Another Tampa Bay Sports Legend Departs.

 

After 12 seasons, Mike Evans has left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The future NFL Hall of Famer leaves the Bucs as one of the best players not just for the Buccaneers, but the Tampa Bay area. Unfortunately, this continues the trend that this area has seen its legends play elsewhere.

I was disappointed but not surprised when it was announced that Mike Evans was leaving the Bucs. Evans was a legend who ranked fourth in the Top 50 Players in Buccaneers History and will be in the NFL Hall of Fame for his magnificent career. It is disappointing that Evans would not play his entire career as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer like Lee Roy Selmon, Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber. However, for the Tampa Bay sports fans, it’s expected to see legends play elsewhere.

Just recently, we saw Tampa Bay Lightning legend Steven Stamkos leave the Bolts after 16 seasons and is currently playing for the Nashville Predators. Tampa Bay Rays legend Evan Longoria was traded after 10 seasons although he returned to the Rays to officially retire. Meanwhile, the first great Bucs quarterback Doug Williams, was let go by the Bucs after five seasons where he led them to the playoffs in three seasons. His departure was because the owners were known for being cheap. Another Bucs legends John Lynch was not brought back by the Bucs after an extraordinary 11 seasons and his teammate Warren Sapp was also not brought back after 9 amazing seasons. Both ended up in the NFL Hall of Fame and are also members of the Bucs Ring of Honor along with Doug Williams.

There is no doubt that Mike Evans will also be a member of the Bucs Ring of Honor in the future. His departure was not the result of the Bucs losing faith in his ability to perform at an elite level or that his salary was unwarranted. Mike Evans decided to leave because he believed he could win another Super Bowl. That comment stung many fans with some angry at Evans for leaving and others upset at the Bucs for losing Evans because of the direction the team is heading after failing to get into the playoffs.  

Alongside winning and losing, Tampa Bay fans are also accustomed to seeing legendary players suit up for other teams. Time heals wounds and Tampa Bay fans will ultimately only remember Mike Evans positively just like they remember other legends who left the Bucs, Lightning, and Rays. Legends who helped make our dreams come true will always get a hero’s welcome.

The Final Push for the Lightning.

 With just 15 regular season games remaining, the Tampa Bay Lightning are embarking on another quest to capture the Stanley Cup. At the moment, the Lightning find themselves in a tight race for the Atlantic Division. They currently trail the Buffalo Sabers by four points, despite having played two fewer games which is a crucial advantage as they head into the home stretch. Meanwhile, the Bolts also sit six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference. Six points do not make it out of reach, but every upcoming game is vital if they want to make up the six point deficit in order to grab home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference.

The recent Winter Olympics break could prove beneficial, especially for those players who didn’t participate. For those who stayed behind, it was a chance to rest their bodies and clear their minds. On the flip side, for those who played in the Olympics, one can hope there won’t be a hangover factor after playing high-intensity hockey on an international stage and then returning back action with little or no rest.

As the playoff picture starts to take shape, the players’ health is vital. Whenever a player gets checked hard or leaves the ice hurt, it draws a collective breath from the fans. Now is not the time to lose someone to a long term injury. The difference between a deep playoff run and another early exit often relies to who’s still standing.

The hope is for the Lightning to finish the season strong and get some sort of home ice advantage. Hopefully the Lightning finally break their three-year streak of disappointing first-round exits, and capture their fourth Stanley Cup. The Bolts have been there before. It’s time for them to do it again.

Time for Barça to Take Charge.

After 18 games, FC Barcelona sit four points clear at the top of La Liga. They are La Liga’s Winter Champions, which is a nice label. But the Blaugrana faithful know that Winter Champions don’t get trophies in the trophy cabinet.

Happy New Year everybody. Barça are back in action this Saturday after enjoying a holiday break. They return to action enjoying a nice four-point cushion ahead of their archrival, Real Madrid. After a wobbly October, Barça made amends for those poor losses to Sevilla and Real Madrid that threatened to derail the season early. Although you don’t win the league early in the season, you can absolutely lose it.

Thankfully, Barça did what contenders do, and they fought back instead of hanging their heads low. An eight-game winning streak in La Liga flipped the narrative, pushed them past Madrid, and put them where they belong, as league leaders.

Right now, Barça look like a team that has found its mojo again. Although the concerns about the high press continue to linger, the team seems to have health, and momentum in their favor. Currently, the entire squad is almost healthy. Furthermore, the intensity is there, the legs are fresher, and the football seems to have a purpose.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are wobbling. Performances have lacked authority, and they seem a couple of bad results away from unraveling with their manager’s future questioned. The recent Mbappé injury only tilts the balance further in Barça’s favor. Momentum in football is fragile, and this is the moment for Barça to take advantage and take charge.

Barça open the new year away at Espanyol in the Derbi Barceloní. These games are never simple, and Espanyol have been solid this season. That’s exactly why it’s the perfect test. A chance to set the tone for the second half of the campaign.

Barça are to compete for La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Super Copa and the UEFA Champions League in the next few months.  It’s time to get the results to put more pressure on Real Madrid and other rivals. Playing back at the Camp Nou, even if at half capacity, still an advantage. However, there has to be an emphasis on rotating the players to keep them fresh, especially Lamine Yamal who has to be taken care of and not stretched thin by club and country. The 18-year-old Lamine Yamal is a rising star who finished as the runner up for the title of the best player in the world. His a phenom whose talent is undeniable but whose long-term health is non-negotiable. Brilliance means nothing if it burns out too soon. In order for Barça to have another successful season, the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Cubarsi and others have to be properly taken care of when it comes to minutes played. 

The Buccaneers Are a Sinking Ship.

 

Winning is the best deodorant in sports. It covers everything. Win ugly, and nobody cares how it smelled. But the Buccaneers aren’t even doing that anymore. Lately, they’re losing ugly and there’s no masking that.

In prior years, the Bucs would finish the season on a hot streak. However, this season, the Bucs are mired in a four-game losing streak and have dropped seven of its last eight. That’s not a slump. That’s a collapse. Saturday’s game against the Carolina Panthers is a must-win — winner takes the division, unless the Falcons have something to say about it. But even the stakes don’t feel dramatic anymore.

The team is a mess. The offense has actually been alright. It has been productive, but it’s also been careless. Turnovers at the worst time have been the offense’s worst self-inflicted wounds. Perhaps if the Bucs rested Baker Mayfield a few games instead of having him out there getting battered could have prevented some of the turnovers. As for the other side of the line, the defense has been atrocious. They are not dominating teams and without causing turnovers, the defense just is part of the show. All season long, the Bucs have given up big plays and have been guilty of missed assignments and missed tackles. Quite frankly, no one is intimidated when they face the Bucs. For a team built around defense and coached by a defensive-minded head coach, that’s unforgivable. Even the special teams have been team players in also playing poorly. Injuries were an excuse in the past but everyone is back and the team still looks the same.

The interesting factor here is that, for once, many fans won’t even be angry if the Bucs lose and miss the playoffs. Even if Tampa sneaks into the postseason, no one expects them to do anything. Just an early exit and a waste of talent. The fans don’t care and are tired of this team’s direction under head coach Todd Bowles.

Under Todd Bowles, the ceiling is painfully clear.  This ship is sinking, and staying afloat just long enough to delay the inevitable isn’t success; it’s denial. At some point, the Bucs either fix the foundation or stop pretending duct tape is a solution. The Buccaneers don’t need another cosmetic win. They need a new direction, and the longer they wait, the deeper the water gets in this sinking ship.