by their signing of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and the acquisition of tight end Rob Gronkowski.

With a star-studded roster, many people are expecting the Bucs to make a triumphant return to the postseason for the first time since 2007, and perhaps even win their first playoff game since their victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

But while having Brady under center certainly makes the Bucs legit playoff contenders, there is still reason to worry about this squad heading into 2020, even with the expanded playoff format.

With that, let’s take a look at the top three reasons why the Bucs may miss the playoffs.

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A hilarious look at the future of the Brady-Mahomes rivalry

Look into the crystal ball to see what Tom Brady may look like in 10 years going up against Patrick Mahomes.

It looks like Patrick Mahomes won’t be hurting for money anytime soon. The reigning Super Bowl MVP and quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, who has taken the league by storm in his first two years as a starter, signed a record contract yesterday with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs locked up the best quarterback in the league, and the NFL must be thrilled at the prospect of having one of the game’s brightest young stars playing for a historic franchise like the Chiefs for years to come.

Mahomes has proven in his short time as a starter that he has what it takes to be one of the best to ever play the position. He’s even defeated Tom Brady on the road in New England!

Brady will be 43 years old when the 2020 season rolls around, and it just so happens that he and his Buccaneers will welcome Mahomes and the Chiefs to town during the regular season.

And, who knows, maybe we’ll see this rivalry going for years to come if Brady keeps at it!

Take a look at this hilarious tweet looking into the crystal ball of the Brady-Mahomes rivalry.

Classic.

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This interesting nugget from FPI proves the pressure is on the Bucs this season

The Bucs have a great chance to make the playoffs this season, according to FPI. But with good playoff odds comes the pressure to perform.

The Buccaneers have a fresh look and fresh quarterback heading into the 2020 season, and for the first time in over a decade there is genuine optimism surrounding this franchise and their chances of making the playoffs.

Tom Brady brings with him years of championship experience from New England, where he helped win six Super Bowls over his 20-year run with the Patriots. Now that he’s with the Bucs, all eyes will be on the three-time regular season MVP to guide Tampa Bay back to the playoffs. And according to ESPN, the odds are in their favor.

Per ESPN:

“Since 2015, the Buccaneers’ best preseason chance to make the playoffs according to FPI has been 33.1%, in 2017. This season, FPI has given them a 62.9% chance to make the playoffs, good for second in the division (Saints, 82.5%) and fifth in the NFC.”

While the high playoff odds will certainly make Bucs fans happy, it also means the pressure is on this season for a team coming off a 7-9 year. As great as Brady is, he can’t do it all by himself. The defense will need to step up in an even bigger way in 2020, especially the secondary. Fortunately, retaining key veterans like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett will help make the rush defense strong once again.

The Bucs seem destined for the playoffs. Now, they just need to traverse the road of the regular season to get there.

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Two Buccaneers players test positive for COVID-19

Two Tampa Bay Buccaneers players have tested positive for COVID-19, along with one coach.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, like the rest of the NFL, were hoping training camp and the 2020 season would kick off without a hitch in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but today’s latest news is a stark wake-up call to the reality of the world we now live in.

No word yet on which players have tested positive, but several Bucs players have been working out with quarterback Tom Brady at a nearby Tampa prep school. It remains to be seen how this will impact the team’s plans for camp going forward.

The Bucs released the following statement to confirm the diagnosis and their plans to try and ensure the safety of others.

Several NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past few months, including Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys.

With so much uncertainty still surrounding the virus, it’ll be interesting to see if the NFL alters their plans for the 2020 season.

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Bruce Arians’ reason for wanting fans in stadiums is hilarious

See what Bruce Arians had to say when talking about the possibility of NFL teams playing in empty stadiums in 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted sports leagues around the world, and if and when the NFL kicks off its 2020 season, one of the proposed ideas to ensure public safety is playing games in empty stadiums. While that might not be the ideal situation for either the league or its fans, it’s an option that’s on the table at this point.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians spoke at length on a Zoom call with reporters yesterday on a wide variety of topics, from the national protests to his new quarterback Tom Brady. And, when talking about the possibility of playing in an empty stadium, Arians had a pretty hilarious response.

Take a look.

Arians is certainly not one to shy away from the use of colorful language. In fact, when he interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job back in 2013, Arians dropped several F-bombs almost immediately. It didn’t seem to hurt him, though, as he ended up getting the gig.

