“They Have To Find A Way To Win A Game Or Two”
April 20th, 2018
Feels for the Bucs.
Like usual this time of the year when the schedule is released, after the leaks flow in, Joe gets tingly all over with excitement.
But as the Bucs schedule took shape, Joe’s heart sunk down to his ankles.
The Bucs are on the road to start the season at the NFC South champion Saints, then hosting the Super Bowl champion Eagles and AFC North champion Steelers. After a road game to Chicago and an early bye, the Bucs then have three of their next four on the road, which includes games at the Dixie Chicks and the Stinking Panthers.
This is not good, not good at all. It’s bad enough that in the post-Chucky era, the Bucs have more often than not gotten off to rotten starts,
How bad is it? Well, last night on the NFL Network, former 49ers and Lions coach Steve Mariucci was asked if there is any stretch of games that jumped out as a harrowing nightmare for a specific team, and Mariucci quickly said it was the first month of the season for the Bucs.
“You talk about starting fast and it is so important and I will tell you why,” Mariucci said. “Since … this playoff format [debuted in 1990] with 12 playoff teams, 137 teams have started off 0-3, OK? In September. Only three [of those] teams made the playoffs, OK? So that is scary. That’s a two percent chance. You have to start out fast in September. You have to have a good, productive training camp. And you have to be healthy.
“So I am looking at the Tampa Bay Bucs. Alright, they are at New Orleans in the first game, alright? The Superdome will be rocking. You know that. Guess who is coming to Tampa in the second week? The champs, alright? The Philadelphia Eagles, they show up. And then you have the Pittsburgh Steelers who think they are a Super Bowl team, too.
“So the Tampa Bay Bucs start off with those three teams. And boy or boy, they have to find a way to win a game or two in September or we are not looking at playoffs for them.”
Now Joe knows Bucs coach Dirk Koetter is not one to run his players through the ringer in training camp. His philosophy is understandable. He believes the NFL season to be a long marathon and he doesn’t want to burn out players before Halloween with a rugged training camp.
Can he afford to do that this summer? Last year, the Bucs had a rusty training camp and that carried over into the season and everything melted down.
Now that Koetter has full-time use (if he so desires) of an indoor practice facility, might he ramp up practices in the air conditioning?
Getting to the finish line to play meaningful games in January is hard enough. With the schedule the way it is the first two months of the season, it almost seems now like Koetter and the Bucs have a mountain to climb.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:08 am
First 4 games, Bucs have to be at least 2-2 to make the playoffs.
1-3 or 0-4 and they’re done.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:09 am
Yeh, Jacksonville’s methods were so poor last season. They were so beat down by Halloween, they only made it to the AFC championship game. The Bucs were so much better off. Thank goodness we were so fresh for the preseason game.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:14 am
Real talk 11-5
Jameis owns the Georgia dome, last time he saw the eagles he threw 5 TDs and I’ll be back….
April 20th, 2018 at 8:15 am
Our schedule is the 4th toughest in the NFL this year.
Try as I might to be optimistic, it sure looks like we will be O-3 before we go up to Chicago and get a win.
Yes, we beat the Saints at home last year, but that was at our home. They will be looking for revenge at home, and does anyone really think we will beat the Eagles and Steelers ?
Hey, anything is possible, and of course I want us to win, but our new schedule is a real bitch.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:17 am
@tnew
While the practice were reported sloppy, the soft approach I can understand with the roster they had!!!!! And you can not compare to the Jags as the roster was so different!!!!! Look at the trenches, the Bucs had a bunch of guys who always miss time!!!!!! You can’t run a tough camp with the likes of CM98, Sweezy, GMC, D Evans, DD, Swaggy Baker, and other that get hurt at the drop of a hat!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:23 am
Glennon best the Steelers at home so jameis will kill them and the last time he played the bears he created a highlight for the ages and a win I think.
He had the redskins 24-0 before McIceCream’s EPIC FAIL.
besides the bengals, ravens and the cowboys jw has beat almost every team on the schedule.
