Toast Makes It Four
July 20th, 2016
Just found work.
Want to know one reason Lovie Smith is gone and why the defense of the Bucs very much underwhelmed last year? It’s all in the numbers.
As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times noted over the weekend, five players who played key roles on the Bucs’ defense last year were all unemployed and looking for work on the cusp of training camps opening.
That’s not a good sign, not at all.
One of those five players was the subject of Lovie’s very public and passionate bromance, Toast Jenkins (no, smart alecks, he’s not going to play for the University of Illinois). Yesterday, the Cardinals signed Toast to a contract.
So if you include Toast, at mid-July, the Bucs had five guys from the defense that couldn’t find work. The other four include outside linebacker Danny Lansanah, defensive tackles Henry Melton, Tony McDaniel and Da’Quan Bowers.
Five guys as of July 16 that played important roles with the Bucs were still panhandling for work in the NFL.
And folks (specifically the Bristol Bunch) wonder why Lovie is gone?
July 20th, 2016 at 7:21 am
They just need to be patient and wait for a coach that has a scheme that their style of play suits…. cough cough
July 20th, 2016 at 7:22 am
But they all know and trust the scheme!!!!! So many embarrassing failure from the last 2 years, that it makes it so painful to remember them all!!! The failed defensive roster that the incompetent one assembled, Being out coached!!! Humilliated on the field of play consistently!!! All of the discipline issues!!! The joke that was his game management!!!!
What did he bring to the table???? It was painfully obvious that it would not work after year 1!!! They Glazer’s were so close to canning him then, and should have!!!!!!!!!!!
July 20th, 2016 at 7:53 am
We went 6-10 last year with those 5 guys and poor coaching. The good news is we replaced all those guys with better players and better coaching (IMO). So this year looks much brighter. One more week….
July 20th, 2016 at 7:57 am
I did like Lovie’s demeanor, but absolutely loathed is “loyalty” to lesser ball players.
July 20th, 2016 at 9:06 am
Although we are set at linebacker, I really liked Danny Lansanah. He plays with a lot of passion and has a great attitude about the game.
July 20th, 2016 at 9:50 am
I can’t wait for this season to get underway so I can cleanse my jaded mind of the Incompetent Lovie Smith experience. It’s like PTSD and the only rehabilitative therapy is competent football played in a Bucs uniform.
July 20th, 2016 at 9:55 am
@DallasBuc
I agree with that!!!! I just looked up the first preseason game, and by tomorrow it will only be 3 weeks until the 2016 Bucs will be playing football on the field!!!! And on that day I will do what lovie did to his career!!! Flush it down the toilet!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!
July 20th, 2016 at 10:08 am
Actually, the idea is to bring in younger talent. When that happens, people get cut. I’m not saying most of them didn’t deserve to be cut, of course, but it has to happen to someone.
Jenkins should never have been signed. I said that from the start.
Danny Lansanah, contrary to what many people here claimed, was never that good.
Henry Melton was yet another bad Jason Licht free agent signing.
Tony McDaniel actually wasn’t bad for a backup.
Da’Quan Bowers, well, he wasn’t drafted during Jason Licht of Lovie Smith’s tenure, so you can’t blame either of them…unless you want to say he should have been cut sooner…which Jason Licht had as much say in as Lovie Smith.
July 20th, 2016 at 10:10 am
DallasBuc Says:
“I can’t wait for this season to get underway so I can cleanse my jaded mind of the Incompetent Lovie Smith experience. It’s like PTSD and the only rehabilitative therapy is competent football played in a Bucs uniform.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lovie had complete control right?
So if that is the case, you can thank him for the offensive unit he assembled.
Or are you going to now deny he had “full control”…in which case he should not get “full blame”.
July 20th, 2016 at 10:31 am
Bonzai- Lovie Smith admittedly did not run the offense and therefore can take zero credit for the improvement and stands the reason why Koetter is still in charge of said offense.
Consider yourself corrected.
July 20th, 2016 at 10:33 am
No, no, no…..anything good that happened last season was all because of Dirk Koetter. Kwon Alexander’s success? Why, that was because of Lovie didn’t coach him at all. Kwon’s suspension is Lovie’s fault though because….well….Lovie should have known what his players were taking last off-season. If ASJ turns out to be a bust that was definitely because of “Loser Lovie” because he was in Jason Licht’s ear.
That’ll be the narrative.
July 20th, 2016 at 11:48 am
Incompetent Coach My Scheme.
July 20th, 2016 at 11:57 am
Bonzai…I think Lovie stayed away from the draft and those we’re HIS players he hand selected in free agency to fit his “scheme”. I’ve already went over my scenario several times in here so I won’t elaborate anymore on Lovie that failure that was.
Besides that’s Realist and tmaxcon’s….job.
D-Rome …as far as Kwon goes. Nice pick Licht and Hardy Nickerson was a helluva a LB. Could’ve been a helluva LB coach too? I don’t know, all I know is I’m glad they hired anyone instead of keeping Lovie.
July 20th, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Oh boy! Here we go again! While easy to point the finger at one guy, there’s lots of blame to be shared. I won’t say anything further on the subject.
It is perplexing and speaks to the reasons this defense was so bad. Bad coaching aside, we had sub-par talent starting for us.
July 20th, 2016 at 12:21 pm
I am sure Raheem Morris would have found a home for those 5 guys!!!!!
July 20th, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Raheem wouldn’t have had a choice…
July 20th, 2016 at 3:15 pm
“No smart allecks, he not going to play for the University of Illinois.” They’re dancing while detasseling in Illinois!!
July 20th, 2016 at 5:37 pm
As usual, Joe throwing out the Lovie Bait for the..same 3 or 4 haters to feed on. Am Joe, you should be exhausted by now. But then again, whose counting the number of post here right?
July 21st, 2016 at 1:40 am
Pass me the jelly toast Jenkins was one of the more influential players to contribute to the 70% completion rate, along with Alterraun Verner and Johnthan Banks being in the infamous Lovie’s “stray house” and my favorite Tim Jennings. This year will be much improved. No more give me’s on the slant routes.