A Third Dance For Lovie?
January 12th, 2016
Will Lovie Smith join the ranks of John Fox, Bill Parcells, Dick Vermeil and Norv Turner?
Those former head coaches all got a shot to coach three teams. Joe’s assuming more got a third crack, but very few.
Joe doubts whether Lovie will enter that realm.
It’s a little odd that Lovie doesn’t seem to be getting a sniff for any current vacancies, but perhaps Lovie isn’t interested? Or perhaps Lovie wants to wait until he can think of fresh spin for why opposing quarterbacks had the best completion rate in the league against his defense for two consecutive years? Or maybe Lovie hasn’t crafted a reason that can explain away the Bucs having their worst third-down defenses over the past 20 Bucs seasons?
Joe believes those hurdles might be too much for Lovie to overcome.
However, Joe could certainly envision a team about to draft a rookie quarterback turning to Lovie after the A+ job he did handling America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, from draft day to Week 17. Loads of NFL coaches would have screwed that up.
January 12th, 2016 at 11:46 am
Licht saved his job by getting Winston rather than Johnny Football the prior year.
I think Licht would be looking for a job with Lovie, with Manziel as a Buccaneer….
January 12th, 2016 at 11:57 am
I’d be shocked if Lovie gets another coaching job this season or anytime soon.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Why keep bashing Lovie, Joe? Time to move on from this and quit beating a dead horse.
If there is anyone who should be bashed it’s the Glazers. The Buccaneers are 58-102 over the past ten years since the sons took over day-to-day operations from their father. That record doesn’t reflect a coaching problem. It’s an organizational problem.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
D-Rome, you should repeat that message verbatim at least once a week on this network! Well said.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
I think Lovie will find a position coach opportunity. Can he work and get paid by two teams? Lovie may have dispelled the myth that he is anywhere near a head coach challenger. He is in that head coach fraternity of experienced musical chair where’s my next job seekers. Amazing that one can become a millionaire coaching.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:13 pm
D-Rome – I’m with you brother. The Glazers are clueless and disconnected from the sport and the NFL; hence the consistently bad results. I’m not convinced yet that Licht is the answer, but I’m hoping so. Regardless, the Glazers are not going to hire a true CEO/President this go ’round, although they should, certainly. If Licht succeeds then they won’t have to, but if he fails they likely will next time.
As for the moment at hand, who is the Bucs next head coach? Suspense is killing me. Does the silence mean they are firming up a deal with Koetter as HC or OC? Is there a Saban sweepstakes going on? Are we sitting back waiting for McDermott? Is there another surprise lurking?
January 12th, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Lovie has 10 million reasons not to rush into his next coaching gig.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Lovie was handed the job of tanking the team to get a top QB in 2014 and did the job, going as far as to pull starters from games to make sure the Bucs lost. When people say 8-24, you need to take that into account – his job was to lose in order to win.
Anyways Lovie isn’t a top coaching mind, I don’t think people think that he is or ever would be, however he was a stable builder and frankly should have got a 3rd year unless the Bucs have some huge homerun they’re keeping silent about – OR if they knew for certain that Koetter was leaving. Yeah I’d rather have Koetter over Lovie if I had to choose, but making Koetter HC means he has less time to spend with the offense. Also historically Koetter always starts out hot with new teams as far as offense goes and then by year 3 he’s on a steady downward trend – which is the reason the Bucs got him in the first place, he had been fired.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:32 pm
Truth is not “bashing.” Lovie did a terrible job with the Bucs, just terrible (sans Jameis).
As always, if you just want puffy white clouds and balloons for your Bucs information, Buccaneers.com is free to visit.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:34 pm
What evidence is there the Glazers are disconnected from the NFL, because they don’t speak on the record? That’s hardly “disconnected.”
January 12th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
An 8-24 record is a massive zit smack in the middle of the forehead.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Lovie’s done.
Simple as that.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:58 pm
I cant imagine anyone would look at what he did in Tampa and decide that he’s the guy for them. Insane.
January 12th, 2016 at 12:58 pm
It’s going to be some very slow news days with the owners meetings going on… We probably won’t hear anything more regarding a HC until Thursday at the earliest, so we get to argue about silly things like this in the meantime.
January 12th, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Or maybe Lovie would prefer to sit in his basement and collect $5,000,000 for the next two years.
Not even the Browns would be stupid enough to pay Lovie $5 Mil/year (even though they paid McClown LOL)!
