Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow
September 8th, 2014
A long look at the Bucs yesterday, today, and what to expect tomorrow and beyond.
Towards the end of the third quarter, Joe could not believe what he was watching. Joe has seen some awful Bucs quarterbacks in person.
Trent Dilfer still gives Joe nightmares he was so awful. Maybe Joe should seek therapy?
Witnessed Son of Bob, who was a pick-six waiting to happen. If you laid cash on a pick happening every time Son of Bob threw to the sideline, you’d have more cash in your pocket than you did when you started wagering.
Joe once watched Rob Johnson, who Chucky tried and tried and tried to find an excuse to start at quarterback over Brad Johnson. Yet even stubborn Chucky could see how awful he was.
Yes, even last year, mostly against teams with strong defenses, Mike Glennon looked lost.
But in none of those games, none, zero, did Glennon look as out of place as Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown did yesterday. This is supposed to be the leader of your offense, a guy who treated the football as if it was contaminated with the Ebola virus?
Time and again McCown was headed for the ground and he simply just lolly-popped the ball in the air in a fit of panicked desperation. It was fortunate he only had two picks.
An 11-year NFL veteran? Joe has heard people say McCown looked like a rookie. No, he looked like a high school sophomore. Joe was so blown away he even Twittered after that ghastly fumble/interception late in the third quarter that McCown needed to be pulled. Somebody had to settle him down or get someone in there (Glennon?) who wouldn’t treat the football like a bocce ball.
No, McCown never had much of a running game. No, after Logan Mankins went down, McCown didn’t get elite blocking, but not horrible blocking, either. That does not excuse how careless McCown was with the football.
It felt like the worst performance by a Bucs quarterback on the grass of the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway since it was opened in 1998.
So an 11-year veteran has to be taught to live and play for another down when in distress? A 35-year old quarterback has to be told not to just toss the ball in the air when he is getting sacked?
Mind you, this was Lovie Smith’s hand-picked quarterback. A guy who was this skittish, this irresponsible, this panicky?
Patterns continue
For whatever reason, McCown (thankfully) calmed down and damned near pulled the Bucs out of the hole and into a win column. Now while Joe despises preseason football, there is a pattern here.
The first team offense largely was non-existent in the preseason until it revived after an ugly start in Buffalo, the season dress rehearsal. That’s about what happened yesterday.
On defense? Michael Johnson, Mr. 24 Million (Nah-AH!) was largely a non-factor in preseason and training camp. What happened Sunday? You had to use binoculars and a program to make sure there was actually a No. 90 on the field.
Joe almost hates to write the following, but notice that last year in the preseason the Bucs offense was pretty horrible? Along came the regular season and guess what? The offense was still horrible, no matter who was the quarterback.
And here comes the PO’ed Rams into town in six days, angry after getting slapped around by the lowly Vikings. The same Rams that have a physical front line defensively, just like the Stinking Panthers.
Oh, boy.
The first thing that needs to happen is Bucs coaches need to simmer down McCown. There simply cannot be a repeat of the same crap he pulled Sunday. If McCown is going to continue to force plays by blindly tossing a pass in the air as he is going down, hoping it is volleyballed in the air long enough for a teammate to grab it, then hat goes against everything Lovie stands for about turnovers and protecting the ball.
If McCown can’t break that nasty habit, then you may as well bring in Glennon. At least Glennon won’t act like a high school sophomore panicking on the final play of the game, throwing the ball up in the air just hoping a teammate can grab it.
Simply put, for three quarters Sunday, McCown was the worst Bucs quarterback Joe has seen. He was worse than Blaine Gabbert.
Atkins Diet
Bucs fullback Javorskie Lane had one of the best plays of the day. His run up the middle seemed to catch the Stinking Panthers totally and completely off guard. In what most cases would have been a short gain, Lane found a running lane so wide open (thanks to Patrick Omameh and Demar Dotson), he rumbled down the right sideline for 54 yards before running out of gas.
But Lane was so hacked off about not scoring, he said he’s going on a diet, saying “If I was 10 pounds lighter, I might have scored.”
