Pinch Me, Tom Brady is a Buccaneer.

On March 20, 2020, Tom Brady officially became a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. The man who quarterbacked the New England Patriots to six Superbowl titles was joining my beloved Bucs. Was I living in Bizarro World where a great player decides to leave a great team to join a team mired in garbage? It still hasn’t kicked in that Tom Brady will be a Bucs player but at the same, I’m not getting carried away with expectations for the upcoming season.

Tom Brady is a Bucs player still sounds surreal. Now I know understand how Angels fans felt when Albert Pujols joined the Angels, Chiefs fans after the Chiefs traded for Joe Montana, and Wizards fans when Michael Jordan came out of retirement to play for them. Those were legends of the game who joined another team that many didn’t foresee would happen. All those players and Brady, share the same uncanny similarity of joining teams, in their final years, that had only won the championship in the teams’ history. Heck of way to ride off into the sunset.

However, it doesn’t seem that Tom Brady joined the Bucs to enjoy the Florida beaches and golf courses. Brady is taking it seriously and not resting on his laurels as evidenced by working out with his teammates at ahigh school recently. He is the best quarterback to ever put on the Bucs helmet, and the addition of his buddy Rob Gronkowski has lifted spirits in this city that has been let down by their beloved Bucs team for far too long.

Nonetheless, fans and experts need to taper their expectations a bit, especially since the upcoming Super Bowl will be in our own backyard in Tampa. Vegas already listed the Bucs with 13-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, which is tied for 4^th best with the Saints. I realize Tom Brady is a walking living legend but this is a team sport and requires many players to pull their weight. There are still many weaknesses on this team that need to be addressed, such as the defense and its secondary which gave up third worst 270.1 passing yards a game, the offensive line that gave up 45 sacks and their running game that averaged only 3.7 yards a carry. Let’s not get into the unpredictable kicking situation that has plagued this team over the years. Tom and Gronk are not enough and this will truly have to be a team effort to get this team back on the winning track and into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Obviously, this depends on how the league will decide how the season plays out during this COVID-19 Virus pandemic. The world was rocked by this pandemic and as much as we value having sports back in our lives, we have to respect the lives of the players and coaches too. Time will tell when the NFL will kick off and when fans can return to stadiums but right now, let’s stay safe and be smart. Bucs fans have waited this long for some optimism, so let’s not rush it and risk more grave health issues.

Winston’s Woeful Era Is Over.

The era of Jameis Winston is over in Tampa. Once hailed as the savior of the Buccaneers franchise, he is now off to be a backup with a divisional rival, the New Orleans Saints. Watching quarterbacks depart this team after being drafted as the quarterback of the future is something that we have grown accustomed to in Tampa. So, after five seasons, we say farewell to the inconsistent but enthralling Jameis Winston.

Since 1976, the Bucs have drafted Doug Williams, Vinny Testaverde, Trent Dilfer, and Josh Freeman in the first round of the NFL Draft, and Steve Young was the overall first pick during 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players. Winston joined that exclusive group of quarterbacks five years ago and expectations were high after helping guide Florida State to their third national title. Hopes were high that Winston could make the team competitive and successful as it was during Doug William’s era. But alas, Winston joined the likes of Vinny Testaverde, Trent Dilfer, Josh Freeman and Steve Young in not being the long-term solution thanks to his numerous turnovers and his costly poor decision making that resulted in zero playoff appearances and just one winning season.

Winston leaves the Bucs as their all-time passing leader with 121 Touchdowns and 19,737 passing yards that included throwing for over 5,000 yards with 30 Touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his final season. Without a doubt, Jameis Winston is a great talent, but he has also shown that he is not a great player. Perhaps joining the Saints will help him improve as a quarterback with the likes of Sean Payton and Drew Brees mentoring him, but he is no longer our concern in Tampa Bay.

Perhaps Winston’s career would have turned out differently if he had been drafted by another team coached by someone such as Andy Reid or by a successful team that wouldn’t expect Winston to carry the burden all on his own. Former NBA player Jalen Rose discussed in his autobiography the role of luck and fate regarding a professional athlete’s chances in the NBA. In his own words, Rose stated that “Get put in the right situation, with the right coaching and support around you, and it can do unspoken wonders for your career.”

