“Bad Effort,” Says Lovie Smith.
August 30th, 2015
Cue the music. The Bucs were steamrolled in all phases of the game — at home — before halftime last night. Who ordered the 2014 flashback? Send it back and get the tuna melt.
Josh McCown completed 74 percent of his passes.
It was a meaningless preseason game. That’s the great news!
The bad news is it doesn’t feel meaningless, not after your team is 30-70 in its past 100 regular-season games.
Joe headed over to Tampa Bay Downs after the game to play poker and drink beer. By chance, Joe sat at a table with six other Bucs fans. Most had been to the Bucs-Browns game. Oh, what a fun listen that was.
The moaning centered on trashing the offensive line, and projecting how Jameis Winston is going to get beat up before he can develop. One guy just kept saying, “Same old song.” Another guy repeated he couldn’t believe how the Bucs were badly outcoached and he lost faith in Dirk Koetter after tonight. His girlfriend was peeved because “the Browns are a bad team.” And there was Joe’s favorite, the dude already talking about the 2016 NFL Draft and suggesting the Bucs should trade Gerald McCoy and load up on offensive talent in the spring.
Joe is convinced the fan gloom revolves around the weak effort by the Bucs, not the final score.
It seems Lovie Smith might agree.
“We like what [Jameis] has done throughout the [preseason], but tonight he is part of the bad effort that we had as a football team,” Lovie said after the game. “Didn’t get a lot of opportunity, so it’s going to be my standard answer. There is not much we did well tonight, so Jameis, any other position you bring up – coaching, all of it – it just wasn’t good enough tonight. As far as what the reason is, it happened.”
Again, Joe is acutely aware that the Browns game was not important. But the apparent lack of energy and will to defend the home turf is important. That just can’t happen. Where is the leadership?
Like the lady at the card table said, “The Browns are a bad team.”
August 30th, 2015 at 10:08 am
They won 7 games in 2014, the Bucs won 2. Who is the bad team?
Offensive line, qb and pass rush are the same issues year after year but we expect improvement?
August 30th, 2015 at 10:10 am
This looks like a bad team, a really bad team.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:19 am
Starts at the top Lovie. Your practices being easy are translating to the game. Nice guys finish last
August 30th, 2015 at 10:20 am
After the game Jameis couldn’t name the other outside LB he was getting abused by. If Jameis is the next Payton Manning shouldn’t he know the personel? I think the short week had a big part in the poor offensive play. Jameis needs to get his protections called correctly or he’s going to have a short season.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:22 am
First off…I too considered the Browns a bad team…but give them credit their defense is actually improved and pretty stout.
As for the offense and McClown’s great success…so great White Tiger is ready to crown a QB with a decade of experience and a 33% win record better than Fameis and MG8…it was the freaking best game I’ve seen him play since his days with the Bears.
I believe in scoreboard. So give Josh credit. He clearly had the “Eye of the Tiger” but he was still the same old guy. I got to watch the replay this morning. That head first dive for the first down was a thing of beauty in a serious contest…in a pre season game that was brain dead. When McClown got up even Pettine pointed to his head like…use your noodle Josh..we don’t need head first diving plays in the pre season. Josh obviously had something to prove. He was out to WIN!!! We were out to take the next step in preseason.
Josh made a great play on that third down long scramble that kept the drive alive when he was clearly trapped. Johnson had him dead to rights and simply got faked out of his jock. Josh made the play Johnson didn’t.
That pass to Hartline for the TD was another wonderful miracle play for Josh give him scoreboard. Does anybody believe Josh will do this consistently?
I’ve got some stock in the Sunshine Skyway and perhaps a date with White Tiger McCown.
Now I’m not blind! Our effort was awful. We now know how Bengal fans felt last week. One team came to play and win and the other team seemed to show up in a Coma.
Marpet got beat on the A gap blitz…true dat! No worse a play than Fameis rookie mistakes. Marpet was clearly schooled in his first shot at a 3-4 D as was Fameis. It’s the PRE SEASON time to learn!!!
