Buccaneers 17, Panthers 16
January 1st, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
How bout a 9-7 record!
How bout the Bucs defense!
What an outstanding deodorant for a Tampa Bay offense that needed the season finale in a bad way.
Three picks and three sacks of Cam Newton was a wonderful recipe for victory — and likely a fitting sendoff for Mike Smith. Newton got smacked around pretty good today, too.
Keith Tandy with two interceptions, and four this season in limited time, was outstanding. Dude added 10 solo tackles today — TEN! And Brent Grimes showed how a classy, seemingly ageless veteran plays to the whistle on every damned snap. What a stud offseason signing this guy was.
America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, had a rough day, but he had big-time moments and finished the season with the most yards passing by any QB in his first two seasons in NFL history.
It’s awfully hard to argue with that reality, especially considering his thin receiving corps.
Great win for the franchise. The players needed that boost for the offseason.
Expectations and swagger increase that extra and important little bit when you’re coming off a winning season, a season that met expectations.
Did anyone miss Doug Martin? Did anyone miss him last week in New Orleans? Jacquizz Rodgers is some kind of football player at not even 5-feet-6-inches tall.
Believe it or not, your Bucs are riding a four-game winning streak at the Den of Depression.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:14 pm
Winning season!!! Less than 24 months ago we were being compared to the Browns. We are moving in the right direction and with 3 – 4 acquisitions, we will be ready contend with the big dogs!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:14 pm
GOOD ugly win. 9-7 very happy yet disappointed a unreliable part time rb screwed his teammates and most likely caused team to miss playoffs with poor play.
Congratulations koetter on passing loser Lovie Smith on bucs all time win list.
No More Soft Serv
January 1st, 2017 at 4:15 pm
bucs win!, bucs win!, bucs win!
(and the cockroaches disappear)
January 1st, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Bring on 2017!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Way to go Bucs!
9 wins in Dirk Koetter’s first 16 games makes him superior to Lovie Smith and his 8 wins in 32 games!
Woo!!!!
Suk on that BigHogShatYourHaines!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers are UNDEFEATED in 2017!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Tw of the ugliest games of the year but I will take it
Bucs @ Carolina
Carolina @ Bucs
January 1st, 2017 at 4:18 pm
@tmax: Your take on GMC is lame. Give it a rest.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:19 pm
Offense played like S#!t today. Thanks for the shut down effort today defense. ….but over all, happy for the win. Great way to end the season.
GO BUCS!!!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:19 pm
@tmaxcon
I don’t think that was an ugly win at all. The Panthers are a very good team. They may have had a bad year, but that doesn’t mean they are not great. We’re talking about the past division winners multiple years (until this year).
One thing we can agree on…a winning season at last!!!!!!!!
And lots to look forward to!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:19 pm
It’s an outrage that the Bucs only scored one offensive TD against the stinking Panthers. Thank you Brent Grimes.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:20 pm
It’s awfully hard to argue with that reality, especially considering his thin receiving corps.
————
Not a lot of yac yards either.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Awesome to end the season on a win against a division opponent with a defensive effort. Good core of young players getting valuable game experience all season. Let’s bring a lot of them back! Sad to see the season over but I look forward to the draft and FA a lot.
Congrats Coach Koetter on a winning season!!!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Let’s sign Kwann Short DT for Carolina.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Happy New Year bucs fans good to see bucs win bUT please enlighten me…what happen to our team..they played today like it didn’t mean anything. .Jamis has not looked good the last 2 games and today he just looked like he was not into the game…our defense shut Carolina down until it really counted with the game was on the line… is there something going on in Tampa that I don’t know about
January 1st, 2017 at 4:21 pm
#weaponsforwinston
January 1st, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Well I guess Mike Johnson and his bad math to beat Lovie Smith’s record will be a thing of the past!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:23 pm
I feel like we’re close…but out OL is good but no great. I want to make sure we have a running game next year! If we get a running game the rest will take care of itself.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:23 pm
Piratic
You can not change the losing culture without eradicating the unquestioned leader of the losing culture. His cap number can be used much more efficiently. Gmc pre game speeches are now the standard protocol for treating a viagra overdoses
January 1st, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Great first step during a challenging schedule. This absolutely raises expectations for next year. Its playoffs or bust!! The future is bright!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Mike Johnson, BigHogHaynes,
Where are you guys? Our Bucs are 9-7. better than the past two years combined under Lovie.
Still think it was wrong to oust Lovie?
Woooo!
Go Bucs!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:27 pm
Hey it only took Mike Smith until week 17 to figure out how to use David. Better late than never.
Now Mike Smith will leave to get a HC job and the defense will get to learn yet a whole new defense all again. Yay!
