Matching The Passion Of Bucs Fans
March 27th, 2014
On multiple occasions, new Bucs general manager Jason Licht publicly has said he’s been struck by the intensity and passion of the Buccaneers fan base since he was hired.
Considering Licht’s career has taken him to New England and Philly, that’s rather noteworthy.
Joe agrees. Bucs fans are a passionate lot, but they’re a rather bizarre bunch, too. Legions of fans, per Team Glazer, wanted Jon Gruden ousted with three years left on his contract, prompting the owners to act swiftly in 2008. Fans refused to embrace the playoff-hunting, 10-6 Bucs in 2010, the youngest team in the NFL with a dynamic quarterback. Last year, “Fire Schiano” was trumpeted in the streets while the Mike Glennon Mob was forming.
And if that’s not enough bizarre passion for you, tens of thousands of Bucs fans stay informed via a third-person blog written by some mythical guy named “Joe.”
It’s a Bucs life — and we love it.
In this video below with ProFootballTalk.com, Licht sits down with Mike Florio to talk about Bucs fans, his favorite two additions in free agency, and much more. Enjoy.
March 27th, 2014 at 5:51 pm
Go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 27th, 2014 at 5:55 pm
Just win, baby!
Mike Williams- it’s now or never. Are you worth the $40million?
March 27th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
“It’s a Bucs life — and we love it.”
Speak for yourself Joe sometimes it’s unbearable.
March 27th, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Son of a beotch I finally found me and my THIS SUCKS sign during last seasons Panthers game. I was all over RJS with this sign. FINALLY found the pic on the net. Ha ha ha ha. Joe please let me link it. You can’t see my ugly face though it’s covered up.
Here I am : http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/Buccaneers-Fans.400.jpg
March 27th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
Write an article about the Williams Hearing? That is the right thing to do!!
March 27th, 2014 at 6:09 pm
Football fans in general are “bizarre” Joe. This sport has evolved into “America’s Game” and therefore fans take an unrivaled pride in their hometown team. When their team is good, there is a sense of pride you can’t compare to any other sport in this country. And when their team is down, it’s a knock on the fans’ pride. This team has stunk almost long enough for an entire generation not to know the dominance the Bucs once had. But if they can start to turn this thing around, I have no doubt the city will come alive again.
I sure haven’t forgotten
March 27th, 2014 at 6:12 pm
Licht gives me reason for hope. He sometimes dishes out clichés, but I just get the sense that he has a much better idea of how to build a football team than Dominik did, or Bruce Allen, or even Rich McKay. We’re on the right track with this guy and Lovie working together.
March 27th, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Remember that song and commercial: “Anticipation…it’s making me wait.” Well that us. Any sliver of information we pore over and analyze…examining for any sliver of hope that we can be good again.
March 27th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
I like the way this guy talks and thinks more than Dom already. Now let’s see how he drafts.
March 27th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
“Legions of fans, per Team Glazer, wanted Jon Gruden ousted with three years left on his contract, prompting the owners to act swiftly in 2008.”
See? Exactly what I said in a different thread. The fans are partly to blame.
In Jon Gruden’s case, the knock (by fans) was that he couldn’t have back to back playoff appearances. But when he finally did, the fans still wanted him out.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Or should I mention how, for years, the fans complained the players were getting too old. But when there was a purging the fans complained.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:02 pm
On Jon Gruden…Tampa fans had decided they didn’t want him here…until he was gone. Then they complained (to this day).
March 27th, 2014 at 7:13 pm
Firing Gruden was a epic fail; the fans thought 9-7 was so horrible yet we can’t even match that now!
March 27th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
I have typed this before (like someone in the Bucs organization cares) on here that from my perspective I think the Bucs should trade Vincent Jackson for a high draft pick this year and next. Keep Mike Williams and if Manziel or Watkins/Robinson isn’t there trade back then draft Mike Evans. It’s not V. Jackson is just entering his prime or anything trade him now while you can get good value for him. Mike Williams will be a good example for M. Evans (of what not to do) and motivate him to be the best he can be. I saw Lovie leave the Bears with the same players and the defense was horrible without him. Go into the season with a whole new squad and let them grow together under the new staff. -a Bucs fan from the chi
March 27th, 2014 at 7:18 pm
I don’t miss Gruden. We as fans have great patience, a must have to stand behind our losing past and still believe our team will get better. Bucs fans are loyal fans.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:19 pm
@buc1987 ….nice pic. The people behind you totally could not see how bad it really did suck. They did not miss much. Lol
March 27th, 2014 at 7:20 pm
Not me Bonzai, but I understand what your saying. As far as I was concerned Gruden should have had as long a time as he wanted here in Tampa. Like Shula or Landry. Hell I’m not comparing him to them. I just think the long time fans think the same way. He brought us that SB damn it let him stay forever if he wants. Maybe it was all the bandwagoneers that wanted him gone.
