Lovie Stands Alone In Florida
July 14th, 2014
“This is not Girl Scout camp, Dolphins camp, or Jaguars camp, gentlemen.”
To prepare for the sweltering grind of training camp, Joe mowed his lawn Saturday in late afternoon under sunny skies. (Please remind Joe to never be so foolish again.)
The effort was not worth the satisfying post-mow Beck’s Dark guzzling. But it did get Joe thinking about Lovie Smith’s choice of training camp practice times and how it compares to those of his Florida coaching brethren.
Lovie and the Buccaneers will practice in the afternoon, primarily late afternoon into early evening, when temperatures and humidity typically are at their highest.
The Jaguars, however, have nearly all their public, full-pads practices starting at 9:55 a.m.
The Dolphins? Try 8 a.m.
It’s an interesting contrast. Lovie wants his team to feel every painful inch of the heat and he’s not fearful of afternoon storms and lightning delays disrupting the Bucs’ rhythm. Tampa Bay opens with two 4 o’clock home games. Miami has two of its first three games in the South Florida swelter; Jacksonville opesn on the road in northern cities.
One could surely make a case for early practice times versus late ones, and vice versa.
Greg Schiano was an 8:45 a.m. guy. Though it sure seems unlikely, Joe wonders whether some returning Buccaneers will secretly yearn for their old coach after a couple of practices. Nahhh!
July 14th, 2014 at 1:07 pm
nnaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
July 14th, 2014 at 1:11 pm
Joe: The LEAST you could have done was don helmet, shoulder pads and your Johnny Manziel jersey to really get in the afternoon practice mode.
July 14th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
“Though it sure seems unlikely, Joe wonders whether some returning Buccaneers will secretly yearn for their old coach” says Joe.
I think so! They want to laid some PAD between his eyes and scream:
“PADS BETWEEN THE EYES!!!!”
July 14th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Joe
This post begs the question, how big is your yard and how much did you mow and with what?
Now if you are old school, you used a push mower and it was about 50′ X 40′ with tough grass and you hand edged it.
But since you drink Beck’s Dark, I am sure this was not the case.
July 14th, 2014 at 1:40 pm
Lovie was a year too late for JFro. JFro would have loved the late starts.
July 14th, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Joe,
If you like dark beer that is not too heavy, try Murphys Irish Stout. It may be a little hard to find, but is very good. Another one I love is out by you: Cigar City Brewery makes a dark beer that is fantastic; I just don’t know if they bottle it. Sorry for being a little off topic…
July 14th, 2014 at 2:08 pm
I wonder if the players would be more mentally sharp in the afternoon vs. the early morning…
July 14th, 2014 at 2:30 pm
First you say that the only way to have a cut of Prime Rib is well done and now Beck’s Dark?!? Dude. Next thing you’ll be telling your readers is that buying a Pontiac is the only way to go.
On topic. That heat is brutal. I remember working the TC’s at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando under Gruden. OMG!!!! No breeze, all heat, all humidity.
I trust Lovie know best.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Harry:
For reasons Joe can’t quite figure out, he’s underwhelemed with Cigar City brew beers, and craft beers in general. Hotter than Hales is OK if not good on draft (only). The rest, Joe will stick with his mass-produced staple.
Joe has tried umpteen different crafts and has yet to find one that Joe just has to go get. It’s gotten to the point that Joe has given up.
There is some beer (can’t remember name) from Brooksville Brewing Company that, again, is OK but not a must-have.
If one considers Brooklyn Lager a craft beer, that is good stuff!
July 14th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Joe ONLY eats beef well-done. Joe doesn’t like hives, sorry.
And Bud Light > just about every craft beer Joe has ever tried. These craft beer folks have people completely conned, man. Slap a silly name on a bottle and claim it’s brewed in Plowf@ck, Ga. and you can absolutely gouge people right and left.
(Joe does like Brooklyn Lager, if you call that a craft beer.)
July 14th, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Meh! How many times have we heard this? The heat is our advantage! We will wear our white colored jerseys! They will fade in the 4th quarter because we are used to the heat. Very seldom has this been the case.
Too many times have I seen the Saints, proudly wearing their black jerseys, kicking the shizz out of our Bucs in the 4th quarter. A freaking dome team!
This strategy is ok as your cutting the chaff from your team early in camp but as you get your final roster down to size Dungy Jr. needs to ease up on them.
The new limits on pad practice rules may help in this regard. Not entirely sure how those work for Spring training.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:26 pm
@Joe,
“…Joe ONLY eats beef well-done. Joe doesn’t like hives, sorry.
And Bud Light > just about every craft beer Joe has ever tried. These craft beer folks have people completely conned, man….”
You are ruining my image of you my friend. Beef should NEVER be eaten well done, NEVER! But your next line has scarred me for life. How can you say Bud Light > most craft beers? If the craft beer industry is conning ppl, they have done a darn good job of it since its a billion dollar plus industry. Did Goldson use you for a tackling dummy?