I actually saw ASJ’s pass catch. YEAH!
My concerns….not like everybody else gripping about the OL…I think they’re going to gain chemistry and improve and will actually be good by the second half of the year.
But our special teams…they FREAKING SCARE ME!!! Hopefully that’s a function of trying to still find the right parts but our special teams are just horrid and they MUST Improve.
Our receivers…great to see ASJ at least show up for one pass…but ME hasn’t looked right all year… bad routes…getting pushed around by DB’s…Murphy has played well and perhaps Rannell Hall can add something..maybe Sims out of the backfield?
Some perspective please…
Atlanta is also 1-2 N.O. is winless. The Panthers are 2-1.
Seattle has the same record as us at 1-2…Arizona WINLESS!
The Ravens have our record..Pittsburgh is 1-3!!!
But because we have sucked for so long we all assume that it will simply continue. I get that. But suck it up!!!
Right now another major concern for me is the 12th man. We suck as well right now. I’ve never seen such a massive jump for the bridge by a group of fans.
And what’s scary is you guys here are the HARD CORE….if this board has already given up what do you suppose the casual fan has done?
August 30th, 2015 at 10:27 am
Can we talk position battles:
I think the injuries send Bell and Clay to the practice squad, and Humphries is our opening day punt returner. The kid hasn’t got good numbers but he’s a real football player.
I hold my belief that Mike James is our best all around back. He won’t blow you away with anything spectacular but he is the best blocker and short yardage back we have, and he seems to get ugly 3 to 4 yard runs. Which is pretty good for this team.
Last I think Brate should be the third TE. I like Wright but I think Brate is a better blocker and he has caught a couple balls this year.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:30 am
I’d rather we not give 110% and lose a MEANINGLESS preseason game than give 110% to win a MEANINGLESS preseason game and risk losing one of our starters for the season!! Or even for a few weeks!!!
“Its as simple as that” – Lovie Smith
August 30th, 2015 at 10:36 am
I still believe that the 2008 Lions team going 4-0 in the preseason the year they went 0-16 in the regular season tells us all we need to about pre-season.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:37 am
I know that it must really leave a horrible taste in your mouth when you get your ass totally handed to you by the Browns. However, they may be a little underrated on defense. People are saying “Well Bucs were without Mike Evans” Well, the Browns were without Joe Haden. It’s only still pre-season and a lot of young guys are playing. However, every game is a learning experience for them and I don’t think that it’s time to panic or jump ship yet. Probably just going to be a real up and down season
August 30th, 2015 at 10:39 am
Surely Koetter knows that the key to our offense will be short passes that will eventually open up a pass downfield. Perhaps we didn’t want to show that part of our game…..but we need to open up with that style offense. We should have learned our lesson last year.
As for the defense……I simply think they didn’t really care…..they got their win last week and put forth an overall weak effort.
That’s not to say we didn’t have our standout players…….Banks, LVD & Kwon were good.
We got whipped in the trenches. That’s for sure.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:41 am
Good lord. All those people at your card table Joe and all the other negative nancys on this site thought we were gonna win the next 10 super bowls after last Monday. Have a little faith buc fans. And a 2014 flashback???? I know what you mean, but you said it yourself, Mcown completed 74 percent. And he didn’t cry on national TV.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:42 am
We had ugly preseason games last year and how did that translate?
August 30th, 2015 at 10:44 am
@st Pete- a 7 win team is a 7 win team. I wouldn’t consider them a bad team. I haven’t heard anyone here complain about the record just how bad this team continues to looks.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:45 am
First off, Lovie should have never been hired here….period! And, as always with this franchise, the offensive line has never been taken seriously. So, combine the two and this season will be the same as the past ones. The game last night was embarrassing at best. Don’t put too much blame on Winston as he had no time to throw and he was looking out of his butt all night. Offensive line…horrible! Terrible too! The Buc defense let McClown look like Tom Brady.
