Lovie Finally Reaches His Goal
November 22nd, 2015
Lovie Smith took the Bucs job last year and said his goal was to make Tampa Bay “relevant” again.
Mission accomplished.
The Thanksgiving turkey will hit the table and the Bucs are 5-5, winners of three of four games in November. And all three wins are against NFC teams, two of them on the road, in Philly today and against the mighty Falcons in Atlanta.
Hats off to the Bucs’ head coach for grooming a franchise quarterback and healing a defense, and helping restore confidence in a beaten down franchise.
Fans wavered. Media attacked. Lovie stayed the course.
It’s your day, coach. Today, the Bucs are relevant by any standard.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:32 pm
Hell yes, leave the coach alone. This team is growing. Go Bucs!
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:35 pm
I must give credit where is due. Lovie is doing a great job. He coaching aggressive and with more confidence. Keep it up!
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:35 pm
In all fairness though, I think it took his seat getting hot to motivate the changes he made. Seat isnt so hot now, but please keep improvising Coach!
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Way to go bucs. No more bad mouthing from me. Good to see .500
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:37 pm
I dont think he’s healed the defense. A lot of missed easy passes for them but I’ll give him a break and enjoy the back to back wins. Make it 3 in a row and Ill get on the Lovie bandwagon though. GO BUCS!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:39 pm
Very few of us commenters on JBF were calling for patience and staying the course. The rest of you were calling for Lovie Smith to be fired. There is no question Lovie Smith and Jason Licht has this team going in the right direction and a few of us saw the improvement early in the season regardless of the win/loss record.
All that said, in my mind you all get the pass for droning on and on like fools about firing Lovie. The so-called “Source for inside news on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers” who was calling for Lovie Smith to be fired does not get the pass.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:39 pm
I thought lovie was too stubborn but he altered his philosophy on defense and is playing more man and bringing pressure a bunch of the time and not sitting in the stale tampa 2, great job improving and changing coach!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:40 pm
Nonsense! Lovie Smith’s seat was never hot. What is your source for this idea that Lovie was on the hot seat?
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:44 pm
wow…you definition of relevant is different than mine!
perhaps they are winning despite lovie…how many wins did he cost this team?
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Remember when Chip Kelly accepted the offer to coach the bucs, then changed his mind cause he thought we couldn’t compete?
Bwaaaaaaahaha
sweet victory…..
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:44 pm
*your
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Are you freaking kidding me? The Buccaneers have been playing a lot of man the entire season. Do you even know what a Tampa 2 defense is? It’s a Cover 2 defensive scheme and every team in the NFL runs a Cover 2 defensive scheme from time to time including the Bucs. The Tampa 2 is about as stale as an I-Formation.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:45 pm
Where are the haters?
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:45 pm
This is nothing. The scary part is that the rookies are growing. Boy next years team are going to be dangerous assuming the players stay the course.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:46 pm
AKA “Classy group that wanted a “Fire Lovie” billboard, shut the hell up”.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:47 pm
@lurker
Stfu maybe they wouldn’t have 5 wins without lovie?
Always gonna cry about something aren’t you? Can’t be happy about anything? Your life must be miserable. Go clean your room and stfu
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Im no insider Rome, but I know what I was seeing and hearing after that D meltdown against the redskins….plus the other stuff going on with the D. You want to single me out, go ahead, but Im def no insider. Im just a basic fan.
But now that I have your attention, did you notice the changes he made after that meltdown? I rest my case.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:50 pm
Too many people forget that Arroyo was thrust on everyone unexpectedly. He wasn’t hired to be the OC. I give him credit for trying, but he was in over his head.
That turned out to be taking a step backwards to move us forward. Koetter and Jameis are turning this thing around. Credit to Lovie for hiring an excellent OC. Glad Dirk’s daughter being at UT was an advantage for us hiring him.
We can’t keep changing HC’s every 2-4 years. Give them some time to develop a program. Credit for realizing they screwed up last year, cut their losses and make great choices this year.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Give credit when credit is due Good Job Lovie and Staff and Players…Please keep it going this way.. Go Bucs for at least 2nd place in our division.. OH YA
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Like Jameis just said, 2 wins in a row is to be expected. Lovie hasent accomplished some great feat thats hardly ever been done before. Lol Comical that some of you are using this as some sort of testatment to how great Lovie is. It took 26 games for him to accomplish it.
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:56 pm
D Rome you have no clue… maybe teams have a “cover 2 shell” look but no one plays that tampa2 anymore and the bucs have been playing primarily cover 1 past 2 weeks and blitzing LVD and Kwon, listen to the LVD show he even said it last week, tightenup smartee, Lovie asjusted and as bucs fans we should be thankful
November 22nd, 2015 at 4:59 pm
8-8 is reachable!
In Winston, Koetter Lovie & Light I TRUST!!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:01 pm
When you took over a total disaster and in year two you have the team at .500 playing a rookie QB damn right it is a hell of an accomplishment.
