There’s A Bucs-Fan Lesson In The Rays
May 20th, 2018
Joe is going to make a pledge today, one different than the daily pledge to never snooze on Bucs fans.
If somehow, our beloved Buccaneers manage to maintain their losing ways and stumble to an 0-3 record this season, Joe will not throw in the towel at that point.
This is a topic today because of the Tampa Bay Rays. They started the season 1-8, and then bumbled their way to a 3-12 record on April 15.
Now, after a win last night, the Rays’ record sits at 22-22. After fans from Largo to Lakeland, and national baseball pundits, were talking about them possibly being one of the worst teams in history, the Rays are commanding legitimate respect.
Joe believes there’s a good lesson in there for Bucs fans who would push every possible panic button and boil with rage if the Bucs start the season 0-3 against the Saints, Eagles and Steelers, respectively.
Yes, that would place the Bucs’ playoff hopes on life support, but it wouldn’t mean the season is over, lost or ruined.
Something to consider.
Now, if the Bucs were to go 0-3 and then 0-4 after a loss in Chicago the following week, well, then count on Joe joining the inevitable mob calling for significant and swift changes to the team.
May 20th, 2018 at 10:07 am
A stand up and applaud Joe for this stance!!!!! I hope the so-called fans and stick carries follow suit!!!!!! There is a massive influx of new players this year, that might take a little while to gel to get to its potential!!!!! I know the tampa2 mafia is ready to run people out of town any chance they get!!!! But I will let the whole season play out and then evaluate!!!!!!!!!!!
All in all, it will be an exciting season!!!!!!!!!!!
go Rays!!!!!!
and GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 20th, 2018 at 10:13 am
LOL…the only difference is the Bucs play a 16 game schedule versus 162 games.
History dictates that NFL teams starting off at 0-3 will not make the playoffs 90% of the time.
May 20th, 2018 at 10:19 am
The Ray’s are more like the Magic in the way they operate. They clean house every season and get the last player off the bench in return.
The Bucs, despite all of their perceived shortcomings, have a desire and make a strong attempt to make the team better every off season.
May 20th, 2018 at 10:27 am
All I know is that if that we go 3-5 or 2-6 in the first half of the season, it will have been the 3rd season in a row that Koetter/Smith have crapped the bed and dug this team into a huge hole out of the gate.
May 20th, 2018 at 11:00 am
Yes , Joe there is a couple lessons !! The rays have a hitting coach that is actually making the players better, the old hitting coach ( retained due to friendship)could talk hitting with the best of them but just didn’t get results!!!
This by itself has caused Cash to Up his game and be a better Coach !!!
The young players are also hungry and are carrying out the little things that some of the vets that were more talented , just didn’t do !! Longo was a great guy but was he a great leader on the rays , NO !!! He Lacked intensity,loafed all the time and gave up far to many at bats , Talented as hell but complacent as hell, no mojo , Just not a Good Leader !!! Did Cash ever rip his ass and hold him to a standard , Hell NO !! Now your star becomes a bit of a poison and that’s why Buckner is here , he’s the hitting coach !!!
May 20th, 2018 at 11:03 am
I was thinking about how good the Lightning franchise is and what it takes to be competitive year in and year out. It’s impressive that the Bolts are in another Conference Final with a shot at the Stanley Cup…but whats even more impressive to me is any sports franchise that has repeat success. The Bolts…have repeatedly reached the Conference finals…Pittsburgh is the only team with a better record of success.
So now I want you to think how hard it is to do this in the NFL. The NBA is the easiest…a few good players and you have a LeBron team or if you’re really good you can get 3-4 superstars and be the best team in the league.
Hockey is next easiest…a great goalie and six great forwards two great defensemen and complimentary players like the Lightnings fourth line
But football…think about it. Lebron is 1/5 of any NBA lineup. Jameis is 1/11th of just our offense…then you have 11 guys on defense…ST’s and the injury factor in the NFL necessitating deeper benches.
We are justifiably hard on the Bucs…they’re never going to be the Lightning though…nor is any other NFL team save perhaps the Patriots….Football is just too difficult with too many moving parts to dominate for any length of time.
This is why I respect the Pats and Steelers and a few others that manage to remain competitive year in and year out.
Realist and others like to point out that yeah 2018 is important but we should embrace the young core we have and realize we could be building a franchise for the next decade not simply the next year.
