It’s been more than a decade since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a playoff appearance. Will things change for this team anytime soon?
It started out somewhat promising a year ago. With wins over the eventual NFC South champion New Orleans Saints at the Superdome followed by a surprise of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were off and running.
Of course, there would be only three wins in the remainder of 2018. And for the second consecutive season, the Bucs finished 5-11 and wound up in the basement of the division once again. Now, for the fifth time in 11 years dating back to 2009, the Bucs will be led by a new head coach.
Of course, this time around, there’s a little added hope with this new hire as Bruce Arians brings his abilities to Tampa.
A year ago, the two-time NFL Coach of the Year took a year off from the sidelines and talked football in the broadcast booth. Now he’s back doing what he excels at and has brought defensive mind Todd Bowles with him as well. Arians has also brought a few other familiar faces to his newest employer as well.
So it’s a new era in Tampa once again — the emphasis on “again”. Of course, moving up in the NFC South is never easy. That’s especially the case when you win only three divisional games in a two-year span. So are the Buccaneers capable of turning things around and ending their two-year stay in the divisional basement?
And what do the numbers say about this club in 2019?