A Nasty And Important Reminder
July 20th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
This garbage cannot stand.
This franchise can’t be this bad for this long – without consequences.
A 10-year playoff drought has sapped the enthusiasm of a fan base that once considered Raymond James Stadium an exhilarating arena, a destination which released their everyday frustrations.
Now, the Bucs are a part of that frustration.
As this embattled organization approaches the start of training camp, so much is at stake.
The Lightning are already being tabbed as Stanley Cup favorites this fall. USF’s football program seems to be on the move. The Rays have generated buzz about a new stadium.
The Bucs? They’ve generated suspicion.
This is not about Jameis Winston’s three-game suspension. This is about a franchise which has lost its way since the end of the 2008 season.
Read on at your own peril.
The Bucs haven’t been the same since the four-game collapse that ushered Jon Gruden out the door. Once news broke that Monte Kiffin was heading north to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee, Tampa Bay veered south.
Since that 9-3 start in 2008, the Bucs are 50-98. That’s slightly better than one win every three games.
Only the Browns have a worse record in that span. The Browns.
Oh my.
Change Without Change
The Glazers have fired four head coaches and two general managers during their lost decade … and nothing has changed.
Team Glazer members Bryan and Ed alongside the Vince Lombardi trophy.
They’ve purged veterans and welcomed high draft picks. They’ve raised ticket prices and lowered expectations. They’ve built a new video board and invested in an indoor facility.
They’ve changed slogans, changed training camp sites and changed locker rooms.
But has anything really changed?
The Bucs find themselves in danger of encroaching on some dubious team history. From 1983-1996, this club did not make the playoffs. You can blame that astonishing 14-year gap on the curse of Doug Williams or a string of inept draft selections, but the drought is now 10 seasons and counting.
And don’t forget the six last-place finishes in the NFC South during the past seven seasons, so there’s that.
This depressing history lesson serves as a nasty reminder of what Buc fans have been asked to endure for quite awhile. Even the Glazers admit Buc supporters have shown incredible loyalty to an organization that has struggled to return the favor.
The 2018 Bucs have an opportunity to erase these painful memories. It all starts next week with a commitment from players and coaches to forge a future to be proud of.
“I’m excited about where we are,” Gruden said in the throes of that killer losing streak. “Get in the tournament and anything can happen.”
Get in or get out.
Now in his 40th year covering the NFL , Ira Kaufman is the most revered sports personality and writer in the Tampa Bay area. He scored a full-time seat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters in July of 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also hear Ira on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio Wednesdays at 5 p.m. during football season. Also a TV start, see Ira now on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Spectrum Sports 360 (aka BayNews 9). Ira also is part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday NFL show and enjoys beet salads, Riesling, Chiefs victories and needling Joe.
July 20th, 2018 at 10:48 am
I’m not sure we need anymore “nasty reminders”. I’m not sure what to think when I see these kinds of posts whether from the pros who start out threads or we amateurs who respond.
It’s rare to gain total unanimity, absolute consensus,here on JBF but can I get a witness?
Doesn’t EVERYBODY here agree that the Bucs have sucked for a long time?
Perhaps we could simply rewrite EBB’s famous poem…
How do we suck?
Let us count the ways?
Perhaps this is Ira’s version of 813bucboi’s “No excuses”.
As for me however, while conceding this record and what it means, and realizing I am a cockeyed optimist to believe we’re going to be significantly improved this year…it’s just how I roll. I do not get any satisfaction out of reliving past horrors…I can at least FANTASIZE about future success. If I’m wrong so be it at least I have the pleasure of my fantasies.
OPTIMISM RULES!
July 20th, 2018 at 10:53 am
There were two things that happened to start the downward slide;
Malcomb Glazer got sick, handing control of the franchise over to his kids
The Glazers decided to buy ManU, their kickball team, and focusing much of their attention and finances there. The NFL had no salary floor at that time and the Glazers were spending the league’s lowest amounts money on payroll. I remember Gruden saying the Glazers had closed the checkbook on him, not allowing him to keep or get the players he needed to keep the winning going.