Notice that he didn’t fumble at all….any interseptions? Unlike his awful year here in Tampa. I’m just afraid there is little light at the end of a very dark tunnel here at Buc Town.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:46 am
It hurts to get trucked by team that is likely going to be .500. Without a strong offensive line, we’ll struggle to score points. The turnover battle will be crucial. And Winston’s ankle will not be 100% all year; once you roll it, it’s much more likely to happen again.
Still, this is a good wake-up call. The coaching staff certainly won’t lose focus between now and Tennessee.
The fans of the loser of that first game will be in deep depression….
August 30th, 2015 at 10:46 am
They already said no hot routes were shown. Very vanilla. Line calls. Protecting the qb were all being evaluated. This is what they needed to see for week 1. Koetter is a smart guy. He will fix the a gap blitz issue. Trust that this isn’t the first time he has seen it and knows week 1. The edge and a gap will get blitzed. However. One bomb to evans and make them pay. I guarantee they will stop. Look for screens. Quick outs and a different team week 1
August 30th, 2015 at 10:48 am
@TBBF
I agree with part of what you said. I dont think Ive seen a screen all preseason. But I also heard LVD got steamrolled twice. I turned the game off at halftime and was a little tipsy so maybe i didn’t catch everything.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:49 am
It is preseason my fair weather fans! We all know that we need work in the trenches and we have a rookie QB behind a C+ OL. The effort wasn’t there I agree but we aren’t as good as we showed monday night and we aren’t as bad as we showed last night. Get a grip people and real
ize that this season will have tons of ups and downs with the end result being about 5-7 wins at best.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:54 am
@Tampa Tony
I absolutely accept your point. But there are reasons for looking bad. Is it because we have no talent, or were simply bad last night. Did the Browns game plan for us…Fameis admitted as much in the presser..the Browns did NOT do what the Bucs had prepared to face…coaching? I think all of this will get straightened out but I am the blog’s optimist and I respect those who disagree unless you’re part of the group that says the Bucs suck and then hope it comes true so your “football expertise” looks good. That’s not you Tony I know you’re a fan.
TBBF made a great point as have others. I tried to show this year’s pre season records to provide some perspective.
But how about the real comparison. Ever wonder how much the pre season record relates to the RS? Mitch gave a great anecdotal example…Lions 4-0 to 0-16 but what about the real stats on PS versus RS. I dug deep and found a stats wonk who sorts that out for us.
While this cursory analysis suggests that pre-season performance is no indication of regular season performance, it’s not detailed analysis enough to illustrate whether there is a relationship.
To do this, we decided to compare the winning percentage of the pre-season of the team to the performance of that team in the regular season for every team over the last 10 season, which gave us a sample size of 320 team seasons.
When comparing the records, we found that there was no correlation between the performance of the pre-season to the regular season.
Statistically, the correlation between the winning percentage of a team in the pre-season and their winning percentage in the regular season is 0.0944 – values between -0.1 and +0.1 suggest no correlation between two variables.
Relax guys. I’m still on board for ten wins so that ruins my credibility in your eyes and I respect that. But ya gotta admit that this team has the potential to entertain us…they’re going to be exciting and exasperating…like last night.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:59 am
@Destro
Agree completely with your position choices. I’m a Brate fan and like you I think Mike James is underutilized.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:01 am
@StPete Optimism is a wonderful thing and we all have it — to a degree. But I stick by the fact that in the 2013 preseason, Josh Freeman and the offense looked terrible – and we saw it in the regular season. In the 2014 preseason, the OLine was a train wreck and guess what? That’s exactly what happened in the regular season.