May 20th, 2018 at 11:14 am
We start 3&1, you heard it here first! True Buc’s fan! No other reason than faith, I have been a fan since their inception in 1976 the year I graduated high school. This is by far the most excited I have been to see a team take the field EVER!
May 20th, 2018 at 11:39 am
0-3 is stick a fork in them time, period. The Rays are 22-22 on their way to 62-100. Nothing to learn from the Rays.
May 20th, 2018 at 11:45 am
SPBF
The decade starts with one year. If DK and Smitty can’t show something this year, the Bucs will start over again. Personally, I can’t stomach Smitty as DC. This isn’t the NBA where you can hang around the franchise as the color TV analyst , and the next week be put in the coach job. In short, I think he’s mailing it in, collecting vacation pay in the Florida sun..I don’t see DK as a great leader either, but that’s just me.
Props to your Pittsburgh analogy, I believe that is what McKay and Dungy were in the midst of creating..too bad they didn’t quite get there.
May 20th, 2018 at 11:48 am
Still working on that Rays site Joe? lol…….
May 20th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Please Mr. Vinik, buy the Rays (AND the Bucs too)!
May 20th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
So, to sum up this article, Joe says “Beat the Bears!!”
May 20th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
The pathetically low payroll Rays ceiling is .500 ball.
Getting on the Rays bandwagon now is like buying high in the stock market.
…..or more like buying really high as hell (wasted).
Howard has full confidence the Rays will finish the season below .500
May 20th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
I wonder why the NFL hates the Bucs. After the messed up start to last season, they pull this shiz!? And an early bye to boot! I’m pissed! GO BUCS!!
May 20th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
At least they know not to pay 100 million to player that has no effect on the outcome. GMC?
May 20th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
Dolphins got Titans, Jets and Raiders. Smdh.
May 20th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
I think it’s a little ridiculous and overly pessimistic to be spending so much time talking about an 0-3 start. We could speculate on a number of possibilities, like what if they started 3-0? But somehow, the theme ever since the schedule was released has been “oh my god, they’re gonna go 0-3 to start the season.” This is going to be a better team and the negative-leaning speculation in JBFland is a little tiresome.
May 20th, 2018 at 3:14 pm
Issic – You make some very good points. I like the analogies.
May 20th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
Not to be contrary, but the rays likely son’t be in the post season hunt… and losing three at the beginning would require 10-3 the rest of the season to get into the hunt.. and might not be enough.
May 20th, 2018 at 4:21 pm
Look at the history of 0-3 teams making the playoffs and then get back to me on “optimism.”
May 20th, 2018 at 5:37 pm
Unless Winston gets religion on taking care of the football, 0-3 is VERY likely. you cant make mutilpel TO’s against really good teams and win. For those of you that question this fact consider this; Winston has run up great numbers in his early career here, yet he has a losing record. Oh and before anyone makes excuses for him, bad D, no running game, etc, consider this, last year journeyman Fitz won 2 of 3 starts with the same team. Winston 3 of 13 starts. You tell me.
May 20th, 2018 at 5:40 pm
SPBF- we likely have the wrong QB meaning the rest of the roster is important but not determinative
May 20th, 2018 at 8:18 pm
I still think Winston is capable of leading the Bucs to the playoffs given an improved supporting cast. The Bucs win at least one of the first three.
May 20th, 2018 at 8:24 pm
Bucnut2 .
3-13? JW? How can you judge that? How can a Qb be judge on wins and losses in football?? That’s a baseball stat this very stat is confusing me. Yea u can say Fitz is better because of his record. Then again when I watch the 2 JW is waaaayyyyy beettteerrr and he gives us the best shot.
May 21st, 2018 at 4:40 am
In France, we have a saying :
“You only pay the musicians at the end of the concert”
If you are out of playoffs at the end of the season, yes I will ask for change but not before !
Two years ago, we had a terrible start, people were asking for change and then we had this wonderful end of season, finally finishing 9-6.
So wait and see, even after an 0-3, or 0-4 beginning of season.
May 21st, 2018 at 7:55 am
Joe I think you are letting math of baseball’s never ending season to influence you. 22-22 at 30% of the season is not comparable 0-3 at 25% of the season.
May 21st, 2018 at 7:57 am
Meant 1-3 at 25%