Home Test
October 27th, 2016
The Den of Depression.
There is simply no way to sugarcoat this.
The Bucs, in case you haven’t heard, are an embarrassment at home. Since the day Chucky was jettisoned in January 2009, the Bucs have won a grand total of 17 games at the Den of Depression (and folks wonder why Joe refers to the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway as the “Den of Depression”).
The last Joe calculated, that was five fewer wins during the same time span than three three other teams. Since the start of 2014, the Bucs have won but three home games — THREE!!! This is so outrageous it calls for a congressional investigation. It’s is so horrible, Joe wonders if the Rico Act has been violated and something shady and sinister is going on. That’s almost incomprehensible, three home wins in two years? Man!
So obviously, this is a big game Sunday when the Bucs host the Raiders. The Raiders seem to be this year’s Charlotte McKinney, the ultra-hot ditz from Orlando who once confessed she truly believed the Florida Gators played in the NFL. Everyone seems to love the Raiders, despite a suspect defense.
Yesterday on “Good Morning, Football,” seen on NFL Network, co-hosted by porn-glasses-wearing Kay Adams, Nate Burleson and Kyle Brandt, the trio discussed the chances of the Bucs upending the Raiders.
Joe will just say this: Sunday would be a way to both solve this feces of the Bucs’ home losing ways, and turn the perception of the franchise with a key victory.
October 27th, 2016 at 9:17 am
Man, this could be a pivotal game. If we lose, nothing changes, we continue to be mired in mediocrity and we will finish somewhere between 6-8 wins. If we win this game, we have a winning record and are tied for 1st place in the division and the culture starts to change, the players start to believe. This could be the game we look back to when the turn around becomes evident. This game is a great test to see where this team is.
October 27th, 2016 at 9:19 am
Just win baby.
October 27th, 2016 at 9:22 am
The Raiders have a Horrible Secondary AND a Horrible DL. They are going to score but I believe we can out-score them. GO BUCS
October 27th, 2016 at 9:23 am
According to Joe, I have never seen so many must win, big game, season on the line, perception changing, season defining games for a First year Head Coach in his first half of a season!!!!
October 27th, 2016 at 9:26 am
Realist…not on this site you haven’t seen this much before. Correct.
October 27th, 2016 at 9:37 am
Bandwagoners get off your asses and fill up the stadium with buc fans. No more of this “they gota win for me to go” crap. Make some noise, be the reason they win. Only thing you do by just going when theyre winning is drive up ticket prices more. Silver and BlackAndBlue time baby!!!
October 27th, 2016 at 9:41 am
Take it da house
October 27th, 2016 at 9:46 am
Joe(s),
This is Off Topic, but I wanted to point it out. The NYT has a front page article plus a comment thread about TV ratings dropping for the NFL. It’s serious. You should read the comments especially from the die-hard fans who are tuning out and off. Anywho, it’s worth a quick glance from the krewe on here. Go Bucs!!
October 27th, 2016 at 9:46 am
P.S.: it’s on their website. 🙂
October 27th, 2016 at 9:51 am
Look I gotta feeling this could be a future super bowl preview not this year maybe two years from now will we win I have no idea but I tell u what win or lose I still see us winning this division go Bucs
October 27th, 2016 at 9:56 am
@d-roca … “No more of this “they gota win for me to go” crap. Make some noise, be the reason they win.” Sorry, but fans are not the reason teams win. They win because they score more pts than the other team … might be because they have a better offense, or a better defense, or better STs, but in the end, they perform better. Have had season tickets dating back to Tony Dungy days and have seen some really BAD football since Chucky was fired. Paying big bucks to sit out in the hot FL sun on a day off and watch some really BAD football doesn’t cut it after awhile d-roca, and many just chuck it and watch it on TV (cheaper? Air conditioning?). Bucs have to give fans a reason to start filling the stadium back up, and that reason is winning, just like Coach Koetter said.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:00 am
Agree with you Joe 100%. Good teams in the NFL win more at home than lose, with the Bucs its been opposite.
Can someone tell us why they turn the ball over early in home games and quickly fall behind?
Why do most of their opponents typically score on their opening drives?
Lets hope the Bucs look back at their bad habits at home and start changing the way they play in Tampa so they can get people wanting to come to games on a regular basis.