Position To Win It
We can rag about how ragged McCown was for three quarters. We can yell and holler why Michael Johnson was impersonating a pass rusher. We can bellyache how there was no running game to speak of.
Still, the Bucs had a chance to win when safety Dashon Goldson had an interception in his hands that likely he would have been a pick-6, or at worse put the Bucs in easy field goal range to send the game into overtime.
As downright ugly as this game was, and it was Rosie O’Donnell ugly, the Bucs still had a good shot of winning.
Lovieball?
Lovie Disgusted With McCown’s Turnovers
There is one thing Lovie never tires of referencing: His infamous basement in suburban Chicago. Second thing? Turnovers. He pounds in the Bucs’ heads about getting takeaways — preaches, pleads, prods. Equally, he loathes turnovers.
So when McCown decided to play Curly Howard yesterday with the football, it galled Lovie to his core. Turnover ratio is Lovie’s OBP. Bad enough the defense never got a turnover, especially one that could have won the game. What really added to Lovie’s indigestion was his QB playing Santa Claus.
Mark Barron, Anyone?
Bucs safety Mark Barron is pretty solid against the run. That’s great, but it wasn’t why he was drafted seventh overall by former rock star general manager Mark Dominik. Barron was heralded as the potion to stop Saints tight end Jimmy Graham.
In potentially a horrible precursor Sunday, Stinking Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, no slouch himself, ran as free in the Bucs secondary as an Alaskan antelope. He had a touchdown and eight catches for a 10.4 yards per catch clip. And had Carolina quarterback Derek Anderson not overthrown him late, Olsen was wide freaking open around the eight yard line for what would have been another easy six.
Joe doesn’t think it’s overstating that we have seen enough of Barron to know that as good as he is against the run, he just simply isn’t good in pass coverage. Maybe it is time to think about bringing in Keith Tandy or Major Wright on obvious passing downs?
Again, if Olsen can’t be stopped, just imagine the field day Graham will have?
Mike Jenkins Is Mike Jenkins
Regular readers here know Joe was not happy about Lovie going out and getting Mike Jenkins. Then, after missing virtually all of training camp and preseason, Lovie toyed with keeping him as a starter, despite how well Johnthan Banks played.
Well, guessing training camp and preseason really do mean something. Jenkins got lit up yesterday by rookie Kelvin Benjamin, which got Lovie upset.
Maybe, Jenkins could have used a training camp or preseason? Or maybe, Mike Jenkins is just, you know, Mike Jenkins.
Calm Down Mike Glennon Mob
When McCown did that fumble/interception late in the third quarter, Joe openly called for McCown to be pulled. It was painfully clear his head was not in the game, and was costing the Bucs dearly.
After that pick, Joe focused his binoculars on backup quarterback Mike Glennon to see if he was going to take off his cap and begin throwing. Instead, he sat next to McCown and chatted with him for a length of time.
Afterwards, Glennon told Joe there was zero talk about putting him in the game, despite how dreadful McCown was playing. Instead, Glennon said, he tried to keep McCown fired up and they both discussed normal quarterback subjects like what to call and use against certain looks, etc.
Jeff Tedford And His Medical Leave
Last week, Joe was told that not having offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford around the building would be an “obstacle” the team would overcome while Tedford recuperated from a stent procedure.
Well, yesterday, every player Joe talked to claimed Tedford’s minimal contact with the team recently did not hurt their gameplan. Doug Martin was adamant about that.
Joe isn’t buying it.
Sure, the players are going to be team-first and deny it. However, if Tedford’s coaching-by-telecommuting truly was no big deal, that tells Joe that Tedford’s position is a glorified figurehead position and he really isn’t needed. If a guy isn’t needed, then it is no big deal if he is around or not.
Fat chance of anyone fessing up to such a theory at One Buc Palace. Despite the spin, Tedford’s medical leave of absence hurt the Bucs. The last time Joe heard of a coach trying to do his job from home, it was Joe Paterno in his last couple of years, when he spent most of his day before practice at home watching film and not at his office. It was widely understood then that his coordinators were running the show with Paterno offering input.
