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Thomas Bassinger - Newsletters Editor
Thomas Bassinger

Newsletters Editor

I am the sports data reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, and here are some of the things I believe: • Tecmo Super Bowl is the greatest sports video game of all time. • The eye test is bogus. It’s just a way to make your opinion sound more credible. • Football teams should almost always go for it on fourth and 1 and fourth and 2.

  1. The eye-opening lesson the Bucs should learn from the Titans’ surprising playoff run
    Jan. 13• Bucs
    Titans running back Derrick Henry is the first player to gain 377 rushing yards in his team’s first two playoff games.
    “If only we had Derrick Henry” would be the wrong conclusion.
  2. The XFL experiment: How do you build a team that Tampa Bay wants to watch?
    Jan. 13• Bucs
    Running back Jacques Patrick is one of 30 Tampa Bay Vipers players who had ties to Florida before they joined the team. He played college football at Florida State for four seasons.
    A look at the Vipers’ plan to connect with the community and maintain fan interest.
  3. Carson Palmer predicted a 'massive’ 2020 for Jameis Winston. Should we trust him?
    Jan. 10• Bucs
    Carson Palmer and Jameis Winston played against each other twice, once in 2016 (a 40-7 Cardinals win) and once in 2017 (a 38-33 Cardinals win during which Winston suffered a shoulder injury).
    Hint: He made a similar claim last year. It didn’t come true.
  4. The XFL has announced rules that the NFL will someday steal
    Jan. 7• Bucs
    The XFL begins its 10-week regular season Feb. 8, one week after the NFL's Super Bowl.
    Hello, nine-point touchdowns and overtime shootouts. Goodbye, kneel downs and ties.
  5. Madden NFL 20 warned us about the Buccaneers
    Jan. 6• Bucs
    Madden's forecasts are pretty spot-on. Its portrayals of NFL coaches? Not so much. Is that Bruce Arians or Benjamin Button?
    The video game has accurately predicted Tampa Bay’s record for five straight seasons.
  6. The Buccaneers’ 2020 salary cap situation isn’t what it seems
    Jan. 4• Bucs
    Linebacker Shaquil Barrett is one of 25 Bucs players who are set to become unrestricted free agents in March. Re-signing him is one of Tampa Bay's top offseason priorities.
    Tampa Bay will enter the offseason with about $90 million in cap space, the third-largest amount. It’s going to dry up quickly.
  7. Jameis Winston: What will the Bucs do? Here are their options.
    Dec. 31, 2019• Bucs
    No matter where he is playing next season, Jameis Winston is likely to see his salary increase to about $25 million.
    Franchise tag? Transition tag? Freeze tag? Short-term contract? No contract? We break down every realistic possibility.
  8. Bucs-Falcons: There’s no denying it. We know who Jameis Winston is.
    Dec. 30, 2019• Bucs
    Jameis Winston threw a team record 33 touchdown passes this season, but he also threw an NFL record seven pick-sixes.
    Among the things we learned this season: Tampa Bay has a defense, but it still doesn’t have a kicker.
  9. He was a high school football coach. Then the XFL called.
    Dec. 19, 2019• Bucs
    Linebacker Lucas Wacha, now with the XFL's Tampa Bay Vipers, played for Wyoming from 2013 through 2016, for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys during summer of 2017 and for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2018.
    Earlier this year, Lucas Wacha began to wonder whether his playing career was over. Thanks to the XFL, it’s not.
  10. Bucs-Lions AfterMath: Are we overreacting to Tampa Bay’s win streak?
    Dec. 17, 2019• Bucs
    Bucs safety Andrew Adams returns an interception Sunday against the Lions. Over the past month, Tampa Bay has recorded the third-most takeaways (10) in the NFL.
    Jameis Winston is playing out of his mind, and the Bucs have won three of their past four games by double digits. Is this real or too good to be true?