January 12th, 2016 at 1:16 pm
the fact that lovie’s name has not emerged this year in discussions (and IMO will not emerge in future years) is going to be more telling than all of the outrage and cries of support around Lovie’s dismissal. if he’s the coach all these Buc bashers say he is, he ought to get a fair amount of interest. heck, mike shanahan hasn’t done squat since Elway retired and he still gets phone calls
January 12th, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Joe –
The evidence of the Glazers’ disconnection from the NFL comes in several forms. First, as you reported here last September, the Washington Post listed them in the “Irrelevant” category of NFL owners.
Second, based on I research neither the Glazers nor any of their representatives serve on an influential NFL committee. Brian serves on the digital media committee, and only Brian attends the owners’ meetings. Compare that disconnection to the owners and top executives of the Patriots, for example, and other perennially successful franchises.
Third, the boys all serve as co-chairmen of Man U, and according to their bios, are deeply involved in the day to day operations of that organization. There are only 24 hours in a day and Man U is on the other side of the world. That alone suggests they have no time to be connected to the NFL, let alone the sport of American football in general, even if they were so inclined.
Finally, compare their business backgrounds and experiences to other successful team owners and executives and you will find more evidence of their cluelessness and disconnection from the sport and the NFL.
January 12th, 2016 at 1:22 pm
“However, Joe could certainly envision a team about to draft a rookie quarterback turning to Lovie after the A+ job he did handling America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, from draft day to Week 17. Loads of NFL coaches would have screwed that up.”
Lmao
January 12th, 2016 at 1:35 pm
WalkdaPlank…..I concur 1000%.
January 12th, 2016 at 1:42 pm
The problem for Lovie is that the defense failed…Usually a HC can eventually find a coordinators position in his area of expertise…..Lovie has sunk his own boat there….I think he is done.
January 12th, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Lovie did nothing for Jameis except get out of the way.
January 12th, 2016 at 1:53 pm
Lovie named Jameis the day one starter.
I have no doubt that was the extent of his involvement in Winston’s “handling.”
January 12th, 2016 at 1:57 pm
I thought joe was in hiding till Wednesday when we see if his buddy the former rock star GM’s bold prediction comes true or not but I digress!
@Bucs Fan Since ’76 you make an excellent point regarding the Man U angle I will add more meat to that bone so to speak.
Quite frankly the Glazers are HATED in the red half of the city of Manchester England back then they were lucky to purchase Man U in the first place because it seems the only thing the Mancunians hated more than the Glazers was Rupert Murdock because he was first in line to buy Man U but the massive pressure from fans forced the then Labour Government to block the takeover claiming it would give old Rupert too much power along with his influential media empire in the UK.
That gave the Glazers an opening to step in has “white knights” to the rescue so to speak only for the fans to find out later on the club had gone from surplus to deep red as the purchase of the club was based debt
the club is now heavily leveraged. To Bucs Fan Since ’76 point about the focus of the Glazers they are rarely seen at old Trafford because they get booed and at one time whenever they are in town they require police protection am not sure what the situation is now if things has calmed but I do know for a fact they are not frequent at old Trafford and if they are they tend to keep a very low profile.
They are engaged in full time PR to get accepted at Man U and I can see why they could have their focus there but so far it hasn’t paid off. Let’s remember Man U is global brand the buccaneers in terms name recognition next to Man U is a gold fish next to a whale.
To their credit they genuinely like football or soccer more so than the NFL hence the natural or perceived disconnect from the NFL. Their likeness for the game might also explain the determination they have to stick with owning the club despite the torrent of abuse they get from fans Lord knows they get $hit loads.
January 12th, 2016 at 2:16 pm
I don’t know about Lovie being done, but he’ll be collecting $5 million a year for 2 years to ponder the possibilities. Or perhaps join Tony and Chucky and Herm in the booth for a while. Can’t envision him as a DC now though.
January 12th, 2016 at 2:28 pm
Look, Lovie is responsible for the Bucs performance the past 2 years. The coach has to own the blame just like the coach owns the glory when a team wins the Superbowl. One could argue that the players are the outcome deciders but that is circumstantial. There’s a million possibilities for Lovies abysmal record here in Tampa. The scheme, personnel choices, FA busts, lack of discipline and accountability. The reasons aren’t necessarily important but the result is. That is why Lovie is unemployed. He’s a rich man that is unemployed and still adding to his nest egg but unemployed nonetheless. Now, as far as the Glazer kids go, I disagree that they are removed from the Bucs or the NFL. Sometimes bad luck plays into it. I didn’t hear anybody complaining about this franchise when we were consistently in the playoffs in the 90’s and early 2000’s albeit Malcolm was in charge. I feel that the Glazers are trying to get the ship righted. It’s easier said than done but with Lickt, Koetter (hopefully) and Winston we are in the right direction. I have heard many people throwing darts (myself included) saying that we are headed the right direction but we had no ground to stand on. With Jameis alone, we do now.
