With Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski now in the fold in Tampa Bay, many football fans and media members alike are high on the Buccaneers’ chances of reaching Super Bowl LV.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo, however, doesn’t see the Bucs reaching the league’s biggest stage in February. In fact, he doesn’t even believe the Bucs will make the playoffs.
Garafolo and a few of his NFL Network colleagues recently were tasked with making a bold prediction for the upcoming season. The insider expressed belief that Tampa will miss the postseason, citing the unconventional offseason and the possibility of the Bucs’ offense not living up to expectations.
“I’m gonna say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not make the playoffs,” Garafolo said. “I mean, here we are talking about Tom Brady going to Tampa and them being Super Bowl contenders. Look, there’s a lot of change with him coming in. Yes, they’ve had their time separately, but not together as a team, so I think that’s a detriment to them. I also understand that maybe people are exaggerating how much he’s going to have to hold the football in Bruce Arians’ scheme, but there is going to be an element of that. So I think that’s a possibility, that he might get banged up at some point, maybe worn down. There’s just too much here. I’m having a tough time putting them in as one of the seven playoff teams. Bucs aren’t making the playoffs.”
If the Bucs are going to be playing football in January, there’s a good chance they’ll have to do so as a Wild Card team. Tampa Bay, of course, is loaded, but its revamped roster might not be enough to knock off the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
