We are a mere 48 hours away from seeing Tom Brady taking the field as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer for the first time in what is going to be a bizarre NFL season. First and foremost, this day was circled many Bucs fans' calendars back when the NFL released the 2020 schedule. This will be the first time two 40-year old QB's have taken the field against each other to begin the season when the Buccaneers travel to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints in a Game of the Week matchup. Now the bizarre part about all this, both teams will be taking the field to a completely empty Mercedez-Benz Superdome.
Both Tampa Bay and New Orleans are heavy favorites to win the NFC South and make the playoffs. It will be time for Cameron Jordan to put his theory to the test after claiming the Buccaneers are "a team that's fighting for second place". Speaking of Cameron Jordan, the man tasked to block him while protecting Brady's blindside will be first-round draft pick Tristan Wirfs. With the pre-season being canceled, which normally gave rookies a taste of the NFL game speed, it'll be a tall task for Wirfs that he'll happily take on. Without the pre-season, it's also the first time Bucs fans will also be witnessing our loaded tight end corps with the addition of Rob Gronkowski to go with OJ Howard, Cam Brate, and Anthony Auclair. Also on display will be the Bucs reloaded backfield with Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette, and LeSean McCoy. It'll be interesting to see how the runningbacks will be used during certain situations.
Lastly, the defense for Tampa is something that's had Bucs fans talking since last season. The secondary began getting into a groove late last season and well worth keeping an eye on after they are now in their second year in Todd Bowles defense. Second-year players Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean are going to be the players to watch this season as I am predicting they will be the team leaders and Top-10 in interceptions and pass break-ups this season. With New Orleans adding Emmanuel Saunders as a legit threat to go along with the slant machine Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, rookie Antoine Winfield and the rest of the secondary will have their hands full for sure. One thing is for sure, thanks to local-chef and Bucs fan Franko, they definitely had some home-cooking before heading to the Big Easy.
On Sunday, it'll be a time for ALL Bucs fans to rejoice and celebrate as #FootballIsBack. This writer is predicting the Bucs will come out on top 31-28 and will be a statement win for the Bucs. Join us at Dave and Busters in Brandon for the Buccaneer Invasion/Leatherheads/Crue Life Watch Party, enjoy some company from Super Fan's John "Superfan" Blakey, Don "Skully" Bradshaw, along with 2-time Hall of Famer Big Nasty. Also on hand will be the Crue Life crew (Da Prez, Da Chairman, Da Prez) along with the debut of the Tides of War Podcast with EazyB and BucDad, Larry Frank of Frankly Speaking Sports, and Coach Marvin Bell.
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