The Bucs Have A Winning Record
November 11th, 2012
Last year at this time, Joe had no clue when or if the Bucs would ever have a winning record.
But here we are on Veterans Day, 2012, and the Bucs have a winning record. Hard to believe, but it is true.
This was not lost on Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster when Joe spoke with him after the game.
“It is exciting,” Foster said. “We are playing good but we know we can get better. We have a young team. Young defense. I feel that everybody is hungry and everybody is making plays. We just have to keep getting better each and every day, each and every week and we are going to be alright.
“We have a lot of young players. We have to keep putting things together.”
It’s not just the winning record the Bucs possess, but they are truly in a playoff hunt. The Bucs are 5-4, past the halfway point of the season.
The Bucs travel to hapless Carolina next Sunday. It’s not beyond the stretch of the imagination that the Bucs will be 6-4 entering the Thanksgiving Weekend home game against the Dixie Chicks.
Two games over .500 at Thanksgiving? Based on watching that drek last year, who would have thought?
November 11th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Also worth noting is that the Bucs have won more games in 2012 than all of 2011 with 7 left.
November 11th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
If we can lose 10 in a row, we can win ten in a row.
November 11th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
It’s very obvious that the offense is going to have to win games for us. The defense is still struggling too much. I’ll take it while I can.
November 11th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Don’t talk about playoffs until the secondary stops someone. SD converted 10 of 15 3rd downs today. I know this team is young and headed in the right direction but let’s not get crazy talking about playoffs.
November 11th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
if the season ended today we would be 1 game back from playoffs. so it is a legitimate talking point.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Go bucs!!!
November 11th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
funny you mention Foster as i was particularly watching him today, and I have to say he played average with the exception of that sack. Lavonte David on the other hand shined brighter than anyone on defense.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Secondary needs work for sure….but realize that the bucs have the #1 rush defense in the league. With that and a top offense, if we can just tighten up the pass defense a tiny bit, the bucs are dangerous.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
@mikeck
the bucs are number 1 against the run because they are selling out to stop the run by stacking the line of scrimmage and blitzing. granted its better than being dead last in run and pass defense, which we would surly be if the case if we did not play this style of defense, so I guess you kinda got to take the good with the bad.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
they are choosing to play the odds that we will get enough turnovers in the passing game to negate the yards allowed by one on one coverages.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
agreed @Andrew. We’re still a few players from a good defence. Nice to talk about playoffs, but I’m excited that we’re being competitive even with some OBVIOUS holes on the roster.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
@ dan
WOW! i couldn’t have said it any better myself. you hit the nail right on the head.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Rankings are a joke. We’re last against the pass… boohoo… So what!!! Look at the more important numbers. We’re tied for 16th in passing TDs allowed with 13 coming into this week. The league average was 12.4, so we’re giving up a very average number of points in the passing game. We had 13 INTs coming into this week, 3rd best in the NFL. Those are more important numbers than “How many yards did we give up?”. What’s important is how many points we score vs how many we give up. So long as the team can score more than we allow, the Bucs are a potential playoff team.
Another way to look at it is this… we have a very good running back that can take over the game. We have a very good passing attack that can take over a game. We have a very stout run defense that can make opponents one dimensional. We have pretty good special teams. Our pass D is our weak spot. That’s 4 of 5 areas that are good. How many Super Bowl winners really had complete teams? Almost every team has a weakness, ours is the pass. But it hasn’t stopped us from winning 5 games and being in playoff contention.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
HUGE KNOCK ON WOOD…but…
If we were to win out, that would leave the Falcons with three losses minimum…amazing to think that in one weekend we go from only having a shot at a wild card to *possibly* having a shot at the division.
All it would take is for us to win every game we have left (SUPER HARD, but not impossible) and for the Falcons to lose a game otherwise. That would put us both at 12-4, with us having the tiebreaker!
November 11th, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Imagine when we get Johnathan Banks and Micah Hyde.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
BamBambuc speaks the truth. As long as the D is coming up with enough plays to win the game I could care less about their stats
November 11th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
The Bucs can’t stop the forward pass in a passing league. Still have to play the Falcons(twice), Saints, Eagles (who may have a bad record but are loaded with weapons) and the Broncos.
So as much as I want to dream of the playoffs, I just can’t see it happening unless the pass rush steps it up, or these young corners learn to cover much better.
