The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will contest Super Bowl LX this coming Sunday, and you will probably be watching. I know I will be. Going to make some chili for the occasion, in fact.

Which team will you and I be rooting for? If anything, this feels like a game in which fans unconnected to either side will actually be rooting against one of the two teams. I think it's safe to say that there is a good portion of the NFL viewing population that would have liked to see the Patriots have to wander the desert a little big longer after the end of the Brady-Belichick dynasty before making it back to the Super Bowl. But if you are a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan – which I'm assuming most readers of this column would be – perhaps you don't want to see the Bucs lose their 2-1 edge over their fellow 1976 expansion team in terms of Super Bowl victories.

Well, if you do happen to be a Bucs fan, I'll give you one reason to root for one of these teams. You may recall that, back in Week Five of the 2025 regular season, the Buccaneers went to Seattle and got locked in a wild shootout with the Seahawks. Both teams were 3-1 heading into the game, but Tampa Bay flew home with a 38-35 victory and a 4-1 record after Chase McLaughlin kicked a 39-yard field goal as the fourth quarter expired. That kick was set up by an interception by the captain, Lavonte David. The game had 889 combined yards of offense and 52 first downs and it included a star turn by rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who caught seven passes for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle would lose only one more time in their next 14 games, and if they can add one more win to that streak they will be NFL champs for the first time since 2013. That season also featured a Buccaneers-Seahawks game in Seattle, and it was nearly one of the most outrageous upsets in Tampa Bay history. The Bucs were 0-7 at the time of their visit to CenturyLink Field in Greg Schiano's second season at the helm, and the Seahawks with their "Legion of Boom" defense were 7-1.

That didn't stop the Bucs from rushing out to a 21-0 lead on touchdown catches from the immortal Buccaneer trio of Tim Wright, Tiquan Underwood and Tom Crabtree; the last of those three scoring passes was actually thrown by running back Mike James. Unfortunately, the Seahawks remembered who they were in the second half and stormed back to force the game into overtime before winning on a short Steven Hauschka field goal for a 27-24 decision.

So the Buccaneers didn't end up beating the eventual Super Bowl champs that season, but they can check that box this year if the Seahawks defeat the Patriots. And that would be a worthwhile thing for us Bucs fans to root for, because it doesn't happen very often. In fact, this would be just the third time in franchise history that the Buccaneers beat the eventual Super Bowl winners during the regular season, though it would also be the second season in a row that has happened.

In Week Four of the 2024 season, Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score as the Bucs' pounded the Philadelphia Eagles, 33-16, at Raymond James Stadium. Philadelphia then ripped off 10 straight wins and prevailed in 16 of their last 17 games, culminating in a 40-22 triumph over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX.

The only other time the Buccaneers beat the eventual Super Bowl champs during the same regular season was in 2009, and that one was a gigantic upset on the road that Tampa Bay was able to finish off. In this case, the Buccaneers were 2-12 when they visited the Superdome in Week 16 to take on the 13-1 New Orleans Saints. The Saints had the division and a top playoff seed already wrapped up but notably did not rest their starters. Drew Brees played the whole game and played well, completing 32 of 37 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. And the game went as expected for three quarters, with the home team taking a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter. But Cadillac Williams punctuated a huge day with a 23-yard touchdown run and Micheal Spurlock tied the game with 2:25 left on a 77-yard punt return. The Bucs won the overtime coin toss, Williams ran the ball on nine of the next 10 snaps and Connor Barth walked it off with a 47-yard field goal.

In case, you were wondering, the Buccaneers have also beaten the team that went on to lose that season's Super Bowl three times: the Los Angeles Rams in 1979 (followed by the Rams getting revenge in the NFC Championship Game in Tampa three-and-a-half months later), the Miami Dolphins in 1982 and the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.

The Bucs also played the Patriots this season but lost that one, 28-23, in Week 10. This marks just the fourth time that Tampa Bay has played both teams that made it to that season's Super Bowl. It happened just last year when Tampa Bay, as noted above, beat Philadelphia in Week Four but lost to Kansas City in Week Nine. The Buccaneers also played both eventual Super Bowl participants in 1982 (Washington and Miami) and in 1985 (Chicago and New England).

