Evan Wanish from Bucs Nation joins us this week.
Our Interview with the Enemy series continues this week with Evan Wanish from Bucs Nation. Evan joins us to answer a few quick questions before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Caesars Superdome on Sunday.
TH: The injuries really seem to be piling up for Bucs, especially on the o-line. How concerned are you if Donovan Smith has to miss significant time, about losing another key piece and the ability to protect Brady?
EW: If Smith were to miss time, it would definitely be a concern. The Bucs o-line worries have been overblown to this point, but if they were to be without their left tackle for an extended period of time, I’m not sure Josh Wells can hold up long enough especially with the tough opponents the Bucs have coming up.
TH: Speaking of Brady, he is 45 years old. He retired only to come back 40 days later. He took 11 days off for “personal issues” during camp and after Sunday’s game, he said he was banged up and sore. After watching some of his recent interviews, something just seems off with him lately. What are your thoughts and any worries if he can/will make it the whole season?
EW: I personally am not concerned about Brady’s status for the season. He knows what the commitment is and what he has to do, he knew it when he came back to football. Hopefully the o-line can stay healthy enough to keep him upright, but I think Brady is still all in for this season.
TH: Sunday was Chris Godwin’s first game back after tearing his ACL late last season, but he suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss a few weeks. How effective do you think he will be this season and how much of a loss is he for the Bucs offense?
EW: Godwin is one of, if not the most important piece of the Buccaneers offense. A lot of the offense flows through him and when he suffered that injury late last year, the entire offensive philosophy had to change. It’s definitely a loss, but I have confidence that when he returns, he will be able to be productive since his knee appears to have held up well, but for now his absence is a big one.
TH: Who is the most underrated player on the Bucs roster that you’re excited to watch this season and why?
EW: I keep coming back to the same player every time I’m asked a question like this and its second-year pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. He’s replacing Jason Pierre-Paul as that second pass rusher, and he’s flashed throughout camp and the preseason and even made a few plays against Dallas in the opener. If JTS can put it all together, it would be a huge boost for the Bucs defense.
TH: What is your prediction for the final score of this game?
EW: I know many Bucs fans will be upset with me, but until I see Tampa Bay get over the hump and actually defeat New Orleans in the regular season it’s hard to see the Bucs winning this game. They haven’t beaten the Saints in the regular season since Week 1 of 2018. The date was September 9th, 2018… that’s over 4 years ago. Combine that with a loud New Orleans crowd, the loss of Godwin and the potential loss of Smith, it’s just too much for Tampa. Saints-26 Bucs-21
Thank you again to Evan for taking the time to answer our questions. You can check out his work on Bucs Nation and follow them on Twitter @Bucs_Nation
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