Its ok. I will make you a deal. I will try your Brooklyn Lager (where do I get it in “Kissimmee North”) and you try my Murphy’s Irish Stout – you will not be disappointed. It is not a ‘craft’ beer; it is mass produced in Ireland. Thanks for keeping me from going crazy during this slow stretch. Great job as always.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:27 pm
I rarely disagree with Rachel Watson’s thong but in this case I do. They’ve already taken most of the teeth out of training camp already(if you listen to ex-players) AND, name one instance where a game starts at 8, 9, or 10 am. I think it’s important for conditioning to practice in the same weather you play in.
That’s my thought anyway!
July 14th, 2014 at 3:28 pm
The Dungy/Gruden era had outstanding home winning percentages.
Wasn’t until the parade of horribles (AKA as Raheem/Schiano/dominik era) that we lost the home field advantage.
Lovie has made it a priority to get that back.
He will.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Let’s see: raw/rare beef = hives. well-done beef = no hives.
Sorry, Joe is not purposely going to make himself sick to please anyone’s idea of etiquette.
Doesn’t sound appealing. Joe has yet to find a decent Irish beer. Joe’s a lager kind of guy.
They have.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:38 pm
We’ll see Eric. I’m still going to the games, but I’m not sold on the hype yet.
We lost the home field advantage when we lost all the players that Sam Wyche drafted.
We lost the home field advantage when the Glazerhouses quit spending money on the Bucs and spent it on their kickball team.
We lost home field advantage when Dominick was made GM.
We lost home field advantage when the Glazerhouses went cheap and hired Rah.
We lost home field advantage when the fans bought boats and quit
coming to games. (I bought a boat and kept coming to games too. Winning!)
We never lost home field advantage because of practice start times.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:41 pm
The last time the Bucs had a winning season, on hot days they practiced in the Trop. Swaying to the beat of rap music as I recall. I believe in July Eminem and Rihanna was the top song. Different strokes for different folks! Lol.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Let’s see: raw/rare beef = hives. well-done beef = no hives.
_____________
I’m with you here Joe. I usually go medium-well though, instead of full well-done. While I have no problem eating an animal’s flesh, I don’t wish to drink its blood.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
Fellas in here know there are two “Joes.” How one could think Guinness is not the among the nectar of the gods is outrageous, per “this Joe.” … (Cue the dream of scantily clad ginger lasses pouring this Joe the perfect black and tan while he consumes a medium rare filet after a Bucs victory.)
July 14th, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Thanks for playing Joe. We’ll agree to disagree on the meat and Barley-Pop discussion. Ever have a Natty Boh while at Camden Yards? Had a few this weekend while sitting in the “not quite Tampa” heat of Baltimore. Watched the O’s take 2 out of 3 from the Donkees. If the Ray’s can’t win, the next best thing is watching Donkee Fan suffer.
….BTW, not the beer I’d normally choose but it worked in the heat. You’d love it I suppose.
July 14th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
So ‘other Joe’, you have better taste. Good to know. I shall refer to one as “Beer Water Joe” and the other as “Black and Tan Joe”.
July 14th, 2014 at 4:04 pm
It’s settled, ‘other Joe’ definitely is the one with better taste! How anyone could want their steak well done is beyond me. Medium I can understand..
For the other Joe..
The only way rare beef = hives, is if you are eating some really, really bad meat. Raw could be iffy if the meat is not high quality of course. But cooking a steak to rare, med-rare, or medium should NEVER give someone hives or make them sick. Unless the quality of meat is complete s(p)it, or it’s going bad… Which in either case, you just shouldn’t eat it at all.
July 14th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
Joe you should try medium-well or medium from a very good and trustworthy steakhouse. I use to be a well done guy also. many due to the same fears you have of hives or getting sick. Medium/medium well will be a worlds better and you won’t turn back after trying it
July 14th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Try Kentucky Bourbon Ale.
Very tasty.
July 14th, 2014 at 4:27 pm
Speaking of hives, friends don’t let friends drink Bud Light.
It’s unholy swill.
July 14th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
You could say that there were times when we were in the NFC Central we had home field advantage early in the year, but once the weather began to cool in the south it was like all bets were off. Now that we are in the South division, all four teams are in the south, well N.C. is close, so the advantage really now comes down to the twelfth man, before weather. The only way to get fans in the seats is win, which happens to be something this area is allergic too. So if Lovie is right, maybe the first home games are sweltering hot with a packed stadium, will somehow give us the advantage. I just worry about our teams ability to deal with it through camp. Will it tear us down physically where what seemed like an advantage for the first couple of home games now has us coming in without our legs under us. It could end up being counter productive.
