Unhappy Lovie Focuses On Lost Takeaway Shots
August 8th, 2014
Lovie’s defense seemed to trouble him tonight as much as the offensive line
The smile in Lovie Smith’s voice disappeared tonight.
Yeah, it’s just a preseason game, but the leader of Lovieball doesn’t like to lose and his tone was clear on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game.
“We didn’t do anything well enough,” Lovie said. “It starts up front. Protection-wise … we weren’t able to secure enough holes to run the football.”
But it was the defense that was under Lovie’s skin. There is one crystal clear hot button for Lovie since the day he arrived: takeaways. Lovie expects his defense to lead the NFL in that critical category, like his defenses did a few times in Chicago.
So it was no surprise Lovie was dialed into those lost opportunities. Joe sure wouldn’t want to be Major Wright, who dropped a first-quarter interception chance on a ball thrown into his belly.
“Three balls we had our hands on [on defense.] That’s the difference. They converted. We didn’t,” Lovie said.
If you’re wondering what the Bucs’ defense will be drilled on in their meetings rooms on Sunday morning at One Buc Palace, you can safely bet it will be locking down takeaways. Lovie surely knows he won’t win a lot of games this year without them.
August 8th, 2014 at 11:46 pm
The defense will be fine. The defense played well (1st team). If they were to have played an entire game, I believe they would have gotten even better. However, the offense was giving me flashbacks of last year. The weakest area in our offense last year (o-line) looked even weaker tonight. Scary!
August 8th, 2014 at 11:54 pm
I sure hope the defense gets it figured out because the offensive line is a hot mess. It’s harder to go through a turnstile at the county fair then it is to get to Josh McCown.
August 8th, 2014 at 11:58 pm
Was at the game. Was disappointed in the play of McCown… Too many risky plays… Was pleased with the improvement of Glennon and was impressed with the play of Bortles….perhaps it’s time we sincerely consider drafting next year a franchise quarterback. When Bortles came in the game tonight the Jags offense significantly improved. Something to seriously think about.
August 9th, 2014 at 12:16 am
I was telling y’all Bortles could be the best QB from
The 2014 draft. Kid is smart, has continuously improved over his career, and has an amazing drive and will to win games.
I won’t panick over anything until game 3 of preseason.
August 9th, 2014 at 12:24 am
It’s the 2nd half in the first preseason game, your offense is struggling terribly and it’s 4th and 1 near midfield, so you punt instead of giving your offense more work which they obviously need……. Why Lovie?! Why?!
August 9th, 2014 at 12:26 am
All of a sudden I’m having terrible flashbacks of Dungy/Mike Shula ball. Cursed….
August 9th, 2014 at 12:29 am
To get some more film of the punting unit. Got to remember, Lovie considers special teams to be a huge part of the team as well.
btw, the player who had the best kick return of the night? Solomon Patton. Wish they would give this guy more opportunities.
August 9th, 2014 at 2:12 am
GM Jason Licht: We’re Going For It All
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht breaks down the draft class and emphasizes the team’s goal to win it all this year.
http://www.buccaneers.com/multimedia/videos/GM-Jason-Licht-Were-Going-For-It-All/0eb8e7ca-8263-4145-bdf4-2a2c481089b
August 9th, 2014 at 2:20 am
Hey Lovie, count up those give-a-ways by your unchallenged starting backup QB. This is crap. Offense is inept by design, blame the defense. Are we creating wheel here? When the season starts kids our football team is not prepared
August 9th, 2014 at 2:22 am
PER: Steve White
“Listen, (laughs), it is going to look a lot like the past couple of years when we are using guys that should have been backups,” White said. “We signed Oniel Cousins, but, look, if we put him in the game, I’m turning the TV off because it is not going to be good, OK?
“No offense, Oniel Cousins, but you have seen your own film? You know what it looks like. So, we do have a problem there, and I was as much as anybody disheartened when we didn’t pick a guard early in the draft. But I sat down on it overnight and we always stress taking the best player available so it seems like the teams that draft best, they stick to their board and they don’t deviate from it even when they have glaring needs. So if you are going to preach that before the draft, you are going to have to have faith after the draft that it is going to work its way out one way or the other.
“Would I have been happy if they took a guard earlier? Yeah. But apparently there wasn;t one high on their board to take. So we are going to have to see this out and really going to have to cross our fingers and hope that Carl Nicks is healthy and ready to play because if we have to play any one of these rookies, ugh, it’s not going to look real good.