ManU is now the world’s second most valuable sports franchise, so you guys figure it out
July 20th, 2018 at 11:09 am
IMO the Glazerhouse Boys are only interested in making money. Their dad had a passion for winning. Case and point is the Winston Draft selection over Marcus Mariota! Both QB were equally talented but in different ways. The choice came down to who the Glazerhouse Boys felt would put more fans in the Stadium over winning. At the time of Winston becoming a Buccaneer Jason Licht right hand man was Jon Robinson (now the GM in Tenn). He saw what Tenn had and the Bucs didn’t, he jumped ship and has built a contender with the Titans. Marcus doesn’t have the Stats that Winston does with the exception of one. He wins close football games. He’s led a team to back to back winning seasons and a playoff win. This team isn’t going anywhere anytime soon with this ownership, coaching staff and starting QB. That’s a reality Bucs fans
July 20th, 2018 at 11:10 am
The deepest South team in the NFL South is gonna do it again, that will be winning. Hold your horses.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:21 am
It all starts at the top.
As BrianBucs stated the Children of Malcolm stopped spending any cash on the Bucs after getting their massive loan to ManU which would help to cripple the franchise once Mark Dominik showed that he wasn’t the golden child that could make chicken salad out of chicken s(p)it.
The losing naturally continued with a 2-to-3-year-on-average coaching churn and misguided belief that a dufus meathead scout who failed at roster construction would build the next great Madden roster with his 2nd and 3rd TE’s and WR’s while annually wasting free agent dollars on busts.
Good owners find the right people to manage their companies and put it in a good position to be successful. The Children of Malcolm have a consistent record of doing neither.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:24 am
SPBF
It appears to me that Ira is a little late to this discussion…Most of us have been calling for #WALKTHEWALK and #NOEXCUSES since before the draft.
What has been a great last couple of months for JBF clicks seems to be winding down now, at least until camp opens. Ira’s previous article garnered a whole 9 responses. No fault of his, just call it drama fatigue. Came at a good time IMO.
Now a little quiet time until real football news starts. Looking forward to something other than JW news, Lord knows we have plenty of other issues ….
July 20th, 2018 at 11:24 am
Yeah we all are well aware of the suckage lol
Please let it end
July 20th, 2018 at 11:27 am
Bucko40
Do not dispute your points other than to add a couple of other factors. And I like MM but do not believe he has more physical talent…obviously he is DRAMATICALLY faster than Fameis but other than that his major advantage is his head. From the neck up I gotta go with MM.
But in fairness to Fameis the three years are a fairly short database and last year the Titans played in one of the weakest divisions in the weakest Conference in the NFL. The Bucs played in perhaps the toughest division in the NFL.
MM also had Derrick Henry who rushed for more than twice as many yards per attempt as the Muscle Turtle…and you can add in Demarco Murray also a yard per carry better than the Turtle. IE…MM actually had a running game. 400 yards more than the Bucs and over 4 yards per carry.
IMHO I’ve come to the conclusion that neither Fameis nor MM were worthy of a first or second pick for different reasons…time will tell.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:29 am
If you think NFL owners and players care about losing as much you think they do, then you need to seek medical help. It’s no longer about the game. It’s all about $$$. Full stop. Funny that they moved into their new ‘Palace” but yet their successful seasons took place when they trained behind the airport. The “Palace” was supposed attract great players and would aid in them playing better than all the other teams…What happened? All a scam. All a lie.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:32 am
I agree BrianBucs…
There is also the recession that hit the same time they were leveraged for ManU. They Glaziers being Billionaires and all knew it was gonna be bad. I mean 3 years of black outs because of low attendance and people not spending any money. The cut costs quick, Chuckie gone, bring in cheap Raheem, you can pay him much less than any other coach because he is going from position coach to head coach. Cut all your expensive Vets and don’t spend much on payroll. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to come back from that.
