“Better Days Are Ahead”
March 30th, 2016
Former Bucs executive talks Jameis and Mike Smith.
Joe is continuing to sweep out his voice recorder of past interviews from this offseason. One Joe is dusting off today is from former Bucs director of player personnel and Bears general manager Jerry Angelo.
A Bucs executive during the Father Dungy era, Angelo still holds the Bucs clsoe to his heart. He spoke about America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, and new Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith.
JoeBucsFan: Were you surprised at the play of Jameis Winston this season?
Jerry Angelo: Surprised? No, I wasn’t surprised. He was the No. 1 pick because he was the best player in the draft. And that has proven out, so far, to be accurate. It is all in front of him.
Joe: What impressed you about him?
Angelo: Well, everybody saw his talent, his arm strength. The thing that he probably didn’t get enough credit for that people see now is his competitive nature. He is a great competitor. He is a leader! He is a leader in a position that is critical. It is all in front of him. He still has to continue his development. There are things he will learn to get better at in terms of decision-making. That will all come in time. The coach will do another great job with him this year.
Joe: Did the Bucs hit a home run with the hiring of Mike Smith as defensive coordinator?
Angelo: Yeah, where are you going to get a defensive coordinator with that kind of a background? It was a great get and that was a home run. Better days are ahead.
(While Joe asked Angelo questions, another reporter asked Angelo if the Bucs should be ashamed for running Lovie Smith, a man he hired in Chicago, after only two years, and if the Bucs set themselves up to lose by going through four coaches in eight seasons and not striving for “continuity.” Angelo replied, “Every team has to make their own assessment. It is one thing to lose and feel like there is hope. When teams don’t feel there is any hope, then continuity means nothing.”)
March 30th, 2016 at 11:40 am
“When teams don’t feel there is any hope, then continuity means nothing.”
Exactly. Buh Bye
March 30th, 2016 at 11:42 am
I take it that Angelo is speaking from experience? #nohope
March 30th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
People still can’t let go that Lovie’s gone. 8-24. SMH.
March 30th, 2016 at 12:09 pm
During the season I was defending lovie, towards the end I was despising him and his smug look no emotion. My dad he comes the the games with me but he predicted and wanted lovie fired after that ass beating we took from Tennessee!!! it didn’t help that so many opposing fans fill our stadium!!! Worst by far this year was the saints fan
March 30th, 2016 at 12:25 pm
I find it hard to argue with Angelo’s final point. Darn it.
March 30th, 2016 at 12:29 pm
I would have liked Lovie to have one more year, but since it did not happen, I accept it.
Even if Koetter has success, we will never KNOW firing Lovie was the right move…because we won’t know if that success would have come with Lovie or not. Yes, people will make that assumption…but in the end, it is only guessing, no matter how much they deny it.
That said, I hope Koetter finds the same success in Tampa that Bill has in New England.
March 30th, 2016 at 12:31 pm
@strider..i hear you..dallas and ny giants were rough too…GO BUCS!!!
March 30th, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Smitty was a great get and a home run, I’ll buy into that thinking.
March 30th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
“Better days are ahead” is music to long suffering Bucs fan’s ears.
The prophesy has been fulfilled and the Messiah has come. Let him who hath understanding reckon the Holy Trinity invoking # of 3.
March 30th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
@Bonzai, the single most important measure of a coach is how ready his players are to play. we know from past experience that a bunch of the veterans on defense were capable of playing at a high level because most of them had done it someplace before coming here. and yet, when you put that talent together it is way less than the sum of its parts. in fact, it deteriorates as the coach tries to insert his hand-picked parts. a team that is regularly blown out by less talented or even similarly talented teams with the regularity is not well coached. in 2014 lovie’s bucs lost to multiple teams who later fired their head coaches, including 2 whippings that were mike smith’s parting gift to Falcons fans. Then we get demolished in our own house by the team that went on to secure the #1 overall pick and cleared out the entire front office and coaching staff. These aren’t the patriots and seahawks who took lovie’s team behind the woodshed, it has often been the dregs of the league
March 30th, 2016 at 1:22 pm
Ditto…
March 30th, 2016 at 1:24 pm
Um, if the Bucs start winning, that’s pretty good proof.
You can say the same about Schiano — who had a better record than Lovie.
Funny, Joe doesn’t remember too many folks who cried or screamed about a half-baked conspiracy when Schiano was run.
When exactly was Lovie Smith canonized by the pope?
March 30th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Pick6:
The Tennessee game was beyond shameful for lack of preparation. No one outside of the Titans studied and researched Marotta than the Bucs. No one.
The way the Bucs were so ill-prepared to face him, it was as if Lovie never watched two minutes of film on the guy. Even worse, Whisenhunt said on NFL Radio before the season he would try to run Oregon’s offense, and still it was as if Lovie woke up from a six-month nap the afternoon of the game.
That right there was the beginning of the end for Lovie. Even three members of the Lovie mafia that day in the press box told Joe to his face, “This is bad. This is real bad.”
March 30th, 2016 at 2:41 pm
“Joe Says:
March 30th, 2016 at 1:24 pm
we will never KNOW firing Lovie was the right move
Um, if the Bucs start winning, that’s pretty good proof.”
Also, let’s see how the defense plays in Champaign.
March 30th, 2016 at 3:25 pm
I would defend LOVIE, but he is not here, I am all in for my BUCS, but no credit goes to this coaching staff until the winning starts, I think that would be fair!……………….but they didn’t treat LOVIE fair, if we don’t win 9 games I will call for an immediate change!! GO BUCS!!
March 30th, 2016 at 3:43 pm
yeah I defended lovie until the day he got canned and still do in CERTAIN conversations but I knew when we came out flat sitting at 6-6, it wasn’t going to end well for someone…as I mentioned before the penalties were killing us and that is squarely on the shoulders of the hc and his coaching staff….50% of coming out flat is on him and the other half is on the players themselves…I was so hyped up to be at 6-6, I was ready to run thru a brick wall…instead we came out like “whatever”….I still think he got the hook a year too year but rather it happen when it did vs him being on the hot seat all year long causing a distraction to our team….with that said we must produce wins quick, fast and in a hurry….even though the have a new hc nothing is being changed on offense and things are supposedly being simplified on the defense…10-6 with the playoffs or licht is on the hot seat….GO BUCS!!!
March 30th, 2016 at 4:22 pm
Jerry Angelo really how can he talk..amazing
March 30th, 2016 at 4:41 pm
@BigHogHaynes
“If we don’t win 9 games I will call for an immediate change!”
Then you’re an absolute idiot.
Lovie was a complete joke. I don’t know what he did in his career, without Ron Rivera and Rod Marinelli, that has earned him so much benefit of the doubt. Lovie sucked, worse even than Raheem Morris if we’re being honest here.
March 30th, 2016 at 5:32 pm
I think Lovies losing my faith was his nepotism with his staff. I questioned his son being on the staff and as it turned out it was a terrible move. When your great you can put your grandson on the staff but when you stink you better have the best coaching staff possible. Thankfully we now have a staff in place the players wont be rolling their eyes over.
March 30th, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Again, we are hoping the tide will turn next season in our favor. We just have to wait and see guys. You Lovie bashers got about 5 more months of bashings sooo..get it in baby! Whether or not Lovie got a bad deal is Mute now. The mans mind is focused on Illinois as our should be for us..WINNING more than 6 games this upcoming season. God knows we’d better find a defense from somewhere’s. Or the.. new fresh regime will be served up..Lovie style!
March 30th, 2016 at 7:31 pm
Love Master= No Hope