Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Thursday’s #PFTPM including a simple question: “What are your thoughts on a potential Bills-Rams Super Bowl?”

My thoughts are it could happen, because both teams are firmly in the Super Bowl window.

In any given year, not many teams truly are. And while teams not apparently in the window can, in theory, win their way in, the salary-cap system has matured to the point where some teams have cracked the code — and some teams can’t crack their way out of a paper bag.

It also helps to have drafted and developed a franchise quarterback.

In most years, roughly 10 teams are in the window, roughly 10 teams aren’t, and the remaining 12 could break either way. This year, the AFC’s true short-list contenders are the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Bengals, and Texans. The Broncos and Chargers could force their way into the conversation.

In the NFC, it’s the Eagles, Lions, Rams, 49ers, and Commanders. Maybe the Buccaneers. Maybe the Vikings.

Again, things can and will change. That’s why they play the games, as someone once said. All the time.

For those who like a little variety, it would be nice for someone other than the Chiefs to get a turn in the Super Bowl. And for someone other than the Eagles, 49ers, or Rams to emerge from the NFC.

Since 2017, it’s been the Eagles three times, the 49ers twice, the Rams twice, and the Bucs once. For the AFC, it’s been only the Patriots, Chiefs, and Bengals.

That’s it. Over eight seasons, seven total franchises have taken the 16 total Super Bowl berths.

Free agency, the salary cap, and a draft process that rewards failure should be enough to mix things up. But the reality is that good teams stay good, and bad teams stay bad.


The ice has thawed between the Buccaneers and former coach Jon Gruden, who is back in the team’s Ring of Honor. The ice remains solid between the league and Gruden.

On America’s birthday, NFL Network televises a marathon of the America’s Game series. Each episode consists of a one-hour look at every Super Bowl champion — starting with the 1966 Packers and culminating with the 2023 Chiefs. (The newest episode, focusing on the 2024 Eagles, has yet to be released.)

As noted by Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com, the 58-volume library includes only 56. Two are omitted — and they have been, dating back to 2022.

Still gone is the episode devoted to the 2002 Buccaneers (featuring Gruden). He was forced to resign as coach of the Raiders during the 2021 season after emails he’d sent years earlier were leaked from the files of an investigation into the Washington franchise. He has a lawsuit still pending against the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Also omitted is the 1995 Cowboys edition, which is narrated by former P.R. chief Rich Dalrymple. He resigned abruptly in 2022. Not long after he made his exit, he was linked to not one but two incidents of alleged voyeurism. Allegations that he secretly recorded the Cowboys’ cheerleaders in their locker room reportedly resulted in a $2.4 million settlement.

Tune in next year, to see if the 2002 Bucs and 1995 ‘Boys get left out. Until then, you can watch the Gruden episode here, and the Dalrymple one here.


Ten years ago today, a fireworks mishap changed the life of Jason Pierre-Paul. He lost 2.5 fingers, and his football career was in jeopardy.

He returned to play, and to play well. Now, after a season out of football, he hopes to continue his career in the NFL. More specifically, he wants to play for the Giants again.

I think that’ll be dope,” Pierre-Paul recently told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “Tremendous. To go back somewhere where my career started . . . the fans know me and know the type of player that I am. I’ll always be that type of player and just give them everything I got, which I know it’ll be more than enough.”

Although he played nine seasons after the injury (winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020, to go with the one he won with the Giants in 2011), Pierre-Paul wonders about what might have been.

He has 94.5 career sacks. But for the injury, he surely would have cracked triple digits. And made more money. And earned more accolades.

Pierre-Paul now spends time warning others about playing with fireworks.

“My message to kids is you never know how life is going to go,” Pierre-Paul told Raanan. “Don’t put yourself in a predicament that you’re going to regret later.”

He also realizes that, despite having only 7.5 fingers, he’s still alive. Which fuels him.

“You get another chance of it every day,” Pierre-Paul said. “So why not be great at what you got going on?”

He’s right. Whatever it is, get the most out of it. And take reasonable steps to protect your ability to do so.

Especially today. Avoid the fireworks. If you must indulge in them, light the fuse and get away. And do not mix alcohol and fireworks. Ever.

The temporary thrill is hardly worth a permanent injury. Or worse. Every year, there’s an inevitable news story of someone who was alive on the afternoon of July 4 being dead by the morning of July 5 — specifically because of fireworks.


No, Todd Bowles won’t be retiring.

Last December, Bill Belichick consigliere Mike Lombardi was spreading the phony rumor that Bowles could be calling it a career. Some viewed that as an effort to speak a desirable vacancy for Belichick into existence.

Even without Bowles retiring, the Bucs were a team to watch — given their history of interesting (to say the least) decisions when it comes to their coaches.

With Bowles getting a multi-year extension, it means that the Bucs won’t be a path back to pro football for Belichick in 2026. Or maybe ever.

There aren’t many other viable spots. Miami could be interesting, if owner Stephen Ross is willing to rankle the fan base by hiring Don Shula’s nemesis as Belichick chases Shula’s all-time wins record.

For now, it feels as if the Bowles extension delays (and potentially destroys) the most viable (or the least non-viable) option Belichick had at the next level.

