Why did Warren Sapp reach out to Shaq Barrett on Instagram?

Find out what Hall of Famer Warren Sapp had to say to Shaq Barrett on Instagram after Barrett tied the franchise’s sack record.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a chance to finish the regular season on a high note. After a 3-7 start, the Bucs have won four-straight games and five of their last six to pull their record back to .500 at 7-7.

While quarterback Jameis Winston has been receiving much of the attention lately because of his historic play, the Bucs’ other star this season has been linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who joined the Bucs on a one-year deal in the offseason.

Barrett currently leads the league with 16.5 sacks, which is also tied for the Bucs’ single-season franchise record, along with Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Turns out Sapp reached out to Barrett after the latter tied the record in Sunday’s 5 win over the Lions.

Take a look.

After he tied Warren Sapp’s Buccaneer sack record on Sunday, Shaq Barrett says Sapp reached out to him on Instagram. Sapp’s message: Your work’s not done. Go get it.

— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 18, 2019

While Barrett is only signed through this season, it sounds like both sides are planning on him returning next year. Bruce Arians recently said Barrett “‘ain’t going nowhere,” and now, this update from Scott Smith makes it sound like Barrett is planning on returning, too.

Pro Bowl OLB Shaq Barrett says he’s planning as if he’ll be in Tampa for OTAs next spring. Says the coming effort to sign him to a new deal is “the Bucs to lose. And I don’t think they’re going to lose it.”

— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 18, 2019

The Bucs better not lose it. Barrett is a young athletic linebacker who is flourishing under Todd Bowles. Both Barrett and Devin White could anchor this defense for years to come.

That’d be good news for the Bucs, and bad news for the rest of the league.

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Year One: Shaq Barrett vs Simeon Rice

Over the years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had their share of big names and playmakers join the team in free agency. Arguably, the best free agent pickup over the years has been defensive end, Simeon Rice. Rice joined the Buccaneers in 2001 …

Rice joined the Buccaneers in 2001 following a five-year run with the Arizona Cardinals where he totaled 51.5 sacks, 220 tackles, 9 forced fumbles and one interception. Needless to say, he was a huge addition to a Bucs team that was already building a very scary defensive unit.

This year, Shaquil Barrett — who signed a one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason — is having a historic season for the Bucs. But how does that compare to Rice’s first season with the team?

In 18 years, of course the game has changed, and this isn’t comparing the players against each other, it’s pitting their free agency signings to see if Rice will be removed from his throne as the best in the organization’s history based on first year production alone.

Now, when Rice and Barrett signed their contracts, they were both joining very different teams. Just a year prior in 2000, the Bucs finished 10-6 and had the eighth ranked defense — whereas in 2018 the Bucs were a 5-11 team with the 31st ranked defense.

Rice’s first season in Tampa Bay was productive, however, it wasn’t until the second half of the season where he looked like the player that the Buccaneers thought they were bringing in. Rice totaled 44 tackles (16 for a loss), 11.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles through all 16 games.

Barrett, who still has two games left on his first full season with the Buccaneers has 49 tackles (16 for a loss), 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles through 14 games.

While Rice ended up spending six seasons with the Buccaneers, Barrett was brought in on a one-year contract. Coach Bruce Arians isn’t going to let Barrett go anywhere and plans on getting him on a longer deal.

The full six season numbers for Rice are an astonishing 242 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles and four interceptions. Huge numbers for anyone to stack up against.

As Buccaneers fans may remember the greatness that Rice brought to the team, the productivity that Barrett has brought his in first season have actually slanted the stats in his favor. It may be too early to put the best free agent title on Barrett, however, if they can keep him long term, and his productivity stays similar to that of this season, he may very well be the best free agent that the Buccaneers have ever brought in.

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Shaq Barrett is on verge of becoming Bucs’ single-season sack leader

With three games left to go in the season, Bucs linebacker Shaq Barrett has a shot at becoming the franchise’s single-season sack leader.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed free agent linebacker Shaq Barrett to a one-year deal in the offseason, even they couldn’t have envisioned the type of season he’d have in 2019.

Through 14 weeks, Barrett leads the NFL with 15.0 sacks, throwing himself into the mix for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Even though he’s only signed through 2019, it’s clear that both Barrett and the Bucs would love to have him return next year and beyond to help anchor this defense along with rookie superstar Devin White.

Not only has Barrett exceeded expectations (and his contract), but he needs just two sacks in the final three games to surpass Hall of Famer and former Buccaneer Warren Sapp’s single-season record of 16.5 sacks, set back in 2000.

The good news for Barrett, and the Bucs defense, is that the final two quarterbacks they face this season — Deshaun Watson (HOU) and Matt Ryan (ATL) — currently rank 6th and 5th in sacks taken, so Barrett will get plenty of chances to get the record.

