Hype Again Dooms Bucs
January 3rd, 2018
“The hype was real.”
Are the Bucs still dreamers?
This may not mean a dang thing but it could mean something. It struck a chord with Joe so here it is.
We all remember in 2016 when the Bucs beat the Dixie Chicks on the road in Atlanta to start the season. Pretty impressive win. The next week, the Bucs go to Arizona and get totally throttled by the Cardinals. After the game, class act Demar Dotson told Joe in the locker room that too many players bought the hype of the season-opening win, thinking they could just show up and Arizona would roll over.
It seems, even with that ugly, that very public lesson, the Bucs this season fell into that same trap. Again.
The Bucs won the offseason. They got DeSean Jackson, one of the scariest weapons in the NFL. They drafted O.J. Howard who, by rookie numbers alone, appears to be a budding superstar.
And then — BOOM! — the Bucs went to Minnesota (second game of the season) and were throttled.
This week when speaking with the Bucs pen and mic club, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, admitted the team bought into the preseason hype. Again.
“I was so confident in the beginning of the year,” Jameis said. “The hype was real. [The rotten 2017 season] really fuels me because just because the hype is there, that doesn’t mean anything. We have to go out here and play on the field.
“You still have to go out there and play and you still have to prove your pudding.”
Joe would hope that Jameis, being the team leader, finally understands and gets the point across to his teammates that hype and dreaming is just that: empty thoughts.
Jameis always talks about wanting to be great and anyone that has met him or follows him even remotely on social media knows this, sees the evidence. The guy is a workaholic.
But Joe’s tired of guys buying dreams. It’s great to chase a dream to be great, but the NFL will let you know when you are great, not HBO. The Bucs, in case anyone hasn’t noticed, are a garbage team (hat tip to Bill Parcells). They are picking No. 7 in the draft for a reason.
Joe wishes this team would just focus on the task at hand: winning games and not so much their Instagram accounts filled with comments from hangers-on and sycophants about how awesome they are.
Look at the scoreboard; look at the record. Those two elements will tell the Bucs all they need to know about themselves as both individual players, and as a team.
The NFL and your record will tell you when you’ve arrived, not TMZ or Extra!
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:22 pm
It ain’t the hype…it is the reality of Jameis’s collection of negative stats…ying of the yang
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Thats the problem with having young leaders,
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:38 pm
“Look at the record”? Wait, does that mean that WINS & LOSSES count for more than Yards Gained? As in (maybe) POINTS SCORED count for more than Passing Yards? As in (maybe again) that POINTS ALLOWED count for more than Yards Allowed? Wow Joe, welcome to the Dark Side.
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Hype, really…… hype?? What hype?? Please spare me with all that dead noise again. I didn’t go into this season with high expectations at all ( because unlike most of you sheep out there I didn’t think this team was stacked with talent at all ), and I sure as hell don’t have any for the coming year. Especially since it’s going to be status quo around here. The same sh!t we saw this year will be the same sh!t we see next year. Let’s see, it’s the same GM making the same bad free agent signings and some bad draft picks. It will be the same inept coaches coaching this abortion of a team. And last but not least there’s the AWESOME roster we have in place! I mean I don’t know where this team would be without the greatness of Chris Baker, Doug Martin, J.RSweazy, and T.J. Ward? Hype……PLEASE!!!!! LMMFAO
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:47 pm
Rockstars in the off-season, Hard Knocks darlings, weak practices, personnel ignorance (Martin, DL, CB), a 58 year old offensive head coach that can’t manage late game situations, a QB that can’t stop the stupid throws (remember that goal line, blind pass from his back in preseason), all the signs were there that these Bucs were garbage, let’s do it again next year lol, JW needs to stop doing those personal interviews he talks family and love in the locker room, how bout talking about production and wins on the field
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:49 pm
How are any of us still fans????
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Drive stats are out from Football Outsiders. The Bucs defense leads the league in yards allowed despite facing 12 less drives than average, basically a whole game—30 drives less than the Jaguars. We’re also last in TDs per drive and I’ve posted NFL stats showing us dead last and historically inept at 3rd down stops. It’s not all bad, though a couple good games at the end got us to 30th in points per drive (besting the Packers and Texans) and drive success rate.
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:53 pm
Joe, you likely know better than I could from reading stories and gauging public facing personas of these players: do you get the vibe that players on this team actually enjoy the grind? Everything that I’ve heard from winning organizations is that the games are won during the week and that it’s all about preparation that then presents itself through execution on Sundays. How many times have we heard about bad practices during the week from this team or watched them scrambling midway through a game to try and compensate for slow starts? That all screams to me that they’re not putting in the work from Monday to Saturday. True, I’m sure they’re putting in the hours and it’s a cute story that Jameis’ truck is there before Koetter’s every morning, but do you get the sense that the team is comprised of actual professionals who honor their craft?