Jalen Rose’s statement is true in any sport. Steve Young was a disaster with the Bucs but became an NFL great after joining the 49’ers under the tutelage of the genius Bill Walsh. Would Tom Brady have been as successful if he was drafted by the Chicago Bears instead of the Patriots or would Michael Jordan be the great one had he not had Phil Jackson as his coach or was drafted by the Clippers instead of the Bulls? Joe Montana was a third-round pick and had Bill Walsh as his coach and the rest is history.

Winston’s departure is rather unfortunate because Bucs fans are tired of disappointments and embracing yet another new project. Fortunately, the arrival of Tom Brady immediately made Bucs fans overjoyed and thinking ahead to a positive future, once the COVID-19 pandemic issues have been resolved of course. As for Winston, time will tell if he improves as a quarterback following his stint with the Saints or will he forever be classified as a great talent that could never become a great player.

My Favorite Football Podcasts.

A few months ago, I moved to a new city which meant my drive to work became a 45-minute journey. During the drive back home at night, I decided to give podcasts about football (soccer) a try. The first podcast I listened to was “The Gab & Juls podcast”. I was hooked and since the, I would listen to 5 to 6 different podcasts during those five days driving back home from the office. These podcasts, all in English, were from folks who cover the game for ESPN, Sky, La Liga and even for themselves independently. These podcasts range from over half an hour to an hour,  which allowed me to start another one before I got home. Overall, these podcasts have been entertaining, educational and at times hilarious, and I would suggest give the following podcasts a listen.

The Gab & Juls Podcast

I have been a huge admirer of Gabriele Marcotti’s writing ever since he started writing for ESPNFC his Marcotti’s Musings every Monday discussing the recent results and news in the football world. If you enjoy reading Marcotti's Monday Musings, then you'll enjoy The Gab & Juls Podcast. The expanded audio version of Marcotti's Musings consists of Gab and his French podcast partner, reporter Julien Laurens, who can be seen regularly on ESPNFC, discuss those topics with more details.  This podcast also has special guests such as SidLowe and Graham Hunter to discuss La Liga and Mark Ogden to discuss  the Premier League and Manchester United.

For Barça fans like myself, it was a joy listening to Jules, who is also an ardent supporter of Messi, share our anguish about Barça's performances under Valverde and rip him to pieces. Gab though is usually spot on with his insight and is also hilarious whenever he calls out players or managers when they so fully deserve it while brilliantly sneaks in a put-down when you least expect it. It is a fantastic podcast that usually ends with Gab peaking my interest with professional wresting trivia and Jules delivering intriguing useless trivia. Since football is currently on hiatus, these two are trying to keep us entertained with their podcast by selecting starting lineups consisting of players starting with the same letter in their last name. It is by far my favorite podcast to listen to every Monday.

The Spanish Football Podcast

Another superb Podcast is  “The Spanish Football Podcast” featuring the one and only, Sid Lowe and Phil Kitromilides and Alex Kirkland. Sid is one of the best English journalists covering La Liga for The Guardian, while Alex is the Madrid correspondent for ESPNFC and Phil works for La Liga TV. This is one of the best podcasts that covers Spanish football, with updates about Real Oviedo in the second division and it's usually half an hour long. A great source for those who want to know more about what’s going on in La Liga since our reliable source, Revista de La Liga, went off the television airwaves a couples of years ago.

What makes this fun podcast so unique is that it was recorded inside a car before the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to record the podcast from their respective homes. There is also a special Q&A podcast for VIP paying members. This is a must listen to for Barça fans, even though we all know about Phil’s past with Real Madrid media, it’s still highly recommended.

El Tel & Jon’s La Liga Weekly

Since I am a Barça fan, I need my fix of La Liga news and insights from those who watch my Blaugrana. The “El Tel & Jon’s La LigaWeekly” podcast features Terry Gibson, one of the regulars from the days of Revista de La Liga, and Jon Driscoll. Terry, also commonly known as Gibbo, is a former player and assistant coach and scout who used to commentate on La Liga games and was a regular on Revista. He is now working for La Liga TV and Jon’s voice is a familiar one for those who watched La Liga on Sky Sports.

It is quite refreshing to hear two guys from England speak fondly of La Liga. It's worth listening to it just for Jon’s hilarious introduction to each show. However, what makes this podcast exceptional is that it allows us to hear insight from a former footballer’s insights, Gibbo, regarding the performance of the players and teams. This podcast also does a Q&A from questions sent on social media from their listeners, so you won't be ignored. 

