WEEK FIFTEEN CRYSTAL BALL - THURSDAY: A Family Affair
Published continually since 1994
My friends, THE GURU is back on his sacred Thursday night couch, remote in one hand and Funyuns in the other, as Tampa Bay and Atlanta renew a rivalry that runs straight through the McKay family tree.
But folks, this isn’t just Bucs vs. Falcons. It’s a remembrance of a father’s expansion dream in Florida intersecting with a son’s boardroom blueprint in Georgia, with another son catching passes in between.
After a legendary run as USC’s head coach, John McKay took over an expansion Bucs outfit that started 0–26 yet somehow had them in the NFC title game in his fourth season, turning a creamsicle punchline into a legit contender. For his first three years in Tampa, he even coached his own son, J.K. McKay, a starting wideout who starred for his dad with the Trojans.
Along the way, the elder McKay uttered some of the great one-liners ever dispensed by a head coach.
“If a contest had 97 prizes, the 98th would be a trip to Green Bay.”
“We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by not blocking.”
And my personal favorite, when asked what he thought of Tampa’s execution:
“I’m in favor of it.”
John was certainly in favor of his son Rich’s career path. The youngster started as a Bucs ball boy and then returned as a front‑office exec, eventually becoming general manager and helping build the Tony Dungy–era powerhouse that laid the foundation for Tampa Bay’s first Super Bowl title. When he moved on to Atlanta in 2004 and rose to president/CEO, he became the architect of multiple Falcons’ playoff runs, an NFC crown, and the franchise’s modern stadium era.
Unfortunately, under Rich’s leadership, the franchise has lived with quarterback turmoil over the past two seasons with Kirk Cousins signing a monster deal before being pushed aside for top draft pick Michael Penix, now out with his third ACL injury.
Cousins, of course, is the ultimate afterthought turned never-say-die business and QB legend: a fourth‑round pick who outdueled RGIII, played the franchise‑tag game, and stacked fully guaranteed megadeals in Minnesota and Atlanta. Indeed, Cousins Inc. is every bit the stock that Nvidia is.
Still, while collecting all that cabbage, Kirk has played well enough to climb into the NFL’s top 20 all‑time in passing yards and, with 291 career touchdown passes, is near the exclusive 300‑TD neighborhood. That’s pretty darn good.
On the other sideline tonight is Baker Mayfield, once the golden‑boy No. 1 overall pick in Cleveland, then nearly bounced from the league after quick stops with the Panthers and Rams. Mercifully, Tampa brought him in on a modest prove‑it deal and the Oklahoma alum revived his career with a 4,000‑plus‑yard, 28‑TD season in 2023 and an even bigger 4,500‑yard, 40‑plus‑TD eruption in 2024. Now, the bridge guy and part-time insurance salesman is a franchise QB once again.
As for tonight, Mayfield’s Bucs limp in like a man with gout at 7–6 (3-3 home) but will get a much-needed jolt with Mike Evans activated from injured reserve, a huge ugrade for the Tampa offense.
On the flip side, visiting Atlanta, at 4–9 (2-5 away), is without top wideout Drake London and managing numerous defensive injuries, including limitations for corner A.J. Terrell and other starters. That leaves Cousins spreading the ball to understudies while a thinned‑out defense tries to corral a Tampa attack that will push the ball vertically all night long.
The all‑time series is deadlocked (32–32) but Tampa has the clear upper hand against an Atlanta team that is playing with less confidence than a shirtless TOMMY BIRD. Call it Bucs, 27-20.
A final note from yours truly: the Week Fourteen record was 8-5 (.615), moving the season mark to a so-so 110-85 (.564). A tough year for the big fella.
Enjoy the game and God bless!