Should We Accept Jason Licht’s Premise?
October 27th, 2014
Did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers embark on a new era within an era yesterday?
Was that a rested, ready and hungry team eager to serve its head coach and faithful fans?
Consider what the Bucs’ general manager had to say:
Jason Licht joined Gene Deckerhoff on the Buccaneers Radio Network moments before kickoff of the nut-kick loss to the Vikings.
“We came back from the bye and everybody was excited. Everybody had a great bounce to them. It’s a new season starting today. That’s kind of our message, the players’ actual message to us. They all have Lovie’s back. They want to win for this guy. They want to win for each other, and they want to win for these fans,” Licht said.
Joe gets that Licht is a positive guy, but Licht also is a straight-shooter. So if we are to believe the Bucs had the perfect mentality after the bye week and were playing hard for Lovie, then are we to believe the offensive personnel on this team simply stinks like Joe’s bathroom after a night of Newcastle and knockwurst?
Licht and Lovie rebuilt the offense and it’s brutal.
Frankly, Joe doesn’t accept Licht’s premise. Joe doesn’t believe the Bucs have the right mentality, and Joe doesn’t see a team playing like “they all have Lovie’s back” and are aching to deliver suffering fans a victory.
Joe sees too many foolish mistakes, lame efforts and manhandling in the trenches.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:04 am
You know the offense isn’t great, but it’s better than last year (which says more about last year than anything). But the defense going from middle of the pack to the absolute and by far worst defense in the league is a damning indictment against Lovie and Licht. Completely unacceptable.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:10 am
I agree with Joe, I will add a lack of discipline as well, way too many penaltie for a well coached team…
October 27th, 2014 at 9:10 am
The coaching and GM have talent enough to SHOW IMPROVEMENT……so the record falls squarely on Lovies shoulders…and his staff…..
October 27th, 2014 at 9:13 am
We are watching a offense that the offensive line was put together the day before opening day, a QB that started game 4, running backs with wholes in there game. and a bunch of just drafted skill positions, and V-drops. This was expected.
what is not expected is the no take-away defense, even though the coach says that is what they are!
A defense that was better in less time with a “college coach who scheme’s would not work in the nfl”!!!
Its the defense that got all the high priced free agents that were the final pieces, that the media assured us it was a 10 ten defense!!!
October 27th, 2014 at 9:16 am
I’m sooo sick with this babble. I don’t care how excited and hyped up the team is. We don’t have the players to be competitive.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:16 am
Our free agents aren’t performing……
As for the defense yesterday….I have a bit of a different take…..
Bridgewater missed many wide open recievers…a better QB would have torched our pass defense…..our defense was better….but partly because who we were playing…
October 27th, 2014 at 9:18 am
The offensive line is a complete rebuild in the offseason, free agency, trades, draft picks etc…they picked the players. Booted the former line and we are worse. That’s the bottom line. No excuse for the line to come together, they had more than enough time for that, and Mankins is way past his prime. Gave up a pick and money for a guy who won’t be here next year.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:18 am
If I wanted any more crap from Licht, I would ask someone to press down on top of his head and watch it come out like a Pez dispenser. Man that guy is trying to sell us some swamp land down in the Glades with his Rah-Rah BS. Lets see the Bucs win some damn ballgames and then get back to us Licht before you try to sell anymore of this garbage to us fans ya snake-oil swindler!
October 27th, 2014 at 9:20 am
This is looking like more and more the coaches have lost the locker room…
October 27th, 2014 at 9:22 am
Everything that should, could, would, needs to be said has been said. The drain vortex is in full bloom. Say goodnight Tampa Bay Bucs. Maybe we’ll see you in 3 or 4 years. Yes Mr. Glazer, you too.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:22 am
When Steve Yzerman got here, he said “We have a plan to get better.” Translation: “We’re going to stink for a while until I get the shelves properly re-stocked.” Lightning fans understood it and stuck with the team during the transition. We’ve been rewarded.
Why didn’t these guys do that? We knew the team stunk, had no QB and only a handful of draft choices. Instead, they talked about winning now. They did themselves a disservice. I don’t want to break down the franchise again but if the team is really this much worse than they thought, my confidence in their ability to judge talent is sorely tested.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:23 am
The coaches can’t even find the locker room
October 27th, 2014 at 9:25 am
Sounds like spew straight from D.C.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:35 am
“bucrightoff” the offense is better than last years? Uh, I think not!