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:04 pm
Your right Altered our record had nothing to do with a league worst defense, horrible kicking game, no running game along with a ton of injuries. Yep just blame it all on a QB that despite all of that had a 92.9 QB rating. Yep you’re right 100% his fault lets get rid of him and draft someone with the 7th pick that will do the trick. I am sure a rookie coming in will do great with no running game, kicking game and the worst defense in the league no problem. Dude everyday with your comments is like you never even watched football before.
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:10 pm
@Joe
This is what I told you almost a year ago!!!!! OMG….Its the “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Buc Realist Says:
April 19th, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Hola from Spain B!tches!!!! Had to interrupt the vacation to weigh in!! It makes Sad to see the owners not Buying all in to win!!!! Are they doing every thing they can to help this team win?? Are they helping this team by eliminating every distraction they can???? The answer is NO!!!!!!!! They signed this team up to expand the brand and be on NFL’s longest commercial!!!!
I am giving a pass to the Coaches and players as the OWNERS did not set the right mindset for this season!!!!! Hope the season is successful despite what the glazer are doing!!!!!! Maybe next year they will be all in!!!!
While some are worried about “juice” on NFL’s longest commercial!!!! The real fans are just waiting till next year for the “refocusing” and the “Real” goal of playoffs and the ultimate prize!!!!!!!!
The Buc Realist is handing out a “pass” to coaches and players this year!!!! As the owners “expand the brand”!!!!!!!!
Supposed to be siesta time, but already faded and checking Joe Bucs Fan!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:22 pm
Joe at what time do we factor in that Tampa had no bye week?
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:23 pm
I don’t think hype ruined anything!!! It just wasnt our year. Our luck was beyond horrid even down to details like an official falling on the field…costing us the last few seconds to set up costing a great shot at yet another win.
There were the mind numbing stupid penalties at just the wrong time….and the injuries were at the wrong times with the wrong people like the ONE guy who might have given us at least some pass rush. If Noah was totally healthy it wasn’t absurd to think he might deliver ten sacks. What would ten sacks have done for us?
Reality check. This team played better than the 9 win team for long parts of this season. We lost SEVEN games by a score or less and FOUR of them by a FG!!!
Flip 5 of those seven games and depending which five we’re not only a ten win team but in the playoffs. Would that have qualified as meeting pre season hype.
Not really…we were thinking a deep playoff run.
I knew our pass rush was very weak but not existent. I knew our OL was a work in progress but I expected a lot more progress.
Put together an OL that can run block and a DL that can rush the passer and we won’t have to worry about hype!!! Build the trenches!
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Being hyped as a player isn’t a bad thing – but the coach buying into it and telling the team how good they are in early August, maybe that turned out to be an issue. As someone said about Hard Knocks where Dirk is saying how good this team is – they pointed out Belichick would never had said such a thing – to him it’s always “us” versus the world and everyone is against us, etc. I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time, but maybe there is something to it.
January 3rd, 2018 at 1:51 pm
How did the Bucs do on getting the most first downs???? and putting up the most yardage? Hahaha you and your dumba$$ stats Joe. The only ones that matter are wins and loss. Learn that JOE and you will quit with being so blind to what the Bucs and Klueless Koetter are.
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:06 pm
There’s a lot of hype every year because it sells tickets and gets us all excited about the upcoming seasonHowever, to hear that the players buy into it is kind of disturbing
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Absolutely we are just pure hype and potential at this point. We play in a division where drew Brees ,Cam newton , and Matt Ryan all roam and we have a worse pass rush then a flag football fat camp team. As of right now we’re built to lose every divisional game. We have to find not 1 but 2 productive pass rushers and continue to build some depth on the oline. The defensive line has to be addressed before anything else. Once we get decent defense that will take some of the pressure off of Jameis back I believe it’s a snow ball effect.
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:14 pm
Whether it is a matter of buying into the hype or simply a product of the culture, the Bucs don’t play with urgency. From the slow starts on offense, to the passive style of defense, to the consistent failure to close out games, to the conservative play calls and time management decisions (can we please go for it on 4th down one time!!!), the team completely lacks the type of killer instincts that separates the dominate teams from those that founder. Many have said that this team lacks an identity. I would disagree. Its identity is an utter lack of aggression on both sides of the ball. My hope for the offseason is that the coaching staff (and by extension, the players) realize this, and go into 2018 with a newfound attitude. Want to change the culture? Build an identity around an aggressive mindset – fast, downhill, hard-hitting defenses, high-powered offenses that impose their will on the opposition from the opening whistle and don’t take their foot off the gas until the game is won, and aggressive special teams play. Make playing football (and watching it) fun again!!!
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Two years in a row buying into hype thinking your better than you really are and two years under dirk koetter. He had not proven he can get his team ready to play except when they are playing for pride at the end of a meaningless season and to try and save his job for some reason. Party of me believes they were fighting more for the status quo that allows them to not give maximum effort in the off-season and training camp. Likely they are hoping for another light training camp
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:26 pm
pewterpirate99 Says:
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Let’s see, it’s the same GM making the same bad free agent signings and some bad draft picks. It will be the same inept coaches coaching this abortion of a team.
