Oddsshark recently released over/under regular season win totals for National Football League teams.
Here is a look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.
Over/under
Oddsshark has Tampa Bay at 5.5 regular season wins. Last year, the Buccaneers were 2-14 in the regular season.
The upside
Tampa Bay plays in the NFC South, so there’s not too far to go to top that division. Carolina became the first team in NFC South history (dating back to 2002) last year to repeat as champions. The Panthers, though, were only 7-8-1.
Because of the Buccaneers’ ineptitude on the gridiron, they successfully landed the top pick in the 2015 draft and now have Heisman trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback.
Winston earned a national title and the Heisman during his redshirt-freshman campaign, and many in the Florida State community believed he may have been the best quarterback on the roster during his redshirt season, when he sat out, and E.J. Manuel was the starting quarterback.
Winston has set a precedent that he can make an immediate impression and adjust to a more competitive environment quickly. To make matters easier, he has big-play wide receivers to target.
Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans are weapons that any quarterback in the NFL would like to have. What also could help the transition is the schedule.
Granted, all the opposing teams are looking at the Buccaneers as possible wins, but Tampa Bay will play 12 of 16 games against teams that had losing records last season. Of those 12 games, seven of them will played at home.
The downside
Losing has become far too common for the Buccaneers.
The the previous six years, New Orleans, Atlanta and Carolina have each won the NFC South title twice. In that same time period, the Buccaneers have finished last five times with a combined record of 30-69, and that includes 2010 when Tampa Bay finished 10-6.
Winston’s winning ways from the past are supposed to erase that culture, but how much impact can a rookie quarterback have right away?
And sure, Winston can throw the ball, but if he’s planted on his back multiple times a game, he won’t be able to move the chains. The Buccaneers allowed the third-most sacks last season in the NFL with 52 sacks, and this year, Tampa Bay may start rookies on the offensive line.
That surely won’t help the running game, either, which is still looking for the Doug Martin from his rookie year to return to form. Tampa Bay finished 29th in the NFL in yards rushing and 24th in yards-per-attempt.
Defensively, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David will attempt to restore the Tampa 2 to its glory days. It will need plenty of work, as the defense finished 25th in points per game allowed and total defense last season.
The verdict
That schedule can’t get much easier for a NFL team. However, Carolina, Atlanta and New Orleans likely should be better, and the Buccaneers still have to win those games against teams that finished below .500 last season.
Tampa Bay fans can have some optimism since Winston has proven throughout his career to be a winner. However, this will take a few years, and this season just isn’t the year yet.
Tampa Bay may win five games, especially with that schedule, but the smart play would be to wait a year before risking the over.
