“I Actually Have Them Going 4-12 This Year”
September 4th, 2014
Lovie Smith’s philosophy is being ignored often
Imagine if the Bucs were returning the NFL’s ferocious No. 2-ranked defense, a true franchise quarterback, a quality backfield, and a stud tight end. Fans throughout the Tampa Bay area would be pounding their chests and talking playoffs.
This is why Joe finds all the national Panthers doom and gloom to be ludicrous.
Lovie Smith himself, the Buccaneers’ blessed leaders, says an elite defense will get a team eight wins. And the Panthers play a very similar defense to the Bucs’. Are we to believe Lovie is out of his mind? If he is, then Bucs fans better prepare for their own rough season.
Joe has read all kinds of bad predictions for the Panthers, largely based on their shaky offensive line and their brand new receiving corps. Newsflash: The Panthers offense wasn’t so great last year and the team finished 12-4. You don’t need a great offense when you only allow 15 points a game.
Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, an analyst for Yahoo! Sports and NBC Sports Network, joined the Panthers hammering during an appearance on Ron and Ian on WDAE-AM 620 this morning.
“I definitely have Carolina last in my [NFC South] rankings. I actually have them going 4-12 this year,” King said.
King went on to say Cam Newton is “the only young quarterback in the NFL [whose] organization hasn’t improved the talent level around him on offense.” This is why the Panthers will struggle, King said.
So nasty, smothering NFL-sack-leading defense isn’t enough to rack up a pile of wins? Joe sure hopes King, one of only three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, is wrong.
If he’s not, then Josh McCown is going to have to do amazing things this year to pull out his first full winning season.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:03 am
Well it doesn’t help them that they let all of their WRs go in the off-season. Their rock solid LT retired and their secondary has major question marks.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:08 am
Josh Mccown isn’t in the same situation at all. You think carolina has anything close to the talent Tampa has on offense? No, they don’t.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:10 am
As Joe said, you allow 15 points a game and you’ll win most of them. Who knew Brandon Leffell and Ted Ginn were such monumental losses?
September 4th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Not sure where anyone could think this team will go 4-12 – the defense alone will cause enough turnovers to help their offense score points. Cam doesn’t need to be superman. He just needs to hold onto the ball, be patient and take what the defense gives him. His own defense should set him up nicely all season. You don’t need to be great on offense when you have a D like that giving you great field position consistently.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:13 am
Shaun King, One of three QB’s in history to become very obese and angry at the world after retirement. Why do you always bring up that he lead the team to the NFC champ game? that was our defense, king was an average QB.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:14 am
So if Carolina is bad, the Bucs are bad? What a friggin’ reach. Non story.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:21 am
Dan Fouts and “AIR CORYELLE” scored tons of points year after year only to be knocked out of the playoffs early because they had no defense and the other playoff teams stopped em.
Offense gets you to playoffs
Defense wins the playoffs
September 4th, 2014 at 11:22 am
Lotta hate in here. Damn.
Shaun King is nuts. The Panthers are a not a four-win team with that defense and if Newton stays healthy. Enough said.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:25 am
I’d say Carolina’s backfield is more quantity than quality.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:40 am
Ryan leaf could have led the bucs to an NFC championship that year.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:56 am
It’s funny how many commenters contradict themselves on this site and other Buc forums.
Defense wins games is a common theme but a mediocre qb and we’re doomed?
I think with the role players around McCown we at least have a more talented QB than Shaun King or the equal to Brad Johnson? If I remember they were awful but could do just enough to win.
Trent Dilfer anybody?
September 4th, 2014 at 11:58 am
Kelvin Benjamin vs Mike Jenkins – need I say more?
September 4th, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Why everyone hating on Shawn and then throwing Brad Johnson in there too? C’mon you have to give some props to a QB that knows how to not turn the ball over and put his defense in a bad position and ends up contributing to winning a Super Bowl: yes even Dilfer.
September 4th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
Agree, the stinking panthers are not pushovers. They will be in the thick of the action for the top spot in the NFC South once again. Last year for them was’nt exactly a fluke.
September 4th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
Such upside Down logic ………
September 4th, 2014 at 12:16 pm
I’m predicting another 3 wins if Mankins has some form of facial hair
September 4th, 2014 at 12:24 pm
@Prince – Losing Steve Smith is certainly a monumental loss for Cam and the Panthers…
September 4th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Easy win for us this wk. panthers arent ready.
September 4th, 2014 at 12:42 pm
@joe. How does comparing Newton to MCcown have to do with anything? Mccown has a hell of lot more weapons than Cam so comparing the 2 is pretty silly. If all things were equal it would be one thing but Cam has receivers he’s never played with. They have a running game that has gotten old and a QB that is hurt. So it’s not too difficult to think they can have a great D but a losing record. I’m not sure where you get all your crazy comparisons but they are idiotic. Although your best was trying to say if we lost the 3rd Pre season game we could expect a losing record based on the last time we did when Perkuns was the coach…huh!!??? Booger picked the Panthers to finish last as well.
Joe really has no clue where you’ve gone here. –Joe
September 4th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Newton >McClown
September 4th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Why the Dilfer hate? He was just allergic to Tampa.
September 4th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Amazing that Carolina’s offense doesn’t matter but supposedly our defense won’t be good enough to get us by…you were losing sleep over the guard spot…who plays guard for Carolina? Hell…who plays Tackle for Carolina?