We didn’t lose this game because our backups got pounded in the fourth quarter. We lost because our starters got trucked by a team that will be .500 or so.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:02 am
Karma is a bitch! Joe has to watch McCown destroy the Bucs! Even Lewis looked better than Shameis. Shameis is lucky Cannon is his back up, if Lewis or Matt Barkley were the backup, Loseton would be benched! Cant’ wait for Black Monday when Lovie and Jason get fired!
The only bright spot for Joe was rubbing Johnny’s feet on the sideline. “Oh Johnny Boy I wish we drafted you instead. Can I rub your back too?”
August 30th, 2015 at 11:09 am
I have no idea what to make of this game. “Money Bags” McCoy was a milk carton and the usually great LVD had multiple ugly missed tackles. I think we should Bomb for Bosa, trade “money bags” and see if our OLine can develop.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:10 am
Ugh. It was so infuriatingly humiliating I didn’t have patience to comment last night.
Trash McCown carved up this lousy Incompetent Lovie Smith first team defense. As fans we have suffered some embarrassing displays of pro football but that shart of an effort ranks up there with many others at the hand of that rube.
Lapdog Licht smuggles chubbies in his stinkhole with the talent he has amassed on this football team.
Hard to argue that a single football victory is in reach with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb collecting Glazer paychecks.
Doug Martin is a stud.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:12 am
A lot of people tend to forget that the pre-season is practice. No game planning and no film is involved. Had we prepared for the blitzkrieg that the Browns went for on defense we would have been okay. That being said the o-line got crushed up the middle and our defense didn’t seem too concerned about coverage. Maybe they wanted to get in some good tackling practice?
August 30th, 2015 at 11:12 am
Fairweather fan? We went 2-14 last year. Until the Bucs start winning consistently they are what they are…a bad football team.
This is a six win team, at best.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:14 am
On a political blog the trolls are easy to spot. For awhile it was tougher on a sports blog.
But it’s the same deal…trolling for attention by posting stuff to pisss people off.
There are a group of posters here who have been called the animosity amigos…to be clear I do NOT consider them trolls. They make valid points, my biggest gripe with them is they live in the past.
Then there are people who come here simply to pisss us off without any substance. Ernest T Bass is the perfect example of a troll.
McClown did NOT destroy the Bucs. He played out of his arse in a meaningless preseason contest. It was 7-0 before McClown ever hit the field. He had to make head first dives for first down as well as a miraculous jail break and that fingertip catch toe dragging catch by Hartline in the end zone.
Nobody got destroyed last night. The Bucs were flat after a short week. Fameis and the two OL rookies are still learning.
I have no excuse for our special teams…they scare me.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:19 am
@NTChris
We lost because our starters got trucked by a team that will be .500 or so.
Where we disagree Chris is that we got trucked! McClown played out his backside. It’s not like they lined up and rammed it down our throats. It’s like we’d stop them and then on 3rd down McCown made a play. I give him credit.
But he clearly played his best game in a couple of years.
As for getting “trucked” I watched Marpet…he was CONFUSED…not physically overwhelmed. They’re kids!!! Hop on and enjoy the ride but it’s not going to be pretty much of the time. Other times it will be amazing…just wait and see.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:20 am
I don’t put too much into the game outcome. Stuff happens. The Bucs played a nonchalant snooze of a game. The Browns played with purpose from start to finish. It really wasn’t hard to imagine the outcome beforehand. A step back to Bucs past reality should do good going forward. I feel it will.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:21 am
I’m not as surprised as most of you. First of all, the Browns are underrated, especially on that defensive front. This is the team we can probably expect to see this year – a talented but inconsistent group. They’re gonna make you jump for joy one moment and cry into your beer the next.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:25 am
One of the hardest things to do after you play a great game is to put it behind you and totally focus on the next game. Even harder during a short week of preparation I’m sure. That’s what I’m convinced happened to the Bucs last night. After the Cincy high the Bucs were convinced they’d have their way with the lowly Browns … after all, their QB was some ‘loser’ named Josh McClown and we have ‘America’s QB’.
