“I Think There May Be Some Tension In The Front Office”
February 10th, 2015
One of the NFL’s biggest insider voices made a bold statement about the Buccaneers yesterday.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports and ProFootballTalk.com, a guy with superior sources who has interviewed Lovie Smith and Jason Licht during their Bucs tenure, thinks the great quarterback divide has made its way to One Buc Palace. (The video is only available here.)
“I think there may be some tension in the front office on this,” Florio said during a discussion of the Bucs’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Florio said he believes Lovie prefers to trade down and Licht is in the draft-a-QB camp.
“That’s how legacies are made. You get a franchise quarterback you contend every year for a decade or longer,” Florio said.
Florio asserts Lovie would rather not gamble on a QB because he believes a team can win without a superstar gunslinger and drafting a surer thing would be preferable.
What’s scary is it is easy to believe Florio here. Lovie is the same guy who wanted to launch his regime with Josh McCown and Mike Glennon, rather than draft a quarterback last year. However, Licht said last year the Bucs had total personnel consensus on all moves.
Again, Florio has excellent sources. Joe is still wondering why Florio, the day after the conference championship games, opted to write about nuances in Michael Johnson’s contract. That’s almost meaningless content for his giant national audience. The timing made Joe feel like Florio had someone connected to the Bucs pitching him the story.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:02 am
Joe(s) worst nighmare…..
Welcome to the World of Lovie….
Simple as that……..
February 10th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Mike Florio is a conspiracy theorist who doesn’t have to retract his lies when he’s wrong
February 10th, 2015 at 11:06 am
GOOD GOD, worst news of the day. Lovie is a dult. I guess he was happy to lose the super bowl with an inferior quarterback.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:06 am
Lovie QB thought process was proven wrong last year, no pick this year is a sure thing. the closes I see is cooper the WR. you don’t take a QB we will be looking for one the next ten years or maybe next year when we go 2-14 and lovie is out
February 10th, 2015 at 11:06 am
Oh boy!
I don’t know where to start – if you trade down and miss out on drafting a quarterback, then you lose another season, you should be gone immediately.
That’s why I remain and stand by my belief is the Glazers will pull this trigger.
If this is true – typical cyclical and imaginative Lovie.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:06 am
Lovie is awful! Glazers should have let Licht hire his own coach this offseason. Dirk Koetter would have been a good candidate.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:08 am
Remember…..Ira Kauffman…..Glazers….”draft a qb, you pick which one”…….I place a great deal of weight on that.
2-14 doesn’t exactly elevate Lovie’s autonomy with the Glazers.
I still maintain that Koetter could have come in and stated emphatically that he could work with Glennon……that would embolden Lovie & be music to Lovie’s ears.
Also, I think Licht may already have a tentative deal with a Glennon trade.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:08 am
Lovie wants to trade down….. Yeah I was afraid of that. If he gets his wish it better be a trade that is better than what the Lambs got for RG3 though I bet the Bucs would settle for less….. Lovie still believes in the old model of a tough defense and a few turnovers coupled with conservative but turnover free offense can win games 13-10 and probably thinks he can stock up on some bodies by trading out of the top spot…. Hey Lovie how about getting the Bucs a gunslinger to turn those 13-10 type of games into 27-10 blowouts?!?!?!?
February 10th, 2015 at 11:10 am
That is just Lovie being Lovie!
February 10th, 2015 at 11:14 am
Prepare for 4 things: Mariota, Williams, Winston, Trade back.
If you are prepared it won’t be as hard to accept it.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:15 am
Please lord, dont let Lovie screw this up and put Bucs fans through more years of mediocrity due to his total lack of intelligence.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:15 am
@ FortMyersDave
Hey Lovie how about getting the Bucs a gunslinger to turn those 13-10 type of games into 27-10 blowouts?!?!?!?
***********
That isn’t Lovie ball. He doesn’t want to put points on the board.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:16 am
I understand this desire to FIND the right QB. I also understand that this is normally done through the draft. Those two facts do not combine however to confirm that either Jameis or Marcus are THAT guy.
What Florio neglected to report is whether this is purely philosophical or whether Lovie simply feels neither of these guys is worth the top pick in the draft.
Like it or not there is every possibility that neither is work that major risk. The logic of ABSOLUTELY HAVING to pick one of these two should not be tied to our needs but whether one of these two or perhaps both are worth a first round gamble.
We seemed to have lost all sense when it comes to this. Again if Joe had gone all Warren Sapp and felt the definite need to “score” some action I could understand that need. But having the “need” doesn’t equate with finding the proper result. Given Joe’s looks and lack of cash the only choice available may not have been suitable and what if she had a disease?
Sorry Joe just pulling your chain and having some fun. But the analogy does still stand. You can always insert my name instead of yours to make my point. 🙂
February 10th, 2015 at 11:20 am
BTW Everybody please leave St. Louis out of your posts if you’re making the point that we MUST draft a QB.
St. Louis took the #1 pick in the draft and invested it in a Heisman Trophy QB!
How did that work out?
Meanwhile later they traded their #1 so the Foreskins could pick RGIII. That has worked out great! The Rams are one of the young up and coming teams with a loaded defense! Yes they still have to find a QB but give them time.
