It’s Too Early to Tell

At times it was frustrating. At times it was downright ugly.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1 came in with a bang and went out with barely a whimper. An infuriating embarrassment to a team that will struggle to win games and will likely be drafting in the top ten next year.

Winston in his make or break year made a case he should be released before he leaves the facility; fumbling the ball three (3) times and being more accurate when throwing to San Francisco players than his own with two (2) picks returned for a score.

Mike Evans could barely stand, let alone play football; such were the effects of his recent illness. The future TE of the team made fans wonder why Tanner Hudson wasn’t the one on the field. The offensive line, which was going to be the team’s biggest weakness got lost trying to find the field. Demar Dotson was so scared when he did find the field he was pulling in unsuspecting 49ers for a cuddle.

The offense which was considered safe in Tampa was a disgrace to football.

The Defense?

Pushed around and abused by an offensive line that is suspect at best. Holes big enough to swallow Antonio Brown’s ego were found in the Tampa secondary.

Fans approached today’s game with anticipation and excitement, convinced that for once the hype was justified. We weren’t drinking the Kool-Aid. The performance fell so far from those expectations that fans were understandably upset. Many taking to social media to lash out. Most taking aim at QB Jameis Winston and the offensive line (which is offensive for all the wrong reasons.)

So is this it?

One game in are we doomed to an 0-16 season?

For certain it is that the Bucs will hold the first overall draft pick if the performance against the 49ers is ever repeated. But will it be repeated?

I’m highly doubtful that this will be the case. The performance against San Francisco was unbelievably out of character, and I suspect that something else is going on. Arians will very certainly make changes and focus on weaknesses. Coaches will coach.

My own two theories are:

1.That more players were sicker than has been let on.  These things spread and take a few days to incubate. Anyone who has had a flu bug will testify how unwell it makes a person feel. So not performing as a professional athlete is actually very understandable.

2. Jameis Winston suffered a concussion from the hit that lead to the ejection of Kwon Alexander. As the game went on, his play and decision making became more and more erratic. He looked like a guy who was rattled and wasn’t comprehending the world around him. Keep an eye on injury reports over the next few days as the QB could appear on this with concussion symptoms.

Are we doomed? It’s one game! Just a single game; no matter how bad.

Take another sip of Kool-Aid and get ready for Thursday.