“They Can’t Win Four Or Five Games This Year”
August 5th, 2010
"Stroud, I thought we were BFFs."
Taking a break from breaking new ground on Twitter, Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, of the St. Pete Times, spoke his mind today on what will constitute a successful season for the Bucs.
Speaking to The Fabulous Sports Babe on 1040 AM this afternoon, Stroud issued a stern warning to Bucs fans about blacked out home games and proclaimed that six wins is the minimum acceptable performance for 2010.
“You gotta win. And I don’t care. You know I hear about youth movements and I hear about building through the draft and every team wants to do it. But at the end of the day, Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik are 3-13. And that’s their record. And that’s the one that will be attached mostly to the head coach. But you gotta win. And you’ve gotta win now,” Stroud said. “You can’t wait and say, ‘well, you know the third year is really,’ uh, uh.
“I mean, you know, there’s not going to be sellouts this year, Babe. You’re going to have to read the newspaper, which will be good for us, or you’re going to have to go someplace 75 miles away to watch some home games. And that’s not a good thing, and owners know that. And there’s a lot of uncertainty about next year. But I don’t think youth is an excuse for losing in the NFL anymore. And these guys gotta grow up quick. And, you know, they have a chance early in the season to make some hey and get off to a decent start. And they almost have to.
“…The pressure to get the first win is immense for this team. And they need to do it against the Cleveland Browns and get off to a good start. Because then you can breathe a little bit and not be so stressed about when is that first win going to come. And that’s what they need to do. And I think if they do that they have a chance to stay in it for a while. That’s what the league is built to do. And we’ll see. But, I mean look, they can’t win four or five games this year. That’s just not going to cut it.”
Stroud’s the same guy who told Bucs fans that this year’s team is a “House of Cards.” And now he’s drawn a line in the sand on evaluating the Bucs’ performance.
Joe wonders whether Stroud will stick with this attitude, or just conveniently delete his Tweets change his tune if the Bucs season heads south.
August 5th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Stroud is such a HATER!!! 😉
August 5th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
They have done an amazing job of creating a disaster big enough where six wins now looks good.
August 5th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
He didn’t actually predict that they would win 6. He said that they’d be in trouble if they only won 4 or 5.
I personally like Raheem and will be pissed if we only win 6.
8-8 looks about right to me.
Anyway, I’m a homer, so I am probably a sheep, right?
August 5th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
No way Safety your not sheep. Some people in this town have never heard of a team rebuilding. Blowing out the roster and starting over was the best move they could have made. We will be good again in a few years and the good thing about it is we should be good a for a few years in a row. not this 9-7, 7-9 crap which doesnt win you squat. I want 10-12 wins for a few seasons in a row with a window to win a championship. Running the team the old way would have never produced another SB, Which is why you play the game right?
August 5th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
If you’re driving 75 miles away to watch a home game at some bar, you’re a moron. By the time you figure up the gas, food, beer, and time spent driving….you coulda just bought a ticket and went to the damn game!
August 5th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Personally, I liked winning the Division!
August 5th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Eric you must also be an Atlanta Braves fan.
August 5th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Its all about winning Championships. Who gives a $hit about how many divisions you win. This isnt baseball
August 5th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Lol Ash. I agree, I was tired of being mediocore year in and year out and not having any chance of winning the superbowl. In the end, thats all that matters. Ill give Raheem this year to turn the ship around. 6 wins is the lowest acceptable amount of wins. If he doesnt get us to at least there, ditch him(Dom looks like a keeper though) and bring in someone else. Just not Cowher. Hes an overrated coach and no coach has won the superbowl with two different teams.
August 5th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I think Tampa is going to surprise many people this year. The new guard we just signed, and a capable passing game is going to open up huge holes for Cadillac. He will have a break out year. We were not an awful team the last games of they year, and we just got a whole lot better.
August 5th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I agree with Stroud. He makes some good points. Stroud has a laid back kinda style and not all in your face like some of the beat guys. He nailed the Freeman pick last year, early on and he stays middle of the road. Holder & Stroud are my number 2 & 3 guys.
Joe, you know who is number 1 & 1.5. I’m brown nosing hard over here.
August 5th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
BigMacAttack:
Joe enjoys being brown-nosed, preferably by a buxom Bucs cheerbabe.
Thanks for the kind words.
August 5th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
This is about winning a championship! (like Gruden did)
But 6 wins this year is just fine!
Awesome!
August 5th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
No, 6 wins is not the end of the world. We’re all hoping for and maybe even expecting more. Playoffs would be nice. It’s better than thinking 6 is not enough but predicting 0-3 wins.
August 6th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Eric did you come at birth with the ability to walk? Something truly special (ie late 90’s to early 2000 bucs) takes time to build. Try enjoying the journey of building a team from nothing. The payoff will be unbeliveable a la 2002.
August 6th, 2010 at 12:52 am
@ the d. Yes we gotta see improvement this year. 6 wins is my floor. Raheem was a chicken with his cut off last year. Which me and friends were expecting. Not sure how some expected more with someone with zero experience. The team didn’t quit and we played better at the end then the begining. That’s a year 2 pass from me. Sorry for mistakes coming my phone while at a bar