The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stumbled out of their Monday Night Football contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They proceeded to flat out faceplant their way out of Chicago to enter the bye looking like an 0-4 team Buccaneers Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey , not a 2-2 team.On Monday’s episode of the Locked on Bucs podcast my co-host James Yarcho asked me what I do to kind of get my mind off of how my favorite team has done these past two weeks. Well, one of the ways is this column right here. Not necessarily dedicated to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it doesn’t exclude them. I get my crack at three topics from anywhere in the football universe. This week, here are the three I chose.FALSE START: Patrick Mahomes II is the real deal.They said this. I am they.Ok, so it’s not like I thought Mahomes would be a bad quarterback, I just didn’t think he’d light the world on fire like he has.When he did, I kind of viewed him the same way I viewed Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hot start. Great for football, great for him, great for his team, temporary in every way.I assume at some point Mahomes will have a bad game. It happens. But if I learned anything from Monday night’s game featuring the Broncos and Chiefs, it was that I was wrong about Mahomes.Not only is he ready to lead this team for good, he’s even better than advertised.It’s not even so much the plays he made to get his team the win, it’s more how he did it. Completely poised. Never looked panicked. Certainly didn’t look like a young man starting just his fifth NFL game.Mahomes is 5-0 as a starter and 2-0 in Denver. Pretty impressive.He’ll come down to earth at some point, but not because he isn’t talented enough to have done what he’s done so far, but because even Tom Brady loses Super Bowls.Still, I’m going to enjoy watching this quarterback for what I hope is a long career.OFFSIDES: Earl Thomas pays for being a team guy.Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsLe’Veon Bell has been bashed by media. Bashed by fans. Bashed by teammates. He’s a bad guy.Earl Thomas came back. Was ready for Week 1, and has been on the field for the Seattle Seahawks for each of the opening kickoffs so far this season.Bell has made zero progress on his new contract. Thomas has gone backwards.With his broken leg there’s little to no chance an NFL franchise will pay the safety what he’s looking for in 2019’s free-agency period.But hey, at least he was a team guy.If you only care about the laundry, why are you upset the man wearing it left the way he did?The Legion of Boom is gone. Earl Thomas was the last remaining member and expected to somehow continue the legacy the “12s” expected. But, he should do so quietly. Well Cheap Lavonte David Jersey , he quietly had three interceptions in the first three games this season. Seattle is 2-2, and they’re about to find out why they needed Thomas around so badly.Richard Sherman is gone. Kam Chancellor is gone. The defense you once knew and loved, and allowed the offensive flaws to not take center stage, is gone.When Thomas returned in time for Week 1 - read that again - returned in time for Week 1, here’s what his Ken Norton Jr. had to say,Bobby Wagner said this,A generational player according to both teammate and coach. And he was the sixth highest paid safety in the NFL until Kam Chancellor retired at the age of 30. The same age Thomas will be next spring.If you don’t think that little occurrence had anything to do with this, you’re wrong. Earl Thomas has made more money right now than I likely will in my entire life. And he’s earned it. He earned even more, he just didn’t get it.One would think the Dallas Cowboys will likely get the first shot at signing Thomas in the off-season, so we’ll find out just how real Jerry’s love is for Earl.Bell is the bad guy, and it’s gotten him hate and no money with the potential to earn more next year.Thomas was the good guy who came back to a ghost of a team compared to the ones he starred on previously, and it’s earned him a broken leg, the ire of Seahawks ‘faithful’, and no shot at getting the money he should have gotten from Seattle or Dallas or whoever.But I’m sure someday the Seahawks will invite him back to put him in their Ring of Honor, or Nest of Greatness, or whatever. If it happens to coincide with when their ticket sales are low and they need to fill seats, that’ll just be a coincidence.Buccaneers at Saints: TV schedule, notes, and more Boradcast InfoTV: FOX (1:00 PM ET): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston Buccaneers Ali Marpet Jersey , Laura Okmin (Field reporter) SIRIUS: 113 (TB), 106 (NO) | XM: 386 (TB), 230 (NO)Bucs Notes鈥?QB RYAN FITZPATRICK passed for 1,103 yards & 7 TDs vs. 3 INTs for 86 rating last season. 鈥?RB PEYTON BARBER led team with career-high 423 rush yards last season. Had rush TD in last meeting. Rookie RB RONALD JONES was selected in 2nd round (38th overall) of 2018 NFL Draft. Rushed for 3,619 yards with 39 TDs & had 32 catches for 302 yards & 3 TDs in 3 seasons at USC. 鈥?WR MIKE EVANS had 1,001 rec. yards last season & joined HOFer RANDY MOSS & A.J. GREEN as only players in NFL history to have 4 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin career. WR DE SEAN JACKSON had 668 rec. yards & 3 TDs last season. Ranks 1st among active players (min. 200 receptions) with 17.3 yards per catch avg. TE O.J. HOWARD tied for 1st among rookie TEs with 6 TD catches & ranked 3rd with 432 rec. yards in 2017. TE CAMERON BRATE has 14 rec. TDs since 2016, 3rd-most among NFL TEs. 鈥?DT GERALD MC COY led team with 6 sacks last season. Since 2012, ranks 2nd among NFL DTs with 44.5 sacks. DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL makes TB debut. Had 8.5 sacks with NYG in 2017. LB LAVONTE DAVID tied for 2nd in NFL with 5 FFs & led team with 101 tackles in 2017. Since 2012, ranks 3rd in NFL with 764 tackles. CB BRENT GRIMES led team with 11 PD last season. Since 2013, leads NFL with 78 PD. S JUSTIN EVANS was 1 of 3 rookies with 60+ tackles (65) & 3+ INTs (3) last season.Saints Notes鈥?SAINTS won NFC South title for 1st time since 2011 last season. 鈥?QB DREW BREES has 70,445 career pass yards & joined PEYTON MANNING & HOFer BRETT FAVRE as only players in NFL history to reach 70,000 pass yards. Ranked 2nd in NFL in rating (103.9), 4th in pass yards (4,334) & set single-season NFL record with 72.0 comp. pct. last season. 鈥?RB ALVIN KAMARA led NFL rookies & ranked 2nd in league with 14 total TDs in 2017. Had 826 rec. yards & 728 rush yards last season & joined HOFer CHARLEY TAYLOR (1964) as only rookies in NFL history to have 700+ rush yards & 700+ rec. yards. 鈥?WR MICHAEL THOMAS ranked 3rd in NFL with 104 receptions last season & became 1st player in franchise history with 100+ catches in single season. Has 196 career receptions since entering NFL in 2016, most in NFL history by player in his 1st 2 seasons. TE BENJAMIN WATSON had 61 catches for 522 yards & 4 TDs in 2017 with Bal. Had 10 TD catches with NO from 2013-15. 鈥?DE CAMERON JORDAN tied for 4th in NFL with careerhigh 13 sacks in 2017. Since 2013, is 1 of 6 players with 50+ sacks (50.5). Has 4 sacks in his past 4 vs. TB. Rookie CB MARSHON LATTIMORE led all rookies with 5 INTs & tied for 1st among rookies with 18 PD in 2017. LB DEMARIO DAVIS makes NO debut. Ranked 6th in NFL with 135 tackles in 2017 with NYJ.Series HistoryLEADER: Saints lead all-time series, 32-20 STREAKS: Saints have won 2 of past 3 LAST GAME: 12/31/17: Saints 24 at Buccaneers 31 LAST GAME AT SITE: 11/5/17: Saints 30, Buccaneers 10