Bombazo

The next podcast that I quite enjoy is “Bombazo” that discusses Spanish football with a Scandinavian twist. This podcast is hosted by Lee Roden, who has a history of covering Barça and La Liga and does so currently with Talk Sport, and a name well known to most Cules, Alexandra Jonson. Alexandra’s presence on twitter is well known dating back to her days on Total Barça and is currently working for La Liga TV co-host.

Yes, I know. Another La Liga podcast, Ibes? Absolutely. What makes this podcast unique is its theme about focusing on Scandinavians players currently playing in Spain. Listening to this podcast was very helpful in getting acquainted about Martin Braithwaite before he joined Barça from Leganes. Furthermore, they also managed to interview Alexander Isak after his great performance against Real Madrid which saw Los Blancos get eliminated from Copa del Rey. They not only discuss La Liga and Alexandra’s trips to different parts of Spain, but they also have special episodes such as the one about Michael Laudrup being the greatest Scandinavian ever to grace La Liga. Hopefully, Scandinavians and non-Scandinavians will give this podcast a try and enjoy it as much as I do.

The Football Oranje Podcast

Besides Barça, my other passion is the Netherlands national team; the Oranje. The Football Oranje Podcast is hosted by Mike Bell, editor and founder of Football Oranje website (which I occasionally write for), and Dutch Football writer Michael Statham. Both discuss the Eredivisie and the Dutch National Team which helps fellow fans as myself stay up to date on recent developments.

The podcast episodes tend to be between 35-40 minutes long. They also have special interviews and will have a Q&A segment based on questions their listeners ask on social media. Absolutely a must listen to if you an Oranje fan such as myself.

The Serie Awesome Podcast

The last superb Podcast is another one from ESPNFC, "The SerieAwesome Podcast". This podcast also features my favorite sports writer, GabrielleMarcotti and also the superb sports writers  Mina Rzouki and Nicky Bandini. All three do a great job in discussing Italian football with their biases/team loyalty with some banter. This wonderful collection of personalities with Mina, the Juventus supporter, and Gab, the anti-Juve persona, clashing at times with the soft spoken Nicky, the Inter fan, playing the peace maker. If you are a fan of Serie A and the on-goings with Italian football, then this podcast is for you.

The almost hour long podcast is a recap of the latest results in Serie A and it was enjoyable tuning in every week to hear about Atalanta’s magical run in the Champions League and Lazio’s magnificent run in Serie A as they challenged Inter and Juventus for the Scudetto. Right before they went on hiatus, the podcast discussed the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and how the Italian league was poorly handling it until all football action came to a halt.

Stay safe and if you want to find new ways to stay entertained at home, then give these podcasts a chance.

Barça continues to be a Circus.

Although the circus no longer comes to town, Barça have a done a great job in making sure the circus is still alive and well for the entire football world. The month of February saw the Barça board and the team perform quite a few circus acts. Consequentially, that caused mixed emotions from the Blaugrana fans and followers consisting of eye-rolls, anger and bitter disappointment.

It all started in early February when Barça’s sporting director, Eric Abidal said in an interview that the Barça players were not satisfied nor worked hard under previous manager Ernesto Valverde. That drew an immediate rebuke from his former teammate, Lionel Messi who dared him to back up that statement and name names. Whenever Messi responds to comments made by the board, you know it’s bad, and it once again showed the poor management by this club.

When that storm quietly died down, the equivalent of a hurricane hitting a volcano happened when the Cadena Ser radio network reported that the Blaugrana paid a social media company  €1 million to attack those who are against the board such as future presidential candidate Victor Font, former Barça players Carles Puyol and Xavi, former Barça player and manager Pep Guardiola, and even some Barça players such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique. The club immediately denied the story but as of March 3, 2020, president Josep Maria Bartomeu has yet to face the media and give us some real answers. Perhaps that €1 million could have been put into good use elsewhere, like bringing back former Masia player Takefusa Kubo and not letting Real Madrid outbid us for the Japanese Messi.

In between those two circus acts, we were informed that winger Ousmane Dembele’s return from injury was a quick act because he suffered another injury and was ruled out for six months after undergoing successful surgery on a hamstring injury. With the team short on players, what does the Barça board do? They sell two forwards, first teamer Carles Perez and Barça B player Abel Ruiz, and also loan out center back Jean-Clair Todibo. Perhaps this was their magic act of less is more.
But Barça did have a trick up their sleeve and managed to sign Danish international Martin Braithwaite from Leganes after paying his €20 million buy-out clause. So why did the club spend €20 million on a player who can only play league games when they could have saved €20 million and relied on Carles Perez and probably Abel Ruiz if he ever had a call up with the first team? The juggling act of the club when it comes to roster decisions continue to baffle many.

