Pressure Is On Mike Sullivan
April 27th, 2012
Joe appreciates that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan helped Eli Manning in New York and was a solid wide receivers coach there. However, the guy has never called plays in the NFL and that scares the hell out of Joe.
Perhaps Joe is still in shock by what Greg Olson delivered last year. (How Olson found NFL employment so fast Joe will never understand).
Anyway, in Joe’s mind the Bucs now have a complete offense ready to play at a playoff level in 2012.
There’s big time talent at quarterback and in the backfield. Joe’s a Luke Stocker fan and Kellen Winslow still has a year left in his knees. The offensive line should be tremendous. And the Bucs now have a true vertical threat making eight figures a year, plus Mike Williams in the right role and more talent in Arrelious Benn and Preston Parker.
It’s a complete win-now offense. It’s not the best offense in the NFL, but the Bucs have what it takes to be a top-10 offense, especially if they add a veteran versatile back to backup Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount.
So that puts a ton of pressure squarely on Sullivan. The guy has no wiggle room to feel his way into calling plays and running an offensive staff. Sorry, but Joe’s cutting Sullivan no slack, not with this kind of talent. Hopefully he’s up to the challenge.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:12 am
Pressure is on Freeman too. Now that he is completely surrounded by weapons, he is going to need to rack up some points, like I know he can.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:17 am
None of it is going to matter if we are down by 2 touchdowns by the end of the 1st quarter.
The offense looks great on paper. The defense looks mostly like it did last season. Terrible.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Agree Joe, not really a weak link on offense, though the TE’s as a group need to step up and deliver on the potential that’s in the room.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:20 am
Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, throw downfield.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:22 am
Our defense improved a bunch when we fired Raheem. But I agree, it still is far from pretty.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:23 am
Agreed, Greg Olson could score a touchdown in the first quarter with this offense. (Maybe). But this season will ride or die with Freeman. Our season goes how he goes. I believe he can be great but I need to see it.
I also love the the Barron and Martin picks! Go Bucs!!
April 27th, 2012 at 12:33 am
How bad was espn keeping up with the pace of the first round!!!
April 27th, 2012 at 12:35 am
Joe you are starting to seem really negative at this time where there are plenty of reasons to be positive. Maybe it’s just late and we are all tired of reading about Mo and TR. Glad we got the only Safety in this draft and we snaked NYG on Martin while picking up a 4th not too bad if you ask me
April 27th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Tthis team now has the abilty to do really well on offense which should only help the defense and keep them off the field a lot more during the course of each game and for the whole season. I could see this being a top 7-12 offense. The more inportant stat though is points scored.
April 27th, 2012 at 12:43 am
Joe here,
@Just Sayin’ — In this post, Joe wrote that the Bucs have a complete, playoff-caliber offense now and have filled all their offensive holes, sans a veteran backup running back. That’s “really” negative? In the Doug Martin post before this Joe praises the pick and the move to get it. Perhaps it’s you who is negative? Just sayin’
April 27th, 2012 at 12:46 am
Remember when we drafted Warrick Dunn and John Lynch ?
I do.
I also remember people lamenting us taking John Lynch, until he started knocking the snot out of people.
Barron is a hard hitting safety, and Doug Martin is a complete running back and blocker.
It looks like Tampa got it’s new John Lynch and Warrick Dunn this evening.
April 27th, 2012 at 1:07 am
What time does the Draft start tomorrow?
April 27th, 2012 at 1:10 am
Draft Update: Charley Casserly and Curt Warner both agree Buc’s helped themselves the most so far in the draft…
April 27th, 2012 at 1:13 am
Draft continues Saturday.
I love that our new RB will actually be wearing red. A true Red Barron.
April 27th, 2012 at 1:18 am
What are you talking about Pete? The draft is on tomorrow buddy, rounds 2-3. It’s on 1 PM Hawaii Time (7pm for you guys, lol).
April 27th, 2012 at 1:20 am
I’d like to see us get a starting-caliber true fullback (I’d hate to see the scrambling we might have to do if (God forbid) Erik Lorig gets hurt.)
And, given the choices I’ve seen in Round One, does Schiano maybe think our current LBs were the victims of bad coaching or poor scheming? We all know Foster is solid, but maybe Black and Hayward/Watson have more than we’ve seen? I’m eager to see what Dominik’s decisions tomorrow and Saturday might reveal about our LB corps that maybe we don’t know.
April 27th, 2012 at 1:32 am
Hard to imagine that they wouldn’t draft a LB tomorrow. Gonna come down to the best value between CB/LB in round 3, though I wouldn’t rule out another trade into the mid-late 2nd round if they see a guy dropping that they really like… Maybe they can package Winslow in a trade-up.
April 27th, 2012 at 1:36 am
rest easy knowing sullivan cant in any way shape or form be as bad as olson was. no more benn endarounds to keep us awake at night
April 27th, 2012 at 1:40 am
Greg Olson was a nice guy I understand. No wonder he had such an affinity for finishing last.
April 27th, 2012 at 2:13 am
“They say it’s an IQ test,” Griffin added. “I came to the Combine for football. I looked at the test, and wasn’t any questions about football. I didn’t see no point in the test. I’m not in school anymore. I didn’t complete it. I only finished 15 or 18 questions.” ——- Morris Claiborne
I sure am upset we didn’t spend millions of dollars to bring this guy to Tampa. I mean, with an attitude like that, I wonder what he would say if we asked him to do something outside of his position? Unbelievable. He belongs in Dallass.
April 27th, 2012 at 2:16 am
Maybe he should at least figure out that the number 16 comes after 15. Who says “I answered 15 OR 18”?
April 27th, 2012 at 4:21 am
@Hawaiian Buc
Dez Bryant talked like that too. LMAO.
April 27th, 2012 at 4:45 am
Hopefully we can pick up 1 or 4 more good players in the draft. I think by week 2 or 5, we will be starting to gel as a team. I think we are going to win 7 or 10 games this year. This apparently is math at LSU.
April 27th, 2012 at 6:36 am
Grade “A” Draft so far
You get two first rounders, that not only are good players but fit needs.
While I did not think that Barron was the BPA, he is still a good player that will be an immediate impact.
Doug Martin will be a big impact on offense as well.
But I think that there is more pressure on Freeman to succeed than Sullivan.
I think that the comparisons are fair to the Giants and i like the Buc offense BETTER on paper.
The only unproven entity is #5
Just like Eli had to do a few years ago.
Now it is Josh’s turn,
Not just Sullivan’s
April 27th, 2012 at 6:59 am
Agree our offense looks good.
Pressure is on five in 4th year. Gotta see the franchise guy.
That comment by Mo is diva like.
Perhaps there was method to the madness but safety that high is dubious at best IMO.
April 27th, 2012 at 7:29 am
Glad we passed on MoCla, not a great tackler.
Barron is a thumper, and Martin is a baller.
Love how we got Martin as late as possible.
April 27th, 2012 at 7:34 am
The way i look at it is Barron actually can affect the other teams running game. claiborne can not. We have been gashed by the run for years,hopefully barron helps this. Now lets get lavonte david
April 27th, 2012 at 8:56 am
I am becoming more comfortable with the way things are going…. The way it is looking now, If Freeman blows it (I am NOT sold on him.. Like that NFL analyst saying he thought Tannihill was better than Freeman) well at least the next guy coming in will have a decent team to help him develop…. Hopefully it will be someone the caliber of Peyton Manning or Drew Brees….