This week, Brendan Pignataro and Mark Morales-Smith will once again be discussing a key NFL topic. We will take on the challenge of identifying surprise playoff contenders for the 2016 season.
In last week’s debate, Mark Morales-Smith was whipped like a government mule when he tried to claim the Miami Dolphins have a better chance than the New York Jets to make the playoffs.
This week, the topic is surprise playoff contenders. I will argue that team will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Mark has chosen the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Related Story: Sunday Debate: Jacksonville Jaguars Surprise Playoff Contenders
I love the direction the Buccaneers are heading in. They needed to hit a home run with the first overall pick in last years draft and they did. Jameis Winston is the franchise quarterback they desperately needed. He exceeded most rookie expectations with 4,042 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. At one point he had this team at 6-6 and fighting for a playoff spot. That’s not too shabby for a rookie taking over a horrible team. So far he has been able to keep his off the field issues in tact. As long as he can continue being a model citizen, the sky is the limit for Winston.
Promoting Dirk Koetter to head coach was a polarizing move, but it was the right decision in my mind. He was a very good offensive coordinator, and a great influence on Winston during his first year. Tampa Bay could not afford another team swooping in and stealing away Koetter. I’m sure Lovie Smith will be missed on the defensive side of the ball, but I believe the switch in coaches should turn out to a net positive for the franchise.
The Buccaneers made many solid and under the radar moves to improve the depth on their young team. This included signings of offensive guard J.R. Sweezy, defensive end Robert Ayers, linebacker Daryl Smith, cornerback Brent Grimes, and punter Bryan Anger. They also had an outstanding draft picking up two starters on defense from day one in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves in the first, and defensive end Noah Spence in the second. I would not have drafted a kicker with their second pick in the second round like they did with Roberto Aguayo, but he will be a major upgrade from Connor Barth.
It seemed like I was the only one hadn’t given up on Doug Martin after two injury riddled years and poor play (my collegue Mark can attest to that). Besides injury, most of his poor play had to do with the terrible offense he was playing in. Now with a young budding star of a quarterback, and an improved offensive line, Martin can play like the star running back he is. He finished second behind future hall of famer Adrian Peterson with 1,402 yards. He proved his monster rookie season wasn’t a fluke, and is among the league’s best backs.
To be a surprise playoff contender the Buccaneers need a little help in the health department. That is especially true for wide Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. These two need to stay on the field for Winston and the offense to take it to the next level. Evans can be a top 10 wide receiver in this league with some more chemistry with Winston. Seferian-Jenkins has the talent as well, but hasn’t put it all together yet. With the size of those two guys, plus Vincent Jackson, it is tough for opposing defenses to match them. Terence Newman found that out the tough way as you can see below.
Tampa Bay finished fourth in the league in offense in 2015 and should improve even more tjhis year. The defense also finished in the top ten in yards allowed. The Bucs do however have a tough schedule to start the year. They also play in the same division as the NFC Champion Panthers, but the Falcons and Saints aren’t too scary. If they can steal a games few early don’t be surprised when they are fighting for a playoff spot in December.
Marks’ choice in Jacksonville had a great off-season, but they are a year or two away from being legitimate playoff contenders. The Jags looked terrible at times last year, amounting to only five wins on the season. The Buccaneers are much further along in their rebuilding effort, and were better on both sides of the ball in 2015. The Jags did improve their defense a lot, but not enough to move from 24th in the league to the top 10. These two franchises have sparked a lot of energy in Florida, but I’d roll with Winston over Blake Bortles every Sunday.
So my choice is the Buccaneers. As for Mark, just remember…
Please check out Mark’s opposing article, and feel free to join in on the debate in the comments!