There was a lot of backlash at the time but unexpectedly the Bucs won 10 games in Raheem’s first year. So the heat was off and has gradually been building since.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:33 am
@stpetebucsfan
You are on FIRE today. — and YES, Optimism DOES rule!! Go Bucs —
July 20th, 2018 at 11:34 am
Ira said regarding the RayJay: “…enthusiasm of a fan base that once considered Raymond James Stadium an exhilarating arena, a destination which released their everyday frustrations.” Reading that, a whole flood of Bucs woes came to mind over the past decade…not just about losing, but follies in doing so as well as peripheral items that affect fan enthusiasm. Here are a few: Drugs. Lockouts/CBAs, player debacles/general thuggery. Raheem. Blackouts. Freeman. Drugs. MRSA. Schiano. Tedford. And now kneeldowns, Sexual misconduct, betrayal, and price increases. And Goodell. Some of it’s bad luck, some it’s imposed by the NFL, some of it’s just shooting themselves in the foot. Going back to my quote from Ira’s article. I grew up with the Bucs, and grew up with constant losing seasons save for few until the 90s, and now for a decade they’ve been back. Whether it was Tampa Stadium and Hoolihan, and then the new RayJay (controversy in and of itself), Bucs games were always a time and place to forget about the outside world, the PC crap, the BS of politics, fake news, etc. But between the NFLPA and anthem protests kicking up again, and having our face of the franchise screw everyone out of putting the best team possible on the field for the two biggest home games this season, again the Bucs can’t get out of their own way. They created their own crisis. I can be a Bucs fan without spending $20K on an annual ticket package that is continuous disappointment. I’ve been a big fan, so if I feel like it’s time to support from arm’s length, I can only imagine how a large chunk of the rest of the fan base feels. Yup…get it together Bucs, and NFL. Take out the garbage.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:40 am
This team has enough talent to be respectable. The question is weather the coaching staff can get the most from it. That is where my concern lies. Other than Buckner…who’s going to light a fire under these guys?
July 20th, 2018 at 11:45 am
@Bucko40
I realize it may not be popular to say right now, but I firmly believe that when all is said and written on the careers of Jameis Winston vs Marcus Mariota, many years from now…. that Jameis will have the far better and more impactful career.
I truly believe that Jameis can overcome what has happened, and spend that career right here in Tampa Bay. — He has to prove to this community again that the good that seems to be in his heart… is who he is.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:47 am
Fit goes 0-3, Groper goes 5-8, everyone fired but Licht, and he let’s his new coach decide on the 21 million or just cut ties and get a new QB. BTW, Smith’s defense is still going to suck.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:53 am
Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, a Buccaneers life for me…..
July 20th, 2018 at 11:58 am
Hey IRA, you forgot to mention the change in uniforms during that same time span.
July 20th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
“Accountability? That sounds nice and dandy but here is the REALITY. The Glazers are macking alot of money AS IS and they adore Jason Gump”
“This is what it is Sheep. Like it or not, 5-8 wins is OK with the ownership…..
NOW LET THIS SETTLE INTO YOUR HEADS…
What the puny amount the sheep spend on seats or shirts doesnt matter. that is peanuts. the quareteened $255 mill per year from TV contracts is all the owners are worried about”
Kobe Faker
July 20th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
@Ira … “The Bucs haven’t been the same since the four-game collapse that ushered Jon Gruden out the door. Once news broke that Monte Kiffin was heading north to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee, Tampa Bay veered south.”
I’d contend Ira that our ‘veer south’ had a LOT more to do with Monte leaving than it did with Chucky leaving. Quite frankly, Gruden’s offenses were never all THAT good. Compare the Bucs’ offense & defense rankings (based on Points Scored and Points Allowed) for 2002-2008:
o 2002: Offense – #18 … Defense – #1 (Record: 12-4 with SB win)
o 2003: Offense – #18 … Defense – #4 (Record: 7-9)
o 2004: Offense – #23 … Defense – #9 (Record: 5-11)
o 2005: Offense – #20 … Defense – #8 (Record: 11-5)
o 2006: Offense – #31 … Defense – #21 (Record: 4-12)
o 2007: Offense – #18 … Defense – #3 (Record: 9-7)
o 2008: Offense – #19 … Defense – #10 (Record: 9-7)
Doesn’t take a math genius to figure out that the Bucs offense under Chucky AVERAGED a #21 ranking based on POINTS SCORED for 2002-2008. Meanwhile, Monte’s defense AVERAGED a #8 ranking based on POINTS ALLOWED. BTW, just for kicks, Chucky’s vaunted offense scored a grand total of 211 points in 2006 and was ranked #31 (we went 4-12 that year). Tony Dungy’s 2000 offense scored 388 points and was ranked #6 based on points scored.