October 27th, 2014 at 9:40 am
What do you expect them to say, that we don’t know our ass from a hole in the ground. The truth is too hard to speak.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:41 am
Uh it is. But that’s more about how awful it was last year. The defense though? At least twice as bad as last year if not more so. I’m really glad we don’t get Peyton this year or he’d have a 600 yard, 8 TD game without question.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:42 am
Seattle doesn’t want Lynch back and they’re interested in VJax. Let’s connect the dots here folks. Send them Martin and VJax they send us Lynch and picks. Let’s make it happen
October 27th, 2014 at 9:47 am
Fix the offensive line and you’ll see better QB play. Plain and simple. Glennon is getting gun shy and it shows. He does not trust his o-line to protect him and it is in his mind every time the ball is snapped. I noticed yesterday he was busy peeking at the pass rush while taking his eyes off his progressions. That’s what happens to all QB’s when they’re treated like a pinata on almost every single play.
Glennon is a pocket QB, not a scrambler. If we continue to deploy this matador type o-line maybe it would behoove us to go back to McCown who can run on every single snap. Hell, better yet, maybe we should have Charles Simms play QB
October 27th, 2014 at 9:51 am
there are 2 very underperforming receivers on this team. get rid of both and bring Eric Page up. get rid of Holiday now you have 2 spots to bring in some players anywhere you need them.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:52 am
Holliday at returner was brilliant…another fumble…don’t care how many yards the team gets on returns. Can’t have a fumbler back there. College coaching staff. Schiano deserved another year. This is garbage! glennon is career backup. OL fix, pass rush and QB are 2015 priorities
October 27th, 2014 at 9:52 am
third choice needs to step up and take control of this team or let his first GM opportunity go down in flames with Lamie….yo, what you built SUCKS
October 27th, 2014 at 9:53 am
It wasn’t until week 8 that the 0-7 Bucs finally showed some fight in them last season. They didn’t compete, they didn’t come close, they were outright bad. This season, in 7 games, all but 2 have come down to the final minute or play. As bad as some of you think it is, this is a stark contrast the weekly uncompetitiveness we saw through the first 7 weeks of last season.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:56 am
Joe,
You hit the nail on the head as usual! I actually see teams playing their tails off in Oakland. Teams like the Steelers that got embarrassed and then got it together to tell the NFL they are not laying down. Everyone said Tom Brady was washed up….they have no offensive line and besides Gronk, no receivers yet put a whuppin on the Bears who were supposedly all fired up after last week.
I do not see any fire out of Lovie and the boys. The O line looks like a college team could get pressure on the QB. I actually think Glennon hopes Lovies replaces him with McClown so he does not get permantly disfigured! Licht and Lovie had their chance!
The HC with only college experience was fired after two (2) years due to my lack of NFL experience. You would think the bar would be much higher for a NFL experienced coach such as Lovie. He had a whole year to plan his return, picked his coaches, picked his players and his record is worse than mine.
11-5 or Lovie goes bye bye! I don’t care if it has only been 1 season and the Big Dipstick says he gets at least 3 years. I had ZERO NFL experience with players I did not get to choose for the most part. Lovie has no excuse…fire him now and start shopping for a Great Head Coach!
Greg Schiano
October 27th, 2014 at 9:58 am
Uh Brandon, lost the first two games last year by 3 points, three of the first four losses in the final 2 minutes and by 3 or less. Please try again. Lovie blows chunks and it appears you blow Lovie.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:59 am
Problem is o-line and coaching. Draft some good o-line guys and get a d coordinator and we could be 7-8 win team. Talent other than o-line not that bad. Really bad o-line makes skill guys look bad. Lovie and Frazier have mucked up this defense so far. We were much better last year. If they don’t figure it out we could hire new DVD and improve. Frazier had worst d in nfl last year with Vikings. Now he has sacked our d. But I don’t think our overall talent is bad except o-line.. Tearing apart team would make us worse not better.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:01 am
Need to sell both the Rays & the Bucs to Mr. Vinic!!