So there's a reason, if you're looking for one, to root for a specific team in Sunday's game. Or maybe you're just watching for the commercials. To each his own.

And now, on to your questions.

Hey Scott. I was looking at free agents available at various positions. It looks like it would be better for the Bucs to draft an edge rusher and look for a linebacker in free agency. What are your thoughts? - Henry M., via app submission

I tend to agree with you, Henry. First, you're starting with the premise that edge rusher and off-ball linebacker are two of the Buccaneers' biggest roster needs heading into the 2026 season, if not the biggest, and that seems right to me. Now, there's no reason that the team couldn't address either of those positions through both free agency and the draft, but I think what we're talking about here is its top assets in each of those endeavors. Say, a first-round draft pick and one relatively lucrative free agent contract.

From a strictly monetary/salary cap standpoint, I think your approach is the most doable. Last offseason, the top contract for an edge rusher went to Josh Sweat, who got four years and $76.4 million from the Cardinals. The highest-dollar contract for an off-ball linebacker was the three-year, $33 million deal Robert Spillane got from the Patriots. In this year's crop of potential unrestricted free agents (quite a few of whom will not actually make it to free agency), Spotrac estimates the average annual value (AAV) of a new contract for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson at $25.4 million, which honestly seems a little low to me. The top AAV for a free-agent-to-be off-ball linebacker is Devin Lloyd at $20.1 million.

That difference between Hendrickson and Lloyd isn't that huge, but this happens to be a good year in free agency at the linebacker position, with a lot of options. Again, some of these guys will get new deals with their existing teams before free agency even begins, but there still should be some attractive options on the market. In addition to the Jaguars' Lloyd, other potential UFA linebackers include the Browns' Devin Bush, the Eagles' Nakobe Dean, the Chiefs' Leo Chanel, the Lions' Alex Anzalone, the Falcons' Kaden Elliss, the Jets' Quincy Williams, the Broncos' Alex Singleton and the Packers' Quay Walker. I'm not even including such older options as Bobby Wagner, Demario Davis and Willie Gay because I assume the Bucs would be looking for a longer-term option.

Now, it's a decent year for linebackers in the draft, as well, and one very popular prediction for the Buccaneers at pick number 15 in the first round, from the mock drafts I've perused, is Ohio State's Sonny Styles. However, there should also be some intriguing edge rush options at that spot, too, even if Miami's Rueben Bain and Texas Tech's David Bailey are already taken. Those options include Auburn's Keldric Faulk, Texas A&M's Cashius Howell, Miami's Akheem Mesidor, and Clemson's T.J. Parker. Given the going right for top edge rushers on the open market, potentially landing one that you have on a rookie contract for four or five years seems like a great way to spend a first-round pick.

It's worth noting that the Buccaneers will be getting David Walker back from the season-ending knee injury that ended what was shaping up as a very impressive rookie training camp. If the Buccaneers land an edge rusher in the first round and see Walker emerge as a valuable contributor that position could get a lot better in a hurry. As for off-ball linebacker, the Buccaneers probably need to add more than one new player at the position this offseason, so signing one in free agency and drafting one on Day Two or early Day Three would make a lot of sense, in my opinion.

When a coach moves on, do they leave their playbook behind? Are other coaches allowed to use the former coach's plays? - Tom. H

Well, the thing about a team's physical playbook is that there are a lot more than one copy of it in the building. So if Liam Coen left his post as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach, he could certainly take his playbook with him but that information would also still be at the AdventHealth Training Center, too.

Here's a kind of weird example: In 2021, the Rams hired our friend Raheem Morris to replace Brandon Staley as their defensive coordinator after Staley got the Chargers' head coaching gig. Generally when a new coordinator joins a team he brings with him his own system, influenced by other jobs they've had and other coaches they've worked with. We've seen that repeatedly in recent years with the Bucs' offensive coordinator position (Josh Grizzard was a promotion from within so that was a different situation). In this case with the Rams, they knew Morris was a talented coach with his own background but they wanted him to run the same system that Staley had been running because it had worked so well with their existing personnel. The Rams won the Super Bowl that season, so it seems the arrangement worked (having Aaron Donald helped a lot, too).

