Corners Slap Down Lovie
March 17th, 2016
Two of Lovie’s former corners open up.
So now it is out in the open.
Unrest was in the ranks of Bucs defenders under former coach and de factor defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. They are now coming out of the darkness.
One reason Lovie is coaching football in Champaign, Ill., instead of Tampa, Fla., right now was his horrendous handling of his secondary. Running off Darrelle Revis, embracing the likes of Mike Jenkins, benching the team leader in picks (Johnthan Banks) and then bawling each week how his defense doesn’t get takeaways, and all but ruining Alterraun Verner, Lovie’s secondary was a complete and total mess.
The kicker was, while at rock bottom, Lovie had the gall to say he didn’t have his players. It was an all-time knee-slapper.
The constant rotation of cornerbacks in the starting lineup was enough to start doing shots of Jack Daniels on gamedays.
Yesterday, the floodgates of disgruntled Bucs began to open. Not surprising, it was a pair of last year’s cornerbacks. First, it was Banks who took to Twitter to announce what a breath of fresh air One Buc Palace is without Lovie.
It’s nothing like having a coach that actually wants you on his team!!
— Johnthan Banks (@JBanks_27) March 16, 2016
Not long after, former (?) Bucs cornerback Sterling Moore responded to Banks and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Moore thought of Lovie.
@SterlingMoore: @JBanks_27 Oh, there is no need to explain yourself to me. If anybody feel you, it’s me!! Lmao
Looking back, it was shameful how Lovie treated Banks in public. For two years, Lovie did his best to make sure the idol of his bromance affection, Mike Jenkins, supplanted Banks at corner. Whenever Lovie was asked about Banks, he quickly shifted the conversation to Jenkins instead, even though he wasn’t asked about Jenkins. It was equal parts rude, odd and disturbing.
As Joe stated above, it was galling to watch and listen to Lovie constantly whine about not getting any takeaways when he alone benched the man who led the team in picks the previous season, Banks.
Be careful what you wish for, Lovie. The fact NFL players (and Lovie) couldn’t figure out Lovie’s defense, it makes you wonder how 19-year old college kids are going to be able to digest it.
March 17th, 2016 at 5:12 am
I am VERY proud of Banks for speaking his mind. I know the national media thinks Lovie was perfect, but there you go. A young CB who lead the team in INT the previous year, was benched for a dude who could not cover a rock. Thank you Mr. banks!
March 17th, 2016 at 5:27 am
Banks was drafted in 2nd round. Was the Thorpe award winner. Height 6’2″. Sure he isn’t the fastest, but made up that with athletism. Yes he proved it by making more picks each year until last year. I wish this guy the best this year. Also I think he is in a contract year. Ball hawk mode.
March 17th, 2016 at 5:30 am
The Lovie defenders are quite humorous to me. They not only feel he deserved another year, they feel bad for him for being treated “unfairly.” I don’t know about you, but those that attribute the word “unfairly” to any person that has the option to be paid 5 million a year to nothing, might need to undergo a thorough psychological examination.
March 17th, 2016 at 5:33 am
Glad your still here Banks…hope you resign with us. Go out and ball all year. Someone please tell me why sterling moore is not wanted????
March 17th, 2016 at 5:34 am
If our secondary woes were a result of scheme instead of personnel, and it sure looks that way, I think we have a heck of a coverage unit right now. Between Grimes, Banks, Verner, Robinson, and hopefully we retain Moore, the unit is looking good. Safeties are decent but I think we can and will do better in the draft. Hopefully our first round pick defensive end or defensive tackle will make everyone behind him better.
March 17th, 2016 at 5:38 am
Looking for big things from Banks this year. Young man has tons of incentive to do well and has lots of talent. Good coaching will make a world of difference.
March 17th, 2016 at 5:46 am
I don’t think that we know even a fraction of the shenanigans and incompetence that was going on with the defensive coaching staff!!!! Now for Jonathan Banks to really point it out, he needs to have a great year!!! He cannot go out like Adrian slowborn and Bowers that blamed the Coaching and scheme’s and then flopped!!!!
But for lovie, Karma is a B!@&# !!!!!!! sneaking around and meeting owners in October, backstabbing a coach with a job!!! Have fun getting your but kicked in that lowly college team that was desperate enough to hire you!!!! I am sure by next year you will be telling the AD of the school how you do not have the players!!! NO Class, thx for nothing, Because that is what you did here!!!!!!!!!!!