Well guess what. Lowly Cleveland put a butt-whoopin on us in all 3 phases of the game … unless you call 37 minutes time-of-possession a fluke. And ‘Josh the loser’ passing for a 74% completion rate? Oops, another fluke.
If you want to see one play indicative of the way the Bucs played last night, watch the very last play of the first half where Winston got sacked. Donovan Smith got badly beaten and ended up on the ground. The rest of the OLine … with the exception of Ali Marpet … got mauled so badly I was sure that they thought the half had ended, BEFORE THE PLAY.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:27 am
And for those of Incompetent Lovie Smith water carrying devotees that love to make excuses for the poor football teams this guy fields with “it’s only preseason” or “we had less time to prepare” I can assure you that the preseason is very telling. Just ask the 2-14 2014 Buccaneers. You don’t see good football teams making excuses for being unprepared to compete in gameday.
Demand more from your favorite football team Bucs fans. This sht is unacceptable.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:41 am
“As far as what the reason is, it happened.: – Lovie Smith
August 30th, 2015 at 11:43 am
Hilarous!
Bucs fans are so hungry they are ready to take the Skyway Dive after a preseason game with no team preparation.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:44 am
Buccfan37…the 3rd preseason game is supposed to give us an indication of what the team is supposed to look like.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:49 am
@Dallas
WRONG. Pre season has literally nothing to do with the RS record.
That’s a statistical fact not my opinion! Your example was ONE season…stats geeks have researched 10 years which represents 320 team seasons. The statistical FACT is that there is NO correlation.
You guys live in the past. And so what we are really arguing are two things.
Because of your Lovie hate I think it diminishes your credibility. But that’s just me.
The 2nd thing is timing. In 1995 the Bucs had a great draft. I believe they had an even better draft this year. The Bucs won 7 that year and 6 the next..then broke through with ten before falling back to 8-8 and then starting their tremendous run.
The vast majority of posters here including Joe think we’re closer to the mid 90’s than the late 90’s. I think we’re ahead of that schedule which is why I’m the blog optimist and apparently the blog contrarian. I’m cool with that.
I base my opinon on the fact that I think Lovie has the makings of a great defense by the end of the year. The major difference is that Lovie CHANGED from Dungyball. Dungy never had a franchise QB. Dungy never had a REAL OC…for gawd’s sake Clyde Christiansen!!! We’re on our way. I concede that the majority opinion here is six wins and improvement. I’m just more optimistic.
BTW…Currently Dixie Chicks 1-2 New Orleans WINLESS.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
I don’t think the PS record means anything BUT the performance of the 1st team units means everything. First team can go out and beat there counterparts yet the team could still lose once the second and third string teams take the field.
With that said our first teamers look very much like last years squad.
A) Jameis’s ankle should have been on ice since Monday at 9:30pm.
B) Hardy should be focusing on his dominate lbs group rather than learning how to be a DC.
C) players both offense and defense have to hit people crossing their face. We keep moving out of people’s way so they can make a play against us.
The play that’s sums up the night is George Johnson being unblocked and still can’t get a sack. On top of that mccown completes the pass for a first down. Darn if we can’t get pressure when we’re not even blocked then what the hell have we been doing all summer.
Finally, just like there’s no crying in baseball, there’s no hugging in football. These guys are the essence of bucco Bruce the worlds friendliest pirate.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
How many times has Lovie made the playoffs in the last 7 years?
Once?
2-14 last year? Sounds like Lovie is definitely trending upward. Hiring Lovie Smith was “living in the past”.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
To all the Noobs that got so excited after the MNF game, this is what the Sucs will do to you.
This is what happens!
As soon as you develop any confidence in this franchise, they will tear you down.
Go Sucs!!!