On February 22, 2020, Barça fans were afforded the chance to see Braithwaite in action for the first time against Eibar. However, it was the fans who were the spectacle of the Camp Nou, and not the team, when prior to kick-off, man fans waved white handkerchiefs and chanted "Bartomeu, resign!" for about seven minutes before the game finally kicked off. The message from the spectators to the ringmaster was heard and seen by the world. Barça though won 5-0 with Messi providing a great performance by scoring 4 goals while Braithwaite came on as a substitute and played a key role in setting up the final two goals which gave the fans short term amnesia as the club were back in first place in the league table.

Whatever jubilation the Blaugrana faithful were feeling was evaporated when Barça played Napoli to a 1-1 draw last Tuesday. The match saw Busquets get booked which meant he would miss the second leg. With the team already short a midfielder for the return leg, Arturo Vidal decided to be a clown by getting a late red card. After the game, the usually quiet Busquets hinted at how poorly assembled this team with his comment “We are a little short at the moment.”


This past weekend, Barça were to perform the impalement art by being knife throwers at the reeling and spinning Real Madrid. Instead, Barça failed to deliver and took a pie to the face by losing to Real Madrid 2-0 and relinquishing the league lead back to their arch rivals. We have been watching this circus act since 2010 when Sandro Rosell became the Barça president before stepping down over the Neymar transfer saga before Bartomeu succeeded in becoming his successor in 2015. Since then, it’s been more of bring in the clowns as the club wastes away Messi’s talents. In a few months, we will see if Bartomeu and this board will step down in the summer for early elections. If they don't, they may be successful in making us watch this circus become a carnival.

Reflections on NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

The NFL Completed its 100^th anniversary with another memorable season full of excitement that did not disappoint. I have been fortunate to be a fan of the NFL for the last 30 years since following the league back in 1990 as a kid. As they did in 1995 when the league celebrated its 75^th anniversary, the NFL released their greatest 100 roster in NFL history, with the main difference being head coaches were part of the 100. I was glad to see a couple of my favorite players from the Buccaneers make the selection, but the list also seemed incomplete and too loyal to the old guard.

Since I was living in the Tampa Bay area, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became my team. Sadly, they were a poorly run and awfully coached team back then, and unfortunately, that is still the case based on these past few seasons. Thus, I developed a soft spot for the San Francisco 49ers when the likes of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and Ronnie Lott played for them since the Buccaneers’ season would be over after 6-7 games. Watching that 49’ers team play the West Coast offense with their tough defense helped me fall in love with the game.

During those 30 years, I have followed the league in different continents and can’t imagine my Sundays without it. For 100 years, the NFL has entertained its fans and the future looks bright for this league. The NFL celebrated its 100^th anniversary with the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team through a series presented on the NFL network. The players and head coaches were voted on by a panel consisting of media members, former players and league personnel. The series was enjoyable and I agreed with most of the selections, disagreed with a couple, and didn’t care for some of the players from the old guard.

Have no fear, I won’t be going over all 100 men selected. I first want to celebrate the fact that my Bucs, the punchline of the league for most of the last 40 years in NFL history, had two full-time Bucs on this list and one short-term Bucs player. I was elated when Lee Roy Selmon, the first ever Bucs legend, and Derrick Brooks, my all-time favorite Bucs player, made it on the list. The other player was former Vikings legend, Randall McDaniel who played for the Bucs for one season before he retired.

Selmon and Brooks were greats of the game during their eras and will now be part of NFL history as part of this team and future anniversary teams. They are now immortal and it would have been great if Brooks’ teammates of Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Ronde Barber could have been a part of this group. Nonetheless, a good argument can be made for all three making it on the NFL’s 125th Anniversary All-Time Team, if the NFL does one in 2045, when the team expands from 100 to 125.

I thought Warren Sapp was an obvious choice to make it to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team based on the fact that he was a member of both the NFL's All-Decade team of the 90s and 2000s. Yet, John Randle, who was a phenomenal player, got the nod over Sapp. Perhaps Sapp lost some votes because of his personality during and after his playing concluded. Nevertheless, he should be on the next All-Time Team.