I ain’t Skerd.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:28 am
at least two of the first three are at home… maybe they start hot if they come away from the draft with some productive rookies.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:29 am
Bring it…if your scared of the schedule what else are you scared of?
Man up and expect the same from your team!!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:30 am
i always laugh when i hear toughest schedule. last year is over. every team is VERY different. i didnt see other nfc south teams improve like the bucs did. time will tell
April 20th, 2018 at 8:36 am
What’s this crying all about? Weknew who we had to play before, the news is just the when.
And guys, I see playing the powerhouses early as an advantage. IMHO playing them when they have found their rhythm is much harder!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:41 am
Well if we win early we will know we are pretty darn good…
April 20th, 2018 at 8:42 am
When you’re a crappy team, every schedule is an 0-3 threat.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:44 am
German Buc, love your optimism. I hope you’re right, my gut tells me 1-2 is the CEILING. I think we can take the Saints but I don’t have the faith in this coaching regime, especially Smith, to handle the Eagles or Steelers offenses. I’m really hoping to be proven wrong though.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:49 am
tough schedule, for sure.
just further entrenches me in my position that the Bucs must continue their focus on rebuilding their trench warfare core…
Get Nelson in round 1
Grab a young DE in round 2
Complete the overhaul. The rest will follow.
dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides.
FIX THE TRENCHES, FIX THE BUCS!!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:51 am
When your BYE week is week 5…..you can go hard in training camp.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:52 am
Tony – I really wanted to grab S Barkley (if there) @ 7. Seeing this schedule, I’m fully with you on the Trench warfare. We’ve got to build for 2020, because 2019…. Barkley isn’t going to save this team.
April 20th, 2018 at 8:54 am
Drew, Big Ben, then Wentz.
Lordy…..
April 20th, 2018 at 8:54 am
This presents an opportunity……if we can do well early, it bodes well for the season…..surely you wouldn’t want the players and coaches to adopt the same crybaby whining attitude of some of the fans……suck it up and play good football……Go Bucs!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:54 am
Joe–breathe, no reason Bucs can’t beat Saints again, they start off slow(last year), we don’t know if Eagles will be as good as they were, Steelers are beatable–last year the Bears beat them, last year Big Ben threw 5 int in 1 game! We start off healthy and that is best time to play these teams. Saints better watch the fck out cause we be a comin with our new D-line. I’m confident, Jameis is better too, if Licht can get Nelson and Guice–we good.
April 20th, 2018 at 9:22 am
Same problem as always. People look at the schedule and try to find the games we should win. If you think the schedule has decided it record already then this season is over and you should start scouting to ten pics for next year’s draft. Until we can approach a season feeling we can win every game on the schedule we are just playing for next year. Winning teams don’t have this mindset. All the complaining about toughest schedules tells me you probably shouldn’t even bother with this season.
April 20th, 2018 at 9:26 am
I prognosticate (more of a wild guess) games by judging the opponent’s defense. By far the best one of the bunch is the Eagles and they gave up a million yards in the Super Bowl. We can score on Pittsburg, New Orleans, and Atlanta.
The problem will lie with our defense. If we do take a lead late in any of those games, can our guys shock the world by actually keeping the lead?
Hmmmmmmm…
April 20th, 2018 at 9:34 am
Why is C J Anderson not visiting one buc place????????????
April 20th, 2018 at 9:38 am
ChanEpic, I don’t have too much faith in Smitty either. I just hope the overhaul of our D-Line will help to stop other teams running all over us.
I am totally convinced that with a decent D-Line we would have closed out the season 5-0 (with wins at GB, against DET, ATL, at CAR and – as we did – against NO), lifting our record to 9-7. And now imagine we would have won at ARI (where we were terribly outcoached) or at BUF (the damned fumble by Rudy).
Btw: I’ll be in ATL first Sunday of coming February. Flights and hotel are booked.
April 20th, 2018 at 9:46 am
Trade down and build the trenches.