Imagine if Schiano had persuaded Carson Palmer to come here. Of course he would have probably blown his knee out sooner in the season playing behind our porous OL last year.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:23 am
This news might cause 87 to be “Baker Act” material…….he is so certain it will be Winston over Mariota that he hasn’t even considered it could be neither.
Rest easy 87…..the Glazers will veto Lovie on this one!!!
February 10th, 2015 at 11:24 am
“Skyline Crew Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 11:14 am
Prepare for 4 things: Mariota, Williams, Winston, Trade back.
If you are prepared it won’t be as hard to accept it.”
Exactly.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:27 am
When you hired Lovie you hired all of his great analysis, judgement and decision-making. Like Trash McCown, Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson.
Would love to see Lovie insist on trading down, forcing the Glazers to insist that we draft a QB (Winston) and tell Lovie he is free to walk if he doesn’t like it! This notion pleases me.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:29 am
LOL you guys are insane you believe anything, it must be great to be judged by people who don’t have the guts to make calls on players and the direction of a billion dollar franchise they just criticize what happens after the fact. if any of you really believe there is a divide then your basically crazy enough to think that the Glazers (who own this franchise) really want a quarterback but cant get one because lovie wants to trade down hahaha really? Glazers are making this pick period and I would go out on a limb to say that licht and the glazers both agree that the best thing for this franchise is to draft a quarterback so how is there a divide when lovie is truthfully in charge of coaching and can only do what the glazers tell him too, if you believe the call came from upstairs to pull all the starters in the second half of the final game of the season why would lovie be in charge of this pick?
February 10th, 2015 at 11:30 am
there was a time when it wasn’t so obvious joe wrote articles for cash on clicks
February 10th, 2015 at 11:32 am
I’m one of his biggest supporters, but if this report is true, I’d support firing Lovie immediately. You have to know that you can’t win in any meaningful, sustained fashion, without a franchise caliber QB. Sure you might be able to Arizona your way into the playoffs and lose in the first round, but turning this crap franchise into a winner again will take a QB who’s a top-12 type talent in today’s game.
Even if it’s Winston, they MUST take one of the two QB’s with that first pick – anything else would be a colossal failure, even if it ultimately doesn’t work out.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:33 am
Lovie would rather go for a low risk base hit rather than swinging for the fence. By trading down and acquiring multiple picks the chance of hitting on one of those picks is higher than keeping the the #1 pick and taking a chance on one player. The one thing that he may not be considering is if he passes on a QB and chooses to trade down and one of those QB’s turn out to be a franchise player then he’s still going to end up getting fired for missing that pick.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:37 am
QBs of the final four teams this yr:
Russell Wilson
Aaron Rodgers
Andrew Luck
Tom Brady
Tell me again how it’s possible to win with a Josh McCown caliber QB in this league
February 10th, 2015 at 11:38 am
about the only rational thing i have heard of lovie
February 10th, 2015 at 11:39 am
Oh my God, I agree with Lovie Smith? I may have to reassess.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:39 am
And if this is true do people really think lovie is going to hitch his future to Winston??? No way.
But if lovie doesn’t draft a qb that’s good for me because I will not be watching the mccown/glennon $hit show again.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:42 am
but then again lovie is kind of full of himself, if he was in win now mode last year and I was fine with the josh mccown hire because glennon sucks but if you knew josh mccown wasn’t the long term answer why not go after bridgewater and develop him and there would be no need to want to trade down. im glad licht worked in Arizona and new England because he has an obvious formula and it seems to revolve around having a potent offense which will be a welcomed change for this market….defenses don’t get headlines anymore if you don’t have an offense
February 10th, 2015 at 11:43 am
No big deal… If Lovie does not draft a franchise QB and has another losing season he will be fired and back in his basement where he belongs…
Don’t be stupid Lovie… You will not be successful without a QB…
February 10th, 2015 at 11:43 am
WELCOME TO TAMPA Leonard Williams or Randy Gregory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 10th, 2015 at 11:45 am
@bucs4lyfe
You and I are “lock-step” on this one……
Glars to Lovie…….”we’ll give you another year” “but, the number one pick is our decision”……Lovie to Glazers “yes sirs”
February 10th, 2015 at 11:46 am
No qb means i’m done with L&L. This is not up for discussion.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:46 am
@Creamsickle
Bad examples. Only Luck was the surefire guy that we expect the #1 pick in the entire draft to be. Brady 6th round…Wilson 3rd round and Rodgers dropped like a rock in the draft.
Rodgers was widely projected to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, his childhood team, making him the number one overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The 49ers drafted Alex Smith out of Utah instead and Rodgers slid all the way down to the 24th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers’ slip to the 24th selection and the Packers choosing to pick Brett Favre’s future replacement became one of the biggest stories of the draft, though he was still the second quarterback selected. His drop in the draft was later ranked number one on the NFL Network’s Top 10 Draft Day Moments.
Source:Wikepedia
Now here’s something that would be hugely amusing after all the speculation on this blog. Lovie trades down and accumulates choices. Then he uses the #1 pick on Jameis who could fall in this draft. If freaking Aaron Rodgers dropped that far Jameis and his character issues could fall as well. Remember the rest of the nation does not wear garnet and gold colored glasses!
February 10th, 2015 at 11:47 am
Rest easy all. They will do the right thing and draft Mariota. Everyone can sleep easy now.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:48 am
Funny to see some people laugh at the Rams and call em the Lambs and such.
