“You Might Not Have A Job The Next Day”
August 15th, 2014
There seems to be a little fear factor happening at One Buc Palace.
And it adds to the mounting evidence that life under Lovie Smith may be tougher than it was under former Commander Greg Schiano.
Asked about the differences between the current and past regime on NFL Network yesterday, Mason Foster talked about how Lovie demands excellence daily, at all times. Foster said the team learned that lesson quickly and said guys know that an off day means “you might not have a job the next day.” (You can watch all of Foster’s comments via NFL Network video here.)
Pro Bowl cornerback Alterraun Verner was asked on SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this week if he noticed a sigh of relief around the Bucs locker room because tough-guy Schiano was out of the building. Verner said the vibe he’s gotten was that life was just as tough under Lovie, if not harder in some cases.
One Buccaneer recently told Joe there’s “a greater internal pressure for a greater level of excellence” than what was experienced during the Schiano years.
Regardless, Joe’s curious to see just how intense the competition shakes out on the Bucs roster — and to stay on the roster — as the preseason rolls on.
August 15th, 2014 at 11:40 am
“One Buccaneer recently told Joe there’s ‘a greater internal pressure for a greater level of excellence’ than what was experienced during the Schiano years.” With the exception given to the QB, oline and any FA or top rookie. Other than those guys, look out!
August 15th, 2014 at 11:41 am
Have an off day and you’re gone? Does that count for Dairy Queen “IR” Bowers spending multiple days relaxing on the sidelines?
August 15th, 2014 at 11:43 am
How does Alterraun Verner know what it was like with the bucs locker room last year.
I am glad to see that there is internal pressure for better play. But for that to happen you do need depth on the roster, And not have a GM that protects his own draft picks. So glad we won’t have to see that anymore.
August 15th, 2014 at 11:46 am
the starting quarterback would not start for any other team but all lovie want to talk about is Eric page not quite being good enough for him despite being a top third returner. after week four you’ll be begging for Schiano back. any coach should be given for years to do their job. when they cut page and he goes to another team and kicks ass I will be laughing.
August 15th, 2014 at 11:49 am
Oh brother, another puff piece about Lovie. Can we stop kissing this guys ass until he fixes the offensive line? I mean he did the same crap in Chicago and got run out of town.
Great we will have a solid defense and an offense that scores 6 points a game (2 field goals).
Does this sound familiar?
August 15th, 2014 at 11:50 am
@Buc_Realist – exactly on draft pick protection! Nice to Bowers, Clayborn (even tho I disagree with you about him) and other picks and free agent signing held to the same standards. That said, I do think Smith handles certain players differently according to what he thinks motivates them. Something Schiano clearly never grasped.
August 15th, 2014 at 11:52 am
Mac – you ready to fire Smith? Or are you giving him one more game before you run his ‘puff piece’ ass out of town?
August 15th, 2014 at 12:00 pm
I don’t expect much from our O-line this week and I expect it to be a weakness during the season. That being said I’m glad for the first time in my life I can remember we only have 1.5 holes on the team. The .5 being QB, if mc own plays like he did last year it will be a huge bonus. L&L deserve the credit for 96 mostly positive roster moves they’ve made to make the bucs a better team. We may not make the playoffs this year. That’s just being realistic, but we will probably be a playoff contender every year for years to come. For that reason I don’t mind us having a crappy line as of now. Someone will step up to improve play and I’m sure that’s where our first pick is going next year.
August 15th, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Someone needs to inform these whimps that this intensity and scrutiny is similar with every NFL team. Once your out of the league in 4 years then you will have the rest of your life to take it easier than what you got now.
The 10 year vets and hall of famers already work hard and don’t require this advice.
August 15th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
Since Lovie & Licht have stated that they don’t expect fans to be patient….it stands to reason that they won’t be either….
August 15th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
@ Mac …
Lovie was “run out of town’ as you say … with a 10-6 record.
Being a season-ticket holder since Ray-Jay opened and going to almost all the games, it was frustrating last year watching mediocre football game after game. The players tried hard, but the game planning really stunk.
I’d love to see the Bucs end up with a 10-6 record this year.
August 15th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
Not sure how the rest of of my fellow Bucs fans feel about Mason, but the kid is a good LB. Seems like a lot of people don’t take him seriously, or give him credit. He has made plays on this team and I personally think he still has upside and a bright future.
August 15th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
“a greater internal pressure for a greater level of excellence” – Love it!
No ego, no drama. Yes that definitely raises the bar for some personalities. This is how all who wants to be part of the team will thrive to do their best. High grades keeps you in.
Perfect!
