Robert Ayers on the Buccaneers' offseason: 'We're a little less terrible'
Some players and coaches like to think they won the offseason, but Robert Ayers is more realistic
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2 min read
In a time of the year when every team -- especially Rex Ryan's Bills -- believes they're coming off the greatest offseason in the history of offseasons, a Buccaneers player presented a slightly different idea. Robert Ayers, a defensive end who joined the Buccaneers this spring after stints with the Broncos and Giants, doesn't believe his new team won the offseason.
Instead, he thinks they got "a little less terrible."
"We're a little less terrible," Ayers said this past week during minicamp, per Pewter Report. "But we're getting better. That's all we can ask for. We're trying to get to the end of the tunnel. Each day is a day to get better, a day to prepare, a day for me and my guys to get to know each other better and grow as a unit and build a chemistry."
Don't worry, he can explain his comment.
"The reason why I say we're terrible is because we're not where we want to be," Ayers said. "For me it's 100 percent or nothing and if you're not 100 percent then you're terrible. You're either first or your last. Right now we're not where we need to be so that's terrible. I want to be where we need to be. I want to get to the end of the tunnel. I want to get to the big game. I want to win. That's all I care about is winning, so until we win we're terrible."
For the Buccaneers to get to "the big game," they'll need to do more than just get "a little less terrible," unfortunately. Though they have a promising ,young offensive core in place -- quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Mike Evans should be a lethal combo in the years to come and Doug Martin nearly led the league in rushing last year -- they're still a far ways away from the playoffs.
A season ago, they won just six games and finished last in the NFC South. They failed to beat a team with a winning record and compiled a -75 point differential. Their path for a division crown still involves topping the Panthers. Again, that doesn't mean the Buccaneers aren't building something dangerous. It just means going from six wins to nine or 10 doesn't always happen in a matter of one offseason.
They should, however, be able to compete.
"I feel like we can compete," Ayers said. "I'm not just saying this because I'm here now but from the outside looking in I always thought, 'Tampa, man, they're right there. Look at all those guys.' We've got a Big 3 on offense, one of the best defensive tackles in the game in Gerald [McCoy], Clinton [McDonald] who's been an underrated dog, Jacquies [Smith] who got hurt last year. People are talking about pass rush and that dude [Smith] was beasting until he got hurt. Noah [Spence] can play, Howard [Jones] is super-fast out there, Kourtney Brown, Akeem [Spence] -- there's some talent.
"We've just got to do what we need to do, bring the right mindset, and work and get better. And then I feel like we can play with anybody and we can kick anybody's ass. That's just my opinion."
Ayers should help with that. With the Giants last season, Ayers racked up nine sacks in just 12 games, which is why the Buccaneers handed him a three-year deal worth $10.5 million in guarantees.
The Bucs finished last season ranked No. 26 in both points allowed and sacks.