Is There A Pass Rusher In The House?
Lovie loves to run a Tampa-2 defense. One critical aspect to making the defense work is pressure on the quarterback. And just like his hand-picked quarterback, Lovie’s hand-picked pass rusher, Michael Johnson, was a virtual no show.
Oh, Johnson was on the field all right. You wouldn’t know it by how he never came close to sneezing on a quarterback.
Rag on the offensive line if you will. Kvetch about McCown, but this team is in trouble if they cannot find a way to spring loose Johnson. He was brought in to rush the passer. He is being paid handsomely to rush the passer. It’s time for him to actually, you know, once or twice a game, pretend to be a pass rusher.
NFL Thoughts:
Seahawks: Man, did Mike McCarthy play right into the hands of the Seahawks? So even though McCarthy has a Hall of Fame quarterback, he wouldn’t even have Aaron Rodgers throw to Richard Sherman’s side of the field?
Not saying Sherman is bad, but geez, you are basically giving a third of the field away to your opponent. You don’t trust Rodgers to throw at Sherman, not once? Pathetic.
Dixie Chicks: So here we were ready to shovel dirt into the faces of the Dixie Chicks, and they go out and beat the Saints in the game of the day. In overtime. Matty Ice throws for 448 yards, a franchise record. Yeah, the Dixie Chicks are dead. Right.
Bengals: Andy Dalton beats the Baltimore Crows with his arm. Joe just loves the people who rag on Dalton. All he does is win. Of course, stat geeks don’t factor in wins in their statistical gibberish, the most important stat of them all and really the only one that matters.
Bills: Ugh. The Bears defense must be downright awful if the Bungling Bills can beat you. And what about this vaunted Bears offense?
Texans: Yes, Houston may have won, but Jadeveon Clowney hurt his knee in the first half. There’s a whole lotta people holding their breath in southeastern Texas now.
Titans: So the Titans get a quarterback coach for a head coach and Jake Locker has a nice game in beating a playoff team from last year. Funny how that works, eh? No surprise the Chiefs are coming back down to earth from last year’s success.
Dolphins: BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Bill Belicheat got beat in Week One. A good rushing attack, timely passes and a stout defense will do wonders for a team.
Jets: Just like the Jets. Got one big play in the fourth quarter to squeak out an opening-week win. This time Chris Ivory had a 71-yard run for a score to put the Jets over the top.
Eagles: What a turnaround. Losing 17-0 at halftime, Chip Kelly’s team blew out the Jags in the second half. That is pretty impressive.
Steelers: Typical Ben Roethlisberger. In the final seconds, he pulls out a game-winning drive. The Steelers defense is really bad. They chocked away a 24-point lead to the hapless Browns. Yikes.
Vikings: A receiver turned into Adrian Peterson for the men of purple. Oh, the Rams? They are now on their third string quarterback as Shaun Hill got hurt in the first half after playing dreadfully.
49ers: Is this really a surprise that the 49ers won? Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had three picks (bet none of them were just tossed in the air like the stunts McCown pulled).
Broncos: Peyton Manning wins a home-opener. Yawn. What Joe found more interesting is that Andrew Luck, with a lesser team than what Manning works with, brought the Colts back from the dead, outscoring Denver 17-7 in the second half, nearly pulling off an upset.
Non-NFL Thoughts:
1. Saturday was the first time Joe got to watch wall-to-wall college football, as he is wont to do from the comfort of his leather couch. From noon to past midnight, Joe soaked in the college football. Yes, Joe finished his day watching Texas Tech at UTEP. Yes, Joe might need to seek counseling. Damn, Joe loves football.
2. Joe found it more than interesting that mere hours after an average showing on offense by Florida State, in a nail-biter over Oklahoma State in which the Seminoles didn’t seem to have a No. 2 receiver, Seminoles chieftain Jimbo Fisher lifted the suspension of scooter thief/wide receiver Jesus Bobo Wilson. Welp.