The Rams, after their rebuilding process. ARE only a QB away from contending yr in and yr out. Even in the division they play in. We are not that type of team yet.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:52 am
ddneast Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 11:28 am
More supposition supplied to the readers to post negative comments and increase hits on Joe’s blog.
Please Joe, stop this.
……………………………………….
Um, its that time of year dude.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:54 am
@knuckledragger
they are called the lambs because they are just as foolish as us, they have an ok defense but a great d line….how easy would it have been to go out and draft a quarterback in the last two years with all the draft picks they got out of the skins for RG3?
February 10th, 2015 at 11:55 am
It could be true that there is some strife between Lovie/Licht…..could also be a smokescreen too….always keep your enemies guessing about your next move. One thing is for sure, whether we go Mariota, or Winston, or trade down, about two-thirds of Bucs fans and pundits are going to be pissed off/despondent/ready to mutiny no matter what the choice is! Kobayashi Maru!
February 10th, 2015 at 11:55 am
Dunno.
Florio get’s paid to write…. and Lovie’s conservative mindset make him an easy target too.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:57 am
Baseless speculation from the national media…gonna be a lot of that leading up to the draft. It doesn’t take a fat paycheck to be able to draw assumptions based on one’s past.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:58 am
The Rams lost Bradford to injury……as the Cardinals lost Palmer.
Imagine the Seahawks or Pats losing their QB to injury…..where would they be?
This is one good reason for Cardinals & Rams to want Glennon.,..also a good reason for us to keep him.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:58 am
@bucs4lyfe
Did you see Fisher Clown the skins when he marched 4 of the players he got out of that deal up for the coin toss this yr? Im telling you that team beat Seattle and San Fran handily with a third string QB missing 2 OLmen. The Rams are Completely ready to compete with Seattle Every yr for that division.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:59 am
IF they get a QB I mean
February 10th, 2015 at 11:59 am
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February 10th, 2015 at 12:01 pm
If the Glazers let a trade down happen it would be one of the worst business decisions of all time. Since the brothers / sister have had control every decision has been bad so why I am I to think they will make the right decision and force the drafting of Winston. Winston in will be in this league winning games long after Lovie is back in the basement where he belongs.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
DallasBuc Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 11:27 am
When you hired Lovie you hired all of his great analysis, judgement and decision-making. Like Trash McCown, Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson.
Would love to see Lovie insist on trading down, forcing the Glazers to insist that we draft a QB (Winston) and tell Lovie he is free to walk if he doesn’t like it! This notion pleases me.
———————–
This ^^^ hit the road jack and don’t you come back no mo no mo hit the road
February 10th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
YIKES!!! I just read an article over on ESPN that gave me a scenario that made me shutter.
Lovie passes on Mariota and Winston drafts BPA . Then he trades Mike Glennon to the Rams for Sam Bradford, while keeping McCown around to “mentor” Bradford. Bradford tears his ACL for the THIRD time by game 4, and we have to endure the next 12 games watching McCown running for his life behind another “revamped” OL through FA
February 10th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
This has to be joke. QB IS THE ONLY PICK
February 10th, 2015 at 12:09 pm
A. Pure conjecture by Florio. His job is to get views and throwing out speculation is one way of doing it.
B. Lovie literally tanked the final game of the season. Ran 90% of the time in the 2nd half while Garrett Gilkey and Oniell Cousins were doing their best impersonation of offensive lineman. You don’t deliberately tank for the top pick so you can pull a trade down.
C. Fortunately Licht is in charge of the draft. They will have to come to an agreement, but there is no way Licht is signing his career as a GM to a defensive minded HC who has historically had a poor record on offensive personnel decisions.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
@knuckledragger
not knocking your take on the lambs im just saying where is this quarterback gonna come from? they would be us except they have a better defense, fisher is no better than lovie IMO. where is this quarterback coming from that’s gonna challenge seattle’s defense? and how long is it gonna take em to get up this qb up to speed to compete for the division….kinda sounds like our situation
February 10th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
LMFAO!!! Lovie knows his weakness….he can’t evaluate talent! He still believes he can win with McCown!! OMG Joe must be throwing crap at the wall right now!! You know…Lovie might have something there if he gets Bryce Petty and some picks…but the history of the Buc’s is to pay too much and to get too little!
The Buc’s will even get the #1 pick wrong!! They have the entire draft but their is desention in the ranks! Fire Lovie now…at least Mariotta is going to have a chance at a career because Lovie will not be coaching him!
February 10th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
I honestly hope this RUMOR is true because if it is we get to see who’s really in charge of personnel then we can judge lovie based on the production on the field and stop giving him credit for all the roster failures and giving licht credit for all the roster successes. if you don’t like lovie then you want to believe it no matter if it’s obviously rumor time in the nfl when no coaches or gm’s are even in sight for the media to talk to. if you want lovie to succeed your taking a wait and see approach. how can you hate a coach soo much you want the team you root for to fail so they can go get another coach, its A$$backwards
February 10th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
i’d be willing to bet that Evans graded out higher than any player on their board last year. But this year I find it hard to believe that one of those QB’s dont grade out higher than every other player at the top of the draft.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
It would be nice to shut off all the noise from “experts” who don’t know what the hell the are talking about. Here’s an idea Joe, how about an article that filters the noise down to quotes only comparing the pro and cons of drafting Choir Boy Mariota to Bad Boy Jamison from several of each of these categories: former NFL QB’s, former OC’s and former GM’s, maybe even through in a scout or two. Because everyone’s else’s opinion is like……everyone has one.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Hard to buy this. If it’s true that’s bad news. We need a stable FO on the same page and same plan.