We the fans deserve top performance. This will inspire us to give back to the Buccaneer organization.
TANTRUMS are a thing of the past.
Now – It’s a Bucs Life!
August 15th, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Lovie is an excellent coach and will have his team ready to play when the real bullets fly.
And all the hand wringing over preseason will be over, as it don’t mean a thing.
August 15th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
The difference between Schiano and Lovie seems a bit like the difference between high school and college. (For me at least.)
In high school all of the teachers, counselors, and your parents ride you constantly for good grades, etc. (Schiano.)
In college they just give you the work. If you don’t do it? You just fail (or get dropped). No one will nag you to stop being lazy. (Lovie)
Probably a terrible analogy but this is what I thought of reading this article.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Didnt seem to me the “high powered” bears 1st string offense did any better against Jax last night than did the bucs offense.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Just reading the pessimism coming out of people’s comments day after day is so exhausting. We’ve seen one preseason game that was utterly meaningless and you’re ready to throw the towel in. Ok, the line was bad. The line was also bad when Nicks and Joseph went down and we had to patchwork an oline to put out there in 2012 and they did great. They were able to succeed by using a proper scheme. Guess what fellas. There was zero scheme being applied in that game. It’s true, the talent level is low on the oline. Not going to dispute that. But let’s give them a chance to play some proper football before you start figuring out which notch on your belt will fit most snuggly around your neck.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:06 pm
I call B.S
And will, as long as Oniel cousins is the starting lineup, after the way he played last week.
If you can play that poorly, and still get to start- then it’s candy land at OneBuc, with no accountability.
Been listening to B.S. About this team since Gruden left.
Tired of it.
If they have two new guards start Saturday, and they play well- them I’ll relax a little.
But if Cousins is still our best option at Guard- then I’m going to keep pointing it out- until it’s fixed, or somebody gets castrated for not fixing it.
And fixed doesn’t have to happen today. There will be some good guards getting cut in the final week. Plus there is still an All pro sitting home, because he trusted a sissy boy( bad mistake).
Just can’t be Cousins on opening day.
And 2 sacks in three minutes doesn’t exactly fill me with trust in Collins. He needs to play like his pay rate also.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:09 pm
OH quit bashing McCown…. is he the future? No. Is he elite? No. Did he have a great run last year? Yes. Was he in demand this off season by other teams? Yes. Would he start for others? Yes, but who all really needs to find their franchise QB right now? Cleveland, Miami (maybe), Jets, Houston, Jacksonville, Oakland, and Minnesota. Had they landed him likely would have made him the starter coming into camp too. Its the “Flynn” effect….. McCown is serviceable for a season or two, considering what free agents where out there this year. Did you want us to go after Weeden or Quinn? I heard Vince Young and JaMarcus Russell are available. Careful with what you wish for!
August 15th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
So Schiano was a jerk but expected mediocre play??? Well Lovie expects good play so get used to it Bucs. Suck it up and be excellent because Lovie expects it, Belechik expects it and most good coaches expect it. If you want to be great you have to play great. If you can’t handle that then go play in Cleveland because nobody expects it there.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:17 pm
I’m starting to think reading the posts here will be more entertaining then most likely watching the Bucs first team offense flounder through the 1st and 2nd quarters of the remaining preseason games. At least I know I’ll have time within the span of McCown with an incomplete pass, Martin for a run for 2 yards, pressure up the middle/on the edges McCown sacked, and punt on 4th and long to grab a cold one out of the fridge before watching the D get back on the field.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
@ toesontheline
Oh my… I don’t know if I should laugh or cry because your post is spot on… I guess until the real season begins I will laugh….hahaha…
August 15th, 2014 at 1:31 pm
@ Louis friend
Who said fire Lovie? I’m just a concerned fan who isn’t blinded by my love for this team. This offensive line will prevent us from winning consistently. I am hoping he pulls his head out from his ass in time to fix it.
Sorry but I’ve seen this team suck enough. For Christ sake we have not won a playoff game in over a decade!!! Wake up people!!!
August 15th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Despite all the trepidation about the o-line
the Lovie Smith defense should be awesome.
Can’t wait to see Joe’s Super-NFC-South
QBs under duress.
August 15th, 2014 at 1:54 pm
Sorry to whoever said McCown would be a starter on another team, no he wouldn’t, well, maybe the Texans, but I can’t think of any other team where he would be the starter, I go back to round 3 of this years draft we take Charles Sims or as Lovie likes to fantasize him as being Matt Forte 2.0, 4 starting caliber OGs were still on the board.