October 27th, 2014 at 10:03 am
This team is really getting under my skin. I’ve followed the Bucs since 1996 and this team is by far the worst that I’ve seen since then. There’s absolutely NO positives watching the Bucs this year(maybe Mike Evans). There’s no discipline or passion on either side of the ball. The only positive I see going forward is possibly getting in position for Jamies Winston. He’s really grown on me. I understand he’s had some off the field issues, but the kid has a rare passion for the game with an arm that can drive the ball down the field. We need that on this team desperately.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:09 am
I’ve seen the light brothers and sisters. The problem isn’t the players in itself, but it is a whole franchise problem. Some things that need to be done before next year.
1. New Owners
2. New Office Management
3. New coaches
4. Purge the roster (AGAIN)
5. New Water Boy/Girl
6. New Towel Boy/Girl
7. New Athletic Trainer
8. Purge the Cheerleaders line
9. Lower Ticket Prices
11. Bring in professional Talent Evaluator for Draft
10. Draft BPA for the next 5 years until we have full rebuilt the roster with young talent that can play
October 27th, 2014 at 10:12 am
The absolute worst GM/Coach tandem in the history of pro football.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:18 am
I’d be all for firing this staff mid-season. Call us the browns or w/e, but I hate waiting to prove to all the doubters that our owners can’t pick a good coaching staff.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:27 am
Lapdog Licht should really stop talking. He says as little as possible these days because his team is in a tailspin but for his own sake he should stop speaking out loud into recording devices all together. The guy just sounds like a complete fool every time he decides to let words fall out of his mealy mouth.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:30 am
I think the biggest problem was losing Tedford. You can’t lose your offensive coordinator a week before the season, hand off those duties to an inexperienced coach who is younger than the starting QB, and then expect that unit to light up the scoreboard.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:33 am
Joe please put up a poll for fans to vote;
Lovie gets to fulfill his contract
Gets 1 more year
gets until the end of season
Gets fired immediatly
October 27th, 2014 at 10:47 am
It’s like watching a 16 week train wreak in slow motion. No hope, only despair ! Trading deadline coming up quick. Time to move players for draft picks. That’s if our GM is more capable than our catatonic coach. Like an earlier post said, you really have to take your hats off for the fans that show up to witness this smelly, hairy, turd of a team and coach. Fans couldn’t wait to get him out of Chicago.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:52 am
Theres an old saying:
some people can’t see the forest for the trees in the way
October 27th, 2014 at 10:53 am
We are officially in another death spiral of a season here in Tampa Bay.
Expect more of the same with Coach Smith at the helm.
One thing you will never be asked if wearing Buc gear to Publix…. “Paper or plastic sir?’
October 27th, 2014 at 10:59 am
The damning thing is that with the exception of maybe Glennon EVERY starting player who was on this team in 2013 and still here has regressed on the field. That does not bold well for Lovie Smith or his staff.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:01 am
I still say they are tanking it. The players may not be, but I believe the coaches are and they are not putting them in situations to win… on purpose.
There let that sink in for a second. Now even if I’m wrong it’s much easier to think my way, then to think they are actually trying to win.
See how easy it is?
October 27th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Lovie and Licht rebuilt the offense, and then through no fault of their own ended up stuck with an inexperienced quarterbacks calling plays. They made some mistakes, and I’d argue that they need a guy like Mariota at all costs, but they should get some slack for how the offense has performed this year. Between Tedford’s absence and the number of rookies and new free agents they brought in, we were all kidding ourselves thinking they’d have this thing turned around in 4 months of offseason.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Here is a question for you Joe. If McCoy got paid like that and isn’t even close to our best D player right now. How much are they going to pay our best D player in Lavonte David?
October 27th, 2014 at 11:28 am
Licht, you’re a very poor GM – take this as an overreaction, but if you disagree tell me ONE thing he has done right…. one.
I’ll wait.
You’re trades have been garbage, where we have come out on the wrong side every time, your acquisitions have been poorly assessed and overpaid, and the McCoy extension is clearly made by a man that simply looked at the DT market, pulled out someone else’s checkbook, and used too many zeroes to overpay his production.
You’re a bad GM sir and you take your life preserver to work as you’re swimming way over your head.
