“Ashamed” Of Bucs Coaches
November 3rd, 2014
“If I tell Marcus Arroyo to run the ball, I might hurt his feelings.”
Joe doesn’t think he can highlight this lowlight enough. A head coach of an NFL team, who has an incompetent as an acting offensive coordinator, largely due to fate and bad fortune, apparently doesn’t have control over said understudy.
That is the only thing Joe can figure out after Lovie Smith stated after the game he wished his team would have run the ball more in the second half.
Remember, the Bucs were running at virtual will in the first half and acting offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo abandoned the run for reasons unknown.
The fact Lovie apparently doesn’t have the power, control or inclination to tell his wet-behind-the-ears acting coordinator to return to the run is both stunning and mind-numbing to Joe, and it should be sobering to Bucs fans.
It galled Gil Arcia, of Scout.com, who said the entire Bucs coaching staff should be ashamed.
On offense, the Bucs struggles continued, primarily because they got away from what was working during the first two quarters — running the football. Calling Bobby Rainey’s number four times in the second half when he touched the ball 15 times for 80 yards the previous two quarters was unacceptable.
Inept playcalling like not running the ball on second-and-1 on their final drive was a prime example of how the Bucs’ coaches have limited this team’s success all season. It is the reason why Tampa Bay is not heading in the right direction. They instead decide to put the ball in the hands of their quarterback who made countless errors in the first half. Why?
Yes, Joe knows Luke Stocker, who the Bucs were using as a blocking back, got hurt. That is no reason not to run! Was Stocker the sole reason the Bucs were running the ball so effectively in the first half? Color Joe suspicious of that notion.
Besides, the Browns are tied for the worst rush defense in the NFL for yards allowed per carry. Running the ball was a Bucs’ strength. Stopping the run is the Browns’ glaring weakness. With such an advantage you decide to do just the opposite?
And you wonder why Joe calls Arroyo incompetent? That proves it right there.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:07 pm
“Ashamed” of the Bucs HC more than anything else… He was hired to make this team better and all his decisions have just made it much worse… He created the mess the Bus are today and is quickly becoming 1 of the worst coaches in the NFL….
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:10 pm
If Lovie was any kind of leader, he would have started looking for a new OC as soon as Tedford started popping the nitro-glycerine. His failure to act ruined any chance to get a replacement. He should have known better than to allow a positional coach with no NFL experience to run our offense.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:15 pm
Lovely is the incompetent one. Garunteed Arroyo is just following orders.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:26 pm
Joe:
Was Lovie asked why the running game was abandoned?
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:31 pm
He’s no good Joe, but it’s like you’re picking on the goofiest kid on the short bus. Arroyo is in over his head – this we expected, after the dumb luck with Tedford. What we did not expect is that apparently Lovie Smith is in WAY over his head.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:38 pm
He is a worse game day coach than Schiano
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Yes. And he answered. Joe has used the quote a few times today.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:45 pm
Rainey needed more carries in the 3rd quarter.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:55 pm
Good thing we ran Schiano out of town. What a joke that guy was, am I right? You all suck collectively as a fan base. You’re never happy. We suck. Get used to it. Its not changing anytime soon.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:56 pm
couldn’t believe the calls at the end of the game…just run for a yard and keep playing!!! there was tons of time left. why the panic?!
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 pm
How come there are no billboards for LovieDovie?
Guess he can do no wrong.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:17 pm
It’s gonna be fine everyone! Remember how well it turned out for Rod Marinelli and the Detroit Lions? Rod was successful with Detroit because at one point in his career, he was part of Tony Dungy’s staff. Lovie will be successful here because he was on Tony Dungy’s staff back in the mid 90’s. What could possibly go wrong??
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:17 pm
It just appears that the entire coaching staff is not on the same page.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Joe
Lovie is neither a leader or a manager, he is an excuse. No one in recorded history that is in charge states he has no control because if he does, he should be kicked off the team by sundown of the day he so states. What BS
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:33 pm
8 more games. This season feels like an eternity.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:40 pm
If Glennon didn’t go all Trent Dilfer on us, the Bucs should’ve blown out the Browns. Glennon missed at least 3 TD passes.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:43 pm
This is just another example of why, handing a coach the keys to the castle with no checks on his power is always a terrible decision. Always.