I doubt they tanked the last game to secure a trade down or DE. That’s freaking insane to me.
Our QB play was essentially the worst in the entire league last year. The stars have lined up for us to pick whoever we want; in a draft where all the analysts say either QB is worthy of the #1 pick; and we want to trade that away?
I’m going to choose to believe this is just BS speculation because that’s the only thing that makes any logical sense to me
February 10th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
@bucs4lyfe
Let me put it this way
If the Rams get Mariota or Winston = Instant Playoffs
If we get Mariota or Winston = Not so much
The Rams are Much deeper than we are and they built it the right way.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
So we will have Leonard Williams at starting DE as he will be our first pick………and another year of Josh “Turnover machine” MCcown at QB.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
As much as every true Bucs’ fan wants to see the L&L show succeed, I’ve had my doubts because Lovie was hired first, then the GM. There are decades of success stories (and failures) in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL that overwhelmingly show the GM SHOULD be the boss of the HC, and just because it may work in reverse in some unusual situations (Bela-Cheat), that shouldn’t trump history and become the norm.
Love is a dinosaur of a HC, the game has passed him by, his rigidity to change with the game is clearly there for all to see, including the owners. However, I do believe Licht is of the right pedigree to become a successful GM and build a championship team. Ownership needs to give him the power to fire Lovie and bring in a HC of his choice to usher the Bucs in to a new era of success.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
Any of you opinion jumpers realize that the Combine hasn’t even come yet?
February 10th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Licht might regret taking the job in Tampa if he gets overruled by Lovie. Although, if Lovie gets what he wants and the team doesn’t show much improvement, it’s adios Lovie. Licht would have to hope that he’s retained for a second HC and given more power in the front office. The problem is that more and more coaches want full control of the roster nowadays.
The worst thing that can happen is disagreements in the front office. The Bucs have the best opportunity to get a player they want or the most valuable bargaining chip by holding the #1 pick. If the front office and coach can’t agree, the decision will likely be a bad one either way. Coaches and GMs don’t like to be stuck with players they don’t or didn’t want in the first place.
Lovie needs to save his own butt. He turned in a 2-14 season. He has no more mulligans. It makes sense that he doesn’t want to pin his future in Tampa to a rookie QB. He has to win now. A rookie will take time to develop. If Lovie gets fired in the meantime, it’s yet another regime change and another offensive system for the young QB to learn. This is the type of dis-function that can ruin a QBs development. If that’s the end result, it’s much better to trade down and stockpile picks. It seems like the Bucs could easily screw up the opportunity of having the #1 pick by misusing it.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:40 pm
I must have missed something but did the Rams win the Super Bowl? What, you mean to tell me defensive lineman can’t run a two minute drill and win the game with a last second TD? Everybody talks about how the Rams fleeced the Skins but I haven’t seen the Rams in the playoffs. I wonder what’s missing?
The Texans have the greatest DE in the game but they finished 2-14 a year ago. I wonder what’s missing. This article and Florios interview are just fluff during this downtime.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Leon Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
This has to be joke. QB IS THE ONLY PICK
***********
No it isn’t. There are several picks or options that can be made. I think a majority prefer that QB is the only pick, but there are many scenarios that can play out.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Glazers will make sure a QB is coming to town. I think they would even force the issue if Winston hadn’t declared. The obvious choice is Winston because Mariota doesn’t know the first thing about running a pro style offense. Hopefully they don’t screw it up and take the wrong one, but they will take one.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Lovie wants Leonard Williams, what a shocker. Not that I even disagree because he’s the best player in the draft, but why is anyone suprised by this? Lovie wants to win 17-13, he is who he is and will never change.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Rob Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
i’d be willing to bet that Evans graded out higher than any player on their board last year. But this year I find it hard to believe that one of those QB’s dont grade out higher than every other player at the top of the draft.
***********
Currently there are 4 players graded out better than either QB.
Williams, Leonard 7.4
Cooper, Amari 7.0
Ray, Shane 6.8
Scherff, Brandon 6.7
Winston, Jameis 6.5
Fowler, Jr., Dante 6.3
Mariota, Marcus 6.3
To put that into prospective, Clowney was graded out the highest last year at 7.5. Blake Bortles was a 6.2 and was the highest at QB position. In 2011, Luck graded out at 97-Future Hall of Famer. They have changed the grading system since obviously. 7-7.5 is Pro Bowl Player. 7.5-7.9 is All Pro, 8.0-8.9 is Perennial All Pro, and 9.0-10 is Once in a lifetime player. So you could say that Luck would have been in the upper 8s to lower 9s.
For those curious the 6.0-6.5 is Chance to be starter and 6.5-7.0 is chance to be Pro Bowler.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
This must be more smoke-screening from Lovie/Licht. You don’t trade down when your QB situation sucks.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
The Rams aren’t that much more talented than the Bucs lol. Their D-line is much better and deeper; but that’s about it.
