Not Far Away
July 14th, 2015
Key to a franchise turnaround?
Bucs fans are more hungry for a winning season than a starving dog that hasn’t been fed all day.
The losing and the losing and the losing and the losing has gnawed at fans so much, many will be content with another losing season so long as there is progress.
Progress for many teams is a Super Bowl berth. Progress for others is the playoffs. For Bucs fans, a simple winning season seems to suffice.
That’s the mindset of at least one fan who asked Charlie Bernstein in a FootballInsiders.com chat what it will take for the Bucs to just win nine freaking games.
Jimmy
How far are the Bucs away from just a winning record, not just the playoffs? It’s getting desperate down here.Charlie Bernstein
If Jameis Winston is what they think he is then the Bucs aren’t very far away at all from a winning record. I’d say that they can get there this year but they have major issues on the offensive and defensive lines (DE). I don’t know where their pass rush is going to come from and Winston is going to be under duress. If they effectively address those areas, I can see the team getting back into contention in 2016.
It is the same thing Bucs fans have grave concerns over — the same old schtick. Offensive line and defensive ends.
Yes, the offensive line was addressed, with two rookies. A second-round pick like Donovan Smith? You hope he will be just average as a starting left tackle. He is, after all, a rookie.
The other rookie, Ali Marpet, he too a second round pick out of football powerhouse Hobart College, the Bucs would hope he will start this year. He may become average over time, but he’s not trying to block tackling dummies with a pulse any longer. Forgive Joe for not sleeping straight through the night.
And the defensive ends? Geez. Where does Joe start?
It has gotten so bad for the Bucs in recent years trying to dig up a productive defensive end that you could walk into some two-bit bar in southern Illinois, pick out a guy wearing a wifebeater shirt, and he’d have as good of a chance to register a sack as sackless Kyle Moore and Gospel-music-guitar-playing, perpetually out-of-shape Da’Quan Bowers.
July 14th, 2015 at 5:31 am
If our coaching staff had a history of producing great offensive lines, I would feel better about Market being trained up to handle the job. But, alas, when has Lovie produced a great O line?
Better stock up on liquor.
July 14th, 2015 at 5:32 am
Dang autocorrect. That should be Marpet!
July 14th, 2015 at 5:35 am
Big Brother Ali will be just fine. What they ought to worry about is picking THE MSSIAH up off the grass after he tries to handle the bowling ball snap.
July 14th, 2015 at 7:43 am
The problem with losing (especially home games) is it takes the passion away from the fans. It’s bad enough that we have to fight off the heat and scores of visiting fans, but to lose sometimes by half time takes all the fire right out of you. Very few people are as big a Bucs fan as I am, but it’s becoming more and more like a chore and less enjoyable than ever. If you want fans to get back into it start by protecting your home field. There were many home games the last few years that seemed like the players didn’t even want to be there.
July 14th, 2015 at 8:26 am
I’ll continue saying it everytime I read some a$$hole mention how desperately the Buccs are in need of a DE. The cowboys finish last in sacks last season with a total of 28sacks. And were a call away from attending the NFC championship game. And on a side note: All members of the Seattle Seahawks o line graded out poorly last season with the exception of Max Unger. I give a chit about a ranking,tell me a guy is going to give his all most of the time and I’ll mainly be satisfied. Effort. Can’t tell me guys good enough to make it all the way to the NFL can’t win at the line of scrimmage on some plays please. 2014 tank effort 2015 coming out party launch time effort. Soon you’ll see for ya self.
July 14th, 2015 at 8:51 am
I think we are going to be pleasantly surprised by both the OL and DL.
The OL because they will be better than last year and we now have an OC, Captain Kirk, that knows what he is doing and how to do it. We will have real plays that work on our strength instead of up the middle on the first two, throw it somewhere, and if we still have the ball, try to punt it past the line of scrimmage.
The DL because we now have two tackles that are something to watch and we have some DEs that did great in the short time they played. To me, the way the “D” works will tell us if Lovie is a defense genius or needs to go as soon as possible.
My choice for QB was the other guy, but we picked Winston and he is now my QB also. With the Captain in charge, we are going to have a lot of “Holy S..T” moments with the receivers we know and the ones we are going to know.
Prediction with some luck and ball bounces, 10-6
July 14th, 2015 at 9:19 am
Agree with Bucnjim, win some home games and quit sucking the life out of Buc fans.
July 14th, 2015 at 9:40 am
Like your mindset OB. Unlike many morons who post out here, you realize how important an OC is to that units success. A competent OC can hide weaknesses of a unit and also excentuate it’s strengths.
Arroyo didn’t know how to do either and seemed to come in with the same game plan every week no matter who we played.
July 14th, 2015 at 9:43 am
I personally am tired of excuses year after year. Start of season they jack us up with rah rah B.S than its the same old thing of loseing. I don’t feel confident until we get a quailty head coach who actually knows what he is doing and it isn’t lovie. I have little to no faith in him
July 14th, 2015 at 9:47 am
Great points from BucaNole and drdneast.
At last though a national guy finally gets to the core of it. He realizes we can be good IF…I’d say that they can get there this year but they have major issues on the offensive and defensive lines (DE)
I think that’s a fair assessment. I’m also optimistic about those areas. Not that we’ll find an all pro DE just that we’ll be able to produce enough pressure on the QB to get by.