It’s been a baptism by fire for this young Buccaneers defense this season, but Barrett has been a consistent force throughout. And, with just three games left, he has a chance to leave a permanent mark on this franchise by capturing the title of single-season sack leader.

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Colts vs. Buccaneers: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 14

Key matchups in Week 14.

Despite losing four out of their last five games, the Indianapolis Colts remain optimistic about their playoff chances as they return to the road for a Sunday matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers While both teams are only one win apart in the standings, their play has gone in different directions.

As the Colts lost all of their momentum from the first half of this season, the NFC South competitor has only gotten better in recent weeks. Following a string of tough, last-minute losses in October, the Buccaneers have won three out of their last four games and are attempting to grab the NFC’s final Wild Card spot.

Here are three, key matchups to watch in the Colts’ Week 14 bout:

WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin vs. Colts’ secondary

If there’s any duo of wide receivers who are the best together, it’s quite easily Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The dynamic duo has carried the Buccaneers’ offense this entire season at the tune of 1,100 receiving yards apiece, 140 combined catches and 16 total touchdowns.

Besides their great numbers, Evans and Godwin scare opposing secondaries because of their evolving skill-sets and legitimate size. Although Evans is bigger at 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, Godwin is still fairly big himself (6-foot-1 and 209 pounds), thus allowing them to box out and outjump their defensive counterparts.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Colts already had an unproven secondary dealing with some injuries and they will be missing their most valuable slot corner/blitzer Kenny Moore II due to injuries. It’s going to be interesting to discover who, when, and how they’ll defend Evans/Godwin, as their current depth chart includes Pierre Desir, Marvell Tell, and Quincy Wilson—if made available to play.

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Ranking the top 25 potential free agents for 2020

Dak Prescott, Jadeveon Clowney, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston highlight the list of impending NFL free agents for the upcoming offseason.

First glance at the top 2020 free agents

Dak Prescott and Jadeveon Clowney highlight the list of potential free agents for 2020.

At the moment, the 2020 free-agent class looks stellar. It’s loaded with current, former and potential franchise quarterbacks and one big-time wide receiver

It also has some strong pass rushers. There are a few solid offensive linemen and a smattering of talented players at other positions. There could even be some big additions that could be added to the list if their current teams decide to let them go.

Hypothetically, this could rank as the best free-agent class ever. But let’s keep in mind that much can change between now and the official opening of free agency in March.

When it comes to the very top players on the list, their current teams are going to fight like heck to keep them with new contracts. That’s especially true with the quarterbacks.

Think about this for a second – who’s the last true franchise quarterback to switch teams in free agency? I say Drew Brees, who went from the Chargers to the Saints in 2006. Even then, the circumstances were unique. Brees had a severe shoulder injury and there was uncertainty if he would be able to play again. Plus the Chargers had Philip Rivers waiting in the wings. The Saints took a gamble on Brees and it paid off hugely.

But, again, that kind of thing is rare. The list of free agents will look much different in March than it does now.

Still, it’s fun to look at who is scheduled to be available in free agency. Here’s a list of the top 25 players, who, at the moment, are supposed to be available in March and it includes a couple of guys who are likely to be added to the list (Cam Newton, for example) who are likely to be released by their current teams and join the free-agent pool.

25. Brandon Scherff, G, Washington Redskins

Interior linemen seldom get big money in free agency. But Scherff could be the exception. He’s a dominant run blocker and those are hard to come by.

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5 Buccaneers the Colts must game plan for in Week 14

Colts must game plan for these Bucs in Week 14.

The Colts, currently at 6-6 on the year, are not completely out of the playoff picture after losing four of their last five games. On Sunday, Frank Reich’s squad will travel to Tampa Bay to face off against former Colts interim head coach, Bruce Arians and his Buccaneers currently sitting at 5-7.

While this Bucs roster is full of talent at every position, they have struggled to find a consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball and have lost a lot of games late. Either way this team is not to be underestimated.

Here are five Buccaneers the Colts must gameplan for in order to get their season back on track and keep their postseason hopes alive:

WR Mike Evans

This is the obvious one. At 6’5″ and weighing 230 pounds, Evans is one of the hardest receivers in the league to cover. His 1,096 receiving yards are currently the third-best in the NFL and his seven touchdowns are currently tied for the fifth-most among receivers.

Stopping Evans will be imperative for the Colts secondary if they want to win this game. Evans is targeted heavily on third down and in the red zone, so it will be important for Matt Eberflus to order double coverage on Evans a majority of snaps.

Look for Pierre Desir and Malik Hooker to provide the coverage on Evans and try to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage.

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