The Hope Chest
February 20th, 2026
“When I first started coaching, one of the worst things that I think I heard was ‘It will be OK.’ I would wonder, ‘How the hell is it going to be OK?’ The worst word in the English language is ‘hope.’”
— Bob Knight
Joe hears the word “hope” all the time about the Bucs and it drives Joe crazy. “Let’s hope Chris Braswell gets three sacks. … Let’s hope SirVocea Dennis can play like a starting linebacker. … Let’s hope Zyon McCollum shakes off the cobwebs and plays like a rising star.”
How about, “Let’s make sure we have players that we know will produce so we don’t have to hope to win lotteries.”
But Matt Verderame of SI.com apparently is in the hope business. He typed up a column why every NFL team can have hope. Even the Jets!
Verderame thinks Bucs fans have reason for hope because the Bucs have the manpower to put points on the board.
Hope: Tampa Bay has one of the league’s most talented offenses, helmed by Baker Mayfield and populated by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Bucky Irving as his weapons.
Yes, Joe is thinking Mike Evans returns to the Bucs. Now if Baker Mayfield and Emeka Egbuka can figure out why they both went into hiding the second half of the season, and get Bucky Irving back on the right track, the Bucs really could be dangerous on offense.
Imagine adding tight ends Kenyon Sadiq or Michael Trigg to this Bucs lineup. Talk about cooking with gas!