Another surprise omission had to be not seeing Terry Bradshaw as one of the quarterbacks on the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Without a doubt, many wanted to see which quarterbacks were going to make the list. On the 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, only four were selected while ten quarterbacks were going to be selected for this team. Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls in the Super Bowl era, yet he was not deemed good enough to make it on the list. However, Roger Staubach made it on the list, even though he lost in two Super Bowls against Bradshaw. This was an odd choice seeing as they played in the league at the same time and Bradshaw’s stats were slightly better than Staubach’s. Hopefully Bradshaw won’t be overlooked in the next team.

Overall, I agreed with most of the selections made for the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. NFL kept the players they chose for the 75thAnniversary All-Time Team and just added 25 more players and head coaches. My only complaint about the team was the inclusion of players from the early years of the league such as Sammy Baugh, Elroy Hirsch, Dan Fortmann, Cal Hubbard, and Bill Hewitt. I understand the league wants to show respect to those who were pioneers in their positions in the old days of the NFL, but were they better than those who played their position in the last twenty years? Perhaps the NFL should have had an honorable mention to those who impacted the game such as Bo Jackson and those beforementioned players.

100 years of the NFL are now in the books. The 100th Anniversary All-Time Team was certainly interesting and we will have twenty-five more years of entertaining football before we debate who will be on the 125th Anniversary All-Time Team. Until then, we should enjoy the NFL one play at a time.

Barça begins the Quique Setién era.

Well, it finally happened. FC Barcelona fired Ernesto Valverde on Monday and brough in Quique Setién as the club’s newest manager. Things had to change and Barça finally decided to become proactive by being reactive and firing Valverde following their loss to Atletico Madrid in the revamped Spanish Super Cup. Valverde’s era was bittersweet with some success but the disappointments will haunt him forever. Quique Setién now is the man to lead the charge and it won’t be easy.

We really were spoilt under the presidency of Joan Laporta. During his reign, the Blaugrana only had two managers, Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. Since then, the Blaugrana have had five different managers. Elections are not that far away so we shall see if Quique Setién will still be the manager by then. For the time being, he has a tough task of rejuvenating a team that has slept walk this season.

Time will tell if Quique Setién was the right hire or not. Valverde came highly rated by many and in the end, many were glad to see him leave. He is already facing one difficult task of finding out what is the best formation and lineup for this team. The absence of Luis Suárez, out with an injury, and Carles Aleñá, out on loan, leaves him somewhat shorthanded. The first area of concern is whether the board will support Quique Setién or work against him. Will they bring him the players he wants or will they sign players they want without his input or approval?

With Suárez out, it’s time for Griezmann to shine but will others also step up? The team has regressed defensively and Setién will not only have to address that issue, but also improve their mental confidence which has become an issue when things don’t go their way. Hopefully Setién will also entrust La Masia and give more minutes to Barça B players such as Riqui Puig with the first team. It’s foolish to expect a quick turn around under Setién but it does feel good to feel optimistic about Barca again.

Valverde’s Reign of Error is Over.

Barça finally decided that it was time for a change. After witnessing the same uninspiring dull football, the Barça board decided to pull the trigger and give Ernesto Valverde the boot. Although Valverde will go down in the Blaugrana history books as a successful manager, his era will mostly be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Valverde managed Barça to two league crowns, one Copa del Rey title and one Spanish Super Cup in two and a half seasons. The last time Barça fired a manager during the season was during Louis van Gaal’s second stint with the club in 2002-2003 season which lasted only a few months. Coincidentally, both Valverde and van Gaal share common similarities.

Louis van Gaal also won two league crowns, one Copa del Rey title and one Spanish Super Cup in his first stint with Barça. Unlike Valverde, he was able to coach his entire third season with the Blaugrana. However, both had disappointing results in the Champions League. While Valverde’s teams imploded in the knockout stages, van Gaal’s teams never managed to advance from the group stages in his first two seasons although they managed to get embarrassed in the Semi-Finals of the 1999-2000 season.

Valverde’s time will not be looked back kindly even with all that success he accomplished. His lack of improving players and lack of playing Barça youth players along with the dull direct football he subjected the Blaugrana faithful to endure will be hard for us to forget or forgive. However, he will forever be haunted by those European exits are what nightmares are made of. Bottling those 3 goal aggregate leads where he completely got outcoached will always mark this era as Valverde’s reign of error.