“Impossible To Dismiss”
September 17th, 2015
Lovie needs a win to possibly avoid a sickening billboard campaign.
The freakout from Bucs fans is still strong and, though it has caught Joe off guard a bit, it’s understandable.
So much promise, so much hype, so much anticipation.
Sunday’s beatdown was like taking a hot chick to a nice dinner, only to have the waiter yack on your table.
It was the third such alley-beating in 17 games for Lovie Smith. Those are the kind of chain-whippings that accelerated the demise of Raheem Morris. However, Morris was a young, first-time head coach. Lovie is a veteran who once brought a team to a Super Bowl.
Those type of thrashings should not happen, especially with four months to prepare against a rookie quarterback making his debut, quarterback you researched using tens of thousands of Team Glazer loot.
Former Fox Sports Florida columnist Andrew Astleford, now typing for GarySheltonSports.com, believes if anything, Sunday’s game at New Orleans is a must win, not so much for the Bucs, but for Lovie Smith to avoid some two-bit radio salesclown from starting a(nother) billboard campaign.
After all, the Bucs’ issue is a combination of bad coaching and a lack of depth in key areas. The cycle is a vicious one: Players aren’t placed in the best possible positions to succeed — or they’re not comprehending what they’re told — and there’s not a whole lot to work with anyway. The cycle is familiar around here.
None of that sounds promising for Smith, of course. It’s impossible to dismiss embarrassing losses as growing pains for his program any longer. More should be expected from him and his team in this second year, even if that means signs of marginal progress, such as improving from two victories to five or six by season’s end.
Those expectations aren’t unreasonable. No one demands that he appear in the playoffs or much less win a postseason game, in what is supposed to be a foundation-building year with a rookie quarterback and a new offensive coordinator. All anyone wants to see is competence and reasons to say, “This is moving in the right direction.” After Sunday, no one in their right mind would speak those words. That’s a huge problem for Smith. The hailstorm from 2014 has returned with the same fury.
Joe understands — and has written many times over the past two months — that the Bucs aren’t a playoff team. Even Team Glazer knows this, spoke about it openly when “growth” was used as the watchword, not “playoffs.”
But when a team gets chain-whipped like the Bucs did by a 2-14 team with a rookie QB to open the season, after a dreadful 2-14 campaign, in front of a near-sellout crowd, that is the polar opposite of growth.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:02 am
I said this earlier but it applies here!!!!
Almost always the fans will come back after the first season loss. I think Joe said that fans would forget on the 1 hour radio show! But this time was different. I was out walking the dog last night, and I talked to a huge Lovie fan ( we argue about it all the time). But the sheep (lovie loyalist) said to me. ” Its like having a hot girlfriend that can do no wrong, And then she does something disgusting, and you never look at her the same!”
That debacle last Sunday will have lasting Ramifications!!!!
September 17th, 2015 at 10:14 am
YEAH, LOVIE, I WANT A DIVORCE…”simple as that”…
September 17th, 2015 at 10:14 am
How many teams in the NFC South have noticeably better talent on D? I say NONE! Yet look at the Panthers who always have their D ranked in the top half of the league. Look at what ATL did to the Eagles last week. Then, look at what friggin Lovie’s D did to “perfect QB rating” Mariota.
I am not a Schiano fan, but he did more with less than Lovie. I laughed at what Bortles said about fans questioning professional coaching. But when your coach makes such boneheaded decisions as Lovie does (see Oline rebuilt in Lovie’s image, a rookie QB gets perfect QB rating in his first game, etc), then, YES, a KINDERGARTNER CAN DO BETTER!!
September 17th, 2015 at 10:15 am
Obviously the Buc fans were is shock and disappointment. We have a coach that was overhyped when he was hired and a QB that was overhyped when he was drafted. Obviously this happens for the purpose of ticket sales and internet clicks (uh hum) but when you tell the fans how great you are going to be we tend to want to believe it. Then when you are horrible…………………
September 17th, 2015 at 10:15 am
Bucs need a COACH not a FRIEND
Tried that with Raheem FAILED!!!!!