The reaction? Crickets. Contrast that to the firestorm embattled Will Muschamp ignited when he lifted the one-game suspension of three players who didn’t play in the rain-canceled Idaho game. Guess winning a national title gives you a pass.
3. Joe has made it clear he grew up in the cornfields of Illinois. Grew up watching B1G football; rooting for B1G football. Joe still watches B1G football (though clearly the SEC is superior) and is totally appalled at how far that conference has sunk. Since Lloyd Carr grew old, Joe Paterno grew senile and Jim Tressel grew crooked, that conference is a flat embarrassment. Right now the B1G is nothing more than an over-marketed MAC. There are tons of reasons for this but what it comes down to – and Joe can speak with a modicum of authority since he is from there – that folks up there don’t have a passion for football like people in the South. In the B1G states, football is more an NFL following than college. And both colleges and high schools don’t elevate football to the status schools do in the SEC, Big XII and, to a lesser degree, the ACC. Simply put, football is not a priority it is in these parts. Not even close. (For example, last winter Joe was talking to an old friend who is a sports nut. He had never heard of Jameis Winston before. That should tell you how little folks there care about college football.) States up north do not have spring football in high schools. If you add up the weeks players in the South have in spring football, essentially, they are playing five seasons of high school football in four years. That is a major difference. For Joe’s readers who played high school football, think how much better you would have been if you had one more year of high school football.
Until the B1G starts raiding southern schools for superior coaches, stealing high school players from the South, paying coaches commensurate salaries and developing a passion for football like those in the lower states, the B1G will more and more look like the MAC.
4. If Joe had to pick a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, it would be sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill of Texas A&M. Lordy, that kid is good.
5. Mark it down now: Florida State is going to have its hands full with Clemson in two weeks. That is not even remotely a gimme win for the Seminoles like last year.
6. Joe doesn’t know what to make of Notre Dame waxing Michigan. Beating up on a B1G team this year isn’t something to boast about. That’s like beating up a middle school kid.
7. Same with Virginia Tech over Ohio State.
8. Right now no team impresses Joe more than Texas A&M. But who the hell have they played?
9. Great game this weekend: Georgia at South Carolina. Joe is going to guess the ol’ ball coach isn’t going to get embarrassed in consecutive SEC games.
10a. How refreshing is it that it appears both the Yankmees and the Blow Sox will each be left outside during the baseball playoffs? YES!
10b. Oh, and the Redbirds seem to have taken control of the National League Central despite all of their hitting problems and injuries to pitchers. Now that Michael Wacha and Yadi Molina are healthy, look out.
September 8th, 2014 at 7:59 am
If Glennon is as Lovie says “the future”….maybe its time to go…”Back To the Future”….
September 8th, 2014 at 8:05 am
I find it amusing that last year all Joe and a lot of others did was ridicule Schiano for d-line stunts as gimmicks. Geez, he was just trying to pull out everything but the kitchen sink to get a pass rush. Now the defensive guru – flip flop wearin’, laid back, no cussing Lovie – has the same issue.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:08 am
when you suck, you suck….own it….the only way out of it is to change and try to get better…..is what it is….
September 8th, 2014 at 8:08 am
We got worked over by freakin Mike Shula. That was Mike Shula calling plays for the stinking Panthers. WTF? The play of the safeties was awful. How many times are they going to let 1 player beat you. They drafted Barron and brought in Goldson to shut down Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, and Greg Olsen. I know that Gil Byrd has to be chomping at the bit to get these guys in the film room today. Between the missed tackles and blown coverages it was pathetic. Who’s Michael Johnson?
September 8th, 2014 at 8:09 am
He sucks. It’s a joke we didn’t draft a QB Carr looked pretty good compared to josh. Could have seen this coming he 50 with more int’s the TD sign him up.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:11 am
A couple of observations:
So much for the “secret” high-power offense of Ted Jefford, oops, sorry, Jeff Tedford era…..
If they continue to start Mike Jenkins, the quarterbacks in the division will expose him for the over-the-hill corner he is.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:19 am
Where are the ‘new look Bucs’?
Defense can not cover a TE.
They continue to make back up QBs look like pro bowl players.