Either way this team is on the right path and should continue to get better and better.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
On a side note, I caught some of the Dallas-Philly game this afternoon. That Morris Claiborne guy Joe wanted to draft so badly wouldn’t do much to help this secondary. He sucks.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I don’t fault L J for the first TD. I blame the defenders that quit because they thought the player was down. Now other than Barber and Wright this secondary is really young now. Just like Freeman, give them more time with the coaches and they will get better. The main thing is they are getting it done at the time it matters the most. They just need to keep it up.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
@ BamBam
thats all well and good when we are winning but as we all saw during the Raiders game that dead last pass defense almost ended up costing us the game even with our offense tearing it up. but hey, if this is what we like to do on defense then i say by all means run with it.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Andrew: That dead last pass defense did cost us the Giants game. (Of course, that game also contributed significantly to the “dead last pass D”). What I’m saying is that there is rarely a “complete” team, whether it be holes in the starting lineup, lack of depth, injuries, whatever. Rarely do complete teams win the Super Bowl. Last year’s Giants were 25th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed. The Packers the year before had one of the worst rush offenses in the league. 09 Saints were horrible on defense, especially the pass. 08 Steelers were below average offense (20th pts scored/22nd total yards) but had a great D all around. The list goes on and on…
As much as every fan would love a “complete” team, and as much as the team will continue to strive to BE a complete team, fact is we have to deal with the holes we have and make it work. That said, it can be done (obviously) and we have about as good a chance as any team.
November 11th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Even with a shabby secondary, the Bucs have not lost any game by more than 7, they have been in every game which will bode well for them, they just need to continue to grow in confidence, stay opportunistic and keep playing for your job. Go Bucs,
November 11th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
@ BamBam
I hear what your saying. but I tend to think that we dont necessarily have to be “complete”, just all around good is what im looking for, or well rounded on defense. its just frustrating to see our defense get shredded by QBs week after week is all. but its like you said we are good at 4 out of the 5 areas and im thank full for that. I just feel like we could, and will, be a whole lot better on defense and I for one cant wait till that happens.
November 11th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
I wish McCoy would step it up, he has been almost invisible since Clayborn went down.
November 11th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Bucs win and Republicans lose.
A great week for the Republic.
-EK
November 11th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
“Based on watching that drek last year, who would have thought?”
Its “who’da thunk it?”
Get your southern lingo correct, Joe, or your not a real Bucs fan….
November 11th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
A great week for the republic would be if the government acted like a republic. Either way though, the citizens lose.
November 11th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
Have A Nice Day, spoken like a loser.
No time for that today.
November 12th, 2012 at 12:05 am
@EK – Es dauert ein zu ein wissen. Welcome to the club.
November 12th, 2012 at 1:15 am
All around good? That sounds like a complete team. Honestly, I’m not sure we’ll ever see teams like the Steelers of the 70s again. You know, Franco Harris behind Terry Bradshaw throwing to Swann & Stallworth, The Steel Curtain defense shutting down the run & pass, creating turnovers and getting sacks. Maybe the Cowboys with Staubach, Dorsett, etc, and their Flex defense with guys like Too Tall Jones. Those teams come around so rare its crazy to think we could ever achieve, or maintain, a team like that in the era of free agency.
November 12th, 2012 at 1:24 am
We will make the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 12th, 2012 at 3:00 am
lavonte david is the man…he is turning into a terrific linebacker…does nobody see this but me??????
adam from ny
November 12th, 2012 at 4:09 am
@Pewter
McCoy has played well to date. He is a big reason why we have the number 1 ranked rush defense. He occupies 2 to 3 lineman on every snap, he can’t due it all by his self. McCoy is a beast. When we get him some more help, the rest of the league better watch out.
@Adam
Yes, I have noticed and so has everyone else too.
November 12th, 2012 at 10:29 am
agreed, Petwer…why do you think we are so good at stopping the run at the line and backfield? becuase Miller and McCoy are stuffing the gaps.
November 12th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Who would have thought the Bucs would be 2 games over .500 going into Thanksgiving weekend? I did. As a matter of fact, her on JoeBucsFan I posted a game-by-game prediction of what would happen and came up with the Bucs having a 9-7 record for the season. I actually had the Bucs at 6-3 at this point in the year, but with a win next week we would be the exact same record as I predicted when we play the Falcons at 7-4.
And fopr the record, I made some other worthwhile predictions:
Stating the Eagles would be a franchise in a state of flux because the fans would be calling for Vick to be benched and Foles to start.
The Panthers wouldn’t be greatly improved as they had the same bad record in games in which they didn’t play the Bucs at 4-10.
Nevermind the fact that I thought the Falcons would struggle… I still they they are extremely overrated.