Football is here! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to take on the San Fransico 49ers in their week one matchup in Raymond James Stadium. Fans are excited, a new refreshing feeling is igniting the fan base. A new coach and staff look to bring the Buccaneers back to the playoffs and relevance. It all starts with week one. Let’s go Buccaneers!!!
The Factor of the new Regime
Toss everything you know about the 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers out the window. There is a new boss with new staff and a new scheme. Bruce Arians brings with him new hope and a mentality that will foster winning in Tampa. There is an inherent advantage of having an entirely new staff. Teams must prepare by researching their past trends and predicting the roles of an entirely new set of players. This can be difficult and prove detrimental to game planning. On Sunday we and the 49ers will see a completely different Buccaneers team from the previous ones.
The Return of Jimmy Garoppolo
Grappolo comes into Sunday with a chip on his shoulder. After missing most of the 2018 season he looks to prove that he is a franchise quarterback and fully healthy. With his first season start, he has already said his game plan is to “dominate” in Tampa against a new-look defense. Garoppolo will have Dante Pettis, Marquise Goodwin, and George Kittle for top targets.
Worst to ???
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is primed to show everyone they can play and play at a top-level. As one of the worst-performing units overall in the NFL last season Arians brought in Todd Bowles to right the ship. The blitzes will now come fast and disguised. Linebackers will be all over the field chasing, blitzing, and covering in space. Also, long gone are the days of the corners playing ten yards off for no reason. Re-tooled and better coached the secondary could become a strength instead of a weakness. Any improvement in the defense will help this team win more games.
The Offensive Line will be Tested
What has been deemed the weakest link in the preseason, the offensive line is going to show its true colors very early in the season. Coming over from Kansas City, Dee Ford will team up with Sheldon Day, Deforest Buckner, Arik Armstead on the front line of the 49ers defense. This will be a good indicator for the rest of the season. At this point in time, Nick Bosa is questionable. If he plays that will be another force that will try to impose its will o the Buccaneers.
Kwon Alexander Back In Tampa
Kwon Alexander will be back in Tampa. Maybe even sporting red hair. Roaming from sideline to sideline Alexander looks to exact some revenge against the team who did not want to open up the checkbook for him. I will be rooting for him this year, just not this Sunday.
Offensive Weapons Galor
With possibly the best wide receiver corps in the NFL the Buccaneers will need to spread the ball around and keep the defense on their toes. Led by Jameis Winston, wideouts Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Breshad Perriman plan on stretching the field vertically, creating a devastating miss-match of talent at all levels. Add to the group unguardable O.J. Howard and you have a formula for one of the best passing attacks in the league.
If the ball can get out quickly in the early minutes of the game, this may slow the defense and allow the run game to gain some momentum. Under Bruce Arians and with Buron Leftwich leading the offense the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand a good chance at creating havoc.
With all factors in consideration, the Buccaneers win 31-20.
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