Then there is the new look offense that did not want to show anything in the pre-season. They are not showing anything in the regular season either.
I do not expect an immediate turn around but how about showing a little bit of improvement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is going to be a looooooong season.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:25 am
The only good news today is Tampa’s total egg will barely be a ripple compared to the new Ray Rice backlash. Goodell should be fired if he saw that video before suspended Rice 2 games.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:26 am
@Tom Exactly. Tedford’s offense was never a secret. It’s vanilla, just like Lovie said it would be.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:30 am
McCown was embarrassing.
Johnson & Clayborn could not get pressure all day with only a single man to beat.
Safeties could not cover.
O line was terrible. No where to run and no time to pass.
Foster bit on the play fake every time Anderson did it, He was nowhere in pass coverage.
I know its only one game but damn.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:31 am
The Bucs game was just painful to watch. I don’t think Glennon would of thrown those picks. The pass defense looked lost. Yesterday’s Bucs game leaves burn marks in my brain.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:31 am
bucrightoff,
No doubt. Saw it this morning – that is hard to watch. Amazing thing is is she married him a month after that.
You take the wrong pill you get suspended 4 games, but coldcock a woman gets you only two?
September 8th, 2014 at 8:32 am
Look, I can handle losses, hey, I’m a Buc fan, I’ve had lots of practice. So I’m not about to panic over this one. What I don’t want is to be mislead. I expected to see a different offense yesterday – one that was supposed to be different and innovative. A lot of marketing went on this summer to convince me that it was a secret, but it was coming.
I didn’t see it. It would have been one thing to attempt it and it failed, but I didn’t see anything that I hadn’t seen before. Or was it just a ruse to just throw off defenses. That obviously didn’t work either. Need some splaining here folks!
September 8th, 2014 at 8:33 am
correction: misled
September 8th, 2014 at 8:33 am
I didnt expect them to switch QBs week 1, no matter how bad it was. The switch better happen next week if we are exposed to this awful display of craptastic QB play. There is no excuse in this day and age for a “veteran” QB to throw the ball like Garo Yepremian.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d823b04f4/Pick-six-Kickers-shouldn-t-pass
September 8th, 2014 at 8:33 am
How can you guys act like we didn’t have a creative playbook. It was anything but vanilla. And when u can’t run, AGAIN, it doesn’t matter what you call
September 8th, 2014 at 8:39 am
Hahahahahaha! Clemson. Good one, Joe.
Clemson will be just as tough as they were last year. In their own stadium. Running down that dumb hill.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:40 am
I want an apology from everyone that said McCown is better than Glennon and that I don’t know football. I think a few others deserve the same apology. Nah jk seeing that sorry excuse for a football game was enough. #bringoutthebrownpaperbags
September 8th, 2014 at 8:46 am
Saddest of all is the fact that the Panthers sat their best player and still won. Anyone have a time machine so I can go back and talk myself out of season tickets?
September 8th, 2014 at 8:49 am
Foster is a big problem with the defense. It is his responsibility as the MLB in the Tampa 2 to cover the middle passing lanes and he was repeatedly out of position. Even Ronde noticed this. Please stop blaming Barron for Foster’s failures.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:49 am
Offense
Glennon, not being as mobile as McCown, would have only contributed to a higher sack count for the panthers and not any benefit to yesterdays situation.
McCown ran for his life until the 4th qtr. He was also the only one running basically as the running backs werent.
Hard to execute with defense in your face EVERY play yet they still had the possibility for a win.
