# Ralph Vacchiano: 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. He also sees rookie edge rushers David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. becoming Pro Bowlers, with Bailey among the NFL's best pass rushers.

**Claimed:** Aug 12, 2026
**Pundit:** Ralph Vacchiano — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/ralph-vacchiano
**Outlet:** Fox Sports — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fox-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/jets-get-harsh-reminder-biggest-problem-joint-practice-buccaneers

7 checkable claims — 2 pro bowl and all-pro calls, 2 season win totals, 1 depth chart call, 1 division winner and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 2.

> The Bucs could easily be a nine-win team, and in the NFC South that might be more than enough.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish with 9 wins**
  - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **David Bailey to finish top ? at his position, by sacks**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: David Bailey, New York Jets
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Emeka Egbuka to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division**
  - Kind: Division Winners · About: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **David Bailey to make Pro Bowl**
  - Kind: Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · About: David Bailey, New York Jets
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Rueben Bain to make Pro Bowl**
  - Kind: Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · About: Rueben Bain, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **New York Jets to finish with 6 wins**
  - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: New York Jets
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers
- David Bailey — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/david-bailey
- New York Jets — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/jets
- Emeka Egbuka — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/emeka-egbuka
- Rueben Bain — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/rueben-bain

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Brockman on Baker Mayfield: Brockman's season-preview overreactions: Fernando Mendoza becomes an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist; Dak Prescott wins MVP and the Cowboys win the Super Bowl; Jesse Minter's Ravens win the AFC North; C.J. Stroud leads Houston to the AFC's No. 1 seed; Jonathan Taylor approaches 2,000 rushing yards; Baker Mayfield wins the NFC South, goes 12-5 and reaches the NFC title game while landing a $60 million-per-year deal; and Aaron Rodgers throws 35-plus touchdowns as the Steelers go 11-6 and win the North. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d508736e-a824-4fa0-854c-df4ebdd9ef02 (scored 100)
- Jon Gruden on Baker Mayfield: The former Buccaneers head coach predicted that Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield are closer on a new contract than believed and that an extension will get done. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/10bb8ff2-886c-488e-b693-fb4ea9dd5880 (scored 100)
- Joel Corry on Baker Mayfield: The unsigned CBS Sports analysis lays out the contract it believes Tampa Bay will have to give Mayfield at minimum: a two-year extension averaging $50 million per year with $110 million in guarantees and a no-trade clause. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a840ff4-f1e5-48ca-bec6-ba41e9ef2396 (scored 100)
- Danny Parkins on Trey Hendrickson: Parkins predicts Fernando Mendoza goes No. 1 overall to the Raiders, Trey Hendrickson signs in Tampa, Michael Penix Jr. wins Atlanta's QB competition, Jared Wilson takes over at center in New England, Mike Evans reaches 1,000 yards, and the Bears lose Byard and Brisker. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ca8ddcc3-733b-4a44-92b9-b90577e59c9c (scored 0)
- Judah Fortgang on Tampa Bay Buccaneers: PFF's divisional-round same-game parlay picks: Tampa Bay beats Cincinnati with Cade Otton exploiting the Bengals' linebackers, Las Vegas beats Miami behind Kirk Cousins attacking a depleted Dolphins secondary, and Houston beats Buffalo with C.J. Stroud throwing effectively and Jaylin Noel benefiting from the slot matchup. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/3c975cce-7d78-48c7-95ad-f5d06adbf4a8 (scored 0)
- Judah Fortgang on New York Jets: An unsigned PFF top-down betting breakdown argues the Jets will beat the Titans in Week 1, reasoning that Geno Smith should face little disruption against Tennessee's weak pass rush while Cam Ward will struggle against New York's heavy man coverage. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/980701ec-65d4-4c99-8aa3-c1dc27da170b (scored 100)

## More pro bowl and all-pro calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Pat Gustavson on Charles Cross: Gustafson picked the Bears, Eagles, Rams, Patriots, Jaguars and Texans in the wild card round, the Rams and Bears in the NFC, the Broncos and Patriots in the AFC, and the Patriots to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. His awards slate included Stafford for MVP, Puka for OPOY and Liam Cohen for Coach of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/671b9c4f-1f25-4f11-ad26-16a1126ea3b8 (scored 0)
- Brandon Carney on Trent Williams: 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. He also gave award picks including Stafford for MVP and Vrabel for Coach of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/88101820-7344-4240-93f1-caa15fe95de9 (scored 0)
- Peter Bukowski on Zach Thomas: Bukowski breaks down combine performances and predicts Caleb Banks will be the first defensive tackle drafted, that Kyle Lewis will rise into second-round range, that Lee Hunter's poor testing will keep the Packers away, and that the Packers will not draft a tight end in the top 100. He also predicts the Packers will cut Elton Jenkins and expects Kingsley Enagbare to leave while Rashan Gary returns. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9156576d-e149-4fd9-8dcc-aa727761e497 (scored 0)
- Jeff "Coach Jags" Jagodzinski on Tucker Kraft: The former Packers tight ends coach said Tucker Craft is a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end, and separately endorsed Christian Watson as a true No. 1 receiver for Green Bay. He also ranked the tight ends he has coached all-time. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/21466ae4-1034-4fb8-a341-3653f9f2127f (scored 0)
- JP Acosta on Devon Witherspoon: 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 his own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 0)
- Danny Parkins on Puka Nacua: 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ee4c83a3-1d08-4959-a075-95654fb1b7e9 (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/methodology

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us:
https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=ralph-vacchiano