Bucs “Believe” In Greg Schiano
November 19th, 2013
Joe was on the field the night the Bucs lost to the Stinking Panthers and the crowd nearly lost its mind when Bucs commander Greg Schiano left the field. It wasn’t much better the home game prior, when Schiano left to a chorus of boos, cheers and taunts.
That seemed like ages ago Sunday, when Joe was on the field just as the game ended and Schiano jogged off with an ear-to-ear grin and was met with mostly applause.
The ship of the Pewter Pirates was listing badly just two weeks ago and to read more quotes from Davin Joseph, typed by Woody Cummings The Tampa Tribune, the Bucs were once lost and are now found and their shepherd is none other than Schiano himself.
“It was coming down hard on (Schiano). After we lost to Carolina on that Thursday night, you would have thought it couldn’t get any worse for him. But he stuck with it. He stuck with what he believes and now it’s starting to pan out.
“All of a sudden, it’s like a light’s been turned on. But that’s what he said. He said we all just need to keep pushing hard, keep working hard and now we see it. He stayed tough, but now it’s just different. It’s starting to feel like we have something here.
“But it’s different when you see that hard work turn into something. Now we believe.”
Have the Bucs really turned the corner? Well, there are six more games to play. How the Bucs finish these next six weeks will be telling.
But it is interesting to see how the players have responded. There hasn’t been an ounce of quit. Beating the teetering Dolphins and the sorry Dixie Chicks, both at home, is one thing. Beating a team on the road fighting for a playoff spot like the Lions will be en entirely different matter.
November 19th, 2013 at 10:11 am
We have the talent to beat the Lions. Lately, it seems like that talent is finally being utilized properly.
November 19th, 2013 at 10:17 am
“Winning is the best deodorant” (or “winning is a great deodorant”) means that everything smells better with winning. With losing, everything stinks. “Winning is a great deodorant. When you win, all these things go away,” was said in August 1993 by American football coach and television color commentator John Madden. Although Madden popularized the saying, he denied coining it and called it an old sports saying. As Madden wrote in a 1997 book: “There’s an old saying in sports: ‘Winning is a great deodorant.’”
November 19th, 2013 at 10:19 am
We believe as well. It’s been a tough 1st half of the season, but we know Schiano is our man for the long haul. He has made adjustments and has lightened up, and our team never gave up on him even during the toughest of times.
Schiano has brought order and the culture to the organization, and now that this culture is instilled within the walls of One Buc – it’s time to let loose!
Link deleted. This is not a message board. –Joe
November 19th, 2013 at 11:21 am
I think the credit Schiano is getting now after 2 wins, running “his type of football” is being way over blown. This article (not you Joe) implies that Schiano had been doing it right all the time and everyone else just needed to see the light, adjust, and buy in when in fact, I believe it is the exact opposite.
Schiano and both his coordinators are coaching completely differently in these last 2 games than they were the whole 1st half of the season. I give credit to Schiano for FINALLY adjusting and listening to his players. But to suggest and give credit to Schiano for staying the course and having everyone else figure it out and buy in is a joke. If Schiano did not make changes to the way he was doing things we still may have been a win-less team. I hope Greg continues his trend of listening to his players and adapting now that he sees that is what works in the NFL.
November 19th, 2013 at 11:24 am
If we lose the next game it will be amusing to see how many fans turn on Schiano again. Tampa…gotta love it.
November 19th, 2013 at 11:25 am
The biggest difference in the last three games is the O-line performance….
November 19th, 2013 at 11:28 am
The other thing that might save Schiano’s job is Ron Rivera. I mean at 1-3 this season everyone was writing his obit, and frankly he could have been fired right then considering how they were 1-3 (i.e. blown 4th quarter leads), the same pattern as they were for his first two seasons (6-10, 7-9). And yet now he’s probably going to be coach of the year. So perhaps sticking with it might be more appealing when you look at how well it worked for Carolina. The fact the Bucs haven’t quit when the Falcons clearly have is a good thing too.
November 19th, 2013 at 11:39 am
These next 6 games will determine Schiano’s coaching status; if he is
back next year, he needs to have this team playoff ready.
November 19th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
The last 2 games have been easier to watch. I am not giving Schiano a pass at this point. They need to beat a team with a winning record. Detroit will be a good test. If the defense doesn’t hold up. It will be a long day
November 19th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
@Natenazty – well said.
I have to agree with you – I was close to not being a supporter of Schiano until previous to the CAR game because it was simply his way or the highway and he would not budge. However – the embarrassing chants of Fire Schiano and whatever else has been said towards this man did take a toll on him – you can tell in his post game conferences – he was beat down. Because of these chants, and because the players did continue to play hard, I had to re examine my thinking and really think about the situation.
It did take a bit of time, but you know what – it took Bill Belichik some time too. This team never broke or gave up on their leader, they continued to play hard, although they would blow it in the 2nd half and with dumb penalties.
I do not think just the team believes in Schiano – but the Glazers as well. I think the sit down with Brian and Joel has a lot to play into the change – IMHO