Same for the OL. If the pieces fall into place they could be very good. If they simply can be cobbled together we can at least be adequate. If it’s a group of five guys a couple of whom don’t give a sheet..then we’re scrwd.
July 14th, 2015 at 9:57 am
Bucnjim, i’m with you. back in the early 2000s, anything less than a win and a dominant show by sapp, rice, and all the rest was a let down and the fans always showed up looking to shake the stadium with noise on 3rd down.
nowadays, i can’t even bother to bring the noise after the 4th first down given up on the opening drive and i arrive at the stadium just hoping to see a few plays worth cheering for. heck, half the home games i’ve attended the past few years (season tickets since 2002), i would have just opted to stay home if not for the blackouts and the fact that it is now a bit of a joke to ask somebody to buy your bucs tickets off of you for anything close to face value.
love the bucs and love NFL gameday, but the old thrill of entering the stadium is pretty much gone until my bucs are competing at a consistent playoff level, with at least one side of the ball being worth the price of admission.
July 14th, 2015 at 10:08 am
I agree with all of the above posters.
July 14th, 2015 at 11:08 am
As Buc fans. We have to unite and stay strong. Look at the fans in Cleveland. Every year the Browns suck but the fans are as committed as any city in the league. But we’re the joke of the NFL. We get b!tched up in our own stadium!
July 14th, 2015 at 11:22 am
I bring it every game I attend at RJS. My voice is usually gone by the 3rd quarter regardless of the score or how bad our team is playing. It’s just not in mean to sit there on an idiot phone and text back and forth to my friends while our D is out on the field. Which is pretty much what 75% of our fan base does that attend games throughout the entire game…it makes me sick to watch it.
July 14th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Joe why did you erase my post? Apparently your content that some Buc fans can’t even get on your site at all. It boggles the mind….
July 14th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
… GULP….
July 14th, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Noted: Rex Ryan will be jumping out of an airplane as part of the show about how high the Bills will go this year. Who will be the first snark to suggest Lovie go on an ultra deep water scuba diving excursion? Just don’t ask me to check the tanks.
July 14th, 2015 at 1:44 pm
I see Ali Marpet and can’t help but think “Thor”..
July 14th, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Here we go again. I don’t care. Once again… Dotson, Mankins and Smith are all above average OL with Mankins having the possibility (with a six pack) to be an All Pro again, Dotson was rated 3rd best RT by Pro Football Focus last year (even with 15 penalties) and Smith gave up a staggering two (I can live with 2) sscks. Believe it or not (Ripleys) the Buccaneers OL was ranked #8 vs the run last year. Exterminate Collins/Cousins and give a woopie pad to Omemah/Gilkey/ Enter shade, Donovan Smith. He has the requisite length, size and wingspan for the position, putting that to good use in run and pass protection as he finished with the fifth-best Pass Blocking Efficiency rating among left tackles in his class when facing Power 5 opponents. Dominated at the Senior Bowl. Next is Ali Marpet. He has the look of the bouncer at the local club. If you want a guy who is going to give all he has every single down, he is your guy. Throw in Caption Dirk and we have success. We continue to hear about casper our DE? George Johnson was rated #8 by PFF in passing downs. Then we have the breakout plauer of the year. William Gholston. Granted he only compiled 2 sacks last year but had 6 hits and 17 hurries. Look for him to convert those 23 “near sacks” into money.
July 14th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
We have way too many question marks up and down the roster for anyone to consider us a playoff-caliber team right now.
Our saving grace is that we play in the NFC South. A seven-win team won the division last year. And if you average each team’s win totals over the past three seasons, no team has even averaged nine wins a season over that span. So, there are no powerhouse teams in this division.
Brees isn’t getting any younger, Jimmy Graham is gone, and Rob Ryan’s defense gave up more points than any team in the division last year. Atlanta doesn’t have the defensive talent to realize Dan Quinn’s vision just yet. Sure, Matt Ryan is great, but his three most prolific seasons as a passer were in Dirk Koetter’s offense, and we all know where Koetter is now. And like many teams that have employed him in the past, I’m not sold on Kyle Shanahan. We all respect Cam Newton’s ability, but he has only led his team to a winning season once in his four years as a starter.
So, this division is very much up for grabs. There really is no “team to beat” in the NFC South. If we can actually win a few games in our own stadium and win a few games against division opponents, we’ll be in the hunt for the division title in December.
But we’ll need to win right out of the gate and build a little cushion, and we’ll need to rally late in the year, because our November schedule is brutal. At the Falcons, then home against the Giants and Cowboys, then on the road against the Eagles and Colts. How we play in November will show us what this team is really made of.
July 14th, 2015 at 8:53 pm
Excellent insight last two posters. Excellent.
July 14th, 2015 at 9:36 pm
would love to see lovie jump out of a plane without a chute!
July 14th, 2015 at 10:11 pm
Yes robert we know…
July 14th, 2015 at 10:13 pm
I like seeing losers jump out planes without a chute.
July 15th, 2015 at 8:53 pm
The QB’S has a lot to do with the O-Line the Bucs O-Line had gave up 150 sacks in 3 seasons, but when Doug Williams started all 16 games in 1979 and the Bucs went 10-6 and won the division. Doug was only sacked 7 times all season because he didn’t hold onto the ball, if he couldn’t find a open receiver he threw the ball out of bounds, that was the reason why he had a 41.8% completion rate for that season, but they won 10 games because he refuse to take sacks. He was only sacked 84 times in his 7 year career.