The Den Of Depression
September 21st, 2016
Shameful home record.
With the Bucs now readying themselves for the season home-opener against the rotten Rams, it’s time for Joe to uncover some very ugly history of the Bucs.
Every once in a while Joe is asked why he calls the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway the “Den of Depression.”
It is simple: The way the Bucs have played at home in recent years makes fans run to the pharmacy for refills of Prozac.
The Bucs have not had a winning season at home in the post-Chucky era (heretofore known as “AC:” After Chucky). Closest was in 2010 — the last time the Bucs had a winning record (10-6) — when the Bucs were 4-4 at home.
Tampa Bay is 17-39 at home since that dark, late January Friday afternoon when Chucky was booted out the door of One Buc Palace for good, a brutal 30 percent winning percentage. That’s an absolute warm beer-in-the-face to diehard fans separating themselves from hundreds (thousands?) of dollars annually to support their team.
To compare against some other sorry NFL teams, Cleveland, which plays its home games in the stadium known as the “Factory of Sadness,” has a better record than the Bucs. In the same AC time frame, Cleveland is 22-35.
Tennessee and Oakland have the same 22-35 record in that time frame, which includes home games played this season. St. Louis (now Los Angeles) is 23-34 in the same AC era. So is Jacksonville. Once bungling Detroit is 28-29 during the AC years.
Not only does that give the Bucs the worst NFL home record AC, the Bucs are the lone team not to record five wins in a season since Chucky was jettisoned. The aforementioned teams all have at least one home winning record.
Den of Depression? Indeed!
Four of the last five years the Bucs have been 3-5 at home. In 2014, Lovie Smith’s first season, the Bucs were winless, a galling 0-8.
In Chucky’s last season guiding the pewter pirates, the Bucs were 6-2.
Just so we are scoring at home (pardon the pun), at the Den of Depression Raheem Morris was 8-16 (.333), Greg Schiano was 6-10 (.375) and Lovie was a kick-in-the-nuts 3-13 (.187), worst home record for any coach in Bucs history.
(Believe it or not, John McKay had a decent home record for a guy who started out 0-13 at home. He finished with a 30-39 home record, a .434 winning percentage. Richard Williamson was 4-6 at home, a .400 percentage).
Occassionally, Joe is jumped on by a reader for calling the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway the Den of Depression. Joe will stop this when the Bucs win (at least) five home games in a season.
What a putrid last seven seasons for the home crowd! Beyond shameful!
May Jameis bring the Bucs from the depths beginning Sunday.
September 21st, 2016 at 7:32 am
Probably shouldn’t have read this. Kinda bums me out.
September 21st, 2016 at 7:48 am
Joe, I appreciate the constant Bucs info. This is a great site and one of few that covers the Bucs 25/7 but you seem to be the most negative blogger of the Bucs On the internet. I come here everyday, several times a day to get the latest on my Bucs; but I leave with my head hanging and bummed out as a Bucs fan. Maybe that’s your job. Hey thanks anyways.
September 21st, 2016 at 7:56 am
Last:
Thanks for being so loyal. Trust Joe, he wishes he could be more sunny. Bucs don’t provide a whole lot to be chipper about.
September 21st, 2016 at 7:57 am
I hate my life
September 21st, 2016 at 7:59 am
Joe writes what Joe finds interesting. 😞
September 21st, 2016 at 8:06 am
I say it every year, but this is my last year as a season ticket holder.
September 21st, 2016 at 8:20 am
@Last Bucs Fan – I go back and forth in terms of feeling like there’s a slant to the local coverage of the team and wishing there were more positive and uplifting things to take in. The fact of the matter is that Joe did a pretty good job of being as geeked up as the rest of us about the possibilities that could be coming down the pike from this season. At the end of the day, if you’re covering a bad team that plays bad football then you’re going to be writing stories that make people feel bad. I don’t doubt that the Joes have the capacity to write the sort of stories that make us feel good about who we’re supporting and galvanize the community behind our team, but they’re not given the ammo to be able to write that and have it be credible. Not for the past few years anyway. Hopefully this year will prove to be us trending in a positive direction and the biggest topic we’re able to argue about was whether we won the super bowl or the other team lost it and whether Jameis is a first ballot hall of famer or if it’ll take a couple years, but we’re not there. Not even close.
September 21st, 2016 at 8:27 am
I think some of us forgot this was a 4-12 team last year after the Falcons victory. Joe is right to bring out the facts that say this team has a long way to go to prove to fans its real.
When I hear that GMC has cam crew following him (thanks for the info JBF), it makes me want to puke. His game day play has been OK but not great. I dont think making the Pro Bowl is an indicator of a great player. Great players change the game or make the other team change their game plan because they are so effective. Please let me know when GMC does that…then I will use the word GREAT with his name in a sentence. Sapp changed the game. I know for some of you this is hard to comprehend but it is reality.
September 21st, 2016 at 9:42 am
Donut
GMC does that…Sapp changed the game.