Their O-line still needs a little work like ours; but isn’t as terrible. Their secondary isn’t amazing; and we probably are about equal there. LB a wash because we have Lavonte.
We have better skill players by far in Vjax/ Mike Evans. ASJ has more potential than any TE on their roster.
It’s not like they are some stacked roster missing a QB. They could use upgrades all over the roster just like most teams. They just have a great D-line.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:53 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 11:08 am
Also, I think Licht may already have a tentative deal with a Glennon trade.
________________________________________________________________
Highly, highly doubtful. If he had a “tentative deal”, he’d have a real deal and the trade would already have been made. He doesn’t have a deal made and is waiting 3 months, you know how much can change in 3 hours, let alone 3 months?
February 10th, 2015 at 12:54 pm
If mclown start I’m going to RJS with a pitchfork and a bb gun.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:54 pm
And the Rams could easily have been 10-6 this year with Shaun Hill and Austin Davis, in the toughest division in football. It’s pure homerism to suggest they aren’t that much better than us. They are substantially better than us, period.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
I’m guessing that grading system uses a weird metric for off the field concerns.
Winston – before off the field issues came up – was talked of as easily the #1 talent over Clowney last year if he could have been eligible.
In general the grades are pretty meaningless. 1/2 of the 1st rounders typically don’t live up to expectations.
That’s why I don’t get the idea of playing scared and trying to take the “safe” picks that will somehow be guarenteed to be pro bowlers. every pick, every position, is a risk. I’d rather take the risk with the highest upside
February 10th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Damn seems like you Bucs fans know more about St Louis than all the Seattle and Niners fans up here in Montana. Every one of em to the man fears what would happen if the Rams got a true QB. Guess their own division rivals that they face twice a year don’t know much about em tho.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Rams are currently in a better state than us. If you want to compare us then compare us to the Raiders or Jax.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
And the Bucs could have easily been 9-7 if they won all of their close games. What is with this Rams love lol?
You guys want to be perrenial 6-10 / 7-9 type of a team with a good D-line? Sounds awesome to me.
A few years worth of first round picks to continually miss the playoffs? F*** Yea!
February 10th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
The Rams beat us with Austin Freakin Davis in our own house. How can you even square your mouths right to say they aren’t better than us. Long was out for that game too and we were all happy about the pass rush we were gonna get. How did that work out for us?
February 10th, 2015 at 1:04 pm
Lovie, Licht and the Glazers are smart, conservative people who know that you don’t take a risk or a gamble with the #1 pick in the draft
February 10th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Oh stop with you dont take risks or gambles with #1 picks. Some of the best picks were gambles. Your gambling on anyone you take. EVERYBODY is a gamble. Trading down is a gamble. But aye, let’s keep spouting off stupidity because it fits your hateful motive.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
You don’t blow the last game to get the 1st pick in the draft just to trade down. Doesn’t make sense to me draft a qb (winton)
February 10th, 2015 at 1:16 pm
The Rams team has depth everywhere and better high end talent as well. It’s not love saying they are much better than us, itss accepting fact and reality. If we were in the NFC West we’d be 5 years away from the playoffs at a minimum, they might go next year. Sorry, they’re better than us, so using them not having a QB as why trading down shouldn’t happen is poor logic. Besides they got 6 starters from the RGIII trade, I think we’d kill for that
February 10th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
[…] Lovie Smith would want to trade down while Jason Licht would want to take that quarterback (h/t JoeBucsFan). After all, Smith seems to believe you can win with journeyman quarterbacks like Josh […]
February 10th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Glennon stays, McCown goes, trade down and get talent vs. “potential”
February 10th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
You guys are crazy haha.
Yes Austin Freaking Davis beat us because he .. believe it or not.. played better than Josh Freaking McLown.
If you recall; Austin Davis had 0 Intereceptions that game; and was able to drive his team down the field for a game winning FG.
While McClown passed for 50 less yards and turned the ball over in the red zone.
So even though the Rams are SO MUCH better than the Bucs; they only beat us by 2 points even WITH BETTER QB PLAY.
Seriously can we just stop talking about the Rams? This may be the most rediculous turn these comments has taken yet lol
February 10th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Aaron Curry is a great example of what a “safe” pick can turn into. FYI there is no such thing as a “safe” pick! Jus pull the trigger and take a QB!!!
February 10th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Jwilson every draft pick is a combo of talent and potential. There is no sure thing fyi.
Even free agency isn’t a sure thing.
Anthony Collins really did have great grades and play before we signed him. There was no evidence or reason to suggest he couldn’t be a solid offensive lineman. He had solid NFL tape; and yet he still struggled and failed.
The idea that there are easy sure thing type picks is rediculous for the most part. Especially after trading down and picking from a lesser pool of talent than the top 5 or 10.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Lovie has that Classic texas hubris that we see in all their liars ie Armstrong, Clemons and Bush….fire this this small minded fake before he completely alienates what little season ticket base you have left…..
