“The Final Taste”
December 22nd, 2015
It sure sounds like Lovie Smith will be a huge Carolina Panthers fan on Sunday.
Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network last night, Lovie admitted to doing what he never does, looking ahead to an opponent that is two games away.
Lovie said he realizes the Bucs’ 2015 season is over, and while the Bucs-Bears game on Sunday is brutally critical, he won’t shy away from wanting the hide of Carolina.
Beating the NFC’s No. 1 seed in Week 17 would be fantastic for “the final taste we have in our mouths,” Lovie said. “A good going-away-for-a-while present,” he said.
The “going a way for a while” line fits with Lovie’s new theme: that the 2016 season already has begun.
Joe would like to see Carolina undefeated when they face the Bucs. What a great measuring stick for the Bucs to face a dominant team playing for a place history in what would be their wild home crib.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:16 am
I’d actually like to see Carolina lose this week so they can sit their starters the last week and then when they still beat us by a close margin, the Lovie Lovers will try to convince us we arent to far away from being legit. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good entertainment.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:34 am
Good luck Lovie. Your defense couldn’t stop a leaky faucet. Let alone the MVP of the league. Take some notes off the defensive coordinator your fired, he’s undefeated this year.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:34 am
Beat Carolina at full strength and their own crib? That is crazy talk just like playoff talk earlier in the year. We are improving but we still have a ways to go. Just stop!
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:02 pm
This season is over. Lovie and Bucs need to start planning for next year and after. No use worrying about two meaningless games Time to start looking at young and bubble players and decide who stays and who goes.
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:03 pm
I’m not sure the Bucs can beat the Stinking Panthers if they rested all their starters.
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Where are the “Lovie Losers”?
I don’t think you guys realize the majority of commenters question the hell out of him as coach. I think I’ve been lumped into this category even though I’ve never made any statements here alluding to him being an amazing HC or the final answer. I’ve simply tried to place perspective where I think it is due or when people are making dumb inaccurate observations. A lot of the time my comments have nothing to do with Lovie.
Essentially if you are not a hardcore hater of all things Lovie Smith you are mindless loser sheep. That’s what has happened here in the comments somehow. Pretty rediculous
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Lord Cornelius Says:
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Where are the “Lovie Losers”?
I don’t think you guys realize the majority of commenters question the hell out of him as coach. I think I’ve been lumped into this category even though I’ve never made any statements here alluding to him being an amazing HC or the final answer. I’ve simply tried to place perspective where I think it is due or when people are making dumb inaccurate observations. A lot of the time my comments have nothing to do with Lovie.
Essentially if you are not a hardcore hater of all things Lovie Smith you are mindless loser sheep. That’s what has happened here in the comments somehow. Pretty rediculous
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I think the consensus from people against Lovie, is that at his very best, Lovie is an average head coach. Nothing more, nothing less. But the people defending Lovie are acting as though firing him is literally the apocalypse. That we could never, ever, find another coach as good as Lovie. That we’re going to be set back another 3-5 years by firing him. Nevermind that his history has shown his coaching ineptness will cost us generally 2-4 games a season. I think people just want to have a coach who gives us an advantage and not just some guy.
We missed on two clearly better coaches in Zimmer and O’Brien. Hell it looks like Jay Gruden may even be a better coach. There are good coaches out there to be found. Lovie is not the be all and end all. With an average coach this season we would have won 9 games. I guess people are just tired of settling for mediocrity. It;s like with Glennon, Glennon was a decent QB who could do some nice things, but you wanna do better. Same with Lovie, most just wanna do better.
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:20 pm
By now they should know who is gone for sure. Nothing to measure. What they need 2 more game to figure it out? Everyone else has seen the garbage.
December 22nd, 2015 at 1:16 pm
2015 is over, it’s all about evaluation for next years roster.
They showed me what they were this year in that NO game. The same team that got whipped at home to a lowly DET team. Then we saw the same lifelessness 4 days later. Unless the whip CHI and put up a great fight against CAR, then they’re “exactly what I thought they were”
December 22nd, 2015 at 2:54 pm
I agree Cornelius…even if we win the super bowl next year with lovie people will still doubt him and not give him credit for the things he’s done…I for one am a lovie supporter just like I supported schiano, morris and gruden…im a bucs fan…I support the entire organization from top to bottom…it kills me how some fans claim they root for the bucs but cant stand and root against lovie…with that being said I don’t see the panthers resting their players unless a very important player like cam gets hurt…resting players cost jim Caldwell and peyton manning a super bowl…my uncle and I were talking about this last night…AFC Championship game…steelers vs. pats…NFC Championship game…seahawks vs. panthers…SUPER BOWL 50….STEELERS VS. PANTHERS…STEELERS WIN…GO BUCS!!!!
December 22nd, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Key player missing….Kwon. Others are injured and we see how bad the defensive backfield is right now. No way we win that last one, especially if all of their starters are playing for a perfect season.
Back to reality…..the draft is all Im looking forward to now. So many holes to fill.
December 22nd, 2015 at 4:34 pm
even if we win the super bowl next year with lovie people will still doubt him and not give him credit for the things he’s done…
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This stuff makes me laugh. We ALL want to win. Thats the issue with Lovie is that he hasent/cant win!!
December 22nd, 2015 at 4:34 pm
Thanks for the non insulting feedback.
I am not all-in on Lovie. I just don’t have a better plan for this franchise going into 2016 and think he’s a far better coach than Morris or Schiano. At this point in time I feel very confident about Light and simply hopeful about Lovie and his defense. I expected an average D and on the year we actually are pretty middle of the pact if you average out the yards allowed / points allowed that were not off offensive turnovers. Top run D; solid at yards given up; but bad pass D. Red zone not bad actually as well as other categories but terrible on 3rd down or passing downs in general.
My problem is people like Realist who spend more time insulting the fans of his team than offering any substantive take. People like that just suck in my opinion.
I don’t think Lovie is a top NFL coach but I don’t have another suggestion right now and think he’s a good fit for what we are trying to build right now. I was done with Schiano when it was obvious he was not respected at all. And he was literally the worst 2nd half coach of all time. I think we literally averaged like 4-6 points in the 2nd half under him.
December 22nd, 2015 at 5:27 pm
@Cornelius….I hear you and respect your thoughts on lovie…at least your honest enough to admit it…im just a fan of the bucs period…I always want to see the organization, team and coach be successfully and win games…is lovie bill…no but he sure is better than what we’ve had recently…and imo he’s right in the middle of the pack when it comes to coaching…again people on here say lovie has never won…if they mean a superbowl than they are correct…but so hasn’t more than half of the coaches coaching today….LOL…he got to the superbowl with REX GROSSMAN…if that’s not a sign of a competent coach than I don’t know what is… that’s the funny thing about realist, couch and bucrightoff…for some reason they think every other HC has superbowl rings and lovie is the only one without one….GO BUCS!!!!
December 22nd, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Lovie – 8-22 Enough said
December 22nd, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Bill Belichick….41-55 prior to Brady with two different teams. Enough said!