Anything But 0-3
September 2nd, 2015
Joe’s been around town quite a bit the past few days and the collective Bucs-fan freakout is astounding. From poker tables to barber shops, it’s everywhere.
It seems the first-team Buccaneers playing one whole game through the course of three meaningless preseason games has injected panic into the streets.
Joe gets it. The Bucs look shaky and inconsistent, and fans are living the Bucs life. They’re so hungry for wins and a respectable team, more than Joe hungers to be asked by Hooters Calendar to spray gentle mist at all their photo shoots.
Some of this is fueled by what Joe calls the Lovie Loyalists. These fans supremely believe in the head coach, and they latch on to what he proudly proclaimed in December 2015: “True football fans can see we’re on the verge.” The Lovie Loyalists can’t fathom that they just watched a Browns team led by career loser Josh McCown pummel the Bucs in all phases– in Tampa.
When Joe is calm and pondering all things Bucs, Joe is not too nervous. The Bucs should be improved and America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, if he can stay healthy, should lead Tampa Bay to a six-win season and out of the NFC South cellar. That’s not too much to ask.
However, what makes Joe shake violently is the thought of the Bucs going 0-3. After opening day against the Titans, the Bucs head for road games in New Orleans and Houston.
They just can’t go 0-3. Anger will rage in the streets, many fans will start focusing on the draft, and the inevitable hot seat talk will engulf Lovie Smith like a California wild fire.
Please, Bucs. Just find a way to not go 0-3. Any freakin’ way.
Simple as that, as Lovie says.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Conventional wisdom has game 3 of the pre-season as the most important. It is where the starters polish their craft. Game 4, tomorrow, is only for the bubble players. Everyone still on board with that?
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:21 pm
You’re right Joe. 0-3 and we’re talking billboard time. Schiano got the billboard. So it’s MORE than fair, that a coach with so much NFL experience, deserves one as well.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Agree Joe, 0 and 3 equals the season is over.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:29 pm
MY ,,MY,,MY,,MY,, ITS LOOKS LIKE THE BUC’S WILL GO 0-3 ,,,, SORRY BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME…….
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:34 pm
After the bucs lose to the titans and Mariota plays better….
Bucs fans will be in full revolt mode
“Secretly……people the Bucs Organization are questioning themselves “Did we pick the wrong kid???”
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:36 pm
The Bucs WILL win game one and go 1-1 in the games 2 and 3.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:36 pm
The Bucs won’t start winless through three games They will at least win one of those games.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:37 pm
3-0= I’m smoking crack.
2-1= I made a bet while drunk. Hope they pull it off.
1-2= High as hell but still thinking logically and realistically
0-3= The crack, weed, and alcohol wore off. I knew these MF would hurt me again.
Which one are you!!!
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:41 pm
I said they may win 5 games this year, so 0 and 3 to start is just about right
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:44 pm
vegabuc…I’ve got them winning 5 games too. I have them winning week 1 though. Then it gets ugly…
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:44 pm
A 2-1 “fast start” is more likely than 0-3 IMO. We’ll see what happens in the 1st game and that will tell a lot. I have a feeling that Koetter hasn’t shown much of his offense yet and has a lot of good plays cooked up and ready for a bad Tennessee defense to try and defend. If the Bucs come out ready to play – then we should definitely have the talent to beat Tennessee at home and start off 1-0.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:47 pm
^^^^^^LOGIC!!! NO WAYY!!!!
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Since we have some Mariota Clingers in this thread it only makes sense that I re-post this on this thread instead of another.
Winston and Mariota will both prove what they have over time. Like in a 3 year span, not week 1. Although I’m sure a few are looking forward to the supposed #1QB vs #2QB match up. I’m not at all, because it’s Mariota vs our defense. The same defense that Josh McCown made look silly in a dress rehearsal for the reg season 3rd preseason game. It’s Winston vs the Titans D as well. So I’ll take nothing from this first game when comparing the two. Even if Winston goes out and blows Winston’s stats away. It will mean nothing to me and vice versa.
I’m letting everyone know this now, so I don’t have a rain of BS falling on my head after Mariota and Winston’s very first NFL game. Somehow I doubt that will matter though if the Titans win.
Hell I predict if the Titans win and Winston looks better than Mariota. The Mariota Clingers will be in here telling us different. Just like the Rose Bowl game.
