In case you are a Bucs fan or an NFL fan typically, you’ll do your self a favor by testing Marcus Whitman’s Deep Dive YouTube sequence going into the 2024 NFL season. His most up-to-date breakdown goes over Tampa Bay, the place Whitman ranked the group 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 group and a few points that stop them from being greater.
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 group that’s tougher to put a finger on than others for a number of elements.
“I believe that’s a bit of low, I believe they actually might be a bit of bit greater,” Sikkema stated. “Now, the massive subject with the Bucs is form of the inconsistency, proper? I don’t suppose Tampa goes to enter a number of video games this yr if any in any respect, the place you go, ‘Yeah, they don’t have any shot.’ They’re a group with a decently excessive ceiling if all the things’s figuring out, however then additionally, it’s form of the modifications.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: USA Immediately
“The brand new offensive coordinator change once more. Is Todd Bowles going to proceed to evolve as a head coach? Typically it appears 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 group? Lavonte David, Mike Evans, these guys.”
After enjoying above expectations final season, it’s clear the group has a excessive ceiling when all the things 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 large performs outdoors 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 ground than one would anticipate out of a playoff group.
“The Bucs are form of powerful to determine,” Sikkema added. “I don’t completely hate you having them within the early 20s, I’d in all probability argue for them to be a bit of bit greater simply off the highest of my head, with out seeing the listing. It’s positively a group that the ceiling is decently excessive, it’s a group that clearly made a reasonably good playoff run final yr. The ground can also be decrease than you’ll really feel snug with in all probability placing a group within the high 20, in order that’s form of my general outlook.”
Why Have The Bucs Struggled To Set up A Profitable Run Sport?
Bucs C Ryan Jensen and LG Ali Marpet – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
A giant subject 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 new offensive coordinator Liam Coen and the remainder of the teaching employees 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 decide Bucky Irving, and with some new rookie and veteran additions alongside the offensive line, issues look as promising as ever for the group 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 working backs have needed to work with.
“I believe if you wish to return to a number of the roots, Ali Marpet [retired] when he did,” Sikkema stated. “I nonetheless consider that Marpet going, ‘Yeah, I’m accomplished’ with a lot left within the tank to be a rattling good soccer participant, that basically harm them as a result of if you mix that with dropping Alex Cappa.
“I believe that they have been like, ‘Okay, that is tremendous, we are able to make up for it, we received remainder of the inside offensive line.’ Impulsively throughout the span of a yr, dropping Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa to free company as a result of it in all probability 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 shortly leaving the image, the group tried to suit a sq. peg in a spherical gap by enjoying Luke Goedeke at left guard, having Robert Hainsey soar right into a beginning function, and buying and selling for Shaq Mason as a band-aid at proper guard. Then final yr, 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 – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
It’s been an extended, arduous course of to rebuild what shortly 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 exchange 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 yr, I really like the Graham Barton decide. I believe you’re anticipating Cody Mauch to be a bit of bit higher this yr.
“With them having an improve at middle I believe with Barton, even with him as a rookie, one other yr with Mauch, you’ve received your two solidified offensive tackles. Ben Bredeson in all probability selecting up that left guard spot, he’s received some expertise there on the very least.”
General, the outlook for the offensive line seems to be extra promising, and that ought to give Rachaad White extra of a possibility to construct off final season and turn into extra of a dynamic menace within the backfield.
There’s A Huge Query Mark In The Bucs’ Secondary
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and LB Lavonte David – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Transferring over to the Bucs’ protection, and particularly the secondary, there may be one participant talked about who must play higher and make large 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 function.
“[Zyon] McCollum is any individual they love the scale and the velocity,” Sikkema stated. “6-foot-2, a bit of 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 arduous to play nook within the NFL – he’s nonetheless studying the anticipation elements of issues.
“The zero interceptions in every of the final two years… regardless that I hate pointing to interceptions as a crucial key stat for corners, it’s for McCollum as a result of his largest subject proper now could be he must anticipate higher. I assure you, due to his size and due to his measurement and velocity mixture, if he anticipates higher, you begin getting turnovers.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
McCollum made large strides final season, enjoying 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 additionally that there’s extra room for the third-year participant to develop and take the following step.
“He had ten pressured incompletions final yr in comparison with one the earlier season, and I believe that was at the very least a touch at a step in the best route. He’s selecting it up a bit of bit extra, however I used to be watching a bit of little bit of his movie simply to form of get myself refreshed earlier than this podcast, and there are a number of moments the place he’s only a tick late.
“He’s seeing it after which reacting, and if you play nook within the NFL, you bought to see it earlier than it occurs. They very clearly have a number of religion in who he’s and what he could be as an out of doors nook, there’s cause 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 all the things Trevor Sikkema needed to say in addition to Marcus Whitman’s breakdown of the 2024 Bucs, make sure you test it out right here on the That Franchise Man YouTube channel, the place every group can be ranked and previewed.
