As we wind down the 2022 NFL season we have to ask the question we’ve all been thinking for the past couple of years. Is this the year Tom Brady will finally retire? The 45 year old All Pro, MVP and greatest Quarterback of all time has accomplished everything. He has won the Super Bowl 7 times, he is a 5x Super Bowl MVP and has been voted to the Pro Bowl 15 times.

Yet with all the accomplishments the 2022 campaign can’t be what he envisioned when he decided to unretire and suit up again for the Bucs. Off the field he and his super model wife Gisele Bündchen announced that they were getting divorced back in October. On the field the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have struggled all season especially on the offensive side of the ball. They are barely hanging on to a playoff spot thanks to the lowly NFC South. It seems that we ask ourselves this question every year but now there is real momentum that Tom Brady may finally retire.

Back in May of this year it was announced that Brady signed a massive deal with Fox Sports to be it’s main color analyst whenever he decides to hang it up. This unprecedented move will be the richest ever TV deal and he could make up to $25 million per year as an analyst. Shelling out big money to former NFL players is not new (See Tony Romo) but giving them a massive deal before they retire is certainly rare. Now the question becomes when will we start seeing Tom Brady calling big time NFL games on FOX?

On the field we have seen things we almost never see from Brady. Indecisiveness, lack of accuracy and lack of success on his deep throws. If you take a look at his 2022 Next Gen Stats so far you will see just that. A lot of success on the money throws but struggling with the intermediate and deep throws. The offensive line can certainly take some of the blame but even when Brady has a clean pocket he is still missing layups. Sure he has had some vintage late game comebacks, the Saints game comes to mind but overall you can see the struggles.

The switch from Bruce Arians to Todd Bowles has to not be overlooked either. Arians is one of the NFL’s greatest offensive minds. Bowles is a defensive coach and he likey stays out of the offensive side of the ball. He is a solid coach but you can see the hit the offense has taken without Arians.

Regardless of what has caused Brady to regress the fact is the Bucs are still in a playoff race and could make a run. Even if that happens, which at this point seems unlikely, it seems Tom Brady will finally retire at the end of the season. Next up will be the broadcast booth and you can bet the GOAT will thrive in that role for many years to come.

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By: Andy Davies

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have endured a torrid start to the 2022 NFL season.

Not one person, whether they are members of the media or just your regular fan down the street, would have predicted the Buccaneers to start the season 3-5.

Shock losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, who both had one win prior to beating the Buccaneers, were then followed by a loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens.

This is the first time in Tom Brady’s career that he has lost three games in a row. With a division that appears wide open, there is every chance that the Buccaneers end up making the playoffs and all is well again. However, there is also the possibility that a team that has won a Super Bowl and narrowly lost in the Divisional Round during the last season, could miss the playoffs entirely this season. Here are three reasons why this could happen.

A Tough Schedule

It does not get any easier for Brady and the Bucs when looking at their schedule. Their next game is against current Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Whilst they are also coming off the back of a loss and have a 3-4 record, this is not exactly a game that head coach Todd Bowles will want even with an extra few days’ rest. 

After the Rams game, they face the 5-3 Seattle Seahawks in the first ever regular season game to be played in Germany. They will not want to play a team in form, let alone in a neutral venue with jetlag. 

After their Week Eleven bye, the rest of their schedule features games against the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons. 

This is not an easy ride, so expect the Bucs to be challenged right the way until the end. 

With four teams ahead of them in the race for the Wildcard spots, and two of those with three more wins, the Bucs better turn things around quickly, otherwise they will be watching the playoffs from their living rooms. 

Tom Brady’s Personal Life

Brady’s personal life has been the subject of much media coverage of late, with Brady addressing the rumours on Instagram, confirming their divorce. 

This is bound to have played some part in Brady’s slump in form. 

Lack Of Protection And Receiving Help

Brady lost his good friend Rob Gronkowski and the drama of Antonio Brown meant that Tampa Bay went from four elite pass catchers to just two. 

Mike Evans has still been excellent as ever, if you exclude the dropped catch against the Panthers, ranked as having the eighth-most receiving yards (577) and Godwin (368) has done well considering the comeback from injury. Running back Leonard Fournette (273) is their next best receiver, which shows the issues at hand. 