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:52 pm
“The Bucs should be improved and America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, if he can stay healthy” – we have a caveat now, as long as he can stay healthy!!
That is a reflection on the O-line. The big picture is that we really haven’t changed the line 🙁
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Even if Winston goes out and blows Mariota’s stats away*
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:59 pm
Ive been saying this all morning, week one is a MUST WIN!!! If Mariota beats Winston, everyone will be saying “I told you so”. Ive even heard rumblings already that Winston wasn’t as “groomed” and “pro ready” as some were saying, and may need a year or two to sit and learn. Let that sit in your thoughts bucs fans. Your “SAVIOR” might be human after all.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:03 pm
How can we possibly start 0-3 if we have “America’s QB”?
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:04 pm
@SuperSam
Seriously though, just go away.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Stats do not matter to anyone. That is all we keep being been told. W/L is what counts. Freeman and his over 4000 yards did not put us in the playoffs. Nice stats . Nobody cares about about Glennon. Just W/L record. Coaches are the same way.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:11 pm
@Joe – reading minds now? December 2015? You already know what Lovie is going to say?
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Doesn’t really matter my contract is garunteed, simple as that. Let the crack smoking commence. – mr smith
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:12 pm
This team is starting the season 3-0. Believe it
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:12 pm
I can garuntee you this, we’ll have the NICEST team in the league.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:13 pm
So we have “Lovie Loyalists”, we have the Animosity Amigos, who hate Lovie yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Then we have the rest of us. I never wanted Lovie to be the coach from day one, as I don’t want Dungy ball with us scoring 15 points or less and having the defense bail out a crappy offense every game (although right now I’d take it). But for now, I am in Lovie’s corner until the season starts to play out. If we show up not ready to play on game 1 that will change quickly. We don’t have to win but we have to come out swinging and playing at a high level, even if we loose. Any half hearted crappy efforts and I am joining the Amigos!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:24 pm
DB55…and the ugliest uni’s!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:30 pm
I’m the optimist so I won’t bail on the boys if they start 0-3 but given the level of competition or should I say lack of competition to start our schedule I agree it would create a HUGE mountain to climb.
I think we need to be 2-2 after four games. The first four are ALL winnable. But Houston at Houston is tough.
If we start 2-2..that’s a win over Titans and a split with N.O. and Carolina…we’re off and running. The next two games are Jacksonville and the Deadskins.
We could easily be 4-2. We split with Atlanta and the Giants and we’re 5-3.
Then comes the brutal stretch…Dallas, Philly and Indy. We should lose all three of those but hopefully we can steal one of them, much as we could have against Seattle a couple of years ago if “genius” Schiano hadn’t taken his foot off the accelator with the hurry up offense. Koetter will not make the Schiano mistake.
That would leave us at 6-5. It would also leave us with more than ten games experience for all the rookies and a chance for the OL to truly jell.
We finish our run by winning 4 of our last five and voila..SPBF’s 10-6 record.
Look at the last five. Who is scary. St. Louis perhaps on the road..Chicago and Jay Cutler at our house…and three divisional games. Yes it’s not easy but it’s doable. Ya gotta believe!!!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:34 pm
“We don’t have to win but we have to come out swinging and playing at a high level, even if we loose. Any half hearted crappy efforts and I am joining the Amigos!”
Dreambig…you’ve got that right!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:35 pm
I see the Bucs going 1-5 in our first 6 games. I hate to say it, but I just don’t see anyway around another Double-digit loss season. We need regime change….fire Lovie and make Koetter the HC and bring in a good, young, aggressive defensive coach to be the DC (or DB55). Then with another top 3 or 4 draft pick we can trade down in next years draft, get more picks and rebuild our below average offensive and defensive lines. Then in 2016 and beyond, things start to look up!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:37 pm
Sam…and the “I told you so” will mean nothing to me. I won’t do that to you or any other Mariota clinger if it’s the other way around. I certainly won’t. There’s no need for it, but I can see it coming either way.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Jeagan….can’t we at least see what Koetter can do first, before we make proclamations that he is head coach material?
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:39 pm
BTW I get that the OL is PARTIALLY responsible.
But to keep giving Fameis, McClown or any QB a pass because of the OL is just not right.