Right now I’m struggling to convince my wife to re-up those season tickets. I think I might get my way if we move up to the cheap seat nosebleeds and buy a couple of pairs of Zoomies.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:21 pm
“Williams has been approved for a misdemeanor intervention program that will allow charges of trespass and criminal mischief to be dropped if he completes what is required.”
So there charges WILL be dropped. Could swear I heard someone say that here last week…this week…multiple times…
😉
March 27th, 2014 at 7:22 pm
Buc1987, I get it. I agree 100%.
I have for of those tickets too, and I’m still not certain, though I am leaning toward renewing.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:25 pm
rayjay…lol no lie I must have posed with that damn sign about 200 times. With all different people all over RJS. Everyone wanted a picture with it. I was famous for about an hour. It drove my wife nuts. Best part of it was when I stood above the players tunnel as they left for the locker after the game. My wife and I yelled “Hey Greg look up here” and he did. Of course I was hammered out of my mind so it was a blast. It made the game fun for once during last season. Oh well I still have that sign on my wall in my man cave. Now I have to get it offline and print this picture up.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:29 pm
Lmao…great story buc1987. At least you found a way to make the game fun to be at.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Ha that’s right I forgot. Right after that camera man took that pic was when I took off my season pass swipe card and threw it out into the end zone. The crowd around me roared with approval and high fives. Good times.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:35 pm
Hopefully this season the product will be entertaining enough. Last year was kind of as exciting as watching paint dry. Unless you have a lot of beer and a sign.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Passionate about the Bucs–Guilty as charged Joe, but so are you, and that is what makes your site so popular and compelling. Secondly, you don’t censor criticism and you respect Freedom of Speech which is our Constitutional Right, which at least one other fan site violates. So you show honest and divurgent opinions which then provokes reactions from others which is entertaining. When someone misspeaks or posts wrong statistics they are corrected with the correct facts. Through it all I learn a lot and I hope I pass on some wisdom I have acquired from passionately following the Bucs from the very beginning and walking through stores with a portable radio in my ear listening to many, many blacked out games from the old sombrero and agonizing with the Bucs playing Kansas City in a low scoring game in the rain and Williams just pulling it out to finally win 9 games and make it to the very first playoff game and sitting with my family in the stadium and experiencing that first playoff game win over a powerful Philly team, engineered by OC Gibbs who had Williams surprise them by passes rolling out from the pocket.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Trading VJ would be the stupidest possible idea especially with the uncertainty surrounding Mike Williams.
March 27th, 2014 at 7:55 pm
Passionate about the Bucs? I’ve watched that SB DVD about 12 times since they won it. When the trophy is raised I still cry. Every. Damn. Time.
Actually the first tear falls when Barber picks off McNabb for 6 to seal the deal. I don’t how long this will happen to me. Maybe by the 20th time I will be able to cope without tears.
I know one thing if they win a 2nd one before I die, I don’t think it will have the same effect on me as the first one does.
March 27th, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Firing Gruden was the right thing to do. The fact that they hired idiots to follow him is beside the point. Gruden, with the help of Bruce Allen, left this team with very little talent, aging veterans, no depth, no QB. The worst drafts in team history came courtesy of Gruden and Allen. Keeping him around would’ve been a disaster.
Gruden is a good X & O’s coach, a good gameday coach, got guys prepared well. If he had a strong GM calling the personnel shots, maybe he would’ve lasted. But you guys who still claim dumping him was a mistake are out of your flipping minds.
March 27th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
@Orca…. no more of a disaster than Raheem and Schiano combined. No way it would have been worse. True Allen might have been a hindrance, but he still has job with the Skins right and that’s with Snyder. Maybe it was the combo of the two, there was no balance of power when it came to the draft. Gruden probably was calling all the shots when it came to the draft.
Either way I DON’T care Jon Gruden STAYS for life if he likes. Like royalty!
March 27th, 2014 at 9:00 pm
@ Joe
Its not just buc fans, been on other teams fan sites, and I swear I thought I was in the comment sections of JBF. Football fans in general are a bizarre bunch.
March 27th, 2014 at 9:05 pm
I’m thankfully to Gruden, but it was time for him to go. He couldn’t decide on a long term fix at QB, and you can tell the players were tired of his BS by the way they rolled their eyes after he gave them a tongue lashing
March 27th, 2014 at 9:58 pm
I’ll be forever grateful for Jon Gruden…but it was time to move on…we made some mistakes since…but letting him go was the right thing to do at the time.