August 15th, 2014 at 2:01 pm
@flmike – this is year’s Buc draft was the most glaring example of a team staying true to their draft board that I’ve ever seen. they picked players where they didn’t have needs because they wanted to get the best player available, which is what every person evaluating drafts says that you’re supposed to do. Everyone talks about how that’s how great teams are built and now you want to knock him for doing it………. I just don’t get it with you people
August 15th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
I don’t think anybody said he’d be a starter on any other team I said he would not start on any other team truth is you would not start on most other teams. seems like trading for ponder might be a good idea. your defensive coordinator got fired because he couldn’t straighten out the QB situation I think ponder would be good. good thing we have all these offensive weapons in nobody to dish out the ball
August 15th, 2014 at 2:23 pm
It is sad to see that evolution has not caught up to most of the knuckle draggers on this site. What a collection of negativity, ignorance and uninformed unrealistic commentary. I salute you, you are the masters of the obvious. Sexually repressed and totally insecure is what most sound like. Please try breaking one off before you make a comment and you will probably make good sense.
August 15th, 2014 at 2:36 pm
@Patrick in VA
No, thats how already good teams remain good, we had glaring needs other than RB and they knew that, thats what’s worse, this was not a good team to begin with, then you make it worse by getting rid of both stating guards and sign guys who were, wait for it….career backups, hey I think I see a pattern here…
August 15th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
@flmike – I see a pattern too. It’s obscene levels of overreaction about a preseason game from an alarming number of Buc fans.
I’ll give you an example of what a reasonable reaction to that game would’ve been: “Man, that o-line play was not good at all. Hopefully we see some steady improvements leading up to the regular season or we’re going to be in trouble”
For examples of what irrational and fanatical reactions would be, scroll up.
August 15th, 2014 at 3:13 pm
^^^^^^^^Post of the Day!!!^^^^^^^^^^
August 15th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
The_Buc_Realist Says
“…for that to happen you do need depth on the roster, And not have a GM that protects his own draft picks. So glad we won’t have to see that anymore.”
How do you know we don’t have to see that anymore? Licht has zero track record as a GM. I think maybe you ought to wait to see the evidence before you shout it from the rooftops.
August 15th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Eric Says
“Lovie is an excellent coach and will have his team ready to play when the real bullets fly.
And all the hand wringing over preseason will be over, as it don’t mean a thing.”
DING!!!!!
Best comment.
There have been teams that lost all their preseason games and still had winning seasons.
In 2009, the Cardinals went winless in preseason, ended the season at 10-6 and ended up winning their first post season game (of that year).
In 1990, the Bills went winless in the preseason and ended up 13-3 for the regular season. They went to the Superbowl (and lost).
Lovie Smith, after going winless in the 2009(?) preseason, took them all the way to the conference championship…11-5 in the reg season.
In 2005 the colts went winless in preseason and went 14-2 in the regular season. In 2008 the Patriots went winless in preseason and went 11-5 in the regular season.
There are plenty of examples.
August 15th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
flmike Says
“Sorry to whoever said McCown would be a starter on another team, no he wouldn’t…”
Actually, I’m going to partly disagree with you on that one.
Maybe McCown shouldn’t be a starter on any team, but after his performance last year there were other teams trying to get hold of him.
I don’t personally feel he did enough to warrant a starting role, but there were teams offering it.
Regardless, in terms of leadership by example, so far he has earned it. It all comes down to performance in the regular season though, so we’ll see.
Certainly, Mike Glennon has not earned anything. He is having the backup role handed to him, being told he’s the future, and he hasn’t done enough to warrant such praise yet.
Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. I suspect that his opportunity will come because of injury. But then, that’s not earned either, is it?
August 15th, 2014 at 9:51 pm
Forged through fire…. There should be pressure honestly it’s been to long since we’ve won so they aren’t supposed to feel comfortable. Plus if your having trouble getting up the motivation to play a game for a living (josh Freeman) then your in the wrong line of business
August 16th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Rome was not built in a day and our Bucs team will not be either. Sit back have a beer and relax. They will get better at least we should not look as bad as we have. We have not had a great team since Dungy. Gruden got lucky with winning the Super Bowl he teams were so up and down from one year to the next.
August 16th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Rome was not built in a day and our Bucs team will not be either. Sit back have a beer and relax. They will get better at least we should not look as bad as we have. We have not had a great team since Dungy. Gruden got lucky with winning the Super Bowl he teams were so up and down from one year to the next.
August 17th, 2014 at 8:06 am
Didn’t we win a super bowl with Brad Johnson and a bottom ranked offense…seems clear ..the smith regime will concentrate on a stellar d and an offense that doesn’t turn over the ball