Bucs Nation Predicts Tampa Bay’s Record For 2019

It’s a new era in Tampa Bay.

Bruce Arians has swooped in to (hopefully) save this franchise from the abhorrent depths that it has sunk to over the past decade. There is no doubt that he can get the job done, but it won’t be easy.

Year One will be interesting, to say the least. It’s been a popular theory - from both fans and the media - that this team is very talented, but hasn’t had the proper coaching over the past few years.

2019 will certainly help shed a light on that perceived “issue”. I’m sure plenty of other questions will be answered, as well.

But for now, Bucs Nation is here to answer your question of “what will this team’s final record be in 2019?”.

Alex: I’ve never been overly confident in this season from the start of training camp. Yes, Bruce Arians and his staff have been a tremendous addition for this franchise, but this roster still lacks two of the most important things needed to win in this league.

Quality offensive line play along with depth at that spot as well as the overall pass rush ability on the team is concerning.

With that said, I do think the team takes steps forward. I don’t think they go 5-11 again, but I also don’t think they go 11-5. Somewhere right in the middle sounds like a good bet to me.

I’ve gone back and forth looking at the schedule for the last few weeks trying to map this out and it isn’t an exact science, but I believe the Buccaneers will finish a game under .500 this season.

Record prediction: 7-9

Bailey: I’m not sure if it’s the new coaching staff or years of expecting one thing and getting another, but I’m having a hard time pinpointing my expectations for this season.

On the one hand, this coaching staff has me excited and I think they have a lot of talent to work with. Jameis Winston and the offense should be impressive and I expect the defense to improve under Todd Bowles. But this schedule? The offensive line? The persistent questions about depth? I just don’t know.

I think what I like about this team’s chances and the things that make me hesitant to believe pretty much equal out. Good thing there’s a record that captures that.

Record prediction: 8-8

David: It’s harder this year than most to put my finger on this team’s floor and their ceiling. I’ve long believed Jameis Winston had the requisite skills to lead this franchise where they want to go. It’s been a matter of accentuating his - and his offensive unit’s - strengths, while minimizing and improving upon weaknesses. I’m optimistic about what this year’s defense will be able to do, but it’s going to be a roller coaster at times with pick-six peaks and one-play drives surrendered in the valleys. The floor feels like six wins. The ceiling is at ten. So, we’ll split the difference for now.

Record prediction: 8-8

Evan: I’ve been back and forth on this all offseason long. At one point, I was in the 10-6 range. Other moments saw me thinking 6-10.

I’m obviously struggling with this.

What scares me more than anything about this team is the lack of depth. Tampa Bay can’t really afford any injuries outside of wide receiver and tight end. That is not a good omen in the NFL. You must have capable backups that can perform when called upon.

Outside of depth, I think this team is capable of some surprises if it can stay healthy. The defense should be very much improved and the offense should be good enough to hold its own.

But the Bucs still play in one of the toughest - if not the toughest - divisions in the NFL. That will have a say in how they finish out the year, but I definitely think we will see considerable improvement in 2019.

Record Prediction: 7-9

Gil: “Tampa brings back practically the same roster, but with a different coaching staff, new offense, and new defense. Each year there are surprise teams and the Buccaneers can easily be that squad. They will be much improved and if the ball bounces the right way for them a few times, 10 wins won’t be far-fetched.”

I wrote the above for SB Nation a couple weeks back in their NFL 2019 preview special, and still feel the same way after watching the Buccaneers all preseason. Thanks to Bruce Arians and his staff, I do believe Tampa Bay is much more better suited with their current personnel and what the coaches are implementing. While some may view this as a stretch, I don’t.

Record Prediction: 10-6

James: The schedule isn’t the kindest, but the opponents aren’t the scariest. The Buccaneers have plenty of winnable games this season and it starts week one.

A seven week stint without playing a game in Raymond James, a trip to London, trips to Seattle and Los Angeles...not exactly ideal. That said, the AFC South doesn’t scare me. The Carolina Panthers don’t scare me. The New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals don’t scare me.

This is a new team. A new era. A competent coaching staff. For the last three years the Bucs have been the media’s off-season darlings. This year, they’re going overlooked and unnoticed - and this is when the chips should be pushed to the middle of the table. No playoffs, but a gigantic leap forward.

Record Prediction: 9-7

Jon: The staff is finally better. Or at least I think it is. But while I believe coaching can raise the floor of this team, I’m just not sure the top end talent is there to be certain of the ceiling. And if the injury bug hits, like Evan I just don’t think they have the depth to sustain those losses. I really do believe that Licht is still GM largely because he sees his role as facilitating the wants and needs of whoever his current coaches are. You put bad in you’re going to get bad out. So this roster still has issues, even if they are far better than they were in the days of Lovie Smith and Garrett Gilkey and Mike Jenkins.

They’ll be — or should be — better, but by how much? You also have to take into account that the Bucs are stuck in the same division as two Super Bowl contenders in the Falcons and the Saints, and another playoff contender in the Panthers. So what might be a 10-6 record in one division could be a 7-9 record in the NFC South, or worse.

Record Prediction: 7-9

Kyle: A completely new look on offense and defense will surely yield different results... right? If this preseason is any indication of things to come then fans should at least have hope. The first team defense has looked very promising in the early goings and reinforcements are on the way in the form of Vita Vea and Lavonte David.

The offense however, is my biggest concern. Despite the continuity being there and most of the talent finding itself on that side of the ball, I struggle to have faith in that unit. The offensive line is worrisome to say the least and that can make or break a season quite frankly. Arians and company have a lot on their hands as far as creating consistency up front protection wise for Jameis Winston and the running backs.

So where do I stand overall? Hopeful. I have hope that things will be better and I expect them to be, but how much of an impact can we expect this staff to make when key areas of the football team lack talent?

Record Prediction: 8-8