Again Atlanta had an OL worse than us last year. Nobody is apologizing for Matty Ice because his line was WORSE than ours…no they still had a passing game.
Credit Koetter versus Arroyo for part of that difference…we now have Koetter!!
The sacks Fameis took are NOT all on our OL. Fameis is making our OL look even worse than it is. That pick was just atrocious. He HAS to learn how to simply throw the ball away.
Joe had a great post that pointed out on one sack Fameis held the ball SEVEN SECONDS!!! In Lovie speak that is UNACCEPTABLE. It’s freaking braindead. I expect a lot more from Fameis!!! He’ll get it. If he doesn’t a lot of this punishment he’s taking is his fault!!!
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:40 pm
I take that back…this is the team that promoted Raheem the Dream to HC.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:41 pm
SPBF…the Falcons won 4 games.
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Mariota will smoke the Bucs! It’s the truth… 0-1 is set in stone
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Yungry…now head off to PR and troll there too…
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:44 pm
Winston sucks, the sooner you realize it the better you’ll be…
September 2nd, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Jeagan
aggressive defensive coach to be the DC (or DB55).
*****************
I’m ready, put me in to coach. First order of business, hitting drills. Lay on your back 15 yards apart. When the whistle blows get up and hit each other. We’ll stop when I see a pool of blood on the grass. Simple as that.
Honestly, I have to stop watching “Hard Knocks” bc I’m really liking their coach. He’s old school and I like it.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:11 pm
WE CAN NOT START 0-3! No way! It will be bad! Like worse than 2013 under Schiano, and that was the biggest spit storm in Bucs history! It will get beyond ugly if we are out of it before Halloween…again.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Fear not…the Bucs are going to win week 1.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Buc1987 Said:
“Since we have some Mariota Clingers in this thread it only makes sense that I re-post this on this thread instead of another.
Winston and Mariota will both prove what they have over time. Like in a 3 year span, not week 1. Although I’m sure…etc.”
Dreambig Said:
“So we have “Lovie Loyalists”, we have the Animosity Amigos, who hate Lovie yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Then we have the rest of us. I never wanted Lovie to be the coach from day one…etc.”
I agree with these two posts (in their entirety). Clear minds and sound reasoning.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:29 pm
6 wins is unacceptable. Period.
That being said, I believe that might be asking too much from this squad.
Still can’t block.
Still can’t run.
Still can’t rush the passer.
Those three things will be factors all year and will undo the season.
I saw the same play in the opener last year against the Panthers. Derek Anderson walked up and down the field on the Bucs (just like Josh McCown). I knew right after the game that the Bucs were punchless pansies who wear their mother’s skirts. We will get more of the same this season. 4 wins tops.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:34 pm
Play kick ass defense and run….Run….RUN!!!
Do that and we can go 8-8.
Get nasty on defense…..Be top 10 in takeways.
Protect Jamis by running the rock.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:39 pm
You kats are ridiculous man. The Bucs won’t start 0-3, we have a good team. Patriots never look good in pre-season but are they clowning in New England? Real Buc fans stand up!
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:45 pm
I had them at 6-10 this year and one of the wns was over the titans, after the Browns debacle those 6 wins are sliding faster than a deck chair on the titanic, i know everyone is saying no one prepares for a preseason game and yada yada….well why not prepare the OL that is protecting your future for a 3-4 blitz scheme, don’;t give me that crap, no way does Lovie stand in front of a team that is going to just base block in a preseason game and not worry about a blitzing cleveland team and allow jameis to get killed…lovie should be fired if that is true….defense can play vanilla and teach I suppose but mccow lit the bucs up in a base cover 2 if that is what happened and maybe lovie did just that to teach the team where to be on film, I hope….and that to lovies credit if is what is going on is going to make things much better starting week one against the Titans….maybe lovie is keeping it vanilla with minimal line stunts, blitzes coverages etc…HOPEFULLY
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:05 pm
87
The Falcons had no defense last year. Quinn was brought in for his defensive genius. It’s his first year so I hope we catch them before he can do much.
But I gotta say I think the Falcons and us are the teams in our division that have the most potential to breakout. Carolina will be decent not great and N.O. might suck if they’re not careful. They still have Brees and so I guess that makes them competitive. But their defense was worse than ours last year and they lost one of the best players Junior Galette.