August 30th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
One thing I don’t get is why they are probably not going to play Jameis much against Miami. it’s obvious that he and the offensive line need more time to become cohesive before they get embarrased against Tennessee .he needs to see As much live-action as possible. if he gets hurt so be it
August 30th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
This team looks to be going backwards from Schiano. Same thing I said last season.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
StPete- what I said was that their preseason performance is very telling and you know quite well that I never said anything about points or winning preseason football games. So by obfuscating the debate with false arguments about statistics and wins/losses is cheap and generally beneath your level of discourse.
It should also be stated clearly that I do not hate Lovie Smith, I am very simply unhappy with his gross incompetence as a football coach. Once again there is a big difference and you know better.
Finally, the Falcons and the Saints may not be undefeated in the preseason but if you have watched their games you would know that they are far more prepared to compete at a high level than the team this outfit of incompetence has delivered.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
@SPBF:
I, too, admire your optimism. But I simply cannot share it.
Most of us agree that the won-loss records in preseason are meaningless in predicting regular season success. But what IS predictive of eventual team success is individual success. And since football is such a team game, it is quite difficult at times to judge individual players, since so much individual success is predicated on the performance of your teammates.
So, if the ball is well-thrown to an aspiring wide receiver, and he drops it……repeatedly, then that is a concern, even in a meaningless preseason game.
If neither kicker can make a field goal, in a meaningless preseason game, then that too concerns me.
If your “most NFL ready” QB, simply throws the ball up for grabs while running backwards, that too concerns me.
If your defense allows the opposing tight end to stand in the middle of the endzone like he has a five yard diameter “cone of silence” around him (Maxwell Smart reference), then that too concerns me. (BTW McCown 17 of 23, 2 TDs)
In sum total then, there were very few individual successes, and therefore a 31- 7 outcome in a meaningless preseason game.
Again, the coaches bring in free agents purportedly because they are so familiar with the Tampa Two, but neither Conte nor Carter can make an impact???
To me, our coaching looks suspect at best, and probably poor at worst.
Question for everyone:
If we do not beat the Titans on opening day, will our first win be against the Jaguars or the Redskins?
tickrdr
August 30th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
When is it that lovie takes over the defence? I forgot
August 30th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
DB55 Says:
August 30th, 2015 at 12:02 pm :
—————————————
As usual, great post.
tickrdr
August 30th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Is Schiano still under contract?
If so bring him back and let him run HIS defense instead of Lovie’s D. I liked that one better.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Tickrdr
Ty sir I was feeling a bit ignored there for a minute.
August 30th, 2015 at 12:55 pm
DB55…you’re not being ignored, I just said the same thing before I looked at your comment. Although I didn’t state my case like you did. I kept it short and sweet with : this team looks like last season.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Tickrdr
If your “most NFL ready” QB, simply throws the ball up for grabs while running backwards, that too concerns me.
*****************
The one thing I can be critical of for Jameis is his outlets. He’s not using the dump off pass to the RB out the backfield. He’s either throwing it the the TE in the flat or forcing it down field. With this line he really needs to dump it off (if he has time).
87
I too miss schianos defense! Lovie has his team thinking too much! The only one reacting is kwon. And let’s not talk about my favorite player LVD missing like 6 tackles (imma cry) I watched it again in slow mo and maybe it was only 3 but nevertheless what up with that?
August 30th, 2015 at 1:05 pm
@DB55:
In the Cincinnati game, JW3 started the game with three straight “checkdowns”, and the offense got rolling. those quick dumpoffs seems the best way to slow down that rush. Also, why no screens, or draw plays?
tickrdr
August 30th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
OFF TOPIC: A quick funny.
Went shopping yesterday, walked into “Lids” and noticed all the bucs jerseys were on sale.
Me: “What’s up with that?”
Employee: “All Doug Martin Jerseys are 50% off.”
Me: ” how much are they?”
Employee: “uhm let me see they are uhm (doing math in his head) they uhm”
about two minutes later
Me: “How much are they retail? Tell me and I will do the math”.
Employee: “they $100”.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:18 pm
One screen to Simms for a decent gain late in the 1st or early second period. Good timing because jw3 was getting beaten like Rodney King.