The players played hard but not too organized and thanks to the coaches and their “Plan” for offense, not too well.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:52 am
now lets see if lovie can swallow his pride, start Glennon and sign Ritchie.
anything less is failure, not that he already didn’t….but c’mon man the clock is ticking
September 8th, 2014 at 8:54 am
McCown was absolutely HORRIBLE that being said putting Glennon behind that oline would produce the same losing result instead of bad interceptions it would have been sack / fumbles. Let’s be honest Glennon is not the answer especially behind that line. He is not athletic. This is a fact not a knock on him. He has a nice arm and is intelligent but than line was HORRID once again the joes were watching a different game. How in the hell can they write a piece stating the oline was not horrible. crazy. I broke 2 remotes and threw up twice watching that Offense and Defense. I gave lovie the benefit of the doubt and bought into the Love Fest however, Same ole stubborn Lovie. Maybe he trusts Tedford and will allow him to call the game his way and not the Lovie Dungy way. It’s going to be a long year
September 8th, 2014 at 8:54 am
I swear we’re going to hear talk from the Bucs today about pleased they are with nearly coming back and winning the game. As if they themselves put the Panthers in soft coverage and suddenly had the underneath routes through their own schemes. It’s going to be hard not to throw up.
Maybe McCown just lost his mental marbles. Maybe it’ll be a one game thing – or maybe he’s got the same psychiatrist as Matt Schaub (who will never be a good QB again). I have no clue, but what we saw yesterday from him was scary. Not just the picks, but his complete set of decision making was demoralizing. If I’m a WR or TE on the Bucs, my thoughts today are “Oh dear God tell me that was a nightmare” when thinking of what the QB did. If he keeps doing that, Glennon must play.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:56 am
McCown QB rating 71.5
It wasn’t the poor production that upsets me, I have grown use to it. It was how the poor production came. I am told the line is better than last year because the line was fired.
McCown can’t throw a deep ball in-bounds, can’t throw a slant accurately (hitting WR in the knees), and doesn’t protect the ball.
GMC was shut down by a rookie guard. He didn’t penetrate. we need our stud players to play.
If we can’t run between the guards then stop calling the play.
It disguised me how they organization attempted to be so secret about the offense and KR returner.
September 8th, 2014 at 8:58 am
McCown just threw another incomplete check down
September 8th, 2014 at 9:01 am
Glennons QB rating 83.9 with a lesser team. Don’t know if he is the answer but I know McCown is not
September 8th, 2014 at 9:04 am
@joe
Are you saying that Barron pick by Rockstar is another failure?? Must be painful.
I’ll rewatch the gane on gamepas tonight but here’s my thoughts:
– Doug Martin is not the answer.
– We are thin in the secondary
– i was a fan of AC and I preached patience but now i’m done
– MJ needs to step up fast or they’ll jam the middle and GMC will be neutralized
– I need 1 or 2 more games to see if I join the MGM
On the positive side:
– Patton on ST is good
– Oline wasn’t that bad in Pass protect
– Evans and ASJ didn’t look bad at all
September 8th, 2014 at 9:06 am
Ray Rice is scum……..and Goodell should step down if he knew before hand anything about this.
HOW BOUT THEM GATORS!!!
Need a QB here in Tampa
September 8th, 2014 at 9:07 am
Why do we get other teams throw aways, They never pick up anyone good and Tampa pays the big bucks for second stringers and third because that’s what they would be on other teams…….
September 8th, 2014 at 9:08 am
Stop it with this player made ONE play, this ONE series gives hope.
Here is the bottom line…..The offensive line was a bunch of matadors and completely ineffective. The running game was non-existent. No creativity in this new (?), secret offense. No quick screens, passes to backs or set-ups to maximize the offense against a pass rush. On defense, the pressure was non-existent. Where were the other 3 dl’s, if GMC was triple teamed? Where was LD or Foster adding sacks or pressure?
We were out-coached, out played and out game-planned all the way. A pitiful example of inept play in every phase of the game. You can’t field a team like this and expect to win.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:08 am
I walked out of the stadium after the last pick. That was painful to watch.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:12 am
Were the Tampa Bay fans expecting to much in the very first game considering the patchwork OL and the ailing OC?