One of the best coaching jobs I have seen since watching this team since 76.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Maybe teams play cover 2? No one plays a Tampa 2 scheme from time to time? That is simply not true. Stop being willfully ignorant. All teams play Cover 2 from time to time when the situation warrants it. There are teams in the NFL that incorporate Tampa 2 concepts from time to time as well.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:04 pm
I’m just as excited as everyone about the win BUT let’s keep everything in perspective here. The Eagles will was broken in the second quarter and just really gave up. That’s terrible if your an Eagles fan. We still have a lot of football left to play. The Bucs need to celebrate tonight and get back to work. Go Bucs and keep getting better.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:07 pm
I was someone who said loser Lovie and wanted him gone. It looks like I was wrong. Keep up the improvement. Go Bucs!
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:07 pm
I was hard on the players when they lost, so I gotta give them a ton of credit. And of course, Lovie and Licht get credit when the players succeed and vice versa. Im not going to sit here and gripe and claim Lovie can take them so far, hell he coached a team to a fing superbowl!
Just a great team effort all the way through.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:11 pm
Coach,
I’ve been badmouthing you for weeks, believing that you weren’t the right man to guide this team. I really believed that you were an utter disaster for the team I love since I was a little girl. I’ve been too harsh and I have no problems admitting it. I’m proud to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. I’m having fun again, and really, that’s all I wanted. I wanted to see a team that battles on the field until the very last minute, and I’m seeing that on a constant basis now. I can’t ask more than that.
Keep it up, coach, and sorry for the harsh criticism. I’ll try to be more patient from now on, that’s for sure.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Jamies = hope
Lovie = pope
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:19 pm
Dusty
I thought lovie was too stubborn Me too after last season. I hate Dungyball…Gruden’s pound the rock…I like offense!!! This off season Lovie’s moves…hiring Koetter an OC known for airing it out…selecting #3 despite the clear gamble…watching him go for it on 4th this year…he earned at least time before passing judgment. I predicted ten wins with 8-8 talent and said I would support Lovie if he wins six. He’s almost to six and even ten is still numerically alive.
@lurker
wow…you definition of relevant is different than mine!
Then your’s is different than Dick Stockton on the Fox broadcast who clearly pronounced the Bucs as relevant…it’s not just Joe.
@Wyoming
The Eagles will was broken in the second quarter and just really gave up.
But that’s exactly the point. Good teams break the will of their opponents as early as possible. That’s a big step the Bucs took today. Along with learning how to win last week with #3’s 4th Q comeback. We are on the way.
Not there yet…Kwon is gone for four games…let’s hope Carter can step up.
@Lurker
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:24 pm
To all the prediction experts. You may now blow it out your AS@ ! Beating philly in philly again, priceless ! Loved mark ‘butt fumble’ sanchez , looking like he was going to cry after the pick 6. Going to be a good week.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:25 pm
Dick Stockton declared the Bucs “relevant” minutes prior to the conclusion of the game.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:29 pm
My biggest fear now is that Koetter is going to be a goner. He’s going to be on a lot of team’s list for Head Coach next year. No doubt about it. Hopefully Lovie has someone good in the bullpen.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:32 pm
@Hawaiian
We have to hope Bajakian is serving a good apprenticeship under Koetter and is paying attention. From all reports Bajakian and #3 have a good relationship so perhaps we can keep some continuity.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:54 pm
Congrats coach Smith. This was definitely a statement game. The Bucs have turned the corner and are now well on their way to becoming “relevant” again.
Five- dash- Five is quite an achievement considering the talent that was here 18 months ago and what the product on the field looked like last year and the 1st game of this year.
We have our franchise QB – the Bucs are competitive – and football is fun again.
From now on All the Lovie haters should just shut the hell up before they dig their hole even deeper. Talking to tmax – Realist, Dallas and a whole bunch of others that have been unrelentingly spewing their criticism of the Bucs HC day in and day out here on JBF.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:58 pm
I need to make one thing clear about all of us true bucs fans that wanted lovie fired. We wanted change, we got it, that is the only reason why we are winning. Lovie changed and adapted his way of doing. He heard our voice and made the changes needed for us to win games. GO BUCS !!!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:01 pm
HB…what if we outbid that team that wants him? Can that be done? I don’t know.
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:02 pm
As far as Lovie. He just made my life a lot less stressful today. So I say we keep him. I see 2-3 more wins coming our way anyways.
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:17 pm
I said get rid of lovie,ill give him credit goid job keep it up
November 22nd, 2015 at 7:17 pm
I’m absolutely luvin all of the Lovie haters explanations here. How quick..the screw can turn huh? Lovie is and has been a good coach. Bldg a winning team takes time people. Give Lovie credit, he’s said all along we have a good football team. Its just a matter of players gelling and growing.
November 22nd, 2015 at 8:13 pm
Hope Lovie jumps his punk A$$ in Jason’s pool tonight….that seems to be working…the victory plunge!!!! Hahahahaha….