February 10th, 2015 at 1:28 pm
Draft Mariota
Draft Mariota
Draft Mariota
Draft Mariota
February 10th, 2015 at 1:29 pm
If they don’t draft Winston or Mariota the Bucs can look forward to no fans in the stands. Winston would be the better choice because whoever they will need to start day one. They send McCown or Glennon out day one and they will be booed off the field.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:31 pm
true lord cornelius. Just seems like it would be a shame to pick a qb just to find out they couldnt succeed in the nfl. remember we won the super bowl with a killer defense and brad johnson as qb.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:42 pm
@Phil
I would say McCown would be booed. Glennon probably not so much. There are people that wish he would have been given a fair chance. I think the Bucs should definitely get rid of McCown, but until FA starts we won’t know what the Bucs plans are.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Trade the pick to Cleveland for ther 2 first rd picks this year and hoyer and their pick in the second. Build this team for the future Let Glennon and hoyer battle it out and possibly consider picking up Bradford with the money from cutting mcclown
February 10th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
What does Lovie really care if this team tanks it again this coming season – his salary is guaranteed and he can go back to his basement and watch TV.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:04 pm
I will start by saying McCown has to go!!! Secondly, I am OK with trading down but it better be down for some great value. The only valuable trade down partner is gonna be Philadelphia. They are foaming at the mouth for Mariotta and the only trade that should be done is our #1 for this year and next year’s first round pick, N. Foles (hear me out) and possibley a 2nd or third round pick next year. We have seen N. Foles on tape and he can play. He might be injury prone but he has only been in the league a few years and he has had in my opinion no stud receivers to throw too like M. Evans and V. Jackson. Then you take your extra picks and get a couple of stout O-Line products that will protect him and if he is injured you still have M. Glennon ready to go. Foles has been playing in Chip Kelly’s up tempo offense I think he can make some explosive plays with some protection. Keeping McCown in any fashion is a mistake, you haven’t played for like 10 different teams because you are a great player. Only Darrelle Revis has figured out that chemical make-up.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Lovie is veteran coach that knows he must produce following a 2-14 season. He’s smart to say he doesn’t want a rookie QB, it protects/hedges him for the next hiring opportunity….If he’s forced to work with one and he succeeds, nobody cares. If the rookie fails, it’s not his fault because he didn’t want the guy.
Everything is about the next job because the current gig is guaranteed regardless of wins/losses….
February 10th, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Trade down = poor offensive output for at least three more years. Take the plunge, go get the QB. Use rest of this draft on OL and DL. Put a complete offense together and let them develope through 2015. By 2016 they will be a cohesive unit, ready for January play. I support Winston but wont leave the team as a fan if they take the Duck. Mariota will be a good ayer, I just dont think that Tampa will give him his best shot at using his talents. What part of our history makes you believe we are a team that can manage him.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:21 pm
The option for season ticket holders to renew should be moved to AFTER the draft. Stinks we have to commit before April.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:23 pm
This pick is a Glazer pick. If they mandate a QB then it’s Mariota. They want nothing to do with #TheCreepyCrab. Don’t doubt me.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
@ bucrightoff
You may be right about tentative….but he may think strongly that he can make a deal and that would help formulate his opinion on drafting a QB…..
February 10th, 2015 at 2:34 pm
WS99- “———————–
This ^^^ hit the road jack and don’t you come back no mo no mo hit the road”
Not going anywhere. Lovie is the wrong guy for this team if he can’t get this one right. Incidentally, Lovie is a simpleton and should maybe be in charge of things with quite a bit less importance.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:35 pm
For those of you who think Lovie will control this decision…..relax…..this decision will primarily be made by Licht & the Glazers….
February 10th, 2015 at 2:37 pm
If true, Lovie apparently doesn’t want to be employed by Tampa Bay for long.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Dallasbuc
I was referring to lovie to hit the road not you numnuts. You said “and tell Lovie he is free to walk if he doesn’t like it! This notion pleases me. ”
Well sir this notion pleases me also. I agree with you on all counts. Off with his head.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:54 pm
This is the ultimate smoke screen. Why in the hell will they tell Florio anything so far from the draft unless they wanted him to start gossiping like the bit@h he is. For months all I heard was the Glazers will decide this #1 pick and so now I’m suppose to believe this bullspit give me a break. L&L are just gauging how bad someone wants the #1 pick its that simple as that to believe other wise is straight bullspit.
February 10th, 2015 at 3:02 pm
I will not put one more dime into this team if they blow this opportunity.
February 10th, 2015 at 3:10 pm
WS99- yep, read that wrong.
February 10th, 2015 at 3:33 pm
Mariota is the only trade the Bucs have. Nobody is screaming to the Bucs that they want to trade up for Winston.
February 10th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Skyline
Except the jets
February 10th, 2015 at 3:45 pm
WS99
Just doing a quick Google and nothing came back with the Jets wanting to trade for Winston.
February 10th, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Tampabaybucfan Said:
“Remember…..Ira Kauffman…..Glazers….”draft a qb, you pick which one”…….I place a great deal of weight on that.”
I put less weight on it for several reasons. The least of which is that the Glazers NEVER said that. The actual quote is below. It is Ira spinning his wishful thinking.
” Well, if Lovie and Jason Licht don’t make one heck of a compelling case that neither of these guys are worth that first overall pick, they are going to be told, “We want a quarterback. You get to pick him, but we want a quarterback.””
Notice the phrase, “… they are going to be told…”. And he doesn’t even know if THAT is true.
IMO, the Glazers ‘might’ tell Lovie/Licht of a player(s) that they DON’T want drafted/signed, but they are on record as owners who do NOT get involved with player decisions.