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This team is an “abortion,” huh? How long you been a Bucs fan? Probably after Dungy got here. The abortions were the teams of the 1980s and part of the 1990s. Dimwit.
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:38 pm
Notthereyet
How long have you been a Buc’s fan. The hype and believing we’re better than we are has been around a lot longer than the past two years. As a Buc’s fan I can’t remember a year when we didn’t think we’re better than we are except for that one glorious team and about a six year run. Then we were for that brief moment in time…REALLY GOOD!!! Kind of like the Lightning now! Other than that…we’ve ALWAYS thought we’re better than we are….get’s us through the night.
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:42 pm
@REALIST
NO PASSES THIS YEAR!!!!!!…..NO EXCUSES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Credit where credit is due. If that’s really a repost from last off-season year, your prescience reached legendary status. I thought this team would go 12-4. Definitely would have left the Omaha table long enough to place an over 8 wins bet—and as the name implies it would have been for way more than the $20 to win $12 ticket that Joe screen-shot and showed to us last summer.
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:57 pm
Legendary refers in this case to Buc-Realist
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:58 pm
We do not know what we have in the way of talent because coaching has been terrible. Jim Harbaugh please!
January 3rd, 2018 at 3:01 pm
loggedontosay Says:
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:58 pm
We do not know what we have in the way of talent because coaching has been terrible. Jim Harbaugh please!
^^BINGO^^
and after getting whipped by muschamp, he should be dying to get back to the NFL….GO BUCS!!!!
January 3rd, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Joe at what time do we factor in that Tampa had no bye week?
A factor, sure, but Bucs arguably played their best ball of the season in December. So not sure how much of a factor no bye was.
January 3rd, 2018 at 3:20 pm
True. That post is coming tomorrow.
January 3rd, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Go Bucs…I know it takes time, I also know you weren’t as bad as your record says, I know you hung in there time to time, neck to neck with some “elite teams, I know the NFC have the toughest conference, I know the Bucs QB was injured during the 2nd game, I know his ankle was injured also, I know the Bucs had no bye week, I know we went thru a hurricane, I know we had an usual amount of guys to go down, I know the Bucs was a kick away from putting the Patriots away, I know the REF fell taking needed time off the clock, I know JW recovered his fumble but the recover was given to the Panthers, I know in spite of all the unfortunate circumstances the Bucs QB was playing lights out and he has not fully healed, I know with the lack of a pass rush the defense has done well and held on…I know our QB is not as inaccurate as the selective few try to make him out to be, I know all players that enter the NFL are ELITE…I know Dirk has been given a golden opportunity and he and Jaboo is gonna light it up…if they shut out the noise, speak softly and carry that big stick!!!
..
January 3rd, 2018 at 4:39 pm
I have never..ever beleived the Bucs Hype. I always just wait for the product to hit the field. When I saw our Defense this year, I knew we were doomed. And If its not really patched up this off season? We are Doomed again. Don’t matter what kind of year our Offense has. When you cannot stop anyone..you gonna lose in the league.
January 3rd, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Guzzie Says:
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:49 pm
How are any of us still fans????
__________
IF Gruden wins another superbowl after the uproar like paul revere before the storm lol they might be some backup Vegas Raider fans…..lol
January 3rd, 2018 at 7:17 pm
Preseason hype? They absolutely SUCKED in the Preseason…lol!
January 3rd, 2018 at 9:47 pm
orlbucfan Says:
January 3rd, 2018 at 2:26 pm
pewterpirate99 Says:
January 3rd, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Let’s see, it’s the same GM making the same bad free agent signings and some bad draft picks. It will be the same inept coaches coaching this abortion of a team.
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This team is an “abortion,” huh? How long you been a Bucs fan? Probably after Dungy got here. The abortions were the teams of the 1980s and part of the 1990s. Dimwit.
Well dip sh!t I actually been a fan of the team since 1989. And yes it is an abortion. Not that’s it’s any of your business but that’s when I moved down here, the same year I became a Bucs fan. So yes I have seen this team really suck! I’ve also seen it at it’s highest high…….you know that little game they played at San Diego in 2003. THE WHOLE REASON EVERYONE PLAYS IN THE NFL…….TO WIN A SUPER BOWL!!! I’m sorry but I’m not sorry for having high standards and not settling for mediocrity like you and so many goobers around here. The Super Bowl team and the teams that came before it with Coach Dungy set the standard, and I will not accept anything less. SO YES THEY ARE AN ABORTION JACKASS!!!!!
January 4th, 2018 at 7:43 am
The main problem is that the head coach bought the hype. He decided to not have them practice like they should have. Thought he didnt need to draw up more routes because it was gona be easy going deep like it was against mike smiths d in patty cake camp. They were completely unprepared because of dirk. I hope he learned his lesson. Who cares if our starters are healthy next year cuz most of em were outplayed by the 2nds. Practice practice practice….the new routes and defense, hopefully. Hope bout sendin 2 backers on the same play smitty? A safety blitz, ever heard of it? Cant send a corner blitz cuz the other team would know its coming, if the corner was closer than 5 yards from receiver.