Nope. The only FA’s signed who did anything at all were Myers and McDonald. Honorable mention to Javorsky the Chub.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:16 am
Whats up with the OL coach who took and advised the bucs on that HORRIBLE oline castoffs they have signed…and like above where were the screens the quick passes maybe some zone read stuff…high school sophmores can run the zone read
September 8th, 2014 at 9:24 am
Joe, if I may. I agree with you that the B1G has fallen, and it is embarrassing at this point to watch. But I disagree with your comments about this area completely. Your “sports nut” friend that doesn’t know who Jameis Winston is? Sounds like a real sports nut alright. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t know who Famous Jameis is, and I’m including people who aren’t “sports nuts”. What a ludicrous way of trying to credit your comments, you know one person who lives in the north who clearly doesn’t watch football. Where I live there isn’t a possibility of spring football, too much snow. Believe me, we would have it if we could. And as far as not paying coaches, take a look at U of M’s salaries. They have the 4th and 6th highest paid coordinators in the country. Lot of good it did them Saturday… Please don’t trash this region as football fans, especially if you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve got a large audience of people who don’t know any better and will believe you. You should take that seriously.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:24 am
Wow. One long article of complaining. I hae to be honest, I stopped reaading 3/4 down. Got tired of it.
About McCown, as I said last night, there is no denying he screwed up a few times. Describing him as playing likea rookie seems fair.
I’m not making an excuse. He did what he did. But, not only was Tedford not calling plays, but our QB Coach was not down on the field to settle Josh down. He was in the booth calling plays.
The offensive play calling was horrendous. Calling running plays often against a stout defense I get, but it was the very same running play all game. Up the middle. THATS why the running game failed. No variety.
Michael Johnson. He movedd about super slow. He had openings conssistently, but it eemed like he had no energy. He just staggered about after the start of every play and sometimes he joined in the end of a play.
I swear it looked like the Panthers started ignoring him. The Panthers double teamed GMC often, but they also did it to our other defensive end. Johnson was the only one without urgency. It was like we had a three man front.
And, Joe, where is mention of the Bobby Rainey fumble that really cost us the game?
September 8th, 2014 at 9:26 am
@biff barker
I was expecting a QB who didn’t lose his nerve and composure when he was pressured. That’s all. It would’ve made a tremendous difference.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:27 am
BucBonzai,
Aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black. You have some of the longest, sleep-inducing posts on here.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:36 am
McClown needs to learn to get rid of the ball. Since the OL is atrocious in pass protection why don’t they call some roll out plays or bootlegs to utilize McClowns so called mobility?
September 8th, 2014 at 9:37 am
Agreed on all fronts.
I don’t want to continue the Mike Glennon thing, I really don’t want to seem as though I am blindly just crying for Glennon. If I see another game like that out of McCown, he needs to be pulled. Glennon might not ever be a good QB, but I think he played 1000x better against the Panthers than McCown…which is scary. The line held up OKAY against a solid front 7. McCown held the ball too long, and made foolish decisions.
I think the only reason he “came alive,” was the soft prevent defense he saw from the Panthers late in the game with a solid lead..
September 8th, 2014 at 9:39 am
Also, Lovie’s love affair with Mike Jenkins is disgusting. Hasnt he proven he cant play? Lovie sends him out there with the starting CBs? I am pretty sure that Jonathan Banks showed he is the better corner in that battle.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:42 am
We needed this home division game badly. Has anyone looked at our schedule recently? We could EASILY be 1-5 going into the game with the Vikings at home.
Anything short of a blowout vs the rams and their backup QB will not instill any confidence in this fan base.
September 8th, 2014 at 9:45 am
Everybody needs to stop panicking. We just played the 2nd best defense in the league. The stinking Panthers have just had another year to develop, and will be even better this year. I don’t know why they were underestimated by some, for this season. You saw what a great defense did to Aaron Rogers and the Packers, last thursday night. All I’m saying is, we will need more time to develop. Just hope we will be playing our best football in November when it counts most.
Very well reasoned. Joe wrote last week that fans and pundits were out their minds to think Carolina would somehow fall off the map with the No. 2-ranked defense and all their beasts returning there.–Joe
September 8th, 2014 at 9:55 am
The sad reality is, that the Panthers watched our preseason and weren’t impressed. They knew that sitting Cam Newton for this game was a non factor. Thats how confident they are in their defense!
