Begging The Football Gods For Mercy
April 15th, 2016
It didn’t take long for the challenge to sink into Joe’s beer-soaked brain.
The Bucs open their season in Atlanta, and then travel to Arizona in Week 2.
NFL fans know beating good teams on the road is a huge hurdle, and starting a season 0-2 often leads to a horror show. It’s almost an evil twist to have the Bucs’ brand new defense debut in an ear-piercing dome, where communication on defense is difficult.
Joe begged the football gods for mercy last night.
The Bucs simply must find a way to win one of those first two games.
Yes, it’s a long season, but Joe worries about the collective mental strength of team. There is new blood in the building, and more coming via the draft, but remember last opening day. That’s when Lavonte David explained the team came unglued after one play — the same team that finished the season in freefall.
The Bucs return in Week 3 to face the Rams in the home opener, a nice exhale. But then the cruel football gods dropped the Broncos (home) and Panthers (road on Monday night) in their laps in successive weeks.
Dirk Koetter, Mike Smith and America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, need to find a way to toughen this team up in a hurry.
(The full 2016 schedule is found here.)
April 15th, 2016 at 9:02 am
No playoffs this season.
April 15th, 2016 at 9:11 am
Tough start. But ATL is beatable in the extreme. I’m not scared of Denver or LA. 3-1? Not a bad start.
April 15th, 2016 at 9:13 am
denver did win it all last year but im not so sure they will be such a tough team next year. I mean they still don’t have a QB i’m not worried about Mr. Butt Fumble Mark Sanchez or even if they traded for Kap. ONLY thing we should worry about is the Def led by Von Miller the great!
April 15th, 2016 at 9:18 am
What Kalind just said
April 15th, 2016 at 9:26 am
Joe I don’t think koetter is going to perform like lovie last year and actually win a game he has months to prepare for. No way we going to lose to what Julio and Davonte please
April 15th, 2016 at 9:32 am
I think it’s a tough schedule… If anyone should realize by now you don’t know.. But if you think there is a game on the schedule that’s says the Bucs will definitely win I think you can’t be partial in your thinking. Maybe NO’s but you never know.. I think it’s a tough schedule on paper.
April 15th, 2016 at 9:44 am
I was at the game last year in the dome, I can remember talking to Bucs fans many seats away, why, because the dome was quiet except for some cursing out of Matt Ryan and Kwon Alexander keeping them quiet, loved it… Lots of Bucs fans in the A
April 15th, 2016 at 9:45 am
I fear nothing on our schedule. By mid season the whole league will know something is different about this Buccs team.
April 15th, 2016 at 9:56 am
I agree with Nole..everything is different…we will have more wins than losses..I don’t fear playing Denever at all..yeah Von is there..but we have a different mindset..new FA players that are veterans..the atmosphere in the locker room..
Just everything..it’s all good…
April 15th, 2016 at 9:58 am
Looking at the schedule more, it is a tough schedule. How many wins do you expect Joe? Too early to make that guess huh.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:07 am
Ear Piercing Dome? The Georgia Dome full of Falcon fans? Have you not ever been to a Bucs-Falcons game up there? Ear Piercing is the last words I’d use to describe it! Falcon fans don’t even bother getting to their seats until midway through the first quarter. The place is a tomb with probably the most fickle fans in the league. You get up on them by 10 points and they get on the Falcons and that interception machine quarterback of theirs to the point you’d think the Falcons were the visiting team, and it’ll be even worse when they open the new SphincterDome, since few of the real Falcon fans will be able to afford to go. The PSL cost of the 4 seats I have to the Bucs (granted they’re good seats) would be $160,000.00! That’s just for the privilege of handing over another $12,000.00 each season for my tickets!
Joe, you must be thinking of that 56-14 shellacking they put on us up there a couple years ago. Things have changed…….A LOT!!
April 15th, 2016 at 10:23 am
If you think this team will have more wins than losses your plain delusional lmao.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:23 am
Six home games after mid October…..thank you!