April 20th, 2018 at 9:58 am
tough start indeed……but this is what this team and staff needs…..a tough challenge!!!!!…..
no more fooling us with a dominate win vs a lousy team in the beginning of the year……and I don’t know why people think the bears are a push over…..they won the same amount of games we did….that game wont be easy up in chi town….trubiskey will be much improved…..
this team has talent….this team has depth….its time to win now!!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 9:59 am
I’m predicting a 6-2 start to the first half of the season with back to back loses against the Bengals and Panthers. So really a 6-0 start.
@ me bro
April 20th, 2018 at 10:05 am
If anyone thinks this team will win more than 6 games then you’re not very smart and get ready to be let down.
The Bucs are not better than most of the teams they will play.
You all can be as positive as you want but positivity isn’t gonna change the facts
I also wouldn’t be surprised (not saying it will happen) if in the first three games Winston has 5 picks 2 fumbles and 3 td’s.
April 20th, 2018 at 10:14 am
rah rah rah Go Bucs! ….the fact that you have fans who are condescending and patronize some fans for looking at the schedule with their eyes wide open and wondering when the hell we’ll ever get a break from the scheduling gods. Sorry, I’ve been lead to the alter way to many times at the beginning of the season by people who shame you for being historically realistic. The first half of the season will be brutal no matter how much y’all want to ignore it. Can we have a successful start? …sure but no matter how gungho you it just doesn’t take a way the facts. Three divisional winners in a row is brutal.
April 20th, 2018 at 10:38 am
I dont know if db55 is being funny and trolling the optimistic buc fans or if its his positive little brother posting. Surely its not the real db55 predicting 11-5. Not with mccoy on the team. Am i missing something?
April 20th, 2018 at 10:39 am
I LOVE it! We have four months to prepare for the Saints. And when we win that game we will have confidence to take on the Eagles and the Steelers. And it will be all downhill from there
April 20th, 2018 at 10:44 am
I’m not sure of why there is all this love for Jax. They were mediocre at best last year. Many mediocre teams made the playoffs…especially if they had the luxury of playing in the AFC!!! That Buffalo-Jax playoff game was the worst post season contest I can remember ever watching. It sucked!!! Two mediocre…actually one mediocre and one lucky team trying to see which one could avoid losing.
I do not want to use the schedule as an excuse. It is what it is. But I wonder if the NFL hates us? How could a last place team in their division end up facing the Division Champs…followed by the league champs..then a perennial playoff team all in a row to start the season. Seems like brain dead scheduling to me.
Another poster did the research on when our Byes have come up and that was an eye opener as well. Besides simply erasing a bye last year the league always has the Buc’s bye early in the season…EVERY year.
April 20th, 2018 at 10:47 am
@ATLBucs
I LOVE your attitude bro. Is the glass half full or half empty. I too can see upside in this schedule.
I love opening on the road since we seem to choke so much at RayJay. We will be expected to lose in N.O. so there is no pressure of expectations.
Even when we win that opener…facing the SB Champs next will help keep fans expectations from getting to far out there.
April 20th, 2018 at 10:51 am
The Saints are 1 year removed from being in the basement of the NFC South. 2 guys in their draft last year changed the whole team, which shows their 5-11 season was a fluke. Tampa’s 5-11 season was a fluke too and we have the chance to add good players this draft.
Teams change from year to year and I firmly believe the Bucs are A LOT closer than some are realizing.
Yes it’s a tough beginning to a schedule, but they COULD seriously win all 3, gain a TON of confidence, and go on a complete rampage terrorizing opponents the rest of the way.
That’s the disparity of the NFL these days.
And by the way Mike Evans is a top 5 WR and could go OFF in the 1st 3 games too.
If you guys haven’t watched the E60 special about what happened to him when he was 9, I would encourage it.
Gave me goosebumps.
https://vimeo.com/165345623
April 20th, 2018 at 10:52 am
Koetter and Smitty will have all of the tools in the toolbox. great newly added players and depth. Air conditioned Indor practice facility, Newly hired Defensive coaches to..help our inept DC (smile). I don’t want to hear how tough the ocean is ..the schedule is. Bring the ship In
Or..Pack bags!!! NO EXCUSES PLEASE.
April 20th, 2018 at 11:08 am
It’s so predicable.
0-3. People screaming for HC and GM to be fired. Lockeroom divisions.