July 14th, 2014 at 5:11 pm
@Joe Says:
“…How one could think Guinness is not the among the nectar of the gods is outrageous, per “this Joe.” … (Cue the dream of scantily clad ginger lasses pouring this Joe the perfect black and tan while he consumes a medium rare filet after a Bucs victory.)”
Joe, you need to talk to Joe. He is messed up man!!! Bud Light? Well done beef? This is a depraved mind. Probably thinks Myron Lewis was a great draft pick and Ms Watson is a dog. HELP HIM!
July 14th, 2014 at 5:16 pm
If you don’t like craft beer or imports, at least you tried it before you knocked it. That’s respectable. There’s just so many styles and flavors available I don’t agree with anyone preferring the piss water that companies like Bud put out.
July 14th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
12-4 at home in Jon’s last two years.
Pretty darn advantageous.
But I agree practice schedule has nothing to do with it.
July 14th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
I must say, Joe sounds like a much more interesting guy than Joe. I’d rather hang out with Joe any day.
July 14th, 2014 at 5:29 pm
Anyone remember what time of the day Dungy did it?
Back in those days the NFL labor agreement allowed double sessions. They beat the crap out of each other day and night. –Joe
July 14th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
For the record, I like Bud Light and fat rare hamburger dripping with blood a thick roll.
Both Joes are awesome and welcome at my tailgate!
July 14th, 2014 at 5:50 pm
I’m guessing the only way the Bucs get a home field advantage is when there are significantly more boisterous and energetic Bucs fans at a home game than there are Packers…er, visiting fans from colder climes attending the games. Practice times probably aren’t that big a factor, and if the Bucs have a losing season I imagine we’ll start seeing bloggers here comparing practice in the afternoon heat to running “gauntlets”
July 14th, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Eat beef your whole life and you won’t live a long one, so say the latest studies. Human teeth are actually perfect for a diet of fruits, nuts and grains. I eat no meat for at least 20 years. Back when I did, it was very well done. You don’t need to eat meat to be healthy.
July 14th, 2014 at 9:45 pm
Its obvious by his musings, Joe has no taste – in food or beer. ;>]
At least he writes a quality blog. We thank him for that.
July 14th, 2014 at 10:20 pm
When Don Shula first took over the Dolphins they had brutal 3-4 a day practice sessions in the even more hot and humid south Florida summer, including a 12 minute run at the end of the practice day. These were the teams that went to 3 straight super bowls and had a perfect 17-0 season. He even denied them access to water for hours at a time to “toughen them up”. This is of course illegal today, but my point is if you have tough. well-conditioned players it doesn’t matter when you practice. I’d be more concerned with thunderstorms wiping out practices. By the way, Shula mellowed and went easier on his players even before the player’s union made him, and never won it all after that.
July 14th, 2014 at 10:26 pm
Wow Joe’
IMHO Yuengling Light Lager is way better than Bud light.
Best beer served in a can. or in a bottle or on draft. and with only 99 calories. w/e I’m 6’4″ 215 lbs at 48. Maybe it has helped me some.
I like the late practice time. A early practice make the players shuffle out about 2-4 pm while a late practice puts the players out the door 8-9ish maybe having dinner at one buc. Then head home. We will be playing our first real games this season at this time of the day, rain or shine. So even if we have some lightning delays “we” have had this in practice, we stay sharp & focused and then go out and execute the plays called.
Getting very excited to have Training camp start. Most I hear about here In NE ATL is Falcons news about training camp hard knocks etc. Tried some of the the Tampa sports radio racket, that I am not overly excited about.
Go Bucs!
July 14th, 2014 at 11:09 pm
You’ve never had Stag, Joe takes it?
July 14th, 2014 at 11:13 pm
Joe is allergic to beef. Found this out the hard way as a kid. Joe’s old man loved rare beef and everyone at the table had to have it cooked his way. Always broke out in hives. Used to hate beef. Then, found out why.
Any allergist will tell you if you are allergic to a food, cooking it will help cook out the allergens. Since Joe started eating well-done beef, no problem.
Beer: The first (and last) time Joe tried to drink Guinness he nearly puked (literally). Got sick to the stomach. Couldn’t finish a third of the rancid milk shake. Luckily, a CVS was nearby so Joe could eat mass quanities of Tums so he didn’t yack.
Bud Light, please.
July 14th, 2014 at 11:18 pm
No, but have had a Natty Light in Pinellas Park.
Will drink that any day over a Guinness (YICK!)
July 15th, 2014 at 4:47 am
I heard on one of those science programs that human’s brains got bigger when we started eating meat due to its’ high concentration of protein. If that’s the case, are those who choose only to graze, limiting their chance to be smarter than a 5th grader?
July 15th, 2014 at 7:10 am
Looking forward to my 3 days at camp. Been going since University of Tampa days. Hope to run into you Joe! Nothing better than having a Guinness at Saint James Gate……nothing!