For a group to win a Tremendous Bowl a whole lot of issues must go proper. The group has to have a proficient roster. It must have a great scheme. The group must be a cohesive unit.
And they should have a little bit of luck.
One space of luck that performs a giant function in group success is harm luck. This was one thing the Bucs loved fairly a little bit of of their two Tremendous Bowl championship seasons. Tampa Bay solely had one starter on injured reserve in every of these seasons. Nostril sort out Booger McFarland in 2002 and proper guard Alex Cappa in 2020.
Final 12 months, not a lot.
How massive of a change was there between 2020 and 2021? In accordance with Soccer Outsiders the Bucs misplaced simply 30.6 adjusted video games resulting from harm in 2020. Meaning the gathered video games missed by injured gamers. Per FO’s metrics they had been the least injured group that 12 months.
In 2021 that quantity jumped to 81.3, which ranked sixteenth within the league. The 50.7 distinction recreation distinction represented the third largest year-over-year improve within the NFL, trailing solely the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints.
Accidents That Impacted 2021
Bucs CB Carlton Davis III – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
And lots of the accidents the Bucs suffered had been main contributors. Whereas the group loved a really steady lineup alongside the offensive line for a lot of the common season, the offensive playmakers did face their share of missed video games resulting from harm. Between Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette, Antonio Brown, and Mike Evans the Bucs misplaced 18 video games resulting from harm. Add to that accidents sustained to Scotty Miller, Ronald Jones and Gio Bernard and the group misplaced one other 11 video games from key contributors.
On protection the group confronted extra adversity. Starters Shaq Barrett, Carlton Davis III, Lavonte David, Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jordan Whitehead, Vita Vea, and Antoine Winfield, Jr. mixed to overlook 34 video games with one other 9 video games coming from key contributors Dee Delaney and Richard Sherman.
Making ready For 2022
Looking forward to 2022, it’s vital for the group to be ready for a scenario extra like 2021 than 2020. Final 12 months, the Bucs had been actually selecting up avenue free brokers to play within the secondary resulting from a rash of accidents to that place group. And the group is already getting ready.
Free agent additions Keanu Neal, Logan Ryan, Akiem Hicks and Fred Johnson assist create extra depth. That is to organize for attainable accidents within the new 12 months. Rating sixteenth final 12 months means the group about common harm luck. And they need to put together as if they are going to have about the identical luck this 12 months. In the event that they find yourself with a season extra like 2020, all the higher.
With every offseason transaction you possibly can see that basic supervisor Jason Licht and his group are attempting to strengthen the middle-to-bottom of the roster to be able to higher climate the potential harm bug. Sensible entrance places of work self-evaluate and adapt. It appears the Bucs try to do exactly that.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings