The Lessons Of 2009
October 14th, 2014
One Bucs coach wasn’t afraid to radically change his schemes. And it led to a significant stretch of winning.
Joe will give Raheem Morris credit. The man was unafraid of change.
Heck, in his first season, Raheem fired his offensive coordinator in August and changed his offense. Three months later, he fired his defensive coordinator and radically changed the Bucs defense.
A year later, the Bucs won 10 games with the youngest team in the NFL, starting 10 rookies during the season.
How’s that for yungry! It’s too bad Raheem was unprepared to lead and manage a team for the long haul. It’s also somewhat sad the Bucs, back then, treated free agency like the Ebola virus and wouldn’t dabble in it after posting a 10-6 record.
Joe brings this up because Joe hears the loud cries from media and fans that Lovie shouldn’t make significant adjustments and all he needs is time. Joe respects giving a coach time, but please don’t dare try to sell Joe that there’s no other way for Lovie to operate successfully. Joe has more faith in Lovie’s football smarts than that.
As Joe wrote when Raheem and Greg Schiano were here. The essence of coaching, in any sport on any level, is getting the most out of your personnel. The Bucs are failing miserably at that.
The first-quarter Sunday boos that engulfed the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway were an angry scolding. Bucs fans are reasonable, but they won’t tolerate failed coaching and lackluster effort.
Lovie won’t alter his course during the bye week, and Joe is absolutely fine with that. But if the Bucs don’t turn things around this season, then what?
It’s almost ironic that Lovie will stand before media and talk about how he’s always looking for any player and any way to improve his football team. But it seems, right now, that doesn’t apply to major coaching adjustments.
A lesson was learned by Bucs fans in 2009: don’t be afraid to toss out the garbage.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:19 am
One of the biggest things Lovie could do to get people to actually be more patient would be to show he can change and adapt. This was his number 1 or 1A criticism in Chicago. So some adaptability would be nice to see especially when it’s obvious how over matched the defense is right now.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:20 am
Bring back Rah!!!
October 14th, 2014 at 9:28 am
He can start by getting rid of Koenen. Yes. The offense didn’t do anything to help the team especially in the first half. But you expect your punter to pin them back a little. It seemed that every Baltimore drive started at their own 45 thanks to 30yd punts. Then there’s this mystery called short, quick passes. It tends to work when a team is bringing the whole dam kitchen sink. Try it next time Lovie.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:32 am
His first order of change should be getting a new Defensive Coordinator!
October 14th, 2014 at 9:37 am
It is not just that we are 1-5
it is the way we became 1-5
and the only solution so far
be patient
October 14th, 2014 at 9:37 am
This short punting pisses me off bc supposed lyrics it’s by design. He should be fired for even thinking this is a good idea. It oozes incompetent
October 14th, 2014 at 9:38 am
Koenen should be axed….Lets pick up a younger, cheaper and perhaps better punter.
Frazier should be fired……If he isn’t responsible for the defense then why is he here?
I would take Arroyo off the hook and let the QBs call the plays….I think they are probably just as capable and it may help us off to faster starts.
Definately bring in Edwards & Pamphile to play some…..if we are going to get beat, lets at least help our younger players get needed experience.
Lock up GMC….Buc fans need something positive going forward.
And lastly……pray with the rest of us!!!
October 14th, 2014 at 9:47 am
The sign of a good coach is getting a team playing for him within HIS system and there are lots of good coaches about in both NFL and college.
The sign of a GREAT coach is looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the personnel available to him and matching a system to the players skill sets to maximise their strength and minimise their weaknesses. A great team is a blend of strengths and weaknesses which collectively manage to consistently play better than their joint abilities. Seattlle were a perfect example of this last year. Some great players who made the journeymen players better than they would have been otherwise. But the blend of both together was amazing at times
Can’t say that the Bucs coaching staff so far have impressed me that they are capable of doing this or even understanding the principle.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:48 am
Hey Joe, have you covered the validity of the Cover 2 in these modern times.
I’m not sure what to think. On first thought, it seems like the cover 2 is a dinosaur, and the rules against big hits cripples it’s ultimate effectiveness.
On the other hand, Dallas has turned a corner and is playing great D (finally). And, Chicago played it quite well when Lovie was there.
What’s the answer? A weakened but still legitimate D that just takes the right personnel and time to master?
Or is it just a dying breed? It seems like people said that about the 3-4 and sometimes things are just cyclical.
I honestly don’t know.