Coaches by nature are stubborn. See Schiano, Gruden, and now Lovie. They think despite OVERWHELMING evidence to the contrary, that they know best. “Trust me. It’ll work,” I believe is the constant refrain, alas, it never does.
Licht needs to be given more control. The Glazers need to explain to Lovie, “hey, this didn’t work. Sorry.” And take personnel decisions away from him. Right now we just have another Gruden…without the success. Anthe couple years and I’m going to start thinking we have The Curse of Gruden on our hands. A hex he put on the team for firing a highly successful coach for a nitwit.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Yea we definitely need some #FireLovie billboards and also maybe tshirts (seriously, someone could make a little chunk of cash on those shirts)… Hmm, I wonder who would fund those billboards….. Although, it does appear that we can’t blame him for all the futile 1st & 2nd down runs of the previous 7 games. :/
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Mike Martz is somewhere laughing his arse off at Lovie.
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Cleveland’s defense adjusted to stopping the run in the second half. In doing so, they made Glennon try to beat them in the air. We all know how that turned out.
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:21 pm
I may be wrong but I think you misinterpreted Lovie’s statement. He was expressing regret at his own decision, not blaming Arroyo.
FWIW 2nd & 1 and 3rd & 1 are the best times to throw long. You know that. You just need a quarterback, that’s the problem.
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:34 pm
Good coaches will use a set of successful plays against you until you adjust to stop it.
Rookies coaches apparently do not. Just because they run blitz on first down one time doesn’t mean you go away from it, but MA did, because he is not a good coach. The last drive play calling, with MG being noticeably off his game – how is MA on the payroll today – he is just horrible!
Even only giving up field goals for the most part with special teams falling apart at the seams, our defense is light years away from being good.
Everyone in the league knows we can’t cover the deep middle, the slant or any thing to the sideline – every time you thought the defense was playing better, boom – 20 yard completion to a practice squad receiver.
The special teams is even worse – no return game at all, punter is horrible, blocked FG, blocked punts – thought Lovie was a ST ace?
Lost season half way through….this sucks, again!!!
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Stocker got hurt? I AM SHOCKED!
November 3rd, 2014 at 6:05 pm
Shouldn’t be a surprise. We keep going back to a well that ran dry years ago. Bring in some fresh thinking and someone who can motivate and use the talent we have. Schiano was trying to change the culture but scared everyone with his tactics. Lovie brought back old school BUCS thinking – which had mostly been a loser. Bad enough the players are sniping at each other in the media (sure sign that Lovie is losing his locker room) but now he isn’t holding his coaches accountable. The Lovie era is going to suck – hope it’s short lived.
November 3rd, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Schiano was out of his f—kin mind… Borderline sociopath..
Lovie is waaaay too docile… Its like his daily diet consists of xanax and wine coolers… where’s the FIRE???
But both of these dudes share one thing in common, They Cant Get Their Players to PLAY FOR THEM!
…On top of that, theres nothing going on UPSTAIRS! Those guys are SIMPLE MINDED… One Dimensional! I hate wishing ill will towards Lovie, cause he’s a ‘nice guy’, and he made his bones back in our Glory Days…
Other than that, he’s just another middle of the line HC, with terrible game-day managemnt skills… Unless our D turns it around in the next half?? Glazers better eat up his garunteed contract and switch gears to an offensive minded coach, who can coach and adjust like he’s 10 steps ahead of the next guy…. and ABOVE ALL, LEAD HIS TROOPS!!! Light a FIRE under their ASSES!!!
Tank it For Jameis!!!
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:02 pm
On our last posession we had a critical 2nd and 1 that resultd in an incomplete pass. 3rd and 1 with an incomplete pass. 4th and 1, again, Incomplete pass. Rainey was avergaing what 3-4 yards a run? Why in the hell did we not try to run it just once? I continued to be amazed at the asenine coaching and play calling of this team. Last week it was a putrid-pitiful prevent defense that allowed the Vikings to drive down the field and tie the game. Special teams and this bufoonery tolose to the Browns. I wonder how we will lose to the Falcons next Sunday? Will it be like Rocky three when Rocky had the mental game let down from the Clubber lang beat down? Hey GMC here is a test of your teamates pride since it was the Falcons who embarrassed you the most this season. Lets see how you respond.