The Bucs and Raiders are relatively even as far as their stats except for the turnovers. I think playcalling will be so important to get Winston into an early groove. Start out the game running and throwing high percentage passes so that Winston settles down and doesn’t force throws.
The Raiders shouldn’t be given the game with turnovers, lets hope the Bucs play smart and play a mistake free game. Show up for the home crowd, don’t play like they did against the Rams and Denver where they play stupid.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:15 am
If they don’t press early and let the game come to them we’ll win, if Jameis presses and turns the ball over inside our own 50 we lose.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:17 am
This article’s title and sentiment is spot on. This is a game that will confirm the long term deficiencies are still a thing or dispel the notion that this team can only beat terrible teams. We’ve got two REAL Wrs with a real QB and a multi-headed rush attack and that combination has been problematic for this team. If coach Smith is worth his paycheck, he’ll have a superior gameplan and his squad has to come out of the gates MAD! Let’s go Bucs.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:22 am
Used to load up the truck bed with coolers a grill footballs and all that stuff. Find a spot and get it started around 9 in the morning. Had some really good times going to games, BUT……
I really got tired of sinking in the money required to do that just to watch them get embarrassed to home. $200 (for not really great) tickets
$25 to park
$75 – $100 dollars for charcoal, food, beer, sodas, paper plates, napkins etc…
Cant go inside the stadium and not get an over priced, warm beer or 2 or 3 and the usual snacks… another $50
Not to mention all the jerseys, hats, and tshirts Ive bought over the years to show my support for the team and individual players.
It all adds up to a lot of money and I dont want to get nut kicked and watch the Rams run off the field in victory. So now, I sit on my couch and spend about 1/20th what I used to per home game.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:31 am
This game isn’t important in the sense that if we lose, our season is far from over. We could lose and still be in first place if we beat Atlanta on Thursday. However, it still feels like a big game by the facts that we never seem to be able to get over that hump. It would put us over 500 for the first time since 2010 (minus the 1-0 start). Let that sink in. First time in 6 years!!! It would also be one of the few times we have beaten a good team. The overwhelming majority of our wins have been against bad teams. I can’t remember the last time we beat a playoff team. Finally, it’s a big game because we’ve got to start winning consistently at home. The fans don’t want to spend their hard earned money to watch us lose every home game. A win on Sunday will make a believer out of a lot of people.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:33 am
Anyone ever notice the herpes on Kay Adams upper lip?
October 27th, 2016 at 10:38 am
Hawaiian Buc – Didn’t we beat the Steelers at home in 2014? I can’t remember but I think that was a playoff team.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:42 am
WIN IN THE DEN! WIN IN THE DEN!
October 27th, 2016 at 10:51 am
Heard this before. Even they do win it won’t change anything. Start a streak at home and MAYBE it will change. You can’t remove a title like the den of depression with one game.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:55 am
Chan:
Win over Steelers was in Pittsburgh. Joe was there. Mike Glennon’s shining moment.
October 27th, 2016 at 11:00 am
Hey Chucklehead, respectfully it’s the Raiders coming in to the Den of Depression. The Rams already ran off the field in victory 4 weeks ago, I was there, Jamies tackled at the 5 yard line and that was nothing to chuckle about.
Go Bucs!!!
October 27th, 2016 at 11:02 am
I see strong run game and surgical Jameis cutting them up on 3rd down not stopping our offense we control the clock and our defense is underrated maybe Hargreaves makes some splash plays or spence
October 27th, 2016 at 11:03 am
Secured my tickets for the next two games and expect to win.
Go Bucs
October 27th, 2016 at 11:04 am
Joe-I sat next to an annoyingly drunk, seemingly bandwaggoning steeled fan in upstate New York that day. Definitely Glennons shining moment and the best part is we won and still got the 1st pick that year. After the next handful of games permanent put Glennon on the clipboard patrol
October 27th, 2016 at 11:18 am
Coach K gets no breaks, no sympathy, none of that wins games, lead the team to victories and the fans will show up! JUST WIN BABY!
October 27th, 2016 at 11:25 am
This game could be a turning point. The Last time the Raiders were in town we were one win away from making the playoffs with John Gruden as Head coach. We lost, Gruden was fired and you know the rest of the story. Now things could finally be heading in the right direction if we win Sunday. Go Bucs!!!