September 8th, 2014 at 10:01 am
Barron? Well I saw foster totally getting sucked in by run fake and Olsen catching short passes right in the middle of the field. Oh by the way, wasn’t that the knock on him in locked defense (covering te). Not going to panic 1 game and I figured bucs a 6 win team anyway. That is a bad ass defense we playe too.
September 8th, 2014 at 10:58 am
Mediocre QB, mediocre oline, overpaid/under productive FAs, quantity over quality…sound familiar?
This was all completely predictable and I have been harassed and insulted the entire offseason for calling the new regime out.
Someone please name one offseason move that has worked out? I cannot think of one.
September 8th, 2014 at 11:03 am
Here we go excuses, excuses, excuses. You know what you’re right! Let’s overlook our qb play n play calling. Our absolute lack of pressure. The fact that lovie thinks putting up 14 points w 5 mins left in the game vs a prevent defense is a good thing and something to build on, blah blah blah. I think you guys forgot how football is supposed to look. The giants suck too but at least their fans hold them accountable and call them out as needed. A wise man once said winning is a habit unfortunately so is losing. #losermentality #we’llgetthemnexttime #loviecandonowrong #fireschianoforwhat
September 8th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Did you know that lovie was out of football last year? And Tedford and Frazier? There’s a reason for that. Lovie 2004 called they want their playbook back!
September 8th, 2014 at 11:37 am
It looks like Lovie Smith and Jason Light are press clipping readers when it comes to judging talent. It’s obvious that they read those clippings on Johnson, Jenkins and McCowen. Reading press clippings is the lazy way to evaluate a player but, it seems as though that’s the Buccaneer way and also the way to make the Bucs relevant again.
September 8th, 2014 at 11:40 am
@BucBob1 Says:
“…Everybody needs to stop panicking. We just played the 2nd best defense in the league…”
Yes, and the 26th ranked offense where we got ONLY ONE sack, allowed their backup QB to have a 108.7 RATING, allowed CAR to convert 5 of 6 third downs in the first half, let D.Williams to rush for 72 yards on 14 carries (5.1per – compared to Martin/Rainey getting 22 yards on 12 carries)… I could go on… I did not even touch on how lethargic we looked.
I know Joe patted you on the back at how “well reasoned” you are. But, when is it time to panic? L&L changed out half the players, shouldn’t they take some heat for such a crappy display? If you want to act like sheep and just go along, thats up to you. But don’t tell others who are tired of this YEAR-AFTER-YEAR that we are over reacting.
Opening game, on opening day, at home, and against a QB that makes HALF of what McCown makes – this was disgusting.
September 8th, 2014 at 12:37 pm
At least Robosack took the sack.
September 8th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
@Harry
Their offense only scored 20 points. What more do you want!
September 8th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
@Harry
Look, I didn’t like what I saw yesterday, any more than you did.
Baring injuries, this team will get better!
September 8th, 2014 at 3:35 pm
@BucBob1 Says:
“…Look, I didn’t like what I saw yesterday, any more than you did.
Baring injuries, this team will get better!”
Lets put that 20 points into perspective. The Panthers offense was the 26th ranked O last year. The Bucs D this year is “supposed to be” top 10, maybe top 5. The Panthers averaged 21 pts per game last year. Don’t you think our alleged great D could hold them to less points, especially seeing how the Bucs played against a backup QB (who managed a 108.7 QB rating against our “great D”)?
I am sure you didn’t like it any better than I did. And, yes, it will get better – Lovie is a good coach. BUT, there is no excuse for the way they played and how they coached. L&L had opportunities to put together a better Oline, but they didn’t do it. We badly needed a guard and we draft a friggin RB. WTF? L&L said Michael Johnson was their prized #1 FA – so far, he has done nothing. And the list goes on, and on.
Fans have a right to be very pissed with the effort we saw yesterday without being told we are overreacting.
September 8th, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Sounds like Glennon was mentoring MCcown
September 8th, 2014 at 7:14 pm
@Harry
They got beat by a great defence, what part of that don’t you understand. The Panthers defence could arguably, be as good as Seattle’s defence this year. Look at what our “02 Superbowl defence did to other teams. There’s no stopping it.