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Despite the bad o line in the end Winston will rally that unit as the season goes on but I think our defense takes us to 4-0 easy to start the season. The Titans game will be great due to hype alone but I think we win that home opener. I think we finally get to Brees and the Saints as well because we’ve been letting them win the last few times we’ve played them honestly that will be a win despite all the blitzes these teams will run I think our playcalling will beat those blitzes alone and the little talent we got at qb. The Houston gamer is another one our defense can win. Swearinger will be out for revenge trust me and the Panthers game is another home one so I say we win that one too.
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:14 pm
well why not prepare the OL that is protecting your future for a 3-4 blitz scheme,
Dusty….perhaps this WAS preparation. Sometimes you just have to learn from your mistakes. And again it’s not just Marpet and Smith but also JW. Holding the ball seven seconds on that one sack is beyond stooopid. The int JW threw was unforgiveable. Fameis is making our OL look even worse than it is.
But Fameis is smart…Koetter will coach him up..and Marpet is strong and smart.
These players are kids…rookies!
This was Marpets 3rd NFL game after playing Div III !!!. In addition it wasn’t just the 3-4, Pettine dialed up some exotic blitzes. I saw Martin pick one up and stone a guy, but overall our backs are also going to have to step it up to protect against the dozens of blitzes we KNOW we’re going to see this year.
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:26 pm
It’s the end of the world!!! Waaaa waaaa waaaaa
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:40 pm
They’ll beat TN and may beat NO. Saints just aren’t that good anymore.
Tenn
@NO
@hou – loss
Carolina
Jax
BYE WEEK
@Was
@ATL
NYG
DAL – loss
@PHI
@Ind- loss
ATL
NO
@St L
Chi
@Car
Those thinking they can’t get to 7-8 wins aren’t paying attention to the other teams. This is a WEAK SCHEDULE.
All those games are winable except the ones I marked. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying they are winning 12 games! LoL. I am just saying 7-8 is very realistic
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Agree completely Dave.
Well if I wanted to nitpick I guess I might put Philly in that loss column on paper at least.
That is the only brutal stretch..Dallas..Philly and Indy all in row.
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:46 pm
I’m not panicking like everyone else.
Jameis said after the game that they didn’t want to show their “hot” adjustments in a preseason game. So you have a team that’s blitzing–not just blitzing, blitzing exotically with many different looks–and our team doesn’t want to show their adjustments because it’s a preseason game. What do you think is going to happen.
And put in the group that’s seen both quarterbacks and can’t understand how anyone thinks Mariota is going to be better than Winston over a long career. And I won’t change my name so you can remind me of it if I’m wrong (which as someone cogently noted we won’t know for years).
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:54 pm
“Those thinking they can’t get to 7-8 wins aren’t paying attention to the other teams. This is a WEAK SCHEDULE.”
Dave….The only reason it’s a weak schedule is because the Bucs were a WEAK TEAM last year. Until we see differently on the field and not on paper, we’re still the same weak team.
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:56 pm
The big surprise would be if the Bucs win any of those first three games. The offensive line has regressed from a 2-14 team and now there is a rookie gunslinger behind center. That spells bad offensive performances for at least the first half of the season. They may have a strong finish and sniff 6 total wins, but the start of the season is probably going to be tough sledding.
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Johnny Deejay right on and st pete bucs fan i hear what you are saying but… makes no sense to let a VERY good browns defense tee off on your franchise qb without keeping ppl in or extra TE…rough painful year for jameis this year
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:42 pm
BUC1987
That is not true. The NFL Schedule is
6 games in Conference
4 games from another division in conference. rotates yearly (Nfc east)
4 games from another division out of conference. rotates yearly (Afc south)
2 games, 1 from each division not being played. These games you play the team with the same standing as you. These 2 games are the only games that give a bad team an “advantage”. (Chicago and St L)
That is it. Every year. Otherwise I already know 14 of the 16 teams they are playing every year until they change the number of games played or expand.
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:43 pm
Should have said –
2 games, 1 from each division not being played WITHIN THE CONFERENCE
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:45 pm
Not sure why they are playing the Bears and not the Vikings though
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:50 pm
The way the rotation works, next year is the NFC and AFC west.
Then the NFC north and east team that finishes in the same position within the division.
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:53 pm
@RayRice
It should be more like……
3-0= Loyal fan who can see us pulling off the upset in week 3!