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:05 pm
@ the Ether, I agree 100%. We have not had an offensive minded coach since Gruden. It has been all Defensive minded coaches. One Superbowl appearence in thirty plus years, go figure.
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:31 pm
They also ran a beautiful screen pass, best in years and never did it again on a blitz play. It stinks from the head.
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Wow.
I figured something like this ight happen – especially after the OC’s health problems weren’t known until just before the season opener – but apparently no one knew Arroyo would be such a spectacular and abysmal failure!?
I don’t think Tedford had previoisly been associated with Arroyo – so maybe no one knew – but hopefully Tedford wasn’t keeping his coaching staff as much in the dark about his offensive plans as he did the media & fanbase!?
I just can’t imagine that someone other than Lovie would have made a commitment to Arroyo…that would keep Lovie from finding a suitable replacement in the time since Tedford was forced to remporarrily step down…but Lovie certainly seems to indicate that this is the case?
Which implies MUCH bigger problems here…and unlike how the Cubs made room for Joe Madden (by firing 1st year Rick Renteia)…no one made a move in order to improve the organization? Instead, Lovie steps to the mic today and humiliates Arroyo – and by etension, himself?
This after being reassured that Lovie had total control!?
Uh, wait, hold up….
None of us can tell if the Bucs are consistently a man-blocking or zone blocking line scheme (which makes a BIG difference for your RB). No one seems able to consistently find any recever NOT named Evans or Jackson…and Sefarian-Jenkins has nearly disappeared since coming back….? It also has a LOT to do with why the McCown from Chicago never seemed to show up in Tampa Bay.
…but if Lovie is inferring someone in the organization won’t let him address a problem with a member of his staff that pertains to game management, while holding him accountable for wins & losses…
…well, we’re DE-volving – and we just got a LOT worse than any of us fans thought.
Is this true?
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:13 pm
White Tiger, Arroyo coached for Tedford at Cal, they knew each other which is why he got the qb coaching job. Great article Joe, concisely sums up the frustration us Buc fans have been feeling toward this coaching staff and the offense after the embarrassing defeat in Cleveland. But hell when special teams fail for 4 quarters and the defense is decent but not great you need 4 quarters of offense to win on the road. Things worked in the first half and adjustments were made to cease that, normally this team doesn’t adjust at halftime when nothing works on offense like the Vike game; its mind boggling! As far as the blame game: well plenty to go around; the Glazers, L&L, their coaching staff and the players all share….. If one looks around at the NFL you can only see things this bad in 2 or 3 other locales: Oakland, Jagland and Jetland and every media expert expected Oakland and Jacksonville to be this bad leaving the Bucs and the Jets as 2 of the biggest disappointments and dysfunctional teams to play in the NFL in a long time…..
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:34 pm
Our coach is a pathetic excuse for a professional. Not evolving breeds failure the second you “system” becomes antiquated. I bet Lovie is excited about his new flip phone. I am ashamed to be a fan of this putrid franchise.
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Totally agree. I support Glennon but yesterday was not good. A few nice throws and some putrid ones. Should have kept running.
November 3rd, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Terrible head coach….whne its 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 and your response is “probably should have run it more” CMON man you are the HC, use your headset and call 45 dive or whatever your play call is and then run it again for the 3 feet, time for a new HC
November 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 pm
UMMM…am I missing something Lovie? Aren’t you our head coach? The same head coach that didn’t throw a challenge flag when Evans CLEARLY caught a pass ruled incomplete in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead? Like you give a crap. I guess coming to Tampa just ruins anyone’s chances of playing on a good football team in the NFL. I don’t get it. This team blow. Can’t wait to go to the game Sunday and think about sitting at home on my couch and dreaming of watching real football.
November 3rd, 2014 at 11:20 pm
stupid does as stupid be….
November 4th, 2014 at 11:55 am
The media was quick to put up the Schiano billboards. Well where in the hell are the Dovie billboards. Long overdue.