"None of us really know how this group of 53 guys is going to come together and how we're going to play this season."
Those were coach Dirk Koetter's words after the Bucs' preseason finale.
It wasn't the kind of declaration that whips a fan base into a frenzy, but it was honest.
A football season is roughly one part performance, one part chance and two parts survival. Teams will lose games. Teams will lose players. Sometimes, they'll lose both, as Tampa Bay did Sunday in a 31-17 loss in Minneapolis. Often, the teams that win are the teams that manage the losses the best.