The other thing I would note here is that every team runs a lot of the same plays. The terminology tends to differ from coach to coach but a lot of the basics are the same. Like, every team is going to have some version of a three-level pass play that includes a vertical route, a shallow route in the flat and an intermediate crosser. Every team is going to have some form of a play in which the quarterback fakes a handoff, rolls to one side and throws a quick-hitter to a tight end who has chipped a defender at the line and then gone out into the flat. I don't know what these concepts are called in the Buccaneers' playbook (they don't give me a copy) but I know I've seen the Bucs run them.

And every team has lots of coaches, scouts and other personnel employees who collectively watch a lot of game tape of other teams. It's obviously not uncommon for a coach on one team to see another team run a play, like the concept and try to incorporate into their own scheme. And you also have a lot of teams running similar systems because they come from the same "coaching tree." You're seeing a lot of that now with the Rams and Sean McVay; two of the Bucs' last three OC hires are from that tree, and Dave Canales came from a similar system, as well.

It probably is wise, however, for a team to make some changes when one of their play-callers leaves for another team. Famously, the 2002 Oakland Raiders continued to run the same system as Jon Gruden had installed as their head coach before he was traded earlier that year to the Buccaneers. When those two teams met in the Super Bowl, Gruden's very deep understanding of the tendencies of the Raiders' offense allowed him to prepare the Buccaneers' already-dominant defense for exactly what they would see on Super Bowl Sunday. It proved to be a significant advantage.

Illinois Edge Gabe Jacas recently said, "Tell the Bucs to come and get me". He's one of my favorite players in the draft and I think he's going to be a monster in the NFL. Do you have any insight on if he's someone the Bucs are targeting at this stage in the draft process? - Joel D., via app submission

If I had any true insider information on the Bucs' plans for the draft, it would be unwise of me to share it in this space. If I did, it would probably be the last S.S. Mailbag I ever wrote. The Buccaneers' (and I'm sure every team's) player-personnel brain trust keeps that circle of information very tight, for obvious reasons. However, I think the Buccaneers should have interest in the Illini's Gabe Jacas and unless there are some red flags I don't know about (I'm not suggesting there are), I'd have to think he would be a consideration on Day Two if the picks lined up right. There seems to be something of a consensus – albeit one that is very early in the process and could change in either direction – that he is likely to be selected in the second round, though you do see some analysts sneaking him into the back end of the first round.

There is definitely a lot to like about Jacas and how he could fit with the Buccaneers. First, edge rush is pretty obviously an area of need for the Buccaneers after the team had its lowest sack total (37) in eight years in 2025. In fact, the biggest obstacle for the Bucs' drafting an edge rusher in the second round is that they might have already hit that position in the first round.

Jacab was certainly productive at Illinois, and his last season was his best one yet, with 11.0 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and, according to Pro Football Focus, 22 QB hurries. He had 8.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 28 hurries in 2024, as well. PFF has him ranked as their eighth edge rusher and as their 40th prospect overall. His scouting reports tend to stress his speed-to-power ability and his overall strength but suggest he has room to grow in the refinement of his pass-rush techniques and development of his toolkit of rushing moves. That could actually be a good thing, as it suggests he has room to grow even more as a sack artist. He is also commonly described as being scheme-versatile, so it doesn't seem like there would be any issues with him fitting into a Todd Bowles defense. And at 6-3 and 260 pounds with the chance to add a little more weight without sacrificing speed, he has good size. I'm sure NFL scouts will also love that he was a state-champion wrestler so he's got a feel for leverage when locked in battle with offensive linemen.

Jacas was also a team captain at Illinois, which I know is something the Bucs like to see on a player's resume. And he seems to be the type of high-motor, never-take-a-play-off type that coaches like, as well. Like I said, there's a lot to like here.

And while I don't know how much it would factor into the team's evaluation of him, it's pretty cool that he seems to want to play for the Buccaneers. I assume you are referring to the reporting from the Senior Bowl by the Pewter Report, to whom he made that comment you mentioned. Jacas is from Port St. Lucie and played his prep ball in that area; I don't know if he grew up a Bucs fan or not but he seems to like the idea of coming back to Florida to start his NFL career.

Again, this is not really "insight" into whether or not the Buccaneers' draft decision-makers are high on Jacas, but I can definitely see why he's one of your favorite players in the draft, Joel.