In this inteview, Licht singles out Glennon as someone who can learn by competing with McCown. He also lets it be known that we could choose a QB at 7. I think he hopes Minn & Tenn trade up for QBs leaving other positions open for our pick.
I like Sammy or Mack at 7….if not there…trade down.
March 27th, 2014 at 10:32 pm
Talk about passionate-Outside of raising (3) health young adult to be DIEHARD Bucs fans. I keep sending in scouting application after scouting application to the front office w/No return call or letter)..Its become an annual joke around family & friends.
Side note: (@Andrew 1 )
I don’t know if you recall we had a conversation about:
LUVMYBUCS Says:
December 6th, 2013 at 10:10 pm
Andrew 1
Marsh is nice. Another sleeper, is the kid out Bloomsburg DE Larry Webster Jr. Comes from his NFL pedigree, you might remember senior played for Miami back in the day. I know he’s a project, which most later round prospect are. But the Kid is like 6’6 runs a 40 in the sub 4.6′s or 4.7′s. Was a pretty damn good Basketball player.
Man I tell you, after watching how Seattle utilized LB K.J. Wright (6′ 4″, 246 lbs)-on Grahamn. I can see how molding such a prospect can pay huge dividends down the road.
Seattle uses (Wright) in a simliar to the way Michigan State’s (DC) Pat Narduzzi lines up in the same 4-3 base on almost every got damn down. Matching up one of the bigger linebackers on the TE, then killing you with the zone blitz…smh. They beat the dog (sh..) out the the SAINTS..
Well guess who’s kicking the tires of Webster
@TonyPauline
Larry Webster/DE-OLB/Bloomsburg confirmed visits with Tampa Bay & Arizona, visit/workout with Detroit Lions….workout w/Carolina Panthers
March 27th, 2014 at 10:45 pm
@TBBF
I think Joe is slowly pulling me into the Johnny Football zone. Well, actually, JM is doing it himself. I have to admit, his pro day was very impressive. Scripted or not, this kid thrives under pressure and was 61 for 64 on his passes. His throws looked very good. His poise as a frontman is Joe Namath like in his confidence but without the super cockiness.
If he is there at #7, take him!
March 27th, 2014 at 10:46 pm
Should have never fired Gru.
March 27th, 2014 at 11:25 pm
Gruden had to go. That arrogant ass would not use Alstott on goal line situations just because he didn’t like him. I watched that horsesh*t cost the Bucs games. He ran off Lynch, Sapp etc.. There is a reason nobody picked up Gruden to coach when he was fired.
March 27th, 2014 at 11:35 pm
Gotta say I was thoroughly impressed with everything Johnny manziel said in his post pro day interviews. Bridgewater might have been more pro ready but I don’t think he has the passion that manziel has. Manziel has that Russell Wilson type passion. I have no doubts about his ability to be a top nfl qb. He seems to driven towards being great, where as other qbs seem to just be happy to be here.
March 28th, 2014 at 12:04 am
Hey Joe he said mike glennon . no comment?
March 28th, 2014 at 12:09 am
The Bucs should play more Anthrax at games!!!!
March 28th, 2014 at 12:10 am
When Washington is in town we should play “Indians” by Anthrax!
March 28th, 2014 at 12:12 am
Also, I like Anthrax and think Washington needs a name change.
March 28th, 2014 at 12:39 am
@ LUVMYBUCS
I remember the name Larry Webster Jr. so I’m betting you had something to do with that lol. I think I said something like the only Webster I remember from Miami is LB Nate Webster who played with the bucs. If you’re serious about scouting, I honestly think you can do it. You know so much about prospects that its down right impressive. Just gotta keep at it until somebody gives you a chance, but you might need to start at the bottom, like high school level unfortunately. I know one thing, if you ever do get you’re chance, please give me call, I would love nothing more than to work in football.
March 28th, 2014 at 1:30 am
Gosh, it just bums me out to think that maybe if Caddy hadn’t gotten hurt near the end of that Raiders game the Bucs might’ve closed it out. Man, he was explosive that day! Even on the play he got hurt it was a great run. One more play could’ve saved Chucky’s job.
I don’t know if I feel more sorry for any Bucs player than Cadillac Williams. Blows out one knee in ’07 and comes back to blow out the other one in ’08. Ran over 800 yards while splitting carries with Ward before losing his job to the one-dimensional LeGarrette Blount in 2010. Man, he was fun to watch!
March 28th, 2014 at 6:36 am
If you want passion draft Johnny Football. He attracts the former leader of the free world to watch his pro day.
The waiting list would return to see that kid play.
March 29th, 2014 at 10:53 am
Gruden kept going 1 and out in the playoffs and he kept signing old guys.