The preseason is always an interesting time in the NFL. The critics and the homers seem to go to war in the craziest ways on social media about what their team can/will do, and Buccaneers fans just might exemplify those extremes the best.

Bucs fans are either jaded after a long time of being bad (with a few bright spots mixed in), or have become so enthusiastic about every positive (after years of being bad) that it is impossible for them to find any flaws.

Unfortunately for the unbiased, objective fans of the team, it seems like the rest of the fanbase will be a bit harder to deal with after recent projections have dropped for the Bucs and their upcoming season. Surely people will react calmy and with reason, right?

Calm and reason. Not usually the words that one would think of in regards to Buccaneers Twitter.

Regardless, as it stands, the Buccaneers are projected to be bad in 2023. What a shock. Apparently the loss of Tom Brady and having one of the worst head coaches in the NFL has a way of weighing down a team's projected win total.

How bad the Bucs are projected to be, though, is a completely different story. 

Some people like the odds of the team to win a very weak NFC South with a good roster than could potentially carry Todd Bowles and a new quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but the projections don't see it that way.

So @SInow NFL preview issue predictions have Panthers winning NFC South at 9-8, Saints and Falcons close behind at 8-9 and Bucs finishing 4-13. Colts, Cards still finish worse, so Bucs would be picking 3rd or 4th.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 25, 2023

4 and 13 might be a tough pill for some of the homers to swallow, but there is a very real chance that this could be Tampa's record with a bit of optimism baked in.

The preseason has flashed some moments of fun and excitement, but the consistency simply isn't there for a team that will fall under the projected category of "good."

There is still a way for the team to surprise the world, but it still feels like the Bucs are a quarterback and a head coach away from competing again, and that is obviously reflected in this projection.

With question marks at quarterback, offensive line, secondary, edge, and overall depth, there is simply too much variability on this roster right now to confidently say the Bucs can compete against the best teams in the league as they did during the Tom Brady era.

This team might be scrappy and find ways to keep games close (look at the Atlanta Falcons from 2022), but double-digit wins is absolutely something Bucs fans should be prepared for.

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