Forty-Niners go from only 4 wins to 13 in one year
I don’t know about you, but that earns them an ‘Attaboy’ in my book. You have teams in this league that have been trying to turn it around for ten, fifteen, twenty, or more years. The Chiefs just got to and won their first in 50 years, and these guys got to a Super Bowl in just three seasons, basically from scratch? It’s insane. The Bucs, the Bills, the Bears, the Browns, the Bengals, all desperately trying to get back to a Super Bowl, and these guys just Waltz in and make it look like child’s play.
Shouldn’t the Bucs be expected to do as well?
My question is this: Could the Bucs be the first home team in Super Bowl History in Arians’ third season? After all, the roster Arians had to work with, when he got here, was loaded with talent. His first draft for the Bucs will probably go down as a top 2 in Bucs history. That would certainly lend itself to saying that as for Arians’ three-year plan, “he’s looking extremely solid.” He still has two more drafts, and free-agent periods to add talent to a team that doesn’t lack much as it stands; the offensive line is a need, and quarterback to some degree notwithstanding.
Ground game improvement (offensive line) is a must
I really don’t feel like I’m going out on a limb here when I say, “that if the Bucs don’t go deep in the playoffs, and at least make it to the Conference Finals by 2021, that this team would be underperforming in a big way.” So to answer my own question, Yes, it can happen here, and considering the same parameters, it should even more so happen here. I think that a big chunk of this team’s chances of winning another Super Bowl lies squarely on Arians/Leftwich and their ability to make Ronald Jones and the running game more of a priority. They don’t have to run more than throw, they can remain a passing team. There are enough plays in a game to deliver 30-35 touches weekly and still throw the ball a good bit more than that. The Forty-Niners mostly did what they did on the ground. Our strength lies in our receivers for the most part, so passing can bring success here. Make no mistake about it, the Bucs must fix the offensive line and use Jones more. He can be a franchise back like one we haven’t had since Warrick Dunn. I do not doubt that he can be every bit as good as Dunn was. At this point, the Bucs are wasting the huge upside of Ronald Jones.
It’s time to expect more from our Coaches and front office
Jones could take over games as he did in the second half of the Falcons’ game in week 17. Most of the 106 yards that game, he got in the second half. Eleven carries at almost ten yards per carry. He’s the kind of back that gets stronger and makes the defense look silly with the more carries he gets. It’s time to expect more from our coaches and front office. They are, without a doubt, on the right path to making this team great again. They should be expected to be able to finish filling out this team and make it a force in today’s NFL. After all, Lynch and Shanahan did it with less. Go Bucs!!
