Random Thoughts: What should we have expected?

by Gary Shelton on January 21, 2018 · 0 comments

in general, Tampa Bay Bucs, Tampa Bay Rays

Sunday, 4 a.m.

It was interesting that Jason Licht "cringed" at the expectations of the 2017 Bucs. What, exactly, made him recoil? That fans wanted a winning record? That they wanted the playoffs? That they expected improvement? Does any of that really make you hide behind the couch?

-- Guess what? The Bucs fans will want the same next year. As far as the 50 points a game, well, breaking 60 for a month would be nice.

-- Here's the question. Can Tom Brady beat the Jags with one hand stitched behind his back?

-- While Terrell Owens was busy nuking Dallas coach Jason Garrett on Twitter, he also told some truths about himself. He left Dallas, he said, because the quarterback didn't want him. He didn't last in Philly, he said, because he couldn't get along with the quarterback. If Owens ever does make the Hall of Fame, they're going to have to put his bust in a separate room from all the quarterbacks.

-- Speaking of expectations, ESPN has picked the wins for every team, and it doesn't look pretty for the Bucs. ESPN says the team will win only 6.5 games next year. Elsewhere across the division: New Orleans is expected to win 9.5 games and Atlanta and Carolina are expected to win nine.

-- Just asking. In next year's highlight film of the Tampa Bay Rays, can anyone beat a Brad Miller groundout to second? Whee.

--I was glad to see that Mel Kiper has the Bucs taking offensive guard Quenton Nelson. That means he won't be taken.

-- Simply put, guards aren't worth the expense that high in the draft. The only team that drafted a guards that high who stayed at guard was Arizona, which spent a No. 7 pick on Jonathan Cooper (who has started only 27 of 42 games since) and a No. 2 on Leonard Davis. The Titans spent a No. 10 on Chance Warmack. Before that you have to go back to 1997 and New Orleans, which took Chris Naeole. (Kyle Turley, Jonathan Ogden and Lincoln Kennedy were all drafted as guards, but spent most their entire careers at tackle).

-- Why Kim Kardashian and hubby Kanye West named their daughter Chicago. Dubuque was taken.

--Thugs who got their own moves: 1. Raging Bull (Jake LaMotta); 2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 3. Bonnie and Clyde; 4. I, Tonya.

-- If Tom Brady is wearing a bloody glove, does that mean he's the guy O.J. is looking for?

-- Round to Sean Payton. A Minnesota furniture store owned by smart-alecks offered Peyton a couch to watch the conference title games, Payton immediately accepted and, after throwing in $25,000,000,

-- The defense of the Bucs was truly awful last year along the defensive line and in the secondary, but the linebackers were okay. Not only is middle linebacker Kwon Alexander headed to the Pro Bowl, Bleacher report recently ranked the top 45 linebackers who play in a 4-3 defense. Rookie Kendell Beckwith was 16th. Lavonte David was third. Not bad for the 32nd ranked defense.

-- O.J. Simpson is staying in Las Vegas instead of moving to Florida. Yay, us.

--- Vince Young (now gone). Johnny Manziel. Josh Freeman. Do you think Trent Dilfer stays up nights waiting for the call from the CFL?

-- Just wondering: How many stitches would Tom Brady have to have before he's Blake Bortles?

-- The real reason Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown brought back Marvin Lewis? He thinks this second round of the NFL players is way, way overrated.

-- Dennis Rodman is back in rehab, which makes you wonder: Don't they have rehabilitation centers in North Korea?

-- It was fairly powerful to read about Michael Phelps talking about suicidal thoughts and mental health. He has fame, fortune and accomplishment. It's just a message of the depths we all can reach.

-- Speaking of Larry Nassar, doesn't Jerry Sandusky need a roommate?

-- Just wondering: Now that he's said that Blake Bortles is the 70th-best quarterback in the NFL, where would Chris Simms rate himself and his seven NFL victories among the decade's quarterbacks.

-- Sorry to hear that the Dolphins replaced Clyde Christensen as offensive coordinator. I like Clyde, who once said "What we need around here are some zero and one-yard gains." He was talking, of course, about that as opposed to the minus-six and minus-eight yard gains we had come to know.

-- I can't wait to see Al Pacino as Joe Paterno. Joe made some offers that couldn't be refused, too.

-- Did you see where Freddie Adu has announced a comeback. Evidently, Freddie really, really missed the far end of the Rowdies' bench.

-- LaMelo Ball's new nickname in Lithuania, evidently, is "the Little Chipmunk." His new directive? Stop shooting 40-footers.

-- The perfect dig on Mel Kiper comes to us from noted bust Ryan Leaf. "Then again, he picked me ahead of Peyton, too."

-- I always knew they'd fashion a statue after Tom Brady. I just didn't think it would be the Venus de Milo.

-- While they're at it, why doesn't UCF claim back-to-back national championships? Or four in a row. Wait, 10 in a row. None of it is true, of course, but neither is the claim of a national title this year.

-- The Phillies signed Carlos Santana. They already had a coach named Rob Thomson. Gee. A few different letters, and the signing would have been ... smooth. You know, like seven inches from the midday sun. Or like the ocean under the moon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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