March 17th, 2016 at 5:51 am
Not true! Opposing QBs figured out our defense just fine.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:06 am
But meh, it’s that 70% completion percentage was complete overblown. That had nothing to do with the fact that futurehall fo Famer Case Kenum tore us apart.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:23 am
Is Moore referencing Lovie or the current coaching staff? He got a lot of playing time under Lovie and was the team’s best corner but the new staff doesn’t seem interested in bringing him back.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:27 am
Anyway Banks will have the opportunity to put up or shut up this season. We’ll see whether Lovie was right or wrong about him.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:33 am
Incompetent Lovie Smith. May he really wasn’t the “defensive guru” that the Joes and LovieLovers incessantly tried to convince us of. Should have been gone after 2-14.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:46 am
Joe, I really do think it is time to stop publishing any more stories about Lovie or anything written by his “chosen few” who will say he was wonderful no matter how bad his record and performance was.
It is starting to get really sad to see a once good coach going through such a visible process of denial over his lack of overall management skills, coaching ability, dinosaur systems and rank favouritism at the overall expense of the team and the patience of the fans.
Lovie’s coaching was irrational at times both in selection and tactics. At best it seemed designed to minimise failure first and try and win as a secondary objective.
The Lovie lovers are some of the same people who were screaming for Schiano to be sacked. And it is highly arguable that Schiano was more successful than Lovie right across the board.
Nothing has changed. Lovie was right and everyone who disagreed with him was wrong. Losses were not down to coaching but to the faliure of the players to work within his systems. If they did not have those particular skills to match the system then it was the players faults.
Lovie truly believes in his systems and if the players cannot be moulded into what is needed then the failure is down to the players. That is how you get sacked.
It would be great to have experienced Superbowl/Probowl winners at every position but for every highly paid superstar you have 3 journeymen in your team.
Great coaches amend their systems to find a balance that maximises the players strengths and protects the team against individual weaknesses.
At times in every aspect of life you have to play the hand you are dealt and just make the best of it. Every time a player is injured that is exactly what a great coach does. He makes diamonds out of coal
I don’t post often and then I always try to be positive but this Lovie sympathy garbage really gets me going. The Jenkins selection was at best a joke and at worst insulting. Jenkins looked at times as if he thought he was playing touch football or that he would get a bonus for keeping his uniform clean.
How many of these Lovie whiners flew 7000 miles round trip to see their beloved Bucs ripped apart by Mariotta as I did. Most of them probably never watched a Bucs game at all last season or they would not be spouting such garbage
Enough of the Lovie. Lets look forward to a great future with a great management team and players who all have fire in their bellies.
Go Bucs, make our dreams come true.
March 17th, 2016 at 6:59 am
Dallas,
I agree I’d have fired him after 2-14 and then given Harbaugh a blank check to choose his qb and make the Bucs relevant again
March 17th, 2016 at 7:06 am
Wait a minute so all the secondary players Lovie has coached in his lifetime didn’t have a problem with the system and now he gets to Tampa and these guys can’t grasp it and you blame the coach. Listen what you are saying two years and Banks couldn’t get it but you blame the coach.
March 17th, 2016 at 7:08 am
I wonder what Miko thinks?
March 17th, 2016 at 7:13 am
Another example of being a bad coach. Playing his guys over best player. He will never coach in the NFL again IMO
March 17th, 2016 at 7:24 am
@crustycrab
There are plenty of old Bears secondary, coordinators and front office personal that had huge problems with lovie!!! Just because Brian Urlacher and 2 other star players said lovie is great does not make it universally so!!!!
Al least in college (due to roster sizes) lovie can throw out as many secondary combinations as he wants!!!!
March 17th, 2016 at 7:26 am
So is it a stretch then to say some of the players quit on Lovie? There was lots of folks around here perpetuating a story that the players hated Schiano and quit on him, but they (supposedly) played hard for Lovie and respected him for treating them like grown men. I guess maybe Banks and Moore didn’t get that memo?
March 17th, 2016 at 7:28 am
Actually Crusty he drafted secondary players every year in Chicago and it is well documented that he always said it was the players he had not the scheme that was the problem. Also, Joe I believe you were way off on your assumption of what Moore’s tweet meant. As stated above, pretty sure that statement is aimed at the new Bucs coaching staff as he hasn’t been resigned.
March 17th, 2016 at 7:30 am
@Helian Laddie
Insight from across the pond,i like it.
March 17th, 2016 at 7:35 am
Lovie was a linebacker coach,not a corner coach.and his sons and ex high school were not either.
March 17th, 2016 at 7:48 am
I have a feeling we will see a bounce back season from Banks and Verner especially with Grimes in the mix. I just hope we get some Defense Line or a pass rushing LB in the draft. It makes the CB job easier when the QB doesn’t have all day to throw.
March 17th, 2016 at 8:04 am
Looking for the come up from our defense, especially db’s
March 17th, 2016 at 8:15 am
Ummm.. I would guess Moore is NOT referring to Lovie. It’s the current staff that doesn’t want him.. Not the old one. The feeling of not being wanted is the same though.