September 4th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
I had a panther pick a booger once!
September 4th, 2014 at 1:00 pm
Well, I guess in 3 days, we will find out a LOT more
September 4th, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Didn’t the 2003 Bucs, having just won a Super Bowl with one of the best defenses of all time, take the field with that defense and ……Yeah. That was last year for them Panther’s too Joe.
September 4th, 2014 at 1:10 pm
Two points I disagree with the Joe’s on; (1) the Panthers backfield is not quality since Stewart is injured often, Williams is getting old by RB standards, and Tolbert is a one dimensional back…serviceable backfield by committee perhaps; (2) Cam Newton is THE franchise QB because Carolina burned the #1 pick on him a few years back, but he is not A franchise QB like some of the elite QB’s. Get Cam even a little rattled and he loses his composure almost as bad as Six Flags #5 used to. That said 4-12!?!? Shaun King…come on man!?
September 4th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
I’d like to see a discussion on exactly what a “franchise Q.B.” is? Yes it’s a Q.B. good enough to start for enough years to build a team around. But are all “franchise Q.B.’s” also elite?
Cam Newton just doesn’t impress me as elite yet. He’s and incredible physical specimen with amazing tools to use,,,run..strong arm….but decision making? Able to read progressions or bail first?
I’m not saying Cam isn’t all that, I’m suggesting the verdict is still out. Remember there were a few years that folks called JFree a “franchise Q.B.” How did that work out for the franchise?
Andy Dalton is a franchise QB. He’s talented but do any Buc fans pine for Andy Dalton at Q.B. Jay Cutler is a true “franchise Q.B.” but would you really want to build your team around him? Perhaps.
I guess my point is that “franchise Q.B.” is soooo overused unless it simply means a guy with enough talent to play out his first contract and sign a second one somewhere. And so what…JFree WAS a “franchise Q.B.” and now he’s not?
September 4th, 2014 at 1:38 pm
I think we have a good chance of being this year chiefs, that is to say we come out of nowhere and put up enough wins to get into the playoffs. However, there are a couple of things that would ruin it for us, and that’s injuries to key positions and a complete collapse of our o line. Other than that, I think we stand a good chance of making the playoffs this year fellas.
September 4th, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Carolina was 26th in offense last year when they won the division. So it’s not like they can get much worse. I don’t think they’ll make the playoffs but 4-12 is utterly absurd.
September 4th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
I don’t discount Carolina’s running game. Obviously both Williams and Stewart have some mileage on them, but they will potentially be formidable; and Benjamin as well as TE Olsen are threats. No, it would be foolish to discount Carolina, as much as I detest the team (and their fans!) they will bring their game to Tampa on Sunday! I do agree with ToesOnTheLine with regard to Newton though….I think he can be rattled, and in general, I’m optimistic about our chances on Sunday!
September 4th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Shaun King wants to tear down a team with a great defense & a good QB…..he had a great defense and was a mediocre QB and went 11-5….
“Shaun King, one of two Buc Quarterbacks that lost a NFC Championship Game when his defense gave up 11 or fewer points.”
September 4th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Shaun King wants to tear down a team with a great defense & a good QB…..he had a great defense and was a mediocre QB and went 11-5….
“Shaun King, one of two Buc Quarterbacks that lost a NFC Championship Game when his defense gave up 11 or fewer points.”
September 4th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
The NFC South has a long history of teams rising and falling from one year to the next. It’s happened.
I thought Carolina played well above their heads last year and that 12-4 was an aberration. Still, not sure anyone could think they will just collapse this season.
No matter to us. Season opener against a division rival at Ray Jay. That honor should have gone to the Panthers.
September 4th, 2014 at 3:47 pm
The Panthers will be relying totally on the front 7, their S/CB are really really bad, so that front is going to have to dominate. A dominate defense can win you 8 games, thats a fully dominate D, not one with holes as major as the Panthers have on the backend, and with no returning WRs, 2 RBs with major wear and tear on them and an injured QB who hasn’t really shown any real progression in his abilities since his rookie year, yeah, Riverboat Ron will be looking for employment come January…
September 4th, 2014 at 4:28 pm
IMHO Brad Johnson was the best quarterback the Bucs have had, not the most talented necessarily, but a quick thinker, smart decision maker and a bull in the pocket. If McCown can play anywhere near that, then with this defense, we will be happy with the season.
September 4th, 2014 at 4:32 pm
If the bucs let one rookie receiver beat them it means we’ll win 5 games. If our receivers can’t take advantage of that defensive backfield we’ll be garbage, you don’t have to be a veteran play caller to see it’s the weakness on that defense
September 4th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
@ buc4lyfe
They can’t take advantage of the secondary unless McCown has time to wait for the deep patterns to develop. How the Buc O-line plays is going to be the deciding factor in this game.
September 4th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
“If the bucs let one rookie receiver beat them it means we’ll win 5 games. If our receivers can’t take advantage of that defensive backfield we’ll be garbage, you don’t have to be a veteran play caller to see it’s the weakness on that defense”
Awfull Strong Statements, with not a lot of wiggle room if things fall differently.
Well, at least he’s willing to stand up for what he believes.
September 5th, 2014 at 11:23 am
I agree with Hawk above. The game will be determined by the play of the Oline.