October 14th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Ron Meeks of the Chargers ran the exact same D for the Colts during the Dungy years and had that defense humming most seasons. He went to Carolina for one year and that D was the easily the only respectable unit on that team but he was tossed out with John Fox. I’ve been pining for Meeks to come to Tampa since before we hired Jim Bates. I doubt Lovie would fire Frazier, so let’s suppose they give him a “promotion” and bring Meeks in?
October 14th, 2014 at 9:58 am
It’s hard for fans to believe the claims of talk radio and former players that the Bucs’ defense is “close to getting it.” They not losing by 3 or 7 points. They’re getting blasted. 28-0 in the first quarter is Alabama versus Stetson, not NFL football. It just doesn’t happen often. Two games out of six with 35+ point deficits at halftime shows no signs (to us) of being “close.”
October 14th, 2014 at 9:59 am
The 10-6 was against very weak teams. The weekly refrain of a “win is a win” was thoroughly disproven because the team was not good and showed it the following year.
But you are right, this team needs to adapt to its personnel. They are looking silly out there.
October 14th, 2014 at 10:02 am
Dovie won’t fire Frazier because thats his homeboy. Same with Warhop.
October 14th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Let’s stop quoting things you heard other people say and get realistic. It doesn’t matter what schemes we run, the players are not making plays! Oh he’s supposed to adjust to maximize his players strengths? What strengths!?! I mean what do you want him to do? All I hear is b!tching and crying about Lovie should do this and Lovie should do that! What should he do?? That was a rhetorical question… Don’t embarrass yourself with a response to that, there’s a reason why he’s a coach in the NFL and all your doing is b!tching and whining on this forum…
October 14th, 2014 at 10:30 am
It’s okay if he don’t make changes and the losing it won’t matter anymore. People are already leaving the Bucs yet again and the stadium is empty – the Glazers will be forced to fire him after next year.
Me personally, I am much happier when the Bucs don’t play on Sunday’s and I can watch Andrew Luck and other imperfect teams play well coached football.
It’s clear to me the Glazers are disengaged and non-involved.
October 14th, 2014 at 10:37 am
Love and Warrick Dunn:
Was told that Dallas doesn’t run much Tampa-2. Gonna try to find out from someone who covers Cowboys how accurate that is.
October 14th, 2014 at 10:39 am
Did you abide by the same philosophy when Raheem and Schiano were coaching?
Where’s Lovie’s rings? Oh, wait…
October 14th, 2014 at 11:08 am
@OneLove, Your Funny= What could lovie do?
Lovie could at least of called a couple of time out’s and let our guys regroup in that melt down saints game, I can think of a thousand more brainfarts by lovie starting from not signing hester and on and on we can go.. What can lovie do.. Your Funny..
October 14th, 2014 at 11:38 am
His worse fault was not knowing how to handle a locker room he was a kid in coach years but I always have him credit for working with what he was given and Dominick was too stupid to give a new coach a defense coordinator and when he did we got Jim Bates. Not an experienced play caller and no players and Dominick for agm spelled disaster. But this guy sure looked happy all the way through it. Want he a new Jersey guy too?
October 14th, 2014 at 11:44 am
one hate: Worst post I’ve ever read on this blog. No facts or point just bluster. No coach should be criticized by that reasoning. Just say all players sucks. Forgetting that same d you say has no talent has 3 pro bowlers in their 20s plus top 50 voted player David. That same defense finished #15 last year with same guys. No Lovie and Leslie, keep giving up 50 spots and coming in last!! Don’t worry about adjusting. You guys are above criticism. Well, at least one hate thinks so.
October 14th, 2014 at 12:22 pm
Joe Im glad that you are showing true fan posts to what is actually going on here. You are truly being the voice of the fans of the bucs and sick of this BS…I listened yesterday to the big dog and have listened to him forever through his dungy crtiques, dilfer critiques, etc….and yesterday he seemed liek he was sucking up to Lovie, there is no defense of Lovie, his personnel decisions and coaching decsions as you have stated he was blown out in 2 first halves this season. If the bucs come off a bye and continue this path, then I am afraid that because of the above it may be time to scrap the love fest and move on nothing against lovie but hsi basement did not help anyone, esepcially the bucs
October 14th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Joe
Do you think that Raheem has aged enough to be a head coach again here? We need a new leader that thinks ahead with what he has, not one that is putting square pegs in round holes.
October 14th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
I really don’t anticipate anything to change significantly this year. Oh the defense may improve after 4 or 5 more games to an extent, but it won’t matter much. I can’t wait until next year and I will say the same thing next year and the year after that most likely.
October 14th, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Do they give you a two for one, if you become a Cubs fan as well?
October 15th, 2014 at 3:06 am
Does anyone know how to get a web site for the purpose of calling for a coaching change?