Can anyone tell me why we have our #1 overall pick playing with a limp?
I’ve played hurt before. It’s the preseason not week 14 in the wild card hunt. Just saying these are the type of decisions that give the Amigos legitimacy.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:18 pm
@Dallas
It should also be stated clearly that I do not hate Lovie Smith, I am very simply unhappy with his gross incompetence as a football coach. Once again there is a big difference and you know better.
OK I take it back you have my apology. “Hate” was a mistake of hyperbole on my part.
@tickdr
Agree that my takes are over the top with optimism. I just maintain that at this point there is still enough to be as optimistic about as there is to panic. We can all make points to back both views but I certainly concede that my view is the minority opinion and based on history I understand why. BTW tickdr thanks for that excellent explantion of Fameis ankles and what might have caused the condition. I told my wife of your comment about his ankle mortises and she is a retired Dentist and was curious about your explantion as well. Thanks
Everybody else…the ONLY people I have difficulty with on this board all those who predict doom and gloom and then actually hope it happens so they can “feel good” about their football “expertise”. Those people are NOT Buc fans but thankfully they are in the minority.
I also concede I’m the crazy one here. Time will tell. Again I’m from the Chris Thomas school of thought…NFL stands for No Freaking Logic. I believe in possibilities and I fear that our fan base reacts like a battered wife…sorry that may be a bad comparison in terms of battered women…that’s serious this is not but you all get my point.
Here is my major concern…at this point IF through some AMAZING FREAK of circumstance this team started 8-0 (I get that’s not probable) but IF it happened there would still be a significant number of folks here who would post…well we’ll collapse the second half of the season because we’re the Bucs.
Change has to start somewhere. I say it starts THIS SEASON. Now so that everybody can have a good laugh…10-6 baby. Although injuries and a loss in that first game will change my prediction. One game does not make a season but given the fragile state of our confidence right now I think the Titan’s game is easily the most important game of the year..even more than divisional games.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:23 pm
@DB55
tickdr gave a great explanation of Fameis ankles last night. This may be a chronic condition. We’ll see how much it effects his play. I honestly do not know how much his mobility was reduced last night.
We have completely lost our 12th man. Remember the great days when the crowd rocked that stadium and clearly gave the players a boost. I know they’re professionals and not college kids, but they are human. How hard must it be to get fired up when the stands are empty and sports blog are filled with a TOTAL lack of confidence in your ability.
I realize the Bucs haven’t earned the fans support. But if you’re a fan you not obligated but it’s nice if you could help jump start the process. If these guys ever got to go out like the glory Bucs in front of that kind of crowd I believe it would at minimum give us at least a little edge. In the tight NFL every edge is important.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:29 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says:
“I fear that our fan base reacts like a battered wife…sorry that may be a bad comparison in terms of battered women”
If by saying that you mean, we get beat and keep coming back for more. Then you’d be 100% correct…
August 30th, 2015 at 1:31 pm
It’s all good StPete, no apology necessary. At the end of the day we all want the same thing and I will be screaming for my Bucs for 4 quarters every Sunday. I expect to win all 16 contests no matter who we play. It is simply up to the guys running this to have them ready.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Tdr
2nd qrt 00:12
*jameis Winston screen pass to the right to Charles Sims for 12 yards to the TB 42. Out of bounds for a first down with 5 seconds left in the half.
TIMEOUT TB
Jameis Winston SACKED for a loss of 10. Cleveland brought more than we could block and all the recvrs ran go routes, I assume Hail Mary.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:34 pm
“If these guys ever got to go out like the glory Bucs in front of that kind of crowd I believe it would at minimum give us at least a little edge”
SPBF….the glory years team, built that crowd. The crowd was non-existent before Sapp, Barber, Brooks, Alstott and Dunn. Probably worse crowd attendance than they have these days.