But seriously after looking like he didn’t have a clue how to call a game early in the season Mike Smith really turned it around. Hopefully he won’t get hired by anyone and sticks around another year. Hopefully Dirk also hires a legit OC to do his play calling since his playing on offense this year has been incredibly predictable and ultra conservative. Could be all the players out on offense which made him ultra conservative and predictable, but even if you’re missing 6 starters on offense I don’t see why that means you need to run it up the middle on every single 1st down, to the point they point it out on TV when you don’t run up the middle on first down.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:27 pm
A complete omission of the reprehensible oline play in favor of setting up some false contrast between Martin and Rodgers. I’m sure your BFF and business partner GM will appreciate that!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:27 pm
GMC is not the problem on this team he is a good tackle not great but good. We need receivers, Oline, safety and a draft a Rb
January 1st, 2017 at 4:27 pm
If you can’t get excited about 9 wins (1short of my 10-6 prediction in the PS) and some record breaking stats for Winston, Evans and Brate then idk what to tell you. Been a long time since we had a winning season and some real dawgs on defense like that LVD guy he’s an absolute beast so is Ayers and Spawn.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Great season overall – we know the gaps we have. Just have to get more talent now. I know we are thin at WR but we need to get Jameis more consistent with his accuracy and mechanics.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:28 pm
2 and 4 in Dec. Jan is better than 0 and 4 but its still not good enough as they blew multiple games this year that the could have won.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:29 pm
It’s a win but can’t feel all that great about the way we played down the stretch. Our defence played well for like 58 mins then tried to choke it away along with our offense. I know Rivera is a gambler but i can’t help but feel that decision was because he was either going to win or lose there and not risk someone getting injured in OT during the last meaningless game for them? Very good chance we choke it away and lose
January 1st, 2017 at 4:30 pm
I think it’s very symbolic that Dirk has more wins in 1 season than Lovie had in 2…
Anyone around the country who was saying anything questioning the coaching decison, should now please STFU.
Dirk, Jameis, Kwon & the guys are going to lead us to multiple SB titles in these coming seasons. Believe that.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:30 pm
@tmaxcon
GMC is not the leader of the losing culture. Stop being an idiot.
The man puts everything into every season. He plays injured. He is the only real developed talent on the defensive line.
You guys can talk all you want about getting Oline, but our dline will never be elite if we don’t start spending picks on it. Noah had a good year, but not great. He needs more development.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:30 pm
@tmaxco …if cut his cap number cannot be used. Cutting him will result in ~$13.5 mil in dead money. So your theory of using his cap number more efficient is a moot point and inaccurate
January 1st, 2017 at 4:31 pm
stevek – Yeah, it was absolutely the wrong thing to do to fire Lovie since if they didn’t you’d have had an actual OC focusing on play calling and not trying to run an NFL franchise for the first time. Dirk’s playcalling has been horrific this year, he has none of the feel he had last year and you didn’t have Dirk working with Jameis constantly. Winston had a great year, I don’t care what the numbers say, but had Dirk been focused on doing his job Winston could have had an even better year.
For the defense if you give Lovie that same defensive line play then suddenly the Tampa 2 works just fine – if you don’t believe that there’s a team that just won the NFC that runs it and has done well.
With all that said the team made their choice, now the Bucs need to stick with it. If Dirk goes 7-9 next year you dolts that called for Lovie to get fired will be calling for Dirk to get fired, because that’s what you do when you’re a child that has zero concept of what is actually happening in the game and on the field.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:31 pm
Keith Tandy, Spence, Humphries. Evans, Winston improved but not where I would like him to be yet, 9-7 is a Hella lot better than the basement
January 1st, 2017 at 4:31 pm
And don’t say Ayers is any good. His attitude is the only thing that stands out.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:33 pm
We are getting better, just need another QB. JW lead the NFL in QB TO. We can’t win with a TO machine at QB. Let’s make MG the highest paid backup in the NFL, we will need him
January 1st, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Are there still morons talking about GMC in a negative fashion? You have to be a special kind of stupid to still be on that bandwagon – like a single digit IQ type of person. Do the world a favor and visit the top of the Skyway, once there climb over the edge and see how long you can hold on – and make sure you take a selfie while doing it, that way we can all enjoy it.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
January 1st, 2017 at 4:31 pm
And don’t say Ayers is any good. His attitude is the only thing that stands out.
———-
Turn in your card NOW!!!! You’ve been expelled! DO NOT BREED!! EVER!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Bucnut2 – Do the world a favor and get ebola.