Chucky is run out of town at 8-8 hahaah FANS would pay to have an 8-8 season
Schiano is run out of town after the MRSA and Pill head QB year…
DISIPLINE WINS GAMES>>> TOES ON THE LINE
Lovie cant get our guys to even line up correctly and the players have been doing that for years.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:18 am
Has anybody heard anything from or seen Jason Licht since early Sunday? He has a lot to be held accountable for in this mess also. Has he gone into hiding?
September 17th, 2015 at 10:20 am
They’re not good enough to win every week but they need to start playing like they belong in the NFL. They’re obviously in more of a rebuilding mode than they’ll admit but that’s no excuse for the poor performance this season. Time to turn it around.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:23 am
@ATrain aka Mark Allstot
Coach Gruden was 9-7 both in 2007 and 2008!!!!!!
September 17th, 2015 at 10:24 am
Gut feel tells me there’s more to Lovie taking over the defensive play-calling than meets the eye. No head coach is going to do something as rash as that just prior to the start of the real season unless something’s really off. That was a drastic action on Lovie’s part, and folks need to look deeper into what prompted it.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:34 am
If rook Mariota could carve up Incompetent Lovie Smith’s squad of least resistance imagine what a crafty surgeon like Brees is going to do…especially once they get Ingram gashing them through those school bus sized holes. We could have 16 players on the squad of least resistance vs their 11 and still get lit up like Rockefeller center in December.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:35 am
This might be a small detail but ticks me off nonetheless. Lovie points blame at him on down. “We all didn’t do our job.” “From me on down” How does 2 time super bowl winning head coach Tom Coughlin handle their fudge up last Sunday? He says. It’s on me. I take full responsibility. How does 2 time super bowl winning QB Eli handle it? He says It’s on me, I take full responsibility. I’m sick of after 15 loses Lovie spreading the blame 15 times. That defensive performance was on him and him alone. YOU hired the coaches. YOU hired Licht. YOU told Licht who to draft. YOU picked these free agents. YOU haven’t done your job in 17 games
September 17th, 2015 at 10:37 am
@Joe
Liked your simile but it was even worse than that. Imagine the date with the hot girl and your charm closes the deal. You get her back to your pad and get naked and she takes a look and she begins yacking. It was that bad.
I was on the side of giving Lovie some time and put a six win minimum or he should be gone! The manner in which they lost, they never even showed up, now has me in the Tmax/Realist/Dallas camp. Lovie is over the hill and he needs to go.
As to #3…OF COURSE IT’S TOO SOON TO MAKE ANY DETERMINATION. Having said that however, he needs to at least flash for us to give us HOPE. I pointed out last night three games in which MG8 flashed that should have been wins if it wasn’t for Schiano/Lovie…Seattle..N.O. and Pittsburgh…all on the road.
All I want to see from Fameis Sunday is something to give me hope. No TD’s in the preseason…that stinker on Sunday…so far our only hope is predicated on his college career. Again Fameis lovers..I do not expect him to win the game..and if the D plays like it did on Sunday the QB is irrelevant because Aaron Rodgers couldn’t have saved the day. But N.O.’s defense was actually worse than ours last year. Ryan is not LeBeau. MG8 whipped them in their house last year if Lovie’s D could have held on.
Just give us some HOPE on Sunday JW that’s all I ask at this point.
BTW if you look at the box score of last years game MG8 tossed two TD’s against 1 int…Brees 2 TD’s against 3 ints..ME was out…just like he is now…
VJAX caught 8 Martin was next with 3 Murphy had 3. N.O. outrushed us 140-66 so MG did not have a running game to support him.
I post these stats just to illustrate if we could do it last year we should at least have a CHANCE this year.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:38 am
Lovie is not my favorite person in the world right now, but if the bucs could end the season with a winning record just to make everyone look really, really stupid, I would be very happy and laughing. I somewhat doubt this is possible, but make me look like an A$$ bucs…please!!!
September 17th, 2015 at 10:41 am
Fire Lovie Smith.
Fire him today.
This team is a joke.
The Titans could have scored 70 points if they wanted to.
The 32nd ranked team, with a rookie QB, running a college offense could have scored 70 points.
