The First Week (Bad) Omen
October 10th, 2013
Did Lavonte David’s bonehead play in Week One propel the Bucs to circle the drain?
Joe was up at the New Jersey Swamplands and saw the Bucs play with his own eyes. When Lavonte David, with his head elsewhere, shoved Jets quarterback Geno Smith out of bounds, Joe knew, the way the NFL protects and coddles quarterbacks the way Joe does cold beer, this was trouble. Very big trouble.
And it was. Instead of the Jets needing a Hail Mary pass, David’s personal foul set the Jets up… aw, you know the rest. It almost seems like the team, the Bucs, have been snakebitten all season, as the year has turned into a nightmare for all involved.
Robert Weintraub of SportsOnEarth.com believes that David’s play was an omen for the 2013 Bucs campaign.
Hide the banana peels when the Bucs are around
How things would be different in Tampa if only Lavonte David hadn’t gone all XFL at the end of the Jets game in Week 1. David’s moment of madness started an epic spiral that has seen a Kramer vs. Kramer-level divorce between the team and quarterback Josh Freeman, the Sword of Damocles dropping to within an inch of coach Greg Schiano’s job and Tampa fans ignoring the team in favor of the Rays, of all teams. The Bucs are already 4 ½ games behind New Orleans. They have a better chance of beating the Red Sox in five than they do catching the Saints.
It has been such an awful season Joe has already begun looking at the 2014 draft. There isn’t enough beers for Joe to drink to somehow come to the conclusion that the Bucs can make the playoffs starting 0-4 and now turning to a rookie third round pick of a quarterback.
As Joe said when he sat in yesterday with his good friend, the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, there aren’t many plays that can work offensively when a team isn’t blocking well, isn’t catching the ball well, isn’t running the ball well, isn’t throwing the ball well and has no tight end to speak of.
Unless, of course, the defense does the scoring for you.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:09 am
Good ole’ “Buc Ball”
October 10th, 2013 at 8:37 am
Relax fellas,
Spleng’s got a good feeling about this one. I think we win this one. Even Schiano knows by now we have to change our offensive scheme to win. This is the week where the stars align. Bucs win 24-21.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:43 am
We’re the red headed step child of the NFL. Its always going to go this way for us….it just sucks trying to get used to it. They’ll throw flags against us when it shouldnt have even been a flag, review and stick with it…..meanwhile other teams do the same or more against us and the refs have their blinders on….smdh.
Its sickening! Its a good thing I live too far away to go to the games because I’d probably lose it on a ref (or refs) and my stupidity would get me locked up and banned from future games.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:49 am
MadMax – Thunder Dome!
October 10th, 2013 at 8:53 am
Snakebit synonym (Buc Fan)….I can only hope that Sully & Schiano have an epiphany this week with our offense and realize that bad things happen to the Bucs on long drives…..bad throws, dropped passes, missed routes, penalties, fumbles, interceptions.
Lets heave it downfield a few times and see what happens for a change.
And for God’s sake, give Glennon a break and let him throw on 1st & 10 or 2nd & short!!!
October 10th, 2013 at 9:00 am
Lol McBucs…..unfortunately I can be a hothead at times. I need to tone it down some though, getting to old for that crap 😉
October 10th, 2013 at 9:20 am
That writer sounds like a typical Red Sox fan Masshole. Why wouldn’t Tampa Bay sports fans rally around a winning, playoff team? That’s what we do. Don’t show up during the regular season then sell out the playoff games 🙂
October 10th, 2013 at 9:32 am
@joe… Really? Your own eyes. Are you sure you weren’t wearing Rachel Watsons eyes that day?
October 10th, 2013 at 10:08 am
So we’re in the pointing fingers mode these days. I get it.
October 10th, 2013 at 10:34 am
Every year I write for opening game…”Things will happen in todays game that wil resonate throughout the season”
You can look back at every season, and find a game one feature that captures the theme for the year!!
Good Call Joe!
October 10th, 2013 at 10:42 am
From the article: “David’s moment of madness started an epic spiral that has seen a Kramer vs. Kramer-level divorce between the team and quarterback Josh Freeman, ”
This is utter and total B.S. David’s hit didn’t START any of that. It was just the first in a string of things that happened.
October 10th, 2013 at 11:24 am
The San Diego Charges made the playoffs in 1992 after starting 0-4. Just saying.
October 10th, 2013 at 11:46 am
is that guy trying to say the rays are bad? atleast they know how to get to the playoffs. 4 times in 6 years…with the 4th smallest payroll i believe. Schiano should take some notes from joe maddon
October 10th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Thought my pea-brain came up days ago with was, what if Barth hadn’t played b-ball & gotten hurt, & thus played in the first two games & maybe (likely?) made those FGs?? Freeman is fine in everyone’s estimation, with all the same throws, & he starts against the Cards, allowing Martin some room as the D backs up, & T.B. goes into the bye sitting pretty at 3-1, & everyone is happy with Josh.
Buc luck.
October 10th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Wow, blaming LVD’s one boen headed play, and the team is circling the drain? Cmon man. Yes it was a bad play I’ll give you that, but to say that LVD cursed the entire team’s season is quite unfair.
October 10th, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Joe, speaking of the 2014 draft, saying that Bridgewater/Manziel isn’t there. Would you pull the trigger and draft Clowney out of SC & hope for AJ McCarron in the 2nd?
October 10th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Evan:
If Schiano is here, Joe just cannot fathom the Bucs drafting Johnny Football, no matter how good he is.
As far as where Clowney/McCarron will fall, it’s way too early to guess. There is a helluva lot to play out, the rest of the 2013 NFL/college seasons, who picks where, the workouts, Senior Bowl. It’s way, way, way too premature to guess.
Joe did tell Matt Sinn, executive producer at WTSP-TV, before the season, that if for whatever reason Josh Freeman was not with the Bucs, Joe could easily see the Bucs drafting McCarron.