2-1= Loyal fan with realistic expectations as Tennessee is pretty weak and New Orleans doesn’t have Graham and they just lost Keenan Lewis!!(Very winnable game)
1-2= Loyal fan who expects to get that first win at home and expects our rookie QB to struggle on the road with the noise in the next two games!
0-3= Fake Buccaneers fan who sucks dick for a living!
Which one are you!?!?!?!
“It’s as simple as that” – Lovie Smith aka “Billboard TOP 100!!”
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:02 pm
I’m predicting that we start hot, we go 5-1 in our first 6. We may split the next 6, and go 3-3. And we go 2-2 in out final 4 games and finish the season at 10-6. And that 10-6 wins the NFC South, it’s similar to our 1979 season.
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:44 pm
Lovie will just say that the real football starts in 2016
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:54 pm
Dave…we’re still a weak team.
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:00 pm
I can’t wait to rub it in as the Bucs cruise to 2-1 after playing an atrocious Titans team and the one man show the Texans are rolling out. Anyone predicting us to lose to the Titains is delusional. When the ultimate “realists” in Vegas are giving us 3-points you know we have a real good shot
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:43 pm
I’m predicting a win for the first game. It’s the reason why I’m going to it.
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:07 pm
If they lose to the Titans…folks, we’re in deep deep trouble. Not because Winston lost to Mariota but because the Titans are a TURRIBLE team. Much worse than the Bucs.
Call me crazy but I think they can start 2-0. After that, who the hell knows.
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:13 pm
I hope you’re right JC…I think you might be actually. We’ll see.
September 2nd, 2015 at 8:45 pm
JC spot on my man… lose to titans it may be 1-15 year and the weed dealers in tampa need to up their potency supply as joey bosa will need some welcome to tampa blunts
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:00 pm
I think any wins weeks 1-6 are gifts. It will take that long to get the oline to gel…at least.
Some of you are just embarrassing.
1987, your tendency of freaking out is a good example of why the team never develops into a good team. Guys like you start putting up billboards, hoping a coach gets fired, and when he does we are right back at stage one…and all of you same guys talk about a one season turnaround. All over again. And again. And again.
The only way to fix this team is through a long term commitment. If the Glazers fire Lovie after two seasons, who would want to work for them??? They would be showing they don’t have the patience to give a good coach time to do anything.
Rah…3 years.
Schiano…2 years
Lovie…2 years????
Are you kidding me?
We have ten years of screwing up the team. Give the man time to make it right.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Mariota’s team is more developed along the line than ours. So don’t expect a win.
You guys are twits sometimes.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:03 pm
@JC De La Torre
They are not worse than the Bucs. Who had the first pick? The Bucs are the worse team in the NFL…until they prove otherwise. That will just take more than 3-5 games.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:03 pm
If we win 6 games, 5 of them will be in hte second half of the season, I believe.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:04 pm
I predict a lot of fans will go to the first game. If we lose it…attendance will plummet. Because Bucs fans suck.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:24 pm
bucs fans do not suck but the incompetent head coach sure does…. You can’t blame the fans for wanting a winner. You can’t blame the fans because YOUR coach said “Fans should not be patient” lovies words… Lovie is the one saying this team is on the “Verge” so if they come out flat, unprepared and with poor execution and blow another game its the fans that suck not the pathetic stubborn coach… interesting logic….
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:28 pm
Bucs fans don’t suck. They’re just tired of seeing a partial birth abortion every Sunday. You work hard all week to get a little enjoyment out of your local sports team and they don’t wins game in over a year at home?
Why waste your weekend watching? I don’t blame them.
September 12th, 2015 at 11:54 pm
Doug Martin wins first game for us
Our defense wins second game
JJ Watt beats the hell living out of our O line.
2-1
September 13th, 2015 at 9:44 am
These comments crack me up lol. The bucs are a winning team this year because of the QB, just get used to it. The QB solves everything people! It improves field position witch helps the defense, it’s a chain reaction. Last year doesn’t matter because of the bad Qb play. Forget last year folks, get it out of your head. The QB trumps everything, this is why all great or good teams have average or good to great QB play. Bucs fans get ready to be reborn into refreshingly good football agin. Oh and don’t worry about the Oline, it’s not as bad as you think. Go bucs!