They had no pirate ship back then. lol
August 30th, 2015 at 1:41 pm
SPBF
Jameis’s ankle is swollen at best which means he can’t plant to throw or evade. Henceforth you get delayed reactions and less accuracy. He got sacked so many times last night. He can’t help but to THINK about the pain. Distraction!
Second, if Kwons hit on (he who shall not be named) didn’t FIRE YOU UP then you should hang it up and open up a boutique. Granted fan support is great but not a factor in beating the man in front of you. The lack of fans certainly did effect kwon or swearinger. They came to hit somebody. Not sure what the rest of them were doing.
Eds needs a new home please. I’ll take my chance with Allen or Warren.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Mccown played the way we wished he could last year. Ironic.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Can you re-post TDRs explaination I missed it?
August 30th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
I’m not impressed with mclown of Mariota. 5yard passes down do it for me. I haven’t seen them make a 20y pass (in the air) yet. Jameis has several.
August 30th, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Down=don’t
August 30th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
DB…
tickrdr Says:
August 30th, 2015 at 1:06 am
@SPBF:
Again, I am not an orthopedic doc, so my opinion does not count. The ankle mortise is formed by the distal ends of the tibia and fibula, which sit on the talus bone, and form the ankle joint, with numerous ligaments holding it all together.
Think “strapping” tape, which keep the bones from moving beyond their accepted range of motion. I personally feel that the “looseness” or “floppiness” of his ankles is due to his history of being a baseball pitcher, which required a very long stride, and “push” off the mound to deliver an effective fastball. Likely great for his pitching motion, but not great for his football throwing motion, which leaves the ankle relatively in jeopardy, especially following a long stride.
Again, JMHO, and not based on legit medical opinion., because I’m a heart doctor, and what do I know.
tickrdr
August 30th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Exactly, he has a twisted ankle which causes a limp. “The tape is loose”. At 21, it will tighten up in 2 weeks with ice and elevation. Or 2-3 months if you keep playing on it.
August 30th, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Well sit Winston down and elevate his ankle and pack ice on it so he’ll be ready for Tennessee. It makes no sense to play him again until then, he has nothing to prove, don’t risk worsening the situation.
August 30th, 2015 at 3:58 pm
It’s preseason, we came away from the game with no major injuries. Let’s quit moaning and groaning over a meaningless game. I liked our performance against the Browns, I have no complaints. We need to evaluate players and start making making roster moves. We are in a good position to win the NFC South and I say we get it done. We will win the NFC South in 2015, mark it down on your calendar. People need to quit the blame game, that’s stupid and childish, it has no place in a mature conversation. LET’S GO BUCS
August 30th, 2015 at 4:14 pm
Buccfan37 Says: August 30th, 2015 at 3:35 pm “Well sit Winston down and elevate his ankle and pack ice on it so he’ll be ready for Tennessee. It makes no sense to play him again until then, he has nothing to prove, don’t risk worsening the situation.”
What the hell are you talking about? Get off JW’s jock and stop dinking the cool aid… at the very least he has to prove he can recognize and deal with a blitz! I would also recommend he learns to recognize underneath coverage by linebackers and when to throw the ball out of bounds.
He had 1/2 a good game against a team that didn’t game plan. That does not make him ready for real football.
August 30th, 2015 at 6:49 pm
BuccoDav… If Winston can’t play game one because of a further aggravated injury playing him at all after that possibility might not happen for a while. I don’t drink kool ade and riding JW’s jock is something I’ve never done. That’s a fact.
August 30th, 2015 at 7:29 pm
Buccfan,
If he is hurt, and it appears he is, I agree, sit him.
My issue stems from your statement that he has nothing to prove. Everyone on the worst team in the NFL has something to prove if they intend to keep playing professional football.
August 31st, 2015 at 9:23 am
“Everyone on the worst team in the NFL has something to prove if they intend to keep playing professional football.”
I like how well this was said and tend to agree. Our HC is incompetent, “kinda simple as that”