This draft is all on Lovie & Licht (chills just went down my spine, and fear came to rest in my heart).
February 10th, 2015 at 4:04 pm
@sky
Nick Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
http://www.hngn.com/articles/61318/20150117/nfl-rumors-jets-going-after-jameis-winston.htm
February 10th, 2015 at 4:08 pm
I guess more of a hope than a rumor.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:11 pm
Locke can piss and moan all he likes. The pick is Winston by virtue of ownership.
Shut up and take it Smith and (contributor here: Greg Schiano)
February 10th, 2015 at 4:14 pm
Yeah, more of a hope.
“But if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decide to go with Oregon’s Marcus Mariota at No. 1 overall, the Jets could have a shot at Winston. At No. 6, New York is in a prime spot to trade up with the Tennessee Titans, who may be looking to add more draft capital, and draft Winston at No. 2.”
February 10th, 2015 at 4:41 pm
@ Hawk
Perhaps the Glazers haven’t gotten involved with player decisions…..but that doesn’t mean that they won’t start……nothing like a 2-14 season and a bunch of FA busts to make an owner tempted to tamper…..
My guess is that they will be involved since it is a #1 overall pick….they can use that as the excuse to jump in.
I absolutely agree that they can “veto” a player….or order one to be cut/traded…especially if it is a character issue….
February 10th, 2015 at 5:40 pm
“@StPeteBucsFan:
Meanwhile later they traded their #1 so the Foreskins could pick RGIII. That has worked out great! The Rams are one of the young up and coming teams with a loaded defense! Yes they still have to find a QB but give them time.”
_________________________________________________________________________________
Worked out great? 7-9 in 2013, 6-10 in 2014. They have a solid nucleus of players of both sides of the ball (particularly defense), and are led by an experienced HC, etc etc etc. BUT UNTIL THEY GET A QUARTERBACK, THEY WILL BE GOING NO-WHERE. Regardless of where you stand on Jameis vs. Marcus, there is not a QB (that we know of) coming out of college in the next few years that is better than Jameis, cough, I mean Jameis OR Marcus. You note how STL is a QB away from contention, and you’re probably correct. But when/how will they acquire said QB? By being stuck in NFL purgatory, aka, the mid teens of the draft order every year? We can trade back and acquire 3, 4, 5 quality NFL players and we will be right back to where we were post SB, or where the Rams are now; mediocrity. To truly be a contender, we MUST have a QB, obviously. And there is simply no better time than now to get one.
February 10th, 2015 at 5:47 pm
Lovie needs to stop. Worry about game plans and being the smartest guy on the field on Sundays. Licht knows what needs to be done. Let Licht bring his guys in and Lovie can coach them up. SHUT UP LOVIE STOP TRYING TO PLAY GM! YOU SUCK AT IT! YOU MADE GREG FREAKING SCHIANO LOOK LIKE A GENIOUS! JUST COACH THE DAMN TEAM AND LET THE SUITS DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO MAKE OUR TEAM RELEVANT! OMG Lovie you took our 4-12 team and made us the most irrelevant team in pro sports because you think you can play GM! STOP IT!
February 10th, 2015 at 6:04 pm
Tampabaybucfan Said:
@ Hawk
“Perhaps the Glazers haven’t gotten involved with player decisions…..but that doesn’t mean that they won’t start……nothing like a 2-14 season and a bunch of FA busts to make an owner tempted to tamper…..
My guess is that they will be involved since it is a #1 overall pick….they can use that as the excuse to jump in.”
Since I don’t know their thinking, I cannot argue with your logic. I WILL say, though, that they didn’t get involved when Gruden wouldn’t get a ‘young’ QB. And it’s not like he didn’t have an opportunity. From ’06 to ’08, there was V. Young, Leinart, Cutler, J. Russell, Quinn, M. Ryan, and Flacco. Granted, we now know (hindsight) that most of these are NOT ‘franchise’ QBs, but at the time, they were coveted enough to be taken in the FIRST ROUND. The Glazers ‘could’ have stepped in, at any time. They DID step in and force Dungy to change OCs, ONLY because the Glazers believe (rightly so) that they have a say in management.
But you are right, ‘past performance is not an indicator of future behavior’. They may see how well ‘owner interference’ has worked for the Cowboys, Redskins, and Raiders, and decide to step in. ;^)
February 10th, 2015 at 7:25 pm
Could be more smokescreen about their intentions.
Oh, and another opportunity for people to complain about Lovie. That stuff never gets old 🙁
February 10th, 2015 at 8:43 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
February 10th, 2015 at 2:35 pm
For those of you who think Lovie will control this decision…..relax…..this decision will primarily be made by Licht & the Glazers….
________________________________________________________________
Right, cause they gave Lovie full roster control so he could defer….Sorry but Lovie is making the pick, if they want to fire him to make the pick and make this franchise the biggest disaster in the league, well, that’s on them. But Lovie is making the pick, he demanded full roster control from the Bucs for a reason, it it wasn’t to let the Glazers or Licht make a pick.
February 10th, 2015 at 8:52 pm
DraftJameis Says:
“@StPeteBucsFan:
Meanwhile later they traded their #1 so the Foreskins could pick RGIII. That has worked out great! The Rams are one of the young up and coming teams with a loaded defense! Yes they still have to find a QB but give them time.”
