“I Think The Guys Believe It Around Here”
August 19th, 2015
Lovie Smith says he has a “history” and a reputation, and Bucs players are seeing it and he thinks they believe in it.
Joe is confident Lovie Smith reached a point last year when he wasn’t interested in playing the best available players. Simple as that, as Lovie would say. And Joe’s not talking about the season-ending, Chase-for-Jameis game against the Saints.
To summarize greatly, Josh McCown, Charles Sims and Michael “Ghost” Johnson often were not the best available at their positions. No chance.
But it’s a new day in the world of Lovie –or an old day, as Lovie claims.
Asked about the insertion of 21-year-old rookie fourth-round pick Kwon Alexander into the starting middle linebacker job, Lovie said his roster is seeing what the head coach is all about.
“We would all prefer a veteran, but I prefer the best player and a lot of times he’s young,” Lovie said yesterday. “It seems like more and more are younger. I have no problems, my history has been that. I have no problems playing young players. It’s just left to us as coaches to stimulate that process of catching them up. That’s what we are doing with some of our young players – quite a few of them.
“For young guys coming in, we let them know early on this is what our history has said. If you are the best guy, it doesn’t matter if you are a rookie or whatever. We’ll play you right away, but you have to do that a little bit for people to believe it. I think the guys believe it around here.”
Joe already heaped a load of praise on Lovie for what appears to be a change in mindset about players earning jobs — even if Lovie is in denial that a change has occurred.
Joe has no doubt that there is a new belief system in the Bucs’ locker room, a new urgency, a new hunger to win immediately, a renewed desire to put the best players on the football field. Those are all great things.
August 19th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
@Realist & DallasBuc ……., STFU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 19th, 2015 at 2:48 pm
I think that this is a case of if you keep saying that hopefully someone might believe it!!! I still think that this year Frazier will be the fall-guy and Lovie is going to swoop in to save the day and take over play calling when they are already eliminated by week 8!!!!
August 19th, 2015 at 2:49 pm
best players play…which means Marpet and D.Smith should be named outright starters NOW…Mike James should be the #2 back as well
August 19th, 2015 at 2:55 pm
We’ll see Lovie, we’ll see real soon won’t we?? And if Mike Jenkins is a starter again this opening day, then all this amounts to just more useless Lovie lip service.
August 19th, 2015 at 2:58 pm
Joe has no doubt that there is a new belief system in the Bucs’ locker room, a new urgency, a new hunger to win immediately, a renewed desire to put the best players on the football field. Those are all great things.
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So far we have failed to see this urgency. All 3 phases barely showed up 1st pre-season game. That lies on the coach. Yes the Incompetent one. Hopefully they decide to show up Monday night.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Mike Jenkins never started for the Bucs…..
August 19th, 2015 at 3:03 pm
Time for another Lovie Confidence Poll…..
August 19th, 2015 at 3:10 pm
I agree Tampabaybucfan!!!!!
I don’t want to wait for 4 weeks to start voting “no confidence at all”!!!!!!
August 19th, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Yes – the Animosity Amigos have found their home base for the day here on good ol JBF.
Things are definitely looking up for our team – yet the Debby Downer brigade wants to wallow in their Lovie hating misery for as long as they possibly can.
Pretty soon, the tide will turn and the Bucs will be start winning games and they will keep winning games and the Lovie haters will be stuck with him for many years to come. It’s kind of ironic dontcha think? That this incompetent boob of a coach who has done nothing but ride coattails his entire 20 year NFL coaching career and wouldn’t know talent if it bit him in the ass – is going to coach this team that you are such “fans” of into a perpetual winner after too many years of ineptitude and frustration.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:25 pm
Then Rainey should be starting and not #3 on the depth chart. #numbersdontlie
August 19th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
If the Bucs start winning games, I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. But so far thats just wishful thinking. Reality is Lovie is 2-14 as our coach and they arent exactly off to a good start. Hell they arent even off to a decent start… But let’s pretend we live in the world full of rainbows and ponys.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:43 pm
The young players are looking good because quite a few of the older veterans can’t cut the mustard.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Lovie’s history in Tampa: 2-14
That is what we know.
August 19th, 2015 at 4:34 pm
Exactly Tom, 2-14 and a complete embarassment in all 3 phases against the vikings last week….he has done nada for personnel and nada couching up the defense to play the tampa 2 which has never covered a TE… i think football passed him up in the basement… bring on gase, mcdaniel, gruden or payton and new uniforms… the brown (pewter) is terrible
August 19th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Get Kwon some Urlacher tape on the regular
August 19th, 2015 at 6:23 pm
Kwon Alexander will be another Hardy Nickerson in the Tampa 2. I believe it’s more Nickerson than Lovie, to start Kwon in the middle.We may start 5 rookies this season.
August 19th, 2015 at 6:52 pm
If any Buc fan watched the game Saturday and wasn’t gravely concerned they are delusional. For whatever reason this team looks like it will be just as bad as last year.
August 19th, 2015 at 7:42 pm
I am concerned after last weeks game. But that concern only takes me from expecting 6 wins down to 3. We’re at least a year away from challenging 10 wins.
August 19th, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Eric im with you i was on 6 wins now at 3 there just has not been any improvement… jameis will be good but whats he gonna be 18 tds 25 ints this year…. dbs cant cover front 7 gets no pressure punter cant kick
August 19th, 2015 at 8:00 pm
I’m not too concerned about a win total. All I’m concerned about is Winston’s development. Nothing matters unless Winston is the real deal. We need to keep investing in OL in the draft until the OL is fixed.
August 19th, 2015 at 8:04 pm
It WAS still just the first preseason game. Let’s wait until after the 3rd game before we try to predict anything. With a lot of young players on the team it will take time to jell. We’ll probably be the youngest team in the league this season.
August 19th, 2015 at 10:37 pm
I just wish I could see y’all faces year after year of witnessing this man on that Buccs side line. That chit would be priceless.
August 19th, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Nole Buc jameis will be 18-24 tds and o/u 30 picks… its what it is… peyton manning threw 29… peyton had a running game and an OL…tampa has neither…. i hope jameis makes 16 games this year… i think he is the real deal but im scared for him behind that line and that OL coach
August 19th, 2015 at 11:06 pm
I hope your right Nole/Buc. I want Lovie here for a long time. If he is, that means we are successful. I want this to be the last rebuilding I see for the next 15 years.
August 20th, 2015 at 1:06 am
We will be 10-6 this season, I don’t buy into preseason games. I know for a fact that we will have a strong running game this season. We will be have a committee of backs, and Doug Martin will be the main back. And our back will catch a lot of passes from Jameis this season, our O-Line will be good this season. Preseason don’t mean that much, you really can’t make any predictions based on preseason games.