“Those two ridiculous INT’s Winston threw cost us the Pittsburg game! We should have drafted Mayfield!”
You can see it coming…
April 20th, 2018 at 11:26 am
@ reality
The saints were not 5-11. They were 7-9.
April 20th, 2018 at 11:37 am
This is going to be a disaster. The bucs are not very good, simple as that.
April 20th, 2018 at 11:38 am
yeah I think DB55 trolling…..
bucs wont get me like they did last year…..i’ll admit, I was part of the group that thought we punched our ticket to the playoffs after we beat the bears…..not this year…..I need to see a winning streak before I start I even think about getting excited….
im hoping and praying for at least 11wins with a trip to the playoffs but I don’t know…..this staff doesn’t give me confidence…..we have the players but I think we lack competent coaching…..
either the players or the coaches will get exposed this year…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 11:38 am
We better be a lot better than we were last year or Koetter won’t make it to the half way point.
April 20th, 2018 at 11:39 am
Webster
Look man at some point you have to show out regardless of hurdles. Jameis has that mentality of me vs the world. Can’t nothing stop me. And most importantly he’s willing to put his team on his back.
So ice cream or not it’s do or die time.
Hopefully McIceCream breaks a fingernail and recuses himself for the season, one less hurdle for JW to deal with.
April 20th, 2018 at 11:44 am
Add to that a possible Jameis suspension and the gloom is more than understandable. Fortunately a lot can happen before September 9 and let’s hope some positives come our way!
April 20th, 2018 at 12:00 pm
I hope we find some GOOD corners, before the seasons starts or it will be another typical Jason Licht year unprepared for the season. Hope not but I don’t trust his “Team building”
April 20th, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Koetter needs to toughen up and have a hard grueling camp. This team needs to get tougher. Go into the Big Sleezy and beat the crap out of the Saints, with defense. I’m talking the kind of beating the Bucs put on Seattle a couple years ago. Set the tone. Make a statement. Throw everything you have at it. Take risks but be disciplined. I think all too often they lose their first game and say one game, bounce back, blah blah. Refuse to lose!!! The talent is there for the most part, just not sure about the Coaches’ mindset.
April 20th, 2018 at 1:53 pm
10-6
April 20th, 2018 at 3:03 pm
Realist. Sorry for being so late to reply. Maybe they get hurt because if their soft training tactics. Why practice soft only to lose guys throughout the season. I know they are “professionals” but keeping things soft in training and expecting fierce play is folly. Yes you may, may get an extra injury (although for the last three seasons the Bucs have had a ton of injuries). But you give away grit.
This points to Koetter’s biggest issue as a head coach. He errors on the side of safety on every decision. Playing it safe in today’s NFL is a push towards mediocrity at best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Realist that is the most ridiculous excuse I have ever heard.
“Tampa has to run a soft training camp because of the players they had on the roster” ?!?!?
GTFO with that nonsense.
You run a training camp the way you want to as a HC, you don’t dictate it season by season based on your players. If your players can’t hack it, find ones who can.
April 20th, 2018 at 4:25 pm
@tnew
@unbelievable
rhealist is running out of excuses for this staff…..he’s being exposed more and more with each idiotic comment like the one above…..
we all know the moto this season……
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 6:38 pm
This is a brand new team with what they’ve done in the trenches! It changes everything!
April 20th, 2018 at 6:43 pm
No bye week last year and three difficult teams the first three weeks this year. Just one more way the NFL loves to f*ck over the Bucs. But Im’a keep the faith. SEPTEMBER= 4-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 20th, 2018 at 8:08 pm
I’m serious when I say this, I’m predicting the Buccaneers to go 1-15 for the 2018 regular season, and for the ownership to clean house by firing the front office and coaching staff.
I’m a Bucs fan through and through, but I also am aware that SOMEBODY in this brutal NFC will have to be the worst team in the conference. Candidates for that I personally must say it will likely be us or the Cardinals (assuming no season ending injury to any other NFC starting QB of course).
April 20th, 2018 at 9:33 pm
I wonder who the next GM, head coach and staff will be? These boys are toast.