_________________________________________________________________________________
Worked out great? 7-9 in 2013, 6-10 in 2014. They have a solid nucleus of players of both sides of the ball (particularly defense), and are led by an experienced HC, etc etc etc. BUT UNTIL THEY GET A QUARTERBACK, THEY WILL BE GOING NO-WHERE. Regardless of where you stand on Jameis vs. Marcus, there is not a QB (that we know of) coming out of college in the next few years that is better than Jameis, cough, I mean Jameis OR Marcus. You note how STL is a QB away from contention, and you’re probably correct. But when/how will they acquire said QB? By being stuck in NFL purgatory, aka, the mid teens of the draft order every year? We can trade back and acquire 3, 4, 5 quality NFL players and we will be right back to where we were post SB, or where the Rams are now; mediocrity. To truly be a contender, we MUST have a QB, obviously. And there is simply no better time than now to get one.”
Gentlemen: good points but remember that before the Rams had the huge RG3 trade they had 3 seasons from 2007 to 2009 where they won SIX games total: that is a mark that the Bucs would match only if they do the magical 0-16 next season so its safe to say that the Rams were even worse back then than the current Tampa squad. But what did they do with the 3 draft picks they got for those 3 putrid seasons? 2008 2nd overall Chris Long; a decent DE but underachieving given his draft status, 2009 2nd overall OT Jason Smith; a bust now on the Jets roster (who said top 5 overall OTs are can’t miss???) and 2010: 1st overall was Bradford; a injury riddled bust…. People fear that the Bucs could draft a qb that mirrors Bradford more than Luck and think its safe to trade down and net picks ala RG3 but nothing is a given. Look at the Rams, they whiffed 3 times with top 2 draft picks and still went 2-14 in 2011 or so to get that draft pick that set up the Rg3 trade. They took a decade to rebuild their roster, I hope the Bucs do not take that long but if they screw up this 1st overall pick they could be looking at multiple years of picking in the top 2 of the draft just like the Rams before Fisher…. So if we fans are content with a team that could win 6 to 8 games a season and perhaps finish ahead of someone like the ATL in a given season and emulate the Lambs then trading down makes sense, the Bucs will not be bottom feeders but a solid defensive team with probs on offense; I think that is what we will see if Lovie trades down as you can bet he will load up on the D and try to win games Dungy style: 13-10 while winning the turnover battle. I say roll the dice and grab Winston or the Oregon kid if the scouts feel that either have a decent chance of being an above average qb; something the Bucs have never had unless you count the short tenure of one Steve Young and perhaps the Bucs could finally have an O where we will see the team scoring more than 21 points on a regular basis without the D scoring a couple of TDs…..
February 10th, 2015 at 10:03 pm
This is what happens when a average coach is given full roster control
February 10th, 2015 at 10:57 pm
Please note Florio’s comment stated ” I think there might be” means its not based on solid facts. Just another shot in the dark to get everyone worked up over nothing. Hate to say that I like this site but hate the negativity towards Love smith. Rarely hear pure facts but mainly hearsay.
February 10th, 2015 at 11:00 pm
“Right, cause they gave Lovie full roster control so he could defer….Sorry but Lovie is making the pick, if they want to fire him to make the pick and make this franchise the biggest disaster in the league, well, that’s on them. But Lovie is making the pick, he demanded full roster control from the Bucs for a reason, it it wasn’t to let the Glazers or Licht make a pick.”
Roster control and draft control aren’t the same thing. Licht picks the players, Lovie gets to decide who makes the final roster. Regardless of which QB Licht (and the Glazers) picks, Lovie won’t be cutting the,
February 10th, 2015 at 11:50 pm
Must be more smoke screen. They said a month ago they had there draft board about ready. Nice to see its time for the combine. To see who stands out between Winston and Mariota. L&L just want to see what they could get for the first pick. If they didn’t pick a QB in the draft or FA the stadium would be empty. Fired.
February 11th, 2015 at 12:11 am
The sad thing is…if you bypass the QB’s…you still don’t get the one other player you need? You can’t turn Leonard Williams into an edge rusher, and we already have a starting under tackle.
It’s a QB. Licht is sacrificial anyway, if he picks the talent, Lovie has absolution for another year – provided his defense is…good. Given the available talent, that’s not an automatic.
It’s going to be Marriota. Because Licht might feel sitting him for a year buys HIM some time.
…whereas a Fameis implosion kills them both.
February 11th, 2015 at 1:29 am
Lovie smith pick mariota or winston or your fired its as simple as that! The end!
February 11th, 2015 at 9:13 am
[…] when the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio, suggested there is rancor within the walls of One Buc Palace regarding what to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 […]
February 11th, 2015 at 9:14 am
[…] the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio, that the Bucs braintrust is split over trading down or drafting Jameis Winston nearly sent Joe into a bottle-nursing, fetal-curling, […]
February 11th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
O.K. Now am scared. If this article is true we are screwed. There is nothing that we need that we would have to trade down for. We are talking the first overall pick in the draft with a chance to get a great Q.B.
You can win some games without a good Q.B. but you can’t win CHAMPIONSHIPS without one. Maybe every once in a while you can. But to be consistent for years you need a Q.B.