Ralph VacchianoAug 12, 2026
Vacchiano expects the Buccaneers to be contenders and improve to around nine wins, enough to win the NFC South, while the Jets remain held back by Geno Smith and might scrape out about six wins. They also see rookie edge rushers David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. becoming Pro Bowlers, with Bailey among the NFL's best pass rushers.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Ralph Vacchiano said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe Bucs could easily be a nine-win team, and in the NFC South that might be more than enough.
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- Fox Sports
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- Jets Get Harsh Reminder Of Their Biggest Problem In Joint Practice With Buccaneers
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The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 12, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- 1David Bailey to make Pro Bowl“The two of them could easily be Pro Bowlers a year or two down the road, if not sooner.”
- 2Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish with 9 wins“The Bucs could easily be a nine-win team, and in the NFC South that might be more than enough.”
- 3Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division“The Bucs could easily be a nine-win team, and in the NFC South that might be more than enough.”
- 4Emeka Egbuka to be 1st on the depth chart“He's got No. 1 WR potential, especially if he can get help from someone else to take some of the coverage away.”
- 5Rueben Bain to make Pro Bowl“The two of them could easily be Pro Bowlers a year or two down the road, if not sooner.”
- 6New York Jets to finish with 6 wins“Maybe they can squeeze out six wins, if everything breaks right.”
- 7Positional Finishes“His speed, power and explosiveness are going to make him one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the next few years.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bailey to make Pro Bowl1 | Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish with 9 wins2 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division3 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| Emeka Egbuka to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Rueben Bain to make Pro Bowl5 | Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| New York Jets to finish with 6 wins6 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| “His speed, power and explosiveness are going to make him one of…”7 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 6 waiting · 1 too vague to check | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
7 claims — 2 pro bowl and all-pro calls, 2 season win totals, 1 depth chart call, 1 division winner and 1 positional finish — the 6 we can check each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of the 6 calls we can check have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
The other one was too vague to check, so it is not graded.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 1.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Where this call stands in the room
Emeka Egbuka · 2026 season17 calls from 13 pundits between 1 and 2. Ralph Vacchiano said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Pro Bowl and All-Pro CallsDavid BaileyNew York Jets
David Bailey to make Pro Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Season Win TotalsTampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish with 9 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Division WinnersTampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsEmeka EgbukaTampa Bay Buccaneers
Emeka Egbuka to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Pro Bowl and All-Pro CallsRueben BainTampa Bay Buccaneers
Rueben Bain to make Pro Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Season Win TotalsNew York Jets
New York Jets to finish with 6 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Positional FinishesDavid BaileyNew York Jets
“His speed, power and explosiveness are going to make him one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the next few years.”
VerdictToo vague to checkToo vague to check: we could not tell what would count as right, so it stays on the record without a score.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Brandon Carney · Trade and Signing Calls · Mike Evans · Miss 0
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Eisen ranked their top five most impressive Pro Bowl campaigns of the season, topped by Sam Darnold, and predicted that Sunday would be Aaron Rodgers' last game with the Jets.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Miss 0
Mangini picked New England to beat Green Bay by more than a field goal, flagged Tampa Bay as their upset alert over Chicago, expects Kansas City to handle the Jets, took Buffalo over Minnesota, backed Cincinnati over Atlanta in Madrid, and updated their Super Bowl to Rams–Bengals.Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Miss 0
Wright argued the Jaguars are the AFC's most complete team, calling them the considerable favorite for the No. 1 seed and the only club essentially locked into the playoffs. They also picked Tampa Bay to upset Chicago, had Kansas City sweeping its next three games, liked New England over Green Bay by about a field goal, and updated their Super Bowl matchup to Chiefs–49ers.Donte Johnson · Game Outcome Picks · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Miss 0
The former NFL safety picked the Buccaneers to upset the Bears in their Week 9 matchup, arguing Todd Bowles' defense would frustrate Caleb Williams.
More pro bowl and all-pro calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Danny Parkins · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Puka Nacua · Hit 100
Parkins insisted the Bears cannot lose at home to Green Bay, laid points with Buffalo, Philadelphia (in a blowout) and Houston, picked Justin Herbert and the Chargers to beat New England, and said Puka Nacua will be a first-team All-Pro.JP Acosta · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Trey McBride · Hit 100
JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named their own first-team All-Pro roster.Richard Sherman · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
The guest says Sam Darnold is playing at a first-team All-Pro level while leading an elite team.Shannon Sharpe · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Rico Dowdle · Miss 0
On a Bengals-Steelers matchup, Sharpe took the over on several player props: Ja'Marr Chase over 74.5 receiving yards, Joe Flacco over 36.5 pass attempts, and T.J. Watt over 3.5 tackles+assists, adding that Watt will get two sacks. They also predicted Rico Dowdle would make the Pro Bowl this season.Gregg Rosenthal · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Drake London · Miss 0
Rosenthal's ten picks in the best-wide-receivers draft (overall picks 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30), taking A.J. Brown third and trading to grab Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 18 while sliding DK Metcalf to 21. They also said Drake London could produce a first-team All-Pro season, sees Smith-Njigba as a true No. 1, and believes Daniel Jones will win the Colts' starting job.Brandon Carney · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Trent Williams · Miss 0
Carney made a full playoff bracket, picking the Bears, Niners, Rams, Patriots, Jaguars and Texans in the wild card round, then Seahawks and Rams in the NFC divisional, Broncos and Patriots in the AFC, with the Rams beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. They also gave award picks including Stafford for MVP and Vrabel for Coach of the Year.