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=113238
August 9th, 2014 at 3:05 am
^^wow…when and where did you quite that from? This ship was sinking when Licht thought Lovie would cover the poop he put on his face. God help us. Start with the QB.
August 9th, 2014 at 3:08 am
I’m thinking that both McCown and Glennon were expected to make certain throws, and made them. Again, no skill position can be properly evaluated with this abysmal o-line.
August 9th, 2014 at 3:09 am
*”made them” should read, “attempted them.”
August 9th, 2014 at 3:31 am
The line will cost us every game they play- until fixed.
At least this year, the line is my only real concern.
Last year- that clueless coach had me worried about everything!
August 9th, 2014 at 5:57 am
Well, that didn’t take long for us to see the glaring deficiency of the o-line. Get ready for another very long season.
August 9th, 2014 at 6:21 am
Doesn´t have to be that bad of a season.
But they better cut Cousin today and look to sign any good prospect out there.
Might also swing a trade (dougMartin, since good RB are, in comparrison, easily found – god i dont understand how the Bucs ended wasting a 1st rounder on RB AND a 3rd rounder in just a couple of years..)
August 9th, 2014 at 6:44 am
I agree with trading a RB for a Guard…..It makes no sense to have 4 good RBs and no holes for them to run.
August 9th, 2014 at 7:27 am
If being pissed at the Defense is what Lovie took away from that game, its going to be a long season. He should be pissed and scrambling to find quality starting Offenseive linemen! Take away McCown’s pick 6 gift and the Bucs won that game.
August 9th, 2014 at 7:51 am
Not a good start for mcClown either.
August 9th, 2014 at 7:57 am
This team mademe want tovomit against the jaguars…. just wait till wat the panthers will do to ouroline. There defense wont b as kind I promise you.. and akeem spence hitting bortles way late in pre season… hes just plain stupid its pre season against the jaguars… I get it if its a rival team trying to make a play bortles let the ball out 3 seconds later spence personal foul hesnjust dumb….
August 9th, 2014 at 8:24 am
Damn people in here lose faith so damn quick. Can’t call the offense anything when we haven’t seen much of it. Edwards played much better than Cousins. This was probably his last start, he had an opportunity and blew it. The bucs will probably get a guard when the next cut downs happen. They could also trade for Boone. With all that said the season is far from lost and this offense is still going to surprise people as long as cousins isn’t in the starting lineup. My God the man can not move his feet. He has to go.
August 9th, 2014 at 8:26 am
@dreambig I’m sure he is pissed all around but Tedford is the one that is in charge of the offense…..Lovie has said from day one he wants takeaways and three were right in our hands. I was pissed about that too. That’s not Lovie ball
August 9th, 2014 at 8:27 am
@dreambig also winning the game isn’t the point. It’s the evaluation. Cousins was stand out bad. Everyone else played about average except McCoy who looked like a man on a mission
August 9th, 2014 at 9:04 am
INCOGNITO NOW!!!!
INCOGNITO!!!
WE NEED HIM!
And I am a Rastaman!
I dont care!
I love forgivenss!
Lets forgive Richie and give him a chance!!!
3 more preseason games!
we need him in our building yesterday!!!
CALL HIM!!!!
August 9th, 2014 at 9:10 am
If the defense does not score 14 points EVERY game, the Bucs will be lucky to win 5 this year.
August 9th, 2014 at 9:10 am
I really don’t see a problem bringing in incognito for a 1 yr deal to see what happens.
August 9th, 2014 at 1:25 pm
Getting turn overs don’t mean spit if the Offense can do anything. We saw that last year. Licht needs to get some boys and fix this O-line ASAP!
August 9th, 2014 at 4:40 pm
Lovie needs to focus all his energies on the O-Line. The Defense gave a good accounting of themselves for the first pre season game. The few tweaks that need to be worked out in the Defense are non existent compared to the play/issues the O-Line has.
August 9th, 2014 at 4:41 pm
unbelievable Says:
August 9th, 2014 at 12:16 am
I was telling y’all Bortles could be the best QB from
The 2014 draft. Kid is smart, has continuously improved over his career, and has an amazing drive and will to win games.
I won’t panick over anything until game 3 of preseason.
————————
Well, he was picked well before any of the other QBs, which didn’t surprise too many (that he was picked first), so most people do expect him to be the best of the class.
August 10th, 2014 at 10:35 am
The Offense stunk so bad Lovie rather talk about improving his Defense, wouldn’t you if you were him? He never learned much about offense coaching under Dungy! It cost him a SB once too. That is why he brought in Tedford, who didn’t hire a top OL Coach apparently!