Who are your favorite free agency targets? - Kyle V., via app submission

Here again I should start with the disclaimer that these are my opinions and not meant to reflect the views of General Manager Jason Licht or any of the Bucs' other player-personnel decision-makers. Licht and company, in fact, would not be able to comment like this on potential free agents-to-be who are currently still under contract with other teams due to the league's tampering rules.

Anyway, I noted above that there should be a handful of off-ball linebackers on the market, and I think I'm particularly interested in Nakobe Dean. He's had some unfortunate injury luck early in his career, but the former third-round pick out of Georgia is still only 25 years old and he had a strong 2024 season when he was able to start a career-high 15 games. That season he combined 128 tackles with 3.0 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. I think he could be a three-down linebacker for the Bucs with some blitzing capabilities.

Actually, while we're discussing the Eagles, edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is a player I've always liked who has also had some injury misfortune but could be an intriguing free agency target depending on the price tag and length of the contract. He had 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons with the Dolphins and another 6.5 in just eight games in 2023. He was traded to the Eagles at the deadline last year and turned in 44 QB pressures for Philly in eight games.

I also wonder if the hiring of Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator would lead the Bucs to have some interest in Falcons' running back Tyler Allgeier, who Robinson coached the past two seasons in Atlanta. Allgeier has averaged 4.3 yards per carry in his NFL career and at 225 pounds could be a powerful backfield complement to Bucky Irving.

With both Logan Hall and Greg Gaines due to become free agents in March, I wonder if the Bucs will be looking for some depth additions along the defensive line. That certainly could be addressed in the draft, but I'd have some interest in Denver's John Franklin-Myers, who is 29 and has had sack totals of 7.0 and 7.5 over the past two seasons for the Broncos.

Do you remember the moment you became a Bucs fan? - Stephanie T., via app submission

I don't remember the exact date, but it was some day in early March in 1992. It was the day I was informed that I got the job in the Buccaneers' public relations department for which I had applied and interviewed. It was my first full-time job after college.

I don't mean that to sound cold and mercenary. It's just that, prior to coming to Tampa, I really didn't know a whole lot about the Buccaneers, particularly because this was the pre-internet age for most people. I had just finished an eight-month internship in the Kansas City Chiefs' PR department, so my overall NFL knowledge had improved quite a bit but I can't say I had specifically followed the Buccaneers closely. I had sent my resume to all the other teams in the NFL, too, and would have happily moved to any part of the country to get my foot in the door.

Obviously that has changed dramatically over the decades. I would definitely describe myself as a huge Buccaneers fan now, and not just because working for the team has shaped pretty much my entire adult life. If and when the time comes (okay, when) that I am no longer a Bucs employee, I will continue to be a huge fan. My first and longest-lasting sports fandom is with the MLB's St. Louis Cardinals, but I'd have to say the Buccaneers are now at least equal with the Cards in my heart, and that's saying a lot.

It's weird to think that if it had been some other NFL team calling that March almost 34 years ago that it's likely that I never would have become a Buccaneers fan. Sliding doors, you know. I feel extremely fortunate to have gotten this specific reality, which includes me being a die-hard fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Would you survive in the last movie/book you watched/read? - Gabriel K.

The last book I consumed was one I guess you would put in the sci-fi genre, "Polybius" by Collin Armstrong, published in 2025. I won't give away the plot in case anyone reading this planned to read Armstrong's book, but given the overall survivor right of the people in the town in which it is set, no I don't think I would have made it.

I actually listed to that one as an audiobook in my car. The last book I physically read was "In Too Deep" which is the 29th installment of the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child (and, recently, his son Andrew Child). If you know anything about the Reacher books, I think you would agree with me on this assessment: If Reacher was on my side, then yes, I think I would survive. However, if Reacher did not like me, then no, I don't think I would survive.

The most recent movie I watched was one of my all-time favorites, "A Few Good Men," starring Tom Cruise, which I happened across this past Sunday. Only two characters die in that one, one by his own hand, so I think my chances would be pretty good. However, if I were one of the Marines on the Guantanamo Bay base, I might be in trouble. Pretty sure I couldn't keep up with Marine training at my age, and if that led to me getting a Code Red, I'd be in serious trouble.