April 15th, 2016 at 11:24 am
Last year in ATL the noise wasn’t a factor. I was there.
Joe might need to make more road trips.
If we are going by last years results like all the experts do why not factor in 4 west coast teams traveling across country to play in humid tampa?
Denver will have a former backup QB olaying or a rookie
LA will have a rookie QB
Doubt Carolina goes 15-1 again
49ers hired a coach who couldn’t solve Lovies simple scheme
Saints Games are always close and winnable
Also factor in injuries, who know is Romo is healthy enough to play
Sick of the doom n gloom bs. Good teams with good players and competent coaching don’t have excuses they have wins
April 15th, 2016 at 11:27 am
Tampa Tony preach my brother. Some of these poster’s OMG.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:37 am
@JB
SphincterDome
HA! That’s good.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:48 am
Sad franchise continues to lose. 3 win season.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
we should be fine….according to most people, the players basically played without being properly prepared by the hc and played for an incompetent hc that never adjusted the game plan after half time and put players in position to fail by forcing a scheme on them but some how they still won 6games…now we have a real hc, a real dc and a real db coach….we should be gearing up for a playoff run right?….tough schedule or not, licht didn’t promote dirk to go 7-9…GO BUCS!!!
April 15th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
I’m happy we are opening on the road at Atlanta
I’m pretty sure our D-coordinator has a chip on his shoulder regarding the team that fired him.
I’m sure he knows the best way to attack Matt Ryan.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
@813bucboi
It will take more than just a training camp to coach the lovie out of this roster, you will see from the first few games, to the back end of the schedule!!!!
Besides, we all know that if they had retained lovie that there would only be a 2-3 wins with this schedule!!!!!
April 15th, 2016 at 12:19 pm
Just think…if the Buccs get serious and fool around and win a few of these games, the rest of the season would be a cake walk comparatively speaking.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:40 pm
@realist…lol…lovie was only there for 2years….whatever lovie was teaching them, they never learned because the defense looked lost all year…as I said it shouldn’t be that hard…its not like lovie coached the offense too(even tho they played just as bad as the defense the last 4games of the year)…dirk only has 1 side of the ball to coach up and he hired a so called discipline defensive coach that will coach to the players strength…we will never know how many games lovie would’ve won if he was the hc….as ive said before Winston would’ve made marcus arroyo look good…Winston made dirk look brilliant…GO BUCS!!!
April 15th, 2016 at 12:55 pm
LOLOLOLOL….excuses already pouring in and we haven’t even had the draft yet…reasons for a 7-9 season missing the playoffs….
1.) tougher schedule
2.) coaching the lovie out of players
3.) __________________(fill in the blank)
keep em coming….GO BUCS!!!
April 15th, 2016 at 1:26 pm
EXCUSES. You say no playoffs this year because of the schedule? More EXCUSES. Injuries? EXCUSES. I don’t want to hear them. Save’em for the hand! 31 other teams have a plethora of EXCUSES also. You brought in your savior on golden chariot. Now save the day Mr. Koetter. OR..we will bash you too!! And Just..us..for all baby. get it done..or else.
April 15th, 2016 at 4:43 pm
Can’t Wait!!!!
April 15th, 2016 at 5:38 pm
I love the optimism on here guys. I really do. it’s a welcome change from the typical negativity. However, there is reality and then there is hope. Reality leads me to believe we will be fortunate to split the first four games but it’s very likely that we are looking at a 1-3 or 0-4 start. I’ve been converted from my overly optimistic views.
April 15th, 2016 at 5:40 pm
we will aight!
April 16th, 2016 at 7:23 am
I find it amazing that people are staunchly backing a coach that went 6-24 and want him to be still be our coach.Lovie wanted to fire George Warhop because of the horrible O line put together in 2014.Koetter told him no, he wanted him since he had worked for before.Lovie also wanted to get rid of doug Martin. Koetter also told Lovie no he wanted him and you have to admit
that those two decisions were instrumental in the success of Winston.
April 16th, 2016 at 11:15 am
Highly instrumental Bob.