God bless.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:36 pm
Get Jameis more weapons , get more help on O-line in the off season. Once you do that than in year 3 we will see what kind of QB we have.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:36 pm
Great finish boys, and a great season too! Not many saw this team finishing at 9-7 with the schedule we had! Next year, we are going to make America Brate Again.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:36 pm
Rod
You too! Don’t breed! Lovi….psfft, child please!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Bucs win we finally beat Cam!! I believe bucs are ready to take the next step next season, just get Jameis more weapons!!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:38 pm
You people on this thread can’t be serious.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:39 pm
No love for lavonte david? 2 sacks and made a huge tackle on newton after kwon missed it. Big game for 54. Or as joe calls him “Lavonte loafer”.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:40 pm
Enjoyed the Bucs win at the wire, a real nail biter between division foes. Going into next season the mojo of the Bucs is decidedly on the upswing, everybody knows it.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:41 pm
9-7 is a letdown after the choke job this team did once they got to 8-5. But still excited by a winning season.
As always GO BUCS!!!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Tmaxipad talking out of his ass again.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:47 pm
If jameis improves accuracy next year we will make playoffs
January 1st, 2017 at 4:47 pm
Tampa Tony – Do me a favor and jump off the Bank of America building in Tampa. Film the whole thing live on Vine, you’ll be a big star.
God bless.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:50 pm
Wouldn’t mind Quentin Nelson in the 1st, slide Pamphile to RT.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:50 pm
DB55 Says
“Buccaneer Bonzai
———-
Turn in your card NOW!!!! You’ve been expelled! DO NOT BREED!! EVER!!”
Too late!!!!! And the truth hurts, doesn’t it???
January 1st, 2017 at 4:51 pm
DB55 – You miss the point, with Dirk still calling just the offense plays, the offense isn’t awful for most of the year since Dirk is actually paying attention to what is going on that side of the ball and not calling the same 5 plays over and over and over. Dirk has to open things back up on offense – unless as I said his play calling was more about injuries than anything. But Dirk was incredibly predictable and awful. Dirk did a good job, I think with Lovie here the record may or may not be the same – but the offense would have been better. Also in cause you don’t know Lovie is sort of a good defense coach – it’s true, you can look it up and anything – maybe if I can print that on a bumper sticker you’d be able to comprehend the point, but probably not.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:53 pm
Rod, your analysis isnt totally off base. Koetter makes a better OC than HC. Where he can focus 100% on the offense. But Lovie is not a good coach. He could not motivate this team. A young team like the bucs need energy and fire. Lovie does not provide any of that. He even puts a damper on it. With the same players on defense, i do not think lovie could have done as well as mike smiths defense did. That is totally opinion, but lovie had his chances to improve his defense and didnt. Thats on him. He held all the power during his time here. I have no doubt the bucs are a better team with koetter as HC instead of lovie. The offense takes a hit because of it, but overall it is still a better product on the field.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:53 pm
I think Mike Johnson or bighoghack has changed their name to the “rod” character.
Rod please stop with your total ignorance. Lovie can’t even make it in college let alone the NFL anymore. Go look at the standing that the Dallas D has in passing ranked 27th……. That looks like soft ass zone defense to me.
Winston has a record setting year and you still find a reason to b!tch and complain, blaming something on Koetter. You realize we lost our #2, #3 receivers, our then starting TE released for being a fool and using our #3 and 4 RBs. But yeah its totally all on DK. you sir are probably one of the dumbest/ignorant/moronic commentors I have seen on JBF and that says ALOT!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:56 pm
Kudos for a winning season, marked improvement and staying relevant down to the wire. We need to and will get better this offseason. Go Bucs!
January 1st, 2017 at 5:06 pm
@ njbucfan
I dont think you know how the cap works. If mccoy has received all of his gauranteed money, his base salary of 13.5 mil will not be considered dead money. Its considered free money if they cut mccoy. If half of the 13.5 mil is gauranteed, then only half would be considered dead money which means the other half is free. So tmax is correct in theory. Im not saying the bucs should cut mccoy.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:11 pm
I think the bucs have some very good players..ones who I think we can win with….I think and this is just my thoughts not all buc fans…if we can bring in a breakaway RB ..pass pressuring DT big#2 reciever…and the main thing is consistency and less mistakes although we seem to have cut those mistakes in half this year. I am as many buc fan are happy not to finish below .500 again GO 2O17 BUCS
January 1st, 2017 at 5:14 pm
What was wrong with JW no weapons…but the defense did what they needed to do to help a handicapped offense.
A win is a win and a team is a team.
To quote JW’s dad, offense wins games…defense wins championships
for the Bucs this was a championship game!