January 12th, 2016 at 2:29 pm
I don’t think Lovie gets another head coaching gig simply because its hard to sell your fan base that you are hiring a guy who just went 6-26. Could you imagine if team Glazer tries to hire a coach with that kind of record. Fired head coaches seldom get another job unless they were fired like Lovie in Chicago or Dungy in Tampa, with good records but just not meeting raised playoff expectations. For example if Marvin Lewis were to get fired by the Bengals, I’m sure he would get another job.
January 12th, 2016 at 2:36 pm
I think your giving a little to much credit to Lovie for the development of Jameis. Just a gut feeling. I Think Dirk is the one that should get the most credit. Jameis seems to be very self motivated. I picture Lovie just along for the ride. He was in way over his head.
January 12th, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Lovie might do better coaching a veteran team as opposed to leading a rebuilding effort. His calm demeanor just gives younger players too much leeway to run amok. He would get eaten alive in college. And for the love of life, keep him AWAY from the “grocery store” just keep chef Lovie in the kitchen!
January 12th, 2016 at 3:37 pm
Or perhaps join Tony and Chucky and Herm in the booth for a while
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Huh? He would be the most boring broadcaster of all time. “Its as simple as that… “
January 12th, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Lovie is done in the nfl and is too boring to be an analyst
January 12th, 2016 at 3:56 pm
For sure Lovie didnt get the gift of gab.
January 12th, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Lovie will work again at some capacity in the NFL if he wants to. But why would you if your getting paid 10mil to just relax!?!? Also, who gives a SH!T whether Lovie coaches again or not!? He is no longer our Head Coach and should NO LONGER be our concern!! Right now, he’s just a B!TCH just like everyone else that posts on this blog!!
January 12th, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Lovie is too set in his ways to get another job IMO. His insistence on using the Tampa 2 defense will be his downfall. I have never understood why people are so high on him. Mediocre is mediocre no matter how you jazz it up.
I have faith in Licht. He nailed the draft last season and made some smart moves in free agency. We have 50 million to spend wisely. And another high pick in the draft. If he puts the same effort in his coaching search as he does with his draft process. I think we will be just fine. This is the most comfortable I’ve been in over a decade with our team from top to bottom in the organization. GO BUCS!!
January 12th, 2016 at 7:42 pm
Whoever picks no.1 next year will almost certainly be taking Deshaun Watson, and also like be looking for a new head coach. Lovie might be able to leverage his handling of Jameis to land that job. He’ll probably set them up with a nice offensive coordinator to be their next head coach.
January 12th, 2016 at 8:55 pm
The Glazers record…Hired Dungy..SB winner..borderline HOF
Hired Chucky..SB winner
Bought ManU leveraged the Bucs and ManU to the max hacking off both fans bases! Again if you could make your family, children and cousins wealthy for life would you take that opportunity or would the fate of an NFL football team be more important?
They had NO money to spend after buying out Chucky and the rest of the league knew they weren’t going to spend after ManU and so they “settled”..accepted the bottom of the barrell candidates on the cheap which explains Rah and Toes on the line.
They have made ONE major coaching hire mistake…Lovie. I think they’ve figured it out and have placed their trust in Licht which is great.
They are Americans…most of them live here..one on the WC and one here in Florida if I’m not mistaken not sure if one lives in England.
They do not want to face their friends and neighbors as owners of a losing franchise…they are NOT Hugh Culverhouse!!! It’s probably time to give Lovie and Glazer bashing a rest and let’s move on.
Some here have already moved on and they are already bashing Koetter even beofore he has the job. LMAO
January 12th, 2016 at 9:00 pm
I wouldn’t worry one iota about Lovie. Can most of us not work a few yrs while collecting millions from the Glazers? I’ve said the Bucs were wrong to fire Lovie. Look at all the teams in the SB Hunt. Most of them stuck with one coach thru thick and thin to build a team. Not the Bucs. We want that..Flash In the Pan. That’s why we will be celler dwellers for quite some time. You can say what you want, But we are stuck in that Tom Cruise Sci-Fi movie where he keeps waking up repeating the same events. That’s us. I have no confidence in my Bucs team despite famous Jameis. I can’t wait for you fans to..get the rope ready in 2yrs for the next victim. What a pitiful franchise we are.
January 12th, 2016 at 9:23 pm
St. Pete,
The Glazers made a terrible firing decision in Gruden, and three horrible hiring decisions in Rah, Schiano, and Lovie. Money, or the lack thereof, had nothing to do with it. They wanted Rah, and they were prepared to pay Kelly. They just made bad decisions. Hopefully, they’ve recognized their shortcomings and that’s why they’ve left the next hire up to Licht.