Last Year Was Last Year
September 6th, 2012
Panthers coach Ron Rivera believes the Bucs defense is capable of a quick reversal of fortune.
When Carolina coach Ron Rivera had his conference call with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club yesterday, Joe wondered exactly what Rivera thought of the Bucs defense.
Last year, the Panthers ravaged the Bucs defense, racking up 86 points and 818 total yards in two games. So Joe asked Rivera, based on last year’s results, whether there was an element of the Bucs defense that concerned him. Rivera launched into a passionate defense of the Bucs defense, all but believing last season was just an ugly hiccup for Tampa Bay.
“First [of] all, coach Schiano is going to bring in a scheme that he had success in whether it was at the University of Miami or at Rutgers. They have some playmakers. Their back seven is a pretty solid group. I think moving Ronde to safety is a heck of a move. Then at the corners you have [Aqib] Talib and Eric Wright out there and Mark Barron is a guy that we really liked. I think it is a good young core group of guys. I think the world of Mason Foster and what he is as a young man. Then you look at that front four, it’s a solid group.
“People tend to forget this was a team that was 10-6 two years ago. This team has had some success. It’s not like these guys are not capable of success. People have to understand that. This Bucs team is not far away. This team can have a resurgence very, very quickly. I don’t take this team lightly. We don’t take this team lightly.”
Rivera has a point, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that had the Bucs been a capable defense last year, a rookie quarterback without an offseason and only scant weeks of preseason wouldn’t have lit the team up like a bonfire.
There’s also a reason the Bucs drafted two defensive players with their first three picks in last spring’s draft.
Of course, Sunday will reveal how much the gap between the powerful Panthers offense and the rebuilt Bucs defense has narrowed.
September 6th, 2012 at 7:45 am
Last year we had a capable defense that got injured (McCoy, Grimm) and quit. 20 rushing yards on 12 attempts from Michael Turner doesn’t happen by accident.
September 6th, 2012 at 8:11 am
Lets not forget the Bucs weren’t the only team Newton lit up last season. He threw for 4k yards and rushed for almost 800, scoring 21 tds, (14 on the ground).
September 6th, 2012 at 8:12 am
Cam lit the entire league up last year not just our Bucs. 4000 yards for a rookie QB is no joke.
September 6th, 2012 at 8:13 am
Sorry, Newton actually only had 706 rushing yards.
September 6th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Let’s not also forget that in the 4 games we won last year, 2 were the playoff Saints and the playoff Falcons who were the two best teams in the division. We’re a better team this year!
September 6th, 2012 at 8:35 am
oe, please don’t forget before the injuries and whatever happened after the first Altanta game to the team that made it quit, the Bucs beat both the Saints and the Falcons and was 4-2 for the year. I still think there is an untold story of why they lost 10 in a row, something happened and either the pen and mic club is hiding it or hasn’t found it yet. Yes it is in the past, but could it happen again, whatever it was?
September 6th, 2012 at 8:49 am
@OB, it happened in England, and it was the team found out Morris was a weak idiot and IMHO they realized (the team) that they could intimidate him into doing anything they wanted and when you allow that to happen you lose the respect of your charges. I saw it happen a hundred times in the military.
September 6th, 2012 at 9:22 am
flmike
I was also in the military and saw the same thing, but I think he might have gone out with them and failed his leadership, because something happened.
September 6th, 2012 at 10:03 am
Umm….in the second game against them last year they had 205 yards rushing without Cam’s rushing yards. I find it intersting Freeman had 100 yards more in passing in that game and Josh Johnson had 25 more passing yards than Cam in our first game with them.
September 6th, 2012 at 10:56 am
The pessimist says don’t get your hopes up ’cause this is the same team as last year only with a new marketing campaign. The optimist says this is a completely new team that is bound for the playoffs.
The truth lies somewhere in between.
September 6th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
If they can go 10-6 with the 2010 roster they can be a winning team with this roster.You know Newton will take us lightly so load the box and take r chances with Smith.After the titan’s game last year this team quit up until that point we were money against team’s .500 or worse.With the giant’s and cowboy’s next up we MUST beat the Panther’s.O-3 long season,1-2 were allright,2-1 were back
September 6th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
that titans game ( i was there) was beyond demoralizing for the players.conditions so rough, and luck so bad… it was horrible.
September 6th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
@76buc76 3-0 Wake up NFL we have arrived!