Russell Gage and Julio Jones both came in during the offseason in attempts to give Brady as much help as possible, but Gage has just 231 receiving yards and Jones has been non-existent with just 97 yards from 11 targets and six receptions. Cole Beasley came and went in the space of a couple of weeks.

Whilst Brady is second in the league for passing yards, he is tied for 17^th in passing touchdowns. This shows the struggles Brady and the team have had in getting it down the end zone. According to FantasyPros.com, Brady is eighth in the league for passing yards in the red zone and eleventh for passing touchdowns. This also shows the issues Brady has had, a lot like Aaron Rodgers this season, with receiver help.

Brady has already been sacked thirteen times this year, which means he is projected to finish the season with just under 30 sacks. This would be the eighth-highest total of his career. To put it in perspective, he was sacked ten times at this stage in 2020, and twelve times at this point last season. The loss of Ali Marpet to retirement has been huge, even with the addition of former teammate Shaq Mason. Ryan Jenson’s injury has had a big impact also, with Robert Hainsey and Luke Goeseke seemingly failing to deliver in their absence.

There is still plenty of time to go, but the Buccaneers certainly have cause for concern at this present time.

The post Three reasons why the Buccaneers could miss the playoffs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Menachem Ickovitz

To say the 2021 season has been tumultuous for the Las Vegas Raiders is an understatement. From Jon Gruden’s resignation to receiver Henry Ruggs’ DUI resulting in death, there have been plenty of bad headlines coming out of Las Vegas.

While interim Head Coach Rich Bisaccia has stabilized some of the issues, it is likely that Owner Mark Davis and GM Mike Mayock will be looking to clean the house from the “Gruden guys” and start the search for a new head coach.

The Raiders have some pieces in place that could make the head coaching job appealing to many. Quarterback Derek Carr has thrown for over 4,000 yards for the 4^th consecutive season. Tight end Darren Waller, while currently injured, has been a bright spot over the past few seasons and their defense played well against the Cleveland Browns in Monday’s game.

Whenever an article comes out about a team’s options for a new head coach the same group of names gets bandied about. The truth is it’s important to look at a team’s hiring history. The Raiders often hire coaches who have head coaching experience and have historically been at the forefront of minority hiring. They have also have given up-and-comers opportunities.

Todd Bowles

Bowles is currently the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and if he’s interested in being a head coach again, he would be a great fit for the Raiders. Bowles has won a Super Bowl as a player, an executive with the Green Bay Packers in the mid-’90s and as an assistant to the Buccaneers last season.

He is smart and disciplined; something the Raiders would like in a new head coach. Also, with pass rushers like Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue, Bowles’ aggressive playstyle will fit perfectly.

While his first stint as a head coach ended with a 26 ”“ 41 record with the New York Jets, this Raiders team has a lot more talent than those Jets teams did.

Doug Pederson

Doug Pederson was most recently the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He compiled a regular-season record of 42 ”“ 37 ”“ 1 and won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. Prior to being named head coach of the Eagles, he was an assistant to Andy Reid in both Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Much like Mike McCarthy did a few seasons back; Pederson has taken the year away from the game. This not only makes Pederson a coach that teams will want, but it also doesn’t tie him to how a team is currently doing. For example, Jason Garrett will not be amongst the potential head coaches this off-season because he was fired by the New York Giants midseason. Pederson doesn’t have to deal with explaining a bad showing by his team, as he has no team to worry about. Just as Mike McCarthy’s past faded away.

He has gotten the best out of quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, so he should do well with Derek Carr. Also, Pederson offenses always highlight the tight end, which is great for Darren Waller.

Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore is one of the hot young names on the coaching market. He is currently the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. In just four seasons as an assistant coach, third as OC, Moore has already positioned himself as a quality head coach candidate.

His ability to bring out the best offensively from his quarterback will be very appealing to the Raiders and Derek Carr. He will also get more out of the running game and Josh Jacobs than the Raiders currently are getting from that position.

The biggest question mark about Kellen Moore is who he can fill his staff with. He has only coached for four years and only with the Dallas Cowboys. While he has been under two different head coaches, he might not have the infrastructure that other potential coaches might have.

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