Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht calls out writer that pegged Bucs to have a terrible season to his face
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht doesn't forget a slight. And apparently he's not shy about letting those who doubt him know about it. Licht met with Sports Illustrated writer Connor Orr on Friday at the NFL Combine, and he reminded Orr of the bleak prediction he had for the Bucs in 2023. Orr […]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht doesn't forget a slight. And apparently he's not shy about letting those who doubt him know about it.
Licht met with Sports Illustrated writer Connor Orr on Friday at the NFL Combine, and he reminded Orr of the bleak prediction he had for the Bucs in 2023.
Orr predicted the Bucs to finish 2-15 in his preseason predictions article, noting the following:
The Buccaneers are going to be overmatched this year, it seems. I don’t know how Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask will pilot a team through some rough pockets of games, including Weeks 11 to 16, where they face two legitimate Super Bowl contenders, along with some burgeoning teams that should be rounding into form by then.
As it turns out, the Bucs made their way through Weeks 11 through 16 just fine, going 4-2. They dropped back-to-back games in Weeks 11 and 12 to San Francisco and Indianapolis before going on a four-game winning streak against Carolina, Atlanta, Green Bay, and Jacksonville, ascending to the top of the NFC South in the process.
And apparently that dour prediction caught at least the attention of Licht, who stated to Orr that he had the prediction on the wall of his office. "You had us for two," Licht said to Orr. "I have it hanging up in my office."
Talk about keeping receipts. To the credit of Licht and Orr, it was a light-hearted chat handled well by both men, but it's still clear that it caught the attention of Licht and perhaps more individuals inside One Buc Place.
Hopefully for the Bucs Orr will continue selling them short in 2024 and beyond.
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