March 17th, 2016 at 8:47 am
Bschuch Says:
Ummm.. I would guess Moore is NOT referring to Lovie. It’s the current staff that doesn’t want him.. Not the old one. The feeling of not being wanted is the same though.
—————–
This. But where there is smoke…. the evidence being that Grimes is on our roster and 31 other teams haven’t signed Moore yet.
March 17th, 2016 at 9:11 am
enough of lovie….its time for this team, front office and current staff to put up or shut up….we have (supposedly) improved the secondary, added help for gmc(supposedly) and replaced mankins with another pro bowler…we (supposedly) have improved the defensive scheme with the hiring of mike smith and the offense SHOULD take another step forward with dirk being the man in charge(even though the offense was just as bad as the defense the last month and a half of the season)…with the firing of lovie, licht and the glazers suggest that this team is only a few pieces away and is ready to win right now…10-6 with playoffs or this season is a failure and licht needs to go….GO BUCS!!!!
March 17th, 2016 at 10:24 am
@Joe
Any truth to the rumor that Lovie stipulated in his Illinois contract that he would have an office in the basement so he could ponder how great the Tampa 2 system was?????
March 17th, 2016 at 10:59 am
sitting here overlooking the turquoise waters of Aruba with a pins coladas in both hands I still can’t escape the misery that is lovie smith. On the tour bus over to the beach a Saints fan made sure to remind me of Lovie’s incompetence.
It’s a new day in Tampa bay, let’s drink to that!!!! Happy St. Patty’s JBF!
March 17th, 2016 at 11:06 am
lovie’s system has a shot at the college level. it just comes down to recruiting. there are all kinds of schemes in college that just count on the fact that your guys are faster, stronger, or bigger than most other team’s guys
March 17th, 2016 at 11:10 am
Man, we just can’t let Lovie go can we? The mans been crucified, held down, blamed for all of our Bucs ills. It should sound strange to an outside person looking in..that we have not blamed a poor Defense which needs major revamping. So go ahead, keep placing those nails in Lovie. I got this feeling Lovie might have the last laugh like many of our ex coaches and players have had with our franchise. Who we gonna blame once..If..the losing starts all over again? We shall see. That good ole Tampa Bay lynch mob has got..plenty of rope!
March 17th, 2016 at 11:50 am
Lovie is a turd.
Overrated and underwhelming.
March 17th, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Hopefully Lovie is the last laugh of clueless ineptness to head coach the Bucs. At least he can say he did it his crappy way, like fans were going to wait around for a decade for Lovie to even sniff the playoffs. “Glennon is the QB of the future”, while starting McCown. Retro throwback imagined Bucs glory went splat.
March 17th, 2016 at 12:54 pm
@Ghost- I can’t say that Lovie was without blame. I do believe that it is time to let go and move on though.
I find it peculiar that all this praise is being heaped on a GM (who was here last year!) and an organization that has this kind of reputation. We’ve been chasing the ghost of Jon Gruden since the Superbowl. In 2 years I hope we’re no longer chasing that dream. I’m tired of the nightmares!
March 17th, 2016 at 8:08 pm
Banks it’s time to Prove Your Worth, shut your mouth, & Show Some Class, you do know what Sour Grapes are?Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
March 17th, 2016 at 8:19 pm
Banks needs to Show Some Class, Shut your mouth and inprove your play on the field, have you ever heard of Sour Grapes!Zzzz!
March 17th, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Joe,
That was pretty big build up of nothingness.
March 17th, 2016 at 10:14 pm
Banks is one to talk. His play here at Bucs nation has been very poor. As has been the almost entire secondary and D line. 2 or 3 players excluded. This Defense needs major revamping. Banks should have been given his pink slip…yesteryear!
March 17th, 2016 at 11:23 pm
Johnthan Banks was advancing in his development faster than Ronde Barber did, Mike Johnson. Year for year, until Banks got benched, he had better stats than Barber.
March 17th, 2016 at 11:24 pm
It was Jason Licht who got rid of Revis.
It was all about clearing a huge amount of cap space. Licht controls that. But denial is a wonderful thing. Keep at it.
March 18th, 2016 at 3:47 am
I am excited about our CB’s this year. I believe Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson will be our starters with Alterraun Verner in the slot. Grimes was the Dolphins number one CB and if Robinson can return to his 2014 form we will have a huge improvemen over last year. I just don’t see Johnthan Banks being able to beat out any of the other three I just mentioned. We actually have decent depth at CB with Banks and Jude Adjei-Barimah possibly being the back-ups. I am going to even go as far to say we don’t even draft a CB until the fourth, if we do at all. To many other needs. The Safety position is what I am worried about.