SITUATIONAL FOOTBALL.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:16 pm
Bucnut2 said he wants Winston to get hurt. You are NOT a fan or a good person.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:18 pm
Bucnut2 Says:
January 1st, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Let’s hope we can draft the next Prescott in the 4 or 5th and JW gets hurt. JW looks like sh!t against the 32nd ranked pass defense. Sorry to all you Noles. I know th truth hurts. For a dose a reality take off your Garnett colored glasses. JW is not in the ACC any more.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:18 pm
bucnut teams would jump at jw3 i agree with rod, dirk play calling had a better flow last year
January 1st, 2017 at 5:19 pm
Jameis Winston had weapons. Cut that bull out. He had:
Mike Evans
C. Brate
A. Humphries
J. Rodgers
C. Simms
You give Aaron Rodgers weapons like that and the Packers make the playoffs.
Jameis Winston needed better protection and needed to make better decisions this year. That’s all. He’ll get there by next year.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:19 pm
Bucnut2, don’t you understand that Winston is only 22 and has plenty of time for improvement. I bet you think the Colts should draft a QB this year too.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:20 pm
Wow Rod Muncher, the Bucs should hire you. You got it all figured out. D!ck Eater! You really suck rods!!
January 1st, 2017 at 5:31 pm
@webater…visit overthecap.com. This website is extremely reliable when calculating the cap. Cutting McCoy shows to result in his salary counting as dead money.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:33 pm
951
Glad I’m still in your head loser. Home impact plays did she make this year… Enough said. Overrated bum. Take a 5 th from Dallas to get out of that bad contract.
No More Soft Serv
January 1st, 2017 at 5:36 pm
@webster*
McCoy’s contract is guaranteed for ~$12.5 mil…additionally he has bonuses so his salary is considered dead if cut
January 1st, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Bucs will not win a game that matters with 93 on the roster. Wrote down. It will not happen
January 1st, 2017 at 5:53 pm
@ njbuc
Thats why i typed if Gmc has received all of his gauranteed money. That means next year is his last year for gauranteed money. Tell me what does it say the dead money is for 2018? If it is zero, then tmax you may have to wait a year.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:58 pm
2017 is the last of his guaranteed money (minus $500k bonus that would be dead if cut)
And too be honest his salary spikes to $13m in 2019…that’s a great time to renegotiate as his bad drops to $10m not guaranteed after that.
January 1st, 2017 at 6:06 pm
Pay*
@tmaxcon….trading him may also result in dead money. I know having a multiple time probowl DT on our team (for what is a fairly decent contract) sucks…but I guess that’s a burden we have to carry as a Bucs fan.
Look at some of the crap contracts for DL.. Suh, Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson,Vinny Curry just to name a few. All their contracts will prevent their teams from improving next year or in the near future…outside of Suh none of them can hold McCoy’s jock
January 1st, 2017 at 6:27 pm
Protection and a weapon. Humphries concussion hurt and add another stud back. Safety help too. Travis rudolph/kermit mid-late rounds even..keep if in the fam..😝😝😝 lol
January 1st, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Pro bowls mean less than nothing. All pro matters not pro bowls especially the way the voting is.
If they can get anything for him and dead money is less than five million it’s a bargain. Bucs will never win a playoff game with softee on the field
January 1st, 2017 at 7:25 pm
Wow….there are some real idiots on this board
January 1st, 2017 at 8:51 pm
I just looked at sportsrac and it says the 2018 year, the dead money is $500k. So if the bucs wanted to, they could cut him with no major hit to the cap. I think that is what tmax is looking for. Im not sure that is going to happen.
January 1st, 2017 at 9:30 pm
The last quarter of the season, when the games really count, Jameis Winston didn’t do enough to help the team, especially with all e overthrows and turnovers.
There were some very bright spots down the stretch, Evans, Brate and Rogers on offense.
Brent Grimes was fantastic. Noah Spence has tremendous speed and is a great pass rusher. Those players all were fantastic.
The Bucs have a handful of good players and with more pieces of the team added in the offseason along with Jameis Winston learning how to become a better passer, his team can compete for the NFC South.
January 2nd, 2017 at 12:43 am
Here to stay, no matter the weather. BUCS WIN, I would not call it ugly, but certainly Carolina played like they were more interested in Draft Position but anyway we WIN! 9-wins was never my prediction, it was my expectation and with that 9th win I saw improvement in our QB, in ME, in Hump, in Brate, on the DEFENCE I saw improvement after the first 5 games of the season, (it just took time to come together) Grimes is a player, so is Tandy, Hargraves will be better next year, for all you people saying get rid of GMC, do that and we set the team back at least 3 years! Now when I posted the 9 win montra there were a lot of you who said I was stupid, that my math was way off, well DAMN I was spot on (just like lucky I guess). Hats off to Coach K and his Staff, now they must find a fix to this regression of the O-line
January 2nd, 2017 at 1:20 am
Impressive bighog
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