I only mention this Ira because losing Chucky wasn’t as big a deal as many contend. Losing Monte Kiffin was HUGE. Our offense has never been the Bucs’ strength … it’s always been our Bucs’ DEFENSE that paved the way in the better years. Hopefully this year it does the same.
July 20th, 2018 at 12:18 pm
stpete
I disagree….
AFC south aint that weak….they had 2 teams in the playoffs with 1 making the championship game…..they’ll probably have 3 making it this year with the Texans getting watt and Watson back….
cant blame MM for having a run game….lol….blame dirk….he’s person who stuck with martin for so long….or blame licht for passing on k.hunt…..
I think both were worthy of the #1 and #2 picks but the difference is one has a system that plays to his strengths and puts him in position to win while the other is being forced to play in a predictable system that may not fit him….
but as you said, time will tell…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
BrianB, that’s old news. What you say is correct but the spending shriveled up not only because of the ManU purchase itself, but also the fact that the purchase coincided with the housing crisis. The Glazers, who have many real estate holdings, were leaking cash like most of us. It wasn’t prudent to spend frivolously. As I’m sure you’ll note they’ve had no problem spending (often over spending) for the past 5+ years. After Raheem (clearly a move made on the cheap due to the circumstances noted) they’ve spent copiously for Schiano, Lovie and Koetter. The problem isn’t spending. And the Glazer’s aren’t cheap. You want cheap? Check out the Bengals.
Bucko40 – newsflash, every single owner in the NFL is interested in making money above all else. Every owner hopes to win a championship but make no mistake, they expect to make major bucks with their purchase, and they do.
July 20th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
demon
you talking stats or “W’s”?…….
i think they’ll end their careers about equal…..hell they are about equal now with the expectation of W’s and playoff appearances…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Yeah it sucks. But Rah did go 10-6 in year 2. The only reason they weren’t 11-5 and a WC was because of the worst offensive PI call ever, taking the TD off the board. It’s crying over spilled milk, but it’s the truth. That was youngry team and they were tight. I think that one play and one game deflated them and sent it off the rails. Of all these dumb coaches since Chucky, the one who had zero dollars to spend and did the most was Raheem. I wish they would have stuck with Rah. He’s a good coach and a lot smarter than fans give him credit for. He made quick adjustments on the fly, something that Big Head Dirk can’t seem to do.
July 20th, 2018 at 12:46 pm
bigmac
great post!!!!
i agree….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 1:42 pm
I’m jaded by this team. This year is the first year where I have refused to buy into any hype surrounding this team. I’ve been coming to JBF for 9 years and every off-season the same kind of posters post about their over-enthusiastic beliefs on how the season will go and that *this* is the year the Bucs make a run. It’s nonsense and unrealistic.
Take pause for a moment and realize that Jason Licht is entering year FIVE and Dirk is entering year FOUR with the team. Look at the Bucs record during that time period. What have they accomplished? Nothing! Some of you still blame the former coach but why is it other teams can turn it around quickly once they fire the wrong guy? Look at Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Rams, the Eagles. No one is talking about Gus Bradley in Jacksonville or Jeff Fisher in LA yet in these parts people actually believe decisions made by a head coach four years ago are still plaguing this team.
July 20th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
@813bucboi
To answer your question, I honestly believe all of the above.
Stats, Wins, Playoff Wins, etc etc etc
I truly believe that if Jameis can right the ship, with all that is going on right now, that his full talents as a pro football player are only touching the tip of the iceberg right now. He is going to be special.
July 20th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
People who talk about the abundance of “talent” on this team need to put the PS4 controller down and stop playing Madden for a few seconds. Games are won and lost in the trenches. Licht neglected those trenches for years while spending premium picks on TE’s in OJ and ASJ, WR’s in Godwin and Evans, money on DJax, LBer’s in Beckwith and Kwon.
With the exception of ASJ those are all nice player, but they are periphery players. WR’s touch the ball 5-10 times a game if they are very good. Getting to and stopping the QB from making a clean throw is far more valuable that 95% of all WR’s in the league as Tom Brady and Drew Brees prove every year. Yet here we are with 3 WR’s and 2 TE’s that we’ve heavily invested in and bottom half o and d-line’s. Why is that? Ask Jason Licht.
July 20th, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Let’s all rally ourselves behind Ira and not accept anything else but improvement this year. We can call ourselves the “Shtick Carriers”!
