Lovie: “This Was An Off Day”
September 27th, 2015
Lovie Smith firmly backed his struggling rookie kicker. (Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
There were your Buccaneers, driving impressively to take a fourth-quarter lead in Houston this afternoon. And then with just under 11 minutes to play, rookie kicker Kyle Brindza missed his third kick of the game, a 33-yard field goal attempt.
Brindza likely cost the Bucs dearly today, but Lovie Smith would have no postgame negativity when questioned about his kicker after the game. The head coach even got a little sour in the face, rare for him.
“Kyle’s our kicker,” Lovie said. “
“You’re going to have off days. This was an off day. When a player has an off day, we need to rally around him in other ways. And that’s what we weren’t able to do today.”
Lovie later quashed another question about Brindza, publicly having his kicker’s back.
Frankly, Lovie has little choice but to embrace Brindza and keep his confidence up. You better believe that late 58-yard attempt with time winding down and trailing by 10 points was partially about giving Brindza a shot to salvage something out of the game. Sure, the Bucs could sign a new kicker tomorrow but the odds are against it. So Lovie needs to do — or say — whatever he can to get his kicker mentally right.
And when you miss an extra point and gimme field goals, you better believe that’s a mental issue.
September 27th, 2015 at 6:52 pm
Ok, Lovie must go. The 12 men on the field stuff has to be on the coaches and it was happening all day. It is a sad, sad day when we all realize that our coaching has only gotten worse every coach since Gruden.
September 27th, 2015 at 6:52 pm
HE HAD ONE JOB!!!!!!
September 27th, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Off day? Lovie needs to take the next five years off and work at ESPN…..
September 27th, 2015 at 6:56 pm
Off days?!? These guys get paid a shi$load of money to be professionals…Nail the damn kick…you lost today Brindza!!
September 27th, 2015 at 6:57 pm
He was closer on the two 55+ yarders than the three sub 42 yarders. Maybe he just can’t handle the pressure of kicks he’s supposed to make, but can nail the ones there is no pressure on.
September 27th, 2015 at 6:58 pm
During halftime fo the Cardinals/49ers’s game, Bruce Arians basically said if we don’t let up in the second half he will find new players on Monday. I like that mentality
September 27th, 2015 at 6:59 pm
#firelovienow
September 27th, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Any other NFL team is looking for a new kicker, but not this team
What a waste of time
September 27th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Lovie knows off days he had had 9 out of 9 off days in Tampa and 7 off days on the road… Lovie is the problem simple as that….
September 27th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
911bucs-that’s why I wanted him hired rather than Schiano
September 27th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Don’t blame the kicker
September 27th, 2015 at 7:15 pm
6 field goals were missed today in a dome, under… what 40 yards? theres more to this story. Im guessing shady new turf.
September 27th, 2015 at 7:17 pm
“You’re going to have off days.”
That’s probably what Jon Gruden, Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano said … just before the Glazers fired them.
After that they had a LOT of off days.
September 27th, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Getting rid of a player….any player after one bad game is foolish…..I saw some dropped passes…..an interception…..many missed tackles….blown coverage…..all of our players have made mistakes….that’s why we are 3 & 16 the last two years….
Give him another shot….after all, Jameis likes him!!!
September 27th, 2015 at 7:25 pm
When Lovies mind is made up forget changing it. Off days are not the problem, off stuck on a sandbar is Lovie’s forte, a lost captain at the steering wheel.
September 27th, 2015 at 9:38 pm
3-16 and counting!
September 27th, 2015 at 10:10 pm
Finally, a Nearly Complete Game!
They couldn’t:
-Game Plan
-Tackle
-Stop the run
-Stop the pass
-Rush the QB
-Kick field goals
-Kick PAT’s
-Block
-Pass
-Catch
-Run
-Intercept
-Punt
-Recover fumbles
-Prevent interceptions
They covered kicks OK. So there’s that. So close to perfection.
September 27th, 2015 at 10:14 pm
Reading the comments in here dropped my IQ by at least 3 or 4 points.
September 27th, 2015 at 10:18 pm
Tampabaybucfan – NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, we must act now and cut him!!!! And we must fire Lovie!!!! And we need a new QB!!!!! Also Evans is terrible we must cut him too!!! Everyone has to go and we have to keep making changes after ever game until we win one – then we can sign everyone to long term contracts – then fire them when they lose the next game.
Anywho its seriously amazing how dumb these overreacting emo chicks in here are. Dummies the team isn’t going anywhere this year – this season is about making progress. Winston played pretty well today, Evans was terrible, our kicker was terrible. It doesn’t mean you cut Evans and the kicker. Chill out ladies.
September 27th, 2015 at 10:31 pm
I actually applaud Lovie for backing this kid. He is clearly gifted and also appears to have just taken a huge confidence hit after the missed extra point. He is young and very promising. He cost the team 7 points and possibly a victory today but it is in no way his fault. This ball club is atrocious. No one can catch a well thrown ball when well thrown. No one can block. No one can tackle. No one can rush the passer. No one can defend a JV quick slant. No one can coach.
It’s full on sht show once again Tampa. Less MRSA and spending excuses and talent excuses and personality excuses and whatever other excuses. This product is quite awful.
September 27th, 2015 at 11:27 pm
It is ALWAYS Lovies fault. C’mon Tampa fans. This is one game no one is to blame except for the high paid professional players who lost this game. Lovie can’t catch the ball, kick a FG or tackle a runner. The last thing this team needs is a complete overall starting with the HC. Do you want to know why this team is struggling? Because of the years and years after Gruden that this team went through different coachs and a GM who drafted so poorly that it set this franchise back 5 years with 3 to go. There are only 4 starters on this team from the draft pre 2014, pre DOM era. Because of poor drafting there is a complete lack of depth in most positions on this team and with all the injuries it is starting to show. You need above average and elite players to win in this league and average players are the problem right now.
September 28th, 2015 at 5:16 am
When do the Bucs not have an off day????? Last week they won but overall still made plenty of mistakes and the 4th quarter Vanilla offense almost cost them that game. Today the defense was a sieve in the 4th quarter. I think the Texans held the ball for over 7 minutes on that final drive that made it 19-9 and committed 2 more costly penalties that led to first downs as well. Penalties and more penalties! What is the record # of penalties for 12 men on the ****ing field? The Bucs probably could challenge whatever that record is! Bad coaching and all Lovie can say is that it was an “off day”?!?!?!? The Glazers may want to replace this guy during the bye week if they go into the bye 1-4 which would mean that Lovie loses 2 more in a row at home. When was the last time the Bucs won at home: like November 2013 against the Bills????? Seriously????
September 28th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Ok, I first of all, I echo what Rod has said above. You guys… Oh wait ladies (lol). But seriously, every time we lose you all say get rid of everyone who had a bad game. Let’s be fair, yes they get paid a lot of money, but if you are seriously gonna sit there and act like these people aren’t humans and make mistakes like the rest of us all, then maybe you should throw some pads on and show us (the team) how it’s done. Think of it like this, when we are all at our jobs and we make a mistake they don’t just go “oh you’re fired cause you made a few mistakes”. No, if it is something that is repetitive then yes, you take that into consideration and talk about letting someone go, but come on, chill out. The first half we are still trying to put things together. At the end of the year is when we can complain about people not performing.
September 28th, 2015 at 7:14 pm
Lovie has to tune down the coach speak. It rings hollow to fans. There is nothing wrong with saying everyone on the team is held to a certain expectations. And the kicker did not meet it today. We are not going to lose faith after one game but everyone must contribute to a winning effort. Including the coaches