————–
Cue Hawaii, gmc’s personal attorney on JBF. He’ll be here momentarily to tell you how stupid you are.
September 21st, 2016 at 9:52 am
“Give it time.”
September 21st, 2016 at 10:22 am
I am not too worried about Hawaii after reading last nights commentary. He is a bit too emotionally invested for clear NFL thoughts.
I call it how I see it…I still see the 2015 McCoy…and I didnt see much on Sunday v AZ. He is a 6th year player that should be dominating the NFL….waiting time is over. Here is what 2016 PFF preview said about GMC said- how accurate and dead on…..
Talent-wise, few interior defensive lineman shape up in comparison to McCoy. In the past four seasons, he has recorded 33 sacks, 43 hits, and 143 hurries—the record speaks for itself. Still, the 41 combined pressures he managed last season was a significant drop-off from the three years prior. His pass-rushing productivity fell from 9.4 to 7.6. McCoy also lacked discipline against the run, allowing himself to be widened at the point of attack frequently. A run-defense grade of 42.4 is pitiful for a player of McCoy’s caliber. Chances of a bounce-back season are high, but a quiet preseason hasn’t alleviated legitimate concerns.
September 21st, 2016 at 11:17 am
I read this post and wonder who is the idiot who asked and actually NEEDED an explanation? Someone who’s blind AND deaf?
September 21st, 2016 at 11:51 am
Pieces like this is why I come here. Joe see’s the good and the bad you know like a real person.
September 21st, 2016 at 12:00 pm
HOME teams wear HOME UNIFORMS.. Im so tired of us wearing these all white uniforms @ home, makes me wanna earl.
not only do we get destroyed, we look like the away team..smh ..therefore den of depression, when we should be the red sea making teams bleed
September 21st, 2016 at 12:23 pm
@dcbucsfan – It’s not the uniforms that are making our team bad.
September 21st, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Facts are hard to digest. Joe, I hope you had a shot of good whisky to help after writing this piece. I am sticking to my 9-7 and just miss play offs. too many fragile players in key roles on this roster. fanboys can cry all they want but martin, gmc, akeem spence, mcdonald, conte, vjax, stocker, shorts are ALWAYS hurt in some way or other and excuses are either made or creative math is twisted to somehow justify more losing and little production. gmc needs to ditch the film crew and get in the training room. once the film crew gets all the on filed shots needed I am sure he will end up on IR so he can concentrate on whatever his true passion is. he fooled me week one
September 21st, 2016 at 12:59 pm
Joe, what was missed in my comment is that you guys do a great job covering my beloved Bucs!!! Thanks for all you do.
September 21st, 2016 at 3:01 pm
I totally want to go to a home game… but the home record for the past 10 years has been so dismal that its just not a smart investment of time and money
🙁
I miss the good ol’ days.
September 21st, 2016 at 3:16 pm
If peeps knew my life they’d say : Yep you belong a Bucs fan.
September 21st, 2016 at 8:32 pm
Season after season of the losing renders me nearly numb to that losing. One would think after all this losing that the Bucs should and would be better by now. Think again.
September 21st, 2016 at 8:52 pm
I feel for every season ticket holder out there. But anyone who lobbied for, or supported the firing of Gruden is getting exactly what they deserved. This begins with Team Glazer and their so-called survey of “fans”. Since when did this town get so high and mighty to say that 9-7 seasons weren’t good enough? Was he perfect? No. But look at those rosters in 2007-2008. Where did 9-7 come from that lineup?
September 21st, 2016 at 9:46 pm
@Buccfan37
I had the exact same feeling watching the Cardinals game. Slightly miffed,but that was all. Just sort of expected it to happen.
This week I’m convinced they’ll lose to the Rams. Not because of their history though. But because the Rams defense makes the Cards defense look tame in comparison. They’ll be inside Winston’s helmet most of the game, and not give him time to throw. Without that, this offense is screwed. Rams will win 15-10.
September 21st, 2016 at 10:10 pm
No need to be bummed out guys. Just think of what it was like for us old heads who went thru those 1st inaugural seasons with our Bucs..sitting there in the stands with out beer just hoping for a win! I sat thu one of those 0-16 seasons with my dad. He just sit there in the stands and..got drunk.
This upcoming Game against the Rams guys, is going to show us what kind of heart this so called New team has. If you have not seen LA’s Defense? You will see it come Sunday. They are tough and hit very hard. I do dear if..we lose this game, its a signal for our season. But I..yes I..have us pulling this one out. Our Bucs dig deep and do it. There are quite a few teams better than us. And some we are on par with. Our Offense is better than LA’s. All we need to do is score between 17 and 20 pts to win. Jameis will play better this week, Now Denver….is another story. We still can reach 8-8.
September 21st, 2016 at 10:26 pm
Wow Joe, looking at your numbers i didnt realize how lucky i was when i planned a trip to Tampa in 2007 when the Bucs beat the Lams 24-3. I havent been back since so maybe im the reason??? Lol
LETS BO BUCS!!!!!!