Lovie is supposed to be a defensive guru and this team had to pull their starters before the end of the third quarter.
Fire Lovie Smith.
Fire him today.
Please.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:42 am
@realist
“Coach Gruden was 9-7 both in 2007 and 2008!!!!!”
Do you really want me to kill myself???
September 17th, 2015 at 10:52 am
Once they go to the press box, they never come back. Wishful thinking for those who think Gruden would actually leave broadcasting, let alone come back to this treacherous franchise.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Chucky! COME HOME!!!
September 17th, 2015 at 10:55 am
@Joe when talking about the defense you are forgetting to mention all those great vets acquire with experience on the Tampa 2. They were a great help in last Sundays game. lol
September 17th, 2015 at 10:56 am
Let’s not forget that bridgewater came into TB and beat Lovie at home too! He keeps saying “well get better” but there no proof of that happening. His def has been blowout 3 times, losses to 2 rookie QBs, 3 second string QBs and winless in the decision and at home.
Someone call Jimmy Johnson and give him the keys to the Kingdom.
September 17th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Now if everybody in the country gave a dollar towards erecting billboards nationwide demanding “Fire the Entire Federal Government”, that would be making a statement that could not be ignored. People power!
September 17th, 2015 at 11:01 am
I have a great idea!! Let’s fire LOVIE and keep rotating coaches like the Oakland Raiders!!! Look how successful they have been!!!!
Idiots……..
“It’s as simple as that” – Lovie Smith aka “MRSA what?”
September 17th, 2015 at 11:06 am
How about putting up bring back Chucky billboards?
September 17th, 2015 at 11:10 am
Last week was awful and it may be the rallying cry of those that want a new HC, which is understandable. But if you know anything about the Glazer babies, other than their sheer incompetence, is that they do not fire a HC halfway through the season. If Schiano can survive 0-8 and being a national joke, then so can Lovie. Which essentially means that he’s got the rest of the season to rebound from another beatdown.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:11 am
@Big Irish
CHUCKY COME HOME!!! We’re so sorry
I would throw down money for that billboard
September 17th, 2015 at 11:11 am
If you are a QB or an offense that needs to get right, just come on down and face the Bucs defense. Simple as that. Lovie Dovie and the gang will be very accommodating. Just like any Florida vacation should be. You won’t feel any pressure, just sit back, relax and go to your first read because it will be wide open. They better show some improvement this week, in a big way…. or Lovie will be very disappointed.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:12 am
I don’t give a $hit who coaches the team so long as they are qualified. It could be the hot dog vendor at the stadium for all I care. And I don’t mean qualified on paper like Lovie. No. I want a MF in there with smarts for sure but with the experience to plan, adjust, hire great staff, teach, get your players fired up, show FUKN emotion, etc…. C’Mon Man!
September 17th, 2015 at 11:20 am
Im not making these “bring back chucky” statements because of last Sundays beatdown, I’m making them because 1. He’s a better/good coach, 2. We made a huge mistake firing him (thanks Mark the moron rock star), 3. I like the guy
September 17th, 2015 at 11:30 am
Chucky would get these players fired up to play no doubt about that. He would also bring much needed discipline.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:36 am
Tom S…sure you’re right the Glazers have never fired a coach midseason before. There’s a first time for everything. Schiano also didn’t take a beat down during that 0-8, there was a lot of close games.
There’s a first time for everything.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:37 am
I have a great idea!!!
Let’s keep Lovie Smith and suck forever!!!
Wow!!! What an idiot!!!
Have you been watching at all these past two years?
September 17th, 2015 at 11:40 am
If we don’t finish at least 8-8, Lovie & Licht should be fired for passing on the (future) Best QB in the League, Mariota.
September 17th, 2015 at 11:51 am
@brianbuc…im with you..where is he hiding? where is his interviews with the media?…I hope he’s at one buc place with lovie in the room with his hands around his neck screaming,” GET YOU $HIT TOGETHER OR DONT BOARD THE PLANE IN NO!!!!”GO BUCS!!!
September 17th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
Hey Joe, didn’t you say this was a must win? What now? If this was a fluke, that would be great, but this reminds me a lot of last year…
September 17th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Time for the Glazers to admit their mistake. Fire Lovie! Bring back Schiano as HC to fix and run the defense. Keep Koetter as OC with all the offense coaches and staff.
