Ten Signs Bucs Are Legit
November 2nd, 2010
As you will hear (and see) in a video Joe has scheduled for this afternoon, Derek “Old School” Fournier is outraged people don’t respect the Bucs because the Bucs got absolutely chainwhipped by the two good teams they have played thus far, both at home.
Now Joe’s not the kind of guy who gives two whips what anyone thinks of the Bucs. But for those who cannot sleep at night without knowing what some slob in Connecticut who works for some Stalinist four-letter organization run by an Orlando mouse thinks of the Bucs, Joe quotes Peter King who said this morning, while he co-hosted “The Opening Drive” with Bob Papa, heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, “Bucs fans ask what the team can do to gain respect. It’s very simple: Beat a good team.”
Well, Jenna Laine of NFL.com doesn’t need to hear anyone’s feedback on the Bucs. She has a list this morning of 10 signs the Bucs are legit.
Joe’s not going to spoil the list for you so you’ll have to click the link. But one sign Laine cites piqued Joe’s interest.
4) Buccaneers ticket hotline answering machine has messages.
Joe has two thoughts for those who sit in their office chairs and visibly shake while biting their wrists because of what others write and speak of the Bucs:
1) A Falcons fan called Peter King this morning and undressed the Sports Illustrated writer for not giving the Falcons any respect and for constantly slurping the Bucs.
2) Joe wonders if the same Bucs fans who pound their fists on the kitchen table because honest pundits point out the Bucs have been alley-beaten by the two good teams on the schedule — at home no less — also fight the good fight for Boise State being in the BCS championship game despite playing a low-rent schedule?
November 2nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Just took a look at the Falcons Schedule for this year. With the exception of the Eagles, they have played the same teams we have. They lost to the Eagles and Steelers, and beat Saints (by a field goal), and we are both 5-2. This is really going to be a good game this Sunday. I think with our youth we are increasing in efficiency, and most of the kids arent intimidated anymore when they look across the line.
Coach is brilliant when he played that “best Team” stuff. His locker room speeches are highlights on NFL Network and ESPN, and our Rookie RB is now a candidate for Rookie of the Week and GMC Moment of the week. (BTW, everyone needs to vote for the Man Beast Blount now)
http://www.nfl.com/
Man, I love this team.
November 2nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
How can you say the Bucs are ‘legit’?
I mean come on man!
If their wins were on bozo plays or if Arizona and the Rams had self-destructed like Cincy did then maybe….
Right now the Bucs are showing improvement in their offense.
The DEFENSE, however, needs to stiffen its resolve and stop letting teams run all over them
November 2nd, 2010 at 1:28 pm
I’ve no doubt that Joe knows deep down that carping on the quality of the Bucs wins is baseless. The best way to bring strength of schedule into the picture is to use a system similar to the Elo rankings used in chess. This essentially gives quality points for wins by looking at the relative rankings of the teams playing. It’s pretty complex, but fortunately we don’t have to do it for ourselves – Jeff Sagarin does it for us. On Sagarin’s Elo system the Bucs are currently ranked 7th in the NFL and 2nd in the NFC (behind Atlanta).
Sagarin also uses a points differential system which ranks the Bucs 28th – the result of 2 heavy losses and 5 narrow wins. I’ve always preferred Elo type systems, but I’m sure your mileage may vary. No matter, just looking at the wins and losses (without bringing the points differential into it) it’s hard to argue that the Bucs don’t deserve a lot of respect.
(If you’re saying “how can this be?” an example might help. We lost to the Saints who also beat Pittsburgh, but we beat two teams that have beaten the Saints. So – beating Pittsbugh raises the Saints ranking, which makes beating the Saints more valuable to the Browns and the Cardinals. Which, in turn, makes our victories over the Browns and Cardinals more valuable. And so on over the entire schedule for each team.)
November 2nd, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Actually I liked #2 on his list better:
2) “Raheem Morris,” the most popular write-in for tomorrow’s Florida governor election
That HAS to elicit a chuckle or two
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I see Tampa getting better, every week! Even if we don’t beat Atlanta at home ( I hope we do), I can see we are well on our way.
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:55 pm
First: Boise state’s been good for a few years already. Don’t blame them because they can’t get any major team to play them. Of course, all this controversy’s because of the crappy BCS, which is worthy of a boycott. A playoff system would fix all of this and make the college football post-season as exciting as March Madness.
Second: The Bucs have been playing a lot better than just about anyone expected. That’s good enough for now. They’re a young team with a bright future. Maybe they’ll earn respect, maybe they wont. Freeman is. So is The Dream. Time will tell if this trend continues. Just remember that it’s the gun you believe unloaded which bangs loudest.
November 2nd, 2010 at 3:09 pm
No one ever predicted 5-2 at this point in the season. So, to hear some guys saying that there is no way we are making the playoffs or winning the Super Bowl says how much this team has improved and how good Rah was in changing the conversation. Lets just sit back and watch some good football, and watch a good young team mature into a great team.
The question remains, is Coach Raheem Morris the right coach to take them to the next level. He is maturing as well….lets see.
November 2nd, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Not that this is going to happen, but we were not destroying teams in our Super Bowl run…not until the playoffs that is. It is silly to say beating any NFL team on the road is not legitimate…regardless of the score.
November 2nd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Also, what makes a team a “good” team? NO has beaten one “good” team. They have been beaten by a couple of “bad” teams, and they have been in close games with “bad” teams. Maybe NO is having one big SB hangover. Atlanta is playing the same schedule as well. If you guys are waiting for them to beat New England or the Giants, you might as well stop watching and come back when they are on the schedule. None of the teams on the schedule look like world beaters this year. I think Atlanta is the best team we are going to face for the rest of the season, and the verdict is still out on them as well…using this “good / bad” team scale.
November 2nd, 2010 at 3:43 pm
This one was great:
6) Most popular Halloween costume for 2011: The “Angry Worker,” with Bucs jersey, headband that reads “Stats are for Losers” (think Jim McMahon’s anti-Rozelle campaign). Complete with dagger in one hand and a copy of Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking in the other.
November 2nd, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Brian Price placed on IR the rest of the year……….
That sucks, slows the devlopment of the DTs
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:57 pm
This one got my attention, It’s obvious who she is referring to but we just all have to wonder:
1) The Neighborhood Association received a complaint this morning that a certain Bucs-loving writer at my address denied a trick-or-treater Halloween candy after the child asked, “What was the score of the Patriots game?”