October 27th, 2016 at 11:31 am
Win 2 home games in the next 7 days and our chances at making the playoffs starts to look very good.
October 27th, 2016 at 11:44 am
Over 300 days since a win at home. Currently on a four game home losing streak.
October 27th, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Screw the owners, screw the coaches, screw the players. Just win for the fans! Winning at home would do so much for bringing back the fans. And not just ONE game either.
There are many here who have LOYALLY endured years of terrible football. WIN AT HOME! WE deserve it.
Go Bucs!
October 27th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
@realist…that because golden boy dirk has the pieces in place for a playoff run this year….anything less than 10wins is a failure…..GO BUCS!!!!
October 27th, 2016 at 1:12 pm
I believe the Bucs will win this game. For the following reasons
1) Raiders have been living out of suitcases for over a week, having to stay in Florida since last weekends game at Jacksonville. That can wear on you mentally and physically.
2) The Raiders do not have access to their normal routine – game prep. Certain to have an effect.
3) Sure they game planned to stop the run as we used it so effectively against San fran / Carolina and look for them to use more 2 tight end sets, short passing game plays to chip away at the Bucs Defense with shots downfield.
The wild card in all of this is who will return to action Sunday for the Bucs? I see a Bucs victory and really want one to put more pressure on Atlanta this Thursday.
October 27th, 2016 at 1:15 pm
@ChanEpic,
Yes, you are right. I totally forgot about that game.. Then again, I think I have forgotten about that entire year intentionally.
October 27th, 2016 at 1:34 pm
I like “Den of Depression”, but then I’ve always been a sucker for alliteration.
I hope we keep that name forever and simply transfer the meaning to opponents.
I’d love to see all of our opponents leave Tampa seriously depressed.
October 27th, 2016 at 3:25 pm
Joe why don’t we create ” joebucsfan” fan group that goes at every bucs game and wears joebucsfan shirts. maybe the Glazers will subsidize part of the cost for the tickets and reserve a certain area for us. That way we make sure our bucs will have the support every game.
What do you guys think? Or I am just dreaming with my eyes open here
October 27th, 2016 at 5:20 pm
The Bucs won 17 of how many home games, Joe?
London games don’t count…they weren’t really home games.
October 27th, 2016 at 5:22 pm
“Den of Depression”
I don’t like it. Hopefully one day we’ll have a better name…something more intimidating.
October 27th, 2016 at 5:23 pm
I predict a win this week too…though I couldn’t guess this time at the score.
October 27th, 2016 at 5:25 pm
I love how my buddy who is a season ticket holder ( 15 years with 4 seats ) called and asked how much 2 additional seats would be since every home game is always empty. The “Discount” was 2 seats for $600 dollars. Are you kidding me? We havent been a playoff team for 20 years but they want $600 for 2 seats. No wonder they stadium will be full of Raider fans.
October 27th, 2016 at 5:51 pm
600$ is less then 100$ per game. I don’t know but if you compare it to single game tickets is cheaper and probablly better location then 100$ ticket location if you buy it single game.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:31 pm
Joe, win and the Bucs are above 0.500 for the first time since Nov. 2012 when they were 6-4 under Greg S before the mind numbing losses to the ATL and Philly at home that capitalized a 1-5 stretch run that killed playoff hopes! The losing mentality actually extends back to Rah 2011 but those 2 home losses hurt a lot to us fans! Since then it seems like this losing at home mentality has been perpetuated by inept coaching in every regime that has gone through the One Buc turnstile since Chucky, poor clock management, idiotic time out usage and the inability to adjust at halftime coupled the O, the D or the special teams somehow managing to throw away Ws! I would like to think that Coach koetter is going to get the W but this is going to require Jameis being mistake free, that FSU kicker not leaving points on the field and the coaches finding a way to control the game clock and take advantage of a Oakland team that has been in Florida since last Thursday, they are ripe to lose! However, I saw the Lamb game in person in week 3, utter disappointment and that is the kind of ball we have come to expect as fans with numerous mistakes on D and special teams as well as inept clock management by the coaching. If the Bucs bring their A or even B game in all facets of the game they will win but if they play as they did vs Denver or the Lambs, well we know what to expect……… To quote crazy Al davis, just win baby!