Several months ago, the folks at North Carolina would have reacted to that with relief. Now? Well, it may not quite be relief.


Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have some added job security.

The Bucs announced today that both Licht and Bowles have signed multi-year contract extensions.

“Jason and Todd’s excellent leadership and vision have been critical to our organizational success, and the winning culture they have established has us well positioned into the future,” Bucs owner Joel Glazer said in a statement. “Jason has evolved into one of the top talent evaluators and general managers in the NFL, while Todd has led us to three consecutive division titles and is one of the league’s leading defensive minds. Under their guidance, we will continue building towards another championship.”

Tampa Bay hired Licht as GM in 2014, and while there were some early struggles, the Bucs won a Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bruce Arians, and have stayed in contention with quarterback Baker Mayfield and Bowles. Arians originally hired Bowles as defensive coordinator and then stepped down in 2022, when Bowles was promoted to head coach.

The Bucs have made the playoffs five years in a row and won their division four times in a row, both firsts in franchise history. The Bucs are the only NFC team to make the playoffs each of the last five years.


The Buccaneers announced on Tuesday when they will be breaking out their popular Creamsicle uniforms during the 2025 regular season.

The team will don the white helmets with their old logo along with their orange jerseys for a Week 15 Thursday night game against the Falcons. They also wore the uniforms in last season’s home date with Atlanta, but will be hoping for a better result than the 31-26 loss they suffered in Week 8.

Tampa wore the same uniforms from the franchise’s inception in 1976 through the 1996 season. They first wore them as an alternate uniform in 2009.

In addition to announcing the date for the Creamsicles, the Buccaneers announced themes for the rest of their home games. They will celebrate the start of their 50th season in the home opener against the Jets and they will induct edge rusher Simeon Rice into their Ring of Honor in Week 13.


Buccaneers first-round pick Emeka Egbuka’s first offseason with the team drew a lot of positive reviews, but the wideout isn’t the only first-year player that the team is expecting to make an immediate contribution.

They took cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the second round and then added another corner in the third round by selecting Jacob Parrish. During an appearance on the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast, General Manager Jason Licht said that the two rookies have shown enough for him to think that they’ll join fourth-year pro Zyon McCollum in playing significant roles in the secondary this year.

“Those guys have been equally as impressive,” Licht said. “It’s been fun to watch. I don’t want to already stamp them, but we feel very, very good about them helping us out a lot this year. Plus Zyon’s having an amazing offseason as well, so there’s not going to be — Very few teams, I think, have three young corners with that much talent right now.”

The Bucs still have Jamel Dean as well and the group will play a big part in the push for a fifth straight division title in Tampa.


Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has picked up a couple of speeding tickets this month. He also has received a dig from his brother, Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders.

Via JoeBucsFan.com, Shilo made the comment in the latest episode of his Tampa Food Tour.

“I know we out here in Tampa we got to be careful crossing the street, especially if Shedeur is out here,” Shilo said.

While Shilo was joking, it shows how Shedeur’s behavior has quickly become a low-hanging punchline. It’s not what he needs at a time when he’s still reeling from draft-weekend free fall, and when he’s (by all appearances) sitting at No. 4 on the Browns’ depth chart with training camp looming.

The best strategy for the next months is simple. Don’t speed.


Bucky Irving made a big impact on the Buccaneers during his rookie season, but he’s not looking for more of the same in 2025.

Irving picked up 1,514 yards from scrimmage, scored eight touchdowns and ranked fourth in the league in yards per carry after being selected in the fourth round of the draft. A repeat of that would be welcome in Tampa, but Irving said recently that he knows you have to keep finding ways to grow in the NFL.

“I feel like once you always start something new, it’s going to have to slow down for you a little bit,” Irving said, via PewterReport.com. “When I first got thrown in, the game was moving pretty fast for me but yeah, as I just settled down and let the game – and just think about it like, ‘it’s just football.’ And not think about too [many] other things that are going on out there. But yeah, just always going back and looking at the film and looking at things that you can get better at and improve in and also not getting satisfied and stuck in last year, because it’s a new year. Nobody cares about what you did last year. It’s, ‘What can you do for me now?’ But I’ve always been that guy that pretty much never gets stuck in the past and always [am] where my feet [are] and work hard every day.”

The Bucs added more depth to their receiving corps by drafting Emeka Egbuka in the first round and the prospect of teaming a strong passing attack with a rising star in Irving should lead to a lot of thoughts of another NFC South title this year.


More than a year after he was arrested for DUI, former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman officially has been charged.

Via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney said Tuesday that a formal charge has been filed, after the Monday receipt of blood-test results from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

The test showed that Sherman had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.11 percent, which exceeds the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The charge is a gross misdemeanor, which was enhanced by Sherman refusing a breath test.

On the surface, it seems unusual that it would take more than 16 months for the blood sample to be tested. The prosecutor’s office told Henderson that a protracted delay is not uncommon, given the capacity and increased caseload of the lab.

Sherman spent 11 years in the NFL, playing for the Seahawks, 49ers, and Buccaneers. He currently serves as an analyst on Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football.