If the Bucs do have to play games without fans, I think the NFL would be wise to mic up Arians for those games. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear him?

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Buccaneers’ 2020 preseason schedule officially released

Take a look at the 2020 preseason schedule for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NFL released it’s 2020 schedule the other week, and the Buccaneers learned how the Tom Brady era will unfold this season in Tampa. But while the dates and times for the regular season were set in stone, the preseason schedule was still TBD.

Today, the Bucs officially released their preseason slate. Take a look.

Tampa Bay won’t have an easy go of things this season as they seek a return to the postseason for the first time since 2007. They’ll face five quarterbacks who have played in a Super Bowl, and will open Week 1 on the road in New Orleans.

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Gil Brandt says Bucs had the second-best offseason of 2020

See why Gil Brandt at NFL.com had the Bucs ranked second on his list of teams who had the best offseason, and find out who landed at one.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ready to shed their losing ways and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2007. With Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and a solid class of talented young rookies, Tampa Bay looks like a team ready to contend. Not to mention, they retained key defensive players like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett.

It’s hard to argue that Tampa Bay didn’t have successful offseason. What might be hard to argue is who had a better one? Gil Brandt over at NFL.com seems to think the Miami Dolphins had the best offseason of 2020, ranking the Bucs second on his list.

First, here’s part of what Brandt loved about the Bucs:

“Some might question exactly how much Tom Brady has left in the tank, considering he’ll be 43 by the time the season starts. But there’s no doubting the positive impact he’s already had on this team since signing on to play quarterback. There’s nothing like adding one of the best quarterbacks of all time to provide the rest of the players on this roster with the hope that this will be the year Tampa returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. One other piece of good news: The defense should be able to build off a strong finish to 2020, especially with the return of the franchise-tagged Shaquil Barrett and the re-signed Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh.”

As for why Brandt ranked the Dolphins ahead of Tampa Bay, it seems he’s a big fan of the roster rebuild taking place under head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier. Plus, the fact that Miami was able to land a potential franchise quarterback (finally) in Tua Tagovailoa without giving up picks to move up to get him earned big points in Brandt’s book.

I doubt Tampa Bay and its fans cares about Brandt’s list. They are more than happy with the offseason they’ve had, as they should be.

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Bucs QB coach talks about working with Brady amid COVID-19 restrictions

Buccaneers QB coach Clyde Christensen spoke to The Athletic about what it’s been like working with Tom Brady during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have the greatest quarterback of all time lining up under center for them when the 2020 season kicks off.

The only question is, when will that be?

While the NFL released its 17-week schedule last week with the hope that the season will begin on time, given the coronavirus and the current restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, it remains to be seen when players and coaches will be allowed back in their facilities.

For a guy like Tom Brady, who spent his entire 20-year career in New England playing for one coach, learning a new system and ingratiating himself into the Bucs locker room will take time. Not being able to meet with teammates and coaches right now could slow the process of him picking up this offense.

Bucs QB coach Clyde Christensen recently spoke to The Athletic and talked about what it has been liking working with his new quarterback while dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

Per Christensen:

“Well, we can’t meet, we can’t do a lot yet, so it’s just a matter of getting him and his family settled, taking care of the logistics so that when we do tee it up, he’ll be ready to go. We’ve gotten him some information, so he can look at that. But we’ve had some great conversations on the phone… And I know he’ll learn the offense and everything else he needs to know. He’s Tom Brady. He’s been around for a while. I think about it, it’s going to be a really tough year for teams with new staff. We’ve got 21 guys who know what to do but you look at Cleveland, they’re a whole new staff, nobody knows anything. I’ll be interested to see how that works for them.”

Christensen’s concerns about teams with new staffs is warranted. Zoom meetings are fine, but they can’t replace in-person interaction, especially when it comes to getting to know someone. For the record, new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired by Cleveland in January, finally made the move from Minnesota to Ohio last weekend. Stefanski delayed the move with his family because of the ongoing pandemic.

While Brady isn’t the only player this offseason trying to learn a new system with a new team, he is the most notable one. And, all eyes will be on him and the Bucs in 2020, so getting Brady comfortable in this offense is the top priority.

Fortunately, it sounds like Christensen and Brady are finding a way to make things work right now.

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