Smh, unfortunately this franchise is going to continue to move backward… it’s going to take the next GM in 3+ years to start the recovery.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:28 am
I think we need to basically play out this season as we have been (horribly) and pray that whatever quarterback we take (because Glennon is not going to resurrect this franchise although hes a very good backup) is going to reignite this team and bring the energy and enthusiasm that this team has lacked since Gruden left the building. We need a quarterback that can stretch the field and make some damn plays making everyone around him better (i.e. Russel Wilson, Aaron Rogers, Peyton and the list goes on.) We need a damn franchise quarterback. We havent had one EVER we need one this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 27th, 2014 at 11:32 am
“they want to win for these fans,” Licht said.
You want to win for us? You want to make this fan buy season tickets again?
Then do right be me and draft Jameis Winston. Until then all bets are off. My money will stay in the bank.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:36 am
Just closing my eyes for about 10 seconds or so picturing Winston in a Buc jersey under center next season makes puts a BIG smile on my face.
I suggest you all take that 10 seconds and do the same.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:43 am
I’m for taking qbs early if their legit. But qb isn’t our problem and Aaron Rodgers, Andrew lucks don’t grow on trees. Whoever we bring in is going to struggle unless the o-line gets better. More than anything, I’m tired of this Lovie losing like this shouldn’t go without media criticism. Look at job mike pettiness is doing with browns, Bruce Arians with cardinals, McCoy won right away with chargers, Reid with kc.
October 27th, 2014 at 11:46 am
100 percent agree bingo.if they fire rex ryan sign him he has more passion to win than this moron collecting paychecks. and blowing smoke up are .ss
October 27th, 2014 at 11:53 am
Michael Johnson looks like he’s playing to stay healthy for
whatever team he goes to next year (that’s not the sorry a*s Bucs)
October 27th, 2014 at 11:59 am
Does anybody trust dumb and dumber to turn this mess around? IMO you could give these ass clowns the first 5 picks in next years draft and they would screw that up. This team has no heart. I have not seen a team from top to bottom this soft. They are truly a reflection of their HC.
October 27th, 2014 at 12:07 pm
I will say it again.Does anybody want Lovie to be in charge of the draft?Lovie is a nice guy,but father time has passed him by.The NFL is evolving and he is old school and that philosophy is not working on offense or defense.Pass on first down and give the QB a chance when you have a putrid offensive line that can’t protect more then 2.5 seconds.When the Vikings defense got tired in the fourth qtr. Glennon performed because he had time.
October 27th, 2014 at 12:08 pm
This team isn’t full of rookies Joe the defense played well enough to win and it’s all everyone asked for and you got it so what happened? the excuse everyone had, give Glennon a defense and he’ll go out and win the game but that was 55 minutes of bad throws. Better days, yes Freeman and jamarcus Russell had better days. He getting all that praise and excuses since he started but no one wants to give him blame. You look at the final stat and try to say he played a good game. We need a Damn real quarterback, it’s not rocket science yes we have always won with defense which is why we’re losing franchise. Let go of the past, have balls and guts to go out and get a real quarterback. Really we still have to find out if he’s the guy?
October 27th, 2014 at 12:49 pm
I had an interesting thought. It has to start with ownership. Ownership needs to bring in a real football guy, namely Eddie DeBartollo as the managing partner. Basically sell Eddie part of the team. Then let Eddie make all the football hiring, management, coaching, player, etc. decisions. Let Eddie bring in some of his ex 49 people and expertise to right the ‘ship’. Sadly, the buds office has been stealing the Glazers blind. They’ve been soft with the cap money, they’re making desperate and silly player/coaching decision that led to major money losing mistakes. This needs a creative solution.
October 27th, 2014 at 1:01 pm
I would take Winston or Mariota either way its a huge upgrade because as accurate as Glennon is in this day and age we need a mobile quarterback.
October 27th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
The great thing is the teams that could be ahead of us in the draft (Oakland and Jags) already have their franchise guy. If we keep sucking as we should (which pains me so nobody say I like watching this garbage every Sunday) then we will have either Winston or Mariota fall in our laps.
October 27th, 2014 at 2:26 pm
1987-
I think you’re on queue with that. There is no earthly explanation for this abissmal performance and execution except tanking.
Any qb not named McClown or Glennon looks good in pewter and red.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:22 pm
this licht guy sure looks pretty bad. turned down a first round offer for glennon. offensive line worse than the 0-26 bucs. no tebow.
lovey looks terrible having let us hire this guy. why cant we just bring back gruden. im tired of last place.