How Bucs Moved Into 21st Century
August 15th, 2017
Talks importance of joint practices.
There is a pretty simple NFL rule to live by: If it’s good enough for Bill Belicheat, it’s good enough for everyone.
Belicheat is a big believer in controlled scrimmages with other teams. He’s scheduled three this year and in preseason games, at least this year, few starters for Belicheat have taken snaps. Why? Belicheat has stated starters get better work in the joint practices.
Even former Bucs commander Greg Schiano was a joint practices kind of a guy. Tony Dungy would have joint practices with the Dolphins. But Lovie Smith? Nah, he couldn’t be bothered with such nonsense.
Joe remembers asking Lovie about joint practices and he got all haughty with Joe and basically said he knew how to prepare teams for the season.
You know, Tennessee-ready.
Instead, Lovie liked to beat his players down in the heat of the day unlike most other NFL teams, which try to spare players from getting zapped in the summer.
Shoot, even America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, sees the value in joint practices.
“This is very valuable,” Jameis said after the Bucs and Jags worked out yesterday. “Jacksonville has a great defense. They’ve given us a lot of looks we haven’t seen before. Our defense is known for the numerous looks that they give us, but having another team that hasn’t seen what you’ve done and has its own practice regimen is great. I love joining practices and competing against other teams.”
At the very worst, it breaks up the monotony of training camp. Trust Joe; right before the Bucs left for Cincinnati last week, players were really getting mentally fatigued hammering on the same people day after day after day.
Joe thinks that is one reason why the players so loved the Stick Carriers when they took over practice on a Saturday morning earlier this month. It broke up the boredom of training camp.
August 15th, 2017 at 6:58 am
Tennessee ready. That’s a keeper Joe.
August 15th, 2017 at 7:05 am
Dont the buccs have more joint practices after jville with cleveland??
August 15th, 2017 at 7:47 am
Jags are going to be interesting this year with Coughlin at the helm.
But I think he’s alienating some media members with his strict rules on the during practices. No sitting. No video. No reporting on 11 on 11 or 7 on 7 drills????
I get that New York media needed strict rules, but Florida is not New York. Glad he’s not our coach. We’d have none of those great training camp reports that Joe gives us!
August 15th, 2017 at 7:57 am
Hey Bonsai, Coughlin is not Jacksonvilles head coach, he has a Butch Davis setup as an advisor to the team. The Jags Head coach is Mr. Marrone.
August 15th, 2017 at 8:04 am
This was one of the biggest head-scratchers of Lovie’s tenure. How can joint practices NOT be beneficial? Different plays, styles, skillsets, one’s maybe not encountered from teammates can only broaden an individual’s skills.
August 15th, 2017 at 8:33 am
Coughlin is more than an advisor. He’s the vice president of football operations.
August 15th, 2017 at 8:34 am
Exactly!
August 15th, 2017 at 8:41 am
Gruffness also was against joint practices. I vaguely remember him being asked about it once and him shutting that idea down pretty quickly.
August 15th, 2017 at 8:41 am
Gruden. This auto-correct garbage does more harm than good sometimes, I swear.
August 15th, 2017 at 8:45 am
A-MEN!!!
August 15th, 2017 at 8:47 am
Mort:
At least with Chucky, he had a resume. And he evolved. He used to be dead-set against a shotgun and he later incorporated a shotgun.
August 15th, 2017 at 9:10 am
Autocorrect or a Freudian Slip
August 15th, 2017 at 9:10 am
Are some saying that coach my scheme was outdated, antiquated and archaic!!!!!!!!!!! very interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!
August 15th, 2017 at 9:46 am
Lovie and his staff just struck me as a group like liked to sleep in. Laid back, don’t get excited kind of guys. Let the early bird have the worm, so to speak. Worse, if you can’t think well in the meeting rooms after practice in such heat. I’d love the NFL to go to two pre-season games (one home, one away) and two public-invited open scrimmages. And do a 18 game regular season that starts last week of August. But since it means big $$$ lost, I’d bet BOTH the NFLPA and NFL owners wouldn’t want it.
August 15th, 2017 at 9:53 am
PREACH ROY, PREACH!!!
Actually, the NFL would rake in cash with two extra regular season games. It’s all about TV. That would mean six more primetime games, two additional Sundays of programming, not to mention pushing the playoffs and Super Bowl back into February which is sweeps months which is additional $$$.
Hell, even Belicheat — in actions, not words — has demonstrated how ridiculous preseason games are and what a farce preseason is. He doesn’t even play starters hardly at all in preseason games and instead, he gets them snaps in joint practices.
The only reason there isn’t an 18-game schedule is players don’t want to play any more games unless they are better compensated for that. Understandable.
Joe still likes Pat Kirwan’s idea. Expand the rosters and expand the regular season to 18 games but cap the number of regular season games a player can play at 16. Talk about strategy, you’d have to gameplan/figure out what two games you sit your starting quarterback, etc.
August 15th, 2017 at 9:58 am
Auto-correct can kiss my ASK!
August 15th, 2017 at 10:37 am
Joe
Love Kirwan’s solution. I hadn’t heard that before but in addition to preserving some healthy players, I agree it would create some very interesting strategy.
The rules would be critical however…as in…when you have to announce who gets to sit which games…especially at QB. Vegas will be watching very carefully!
Would a week in advance be adequate…I think that should take care of it…plenty of time for the lines to be established and settle. Simply announce the roster right after Sunday’s games for the following week.
August 15th, 2017 at 10:50 am
Get rid of the ugly uniforms…