September 17th, 2015 at 12:30 pm
If this was Schiano, the billboard would have been up last year.After 56-0, after the Ravens, and they would have been lined up with torches after Tennessee.
September 17th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
If you are the owners and you have come to the conclusion after a brutally humiliating 17 games that your lovable HC is not the guy to bring respectability back to the franchise, much less a championship, does make sense let him stay employed one more day? You can put the money issue aside because, well, these guys are billionaires and the HC salaries are pocket change comparatively.
September 17th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
This could be a blessing if it gets rid of Lovie any faster. We will never win anything with him as our coach. They can run his ass out of town fast enough to suit me.
September 17th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Gruden will tell the Glazer clan to F off, for the way he was fired. He will never coach here again.
September 17th, 2015 at 1:29 pm
“Fire the Entire Federal Government”, that would be making a statement that could not be ignored. People power!”
Yeah that would be awesome. The Interstate system could continue to crumble…bridges like the one in Minneapolis could continue to fall killing many people and interrupting commerce..and worst of all we wouldn’t be able to float nine Nimitz class carrier groups and send 10’s of thousands of our young to die and come back with horrible wounds. And then we wouldn’t even had to make a charade of having a VA and could turn it ALL over to the charities like Wounded Warriors. I mean shouldn’t we force these Vets to beg for treatment after sacrificing so much?
Gawd I love simply solutions.
September 17th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
This article has it on the money with how this team is getting ran. Lovie is under pressure from owners to run spread and change their identity. I say all they have to on offense is be themselves and run the ball and groom Winston traditionally but on defense they need to get rid of those journey who led them to two wins and free agent signings who are not performing up to par or are often injured.
September 17th, 2015 at 2:29 pm
I stand corrected in my post.. IT was a 9-7 year…
AND Chucky was let go HAHAHA that’s even funny looking back on where we are now.
September 17th, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Joe, a bit surpised? Comeon. There was one team that had our atrocious record last year, and they beat us by 4 touchdowns.
But what, it’s the first game of the season? I must have missed the first week of football games that all other teams including the Titans played.
September 17th, 2015 at 3:20 pm
All you clowns who wanted gruden fired deserve this. Lovie is proving he’s not a franchise coach even if we go 6-10 this season. Like joe said he’s already been chain whipped like 4 times in 17 games. Plus he lost at home to 2 backup qbs. All this taken together is inexcusable. Look at those glazers too! I haven’t seen those wimps anywhere. They fired gruden and hired Morris schiano smith. Where are these goods? They need to hold a press conference and apologize too fans.
September 17th, 2015 at 4:09 pm
I was the biggest movie supporter even after last year I said ok.he will.improve the team this year……and wow I was ashamed to were the bucs brand Sunday and now want movie out. Let koetter take over and bring in a new.defensive scheme
September 17th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Lovie
September 17th, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Agree with 87 and Dallas that Glazer past history may not mean enough this time. People didn’t really have expectations of Schiano. His only claim to fame was moderate success made to look better because it came at a football loser with no football tradition. No expectations.
Lovie is different. Fans immediately thought of Dungy and that SB where Lovie played his mentor. We all had expectations.
If Lovie comes into the Jags game 0-4 and loses at home to them…right before the bye week…the fans may not give the Glazers a choice. The billboards…banners being flown overhead…boards like this..sports talk radio…
Remember the scene in the original Frankenstein movie when the citizens come with pitchforks and torches to Frankensteins castle to get the monster…same scene on Dale Mabry as the mob approaches RayJay.
September 17th, 2015 at 6:35 pm
OneLove Says:
September 17th, 2015 at 11:01 am
I have a great idea!! Let’s fire LOVIE and keep rotating coaches like the Oakland Raiders!!! Look how successful they have been!!!!
Idiots……..
“It’s as simple as that” – Lovie Smith aka “MRSA what?”
———————
Best idea I’ve heard from you yet! I promise you no interim coach could do worse than Lovie. One more complete arse pounding and he’s gone!