The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are arguably the best team in the NFL at the moment. Anyone who says differently is either a hater or doesn’t watch football. I’ve come across a few articles in the past days but they are all the same – they harbor on stat-lines, who-did-what, and why this-caused-that. It’s all very calculated, very pre-meditated, very…artificial.
The truth is, there are no words to describe the way the Buccaneers are playing at the moment. Though there may not be words, there is an ideal that could describe it. Wu-Wei (pronounced Ooo-Way) is an ancient Chinese philosophy that focused on the art of effortlessness. That’s right, there is an entire school of thought dedicated to the art of “not trying”. Couch potatoes all across North America are rejoicing as they read this.
Although the basis of the philosophy is not to try, that doesn’t mean you should be passive in your nature and actions. When ancient philosopher Lao-Tzu spoke of “Wu’Wei”, he described it as a sort of flow that occurs when completing a task. Any athletes reading this will typically refer to this as “the zone”. This is when you are totally immersed in an activity that it completely takes you over – time stands still – and you become one with the action.
When I watch the Buccaneers play, I see those same characteristics come to life. Everything seems so easy for the Bucs when they’re out there, and best of all, nothing seems forced. Downfield bombs are thrown with ease, one-handed catches are made in the endzone, the defense is staggering the other team – all coming together for a perfect picture of Wu-Wei.
Next time you watch the Bucs, watch for how effortless the game comes to them. Even when they are being competed with quite evenly (the Cowboys game was a close call) the team never seems stressed or worried – they just know they are going to take care of business.
This style of play reminds me of the Golden State Warriors dynasty from the mid-2010s. That team was unstoppable, and when they were on the court they just “flowed”, nothing was forced, all of it came naturally to them. That is exactly how it is going for the Buccaneers right now.
The Buccaneers take on the Rams on Sunday, in what should be a spirited affair. The Rams have all-star QB Matt Stafford at the helm, which means he and Tom Brady may duke it out in the air. All in all, it should be a fun game to watch.