July 20th, 2018 at 2:32 pm
demon
I like Winston and believe he’ll be special(with proper coaching)….but I think MM will be just as special too…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
Expect the worst, and all your surprises will be pleasant.
I’m almost sure they’ll win a SB before the next century.
July 20th, 2018 at 2:48 pm
D-ROME
PREACH BROTHA!!!!!!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 2:54 pm
Yeah Mariota is better because he went to the playoffs. Even though he threw more interception than touchdowns. Clearly he is head and shoulders above jameis. I mean it has to be very rare for a full time starting qb to throw more ints than touchdowns. I only wish we could have had Mariota last year. How much better do you think we would have been had we had his 13 touchdowns less than One a game. And 15 interceptions almost one a game. We could have easily got the first pick in the draft
July 20th, 2018 at 3:00 pm
Steven – The Glazers lack of spending started in 2004. The Buccaneers spent the least amount of all the NFL teams for EIGHT STRAIGHT YEARS – 2004>2011.
Yes – they have started spending again somewhat reasonably since 2012 – but that’s AFTER making about $3 BILLION in profits off their sports team acquisitions.
This year (2018) is actually the 1st year in the last 15 that the Bucs have been anywhere close to the spending limit for the year.
It is what it is and I’m glad the owners are willing to spend again now – but lets not pretend that the lack of spending by owners for all those years did not contribute to the “lost decade”.
I would say it is the #2 reason for the Bucs lack of success and playoffs since 2007 – right behind the promotion of Mark Dominik to GM in 2009 which was the worst decision the Glazer boys have ever made!
July 20th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
Truth.
July 20th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
I blame a lot of this on the coaching carousel here in Tampa.
Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, lovie Smith and now Dirk Koetter. Where is the continuity? The players take on one persona / outlook and then have to dump it and re-assimilate to a whole new coaching scheme.
This generation of players need strong coaching, coaches they respect and blindly follow. Players like Sapp, Brooks, Alstott and Lynch played with such passion, I just don’t see that anymore.
Then you have the Bill Belicheks of the world who get so much out of a player.
I hope the Bucs turn it around this year, it has been a good off season, wait and see now,.
July 20th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
MM=RG3-Fragile!
July 20th, 2018 at 4:40 pm
Pick, I hear you. At least I was accurate with 5+ years, haha.
July 20th, 2018 at 4:42 pm
why cant both end up being HOFers with multiple SB rings……why is it that MM has to suck in order for Winston to be great….some of yall folks are loony….lol…
and folks act like Winston isn’t a turnover machine….lol….im one of Winston’s biggest fans…..but im also a huge “FOOTBALL” fan….
MM has just as much talent as Winston, they just have different skill sets….MM is currently 20-22 with a playoff win and a playoff lost….Winston is currently 18-27 and hasn’t come close to sniffing the playoffs……
I love Winston but don’t act like he’s leaps and bounds, light years better than MM…..man please!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 4:45 pm
I listened to an interview Raheem did with the Redskins after his Buc tenure. They asked him about Buc ownership. he danced around the question and did a great Spin. He said something to the effect of, Great owners in the league listen and go all out to win. He left it at that, did a 360, and said the Bucs would get better. I just feel sorry for our fans. And those of us who have been around since Buc Inception. We have not had a 500% of winning seasons. Thats sad guys. I laugh and joke here. But it does hurt. Especially if you grew up with the Bucs like I did. I mean I’m actually shocked..when we win on Sundays. The answer to our woes is simple. Its called WINNING. I just don’t see it with this present Regime. I hope..they shock me.
July 20th, 2018 at 4:54 pm
JW is way better than MM. And that’s not even close
July 20th, 2018 at 4:55 pm
813bucboi Says:
demon
I like Winston and believe he’ll be special(with proper coaching)….but I think MM will be just as special too…..
Throw Jimmy Garopolo and Deshaun Watsons name in that mix. All four will be great players. Could add Carson wentz to the list.
July 20th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
ghost
I agree….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
July 20th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
No kidding…Ira’s words “This garbage cannot stand” should be hung in the Bucs locker room and be signed: “Tampa, Fl and Beyond.” There are countless ways discussing the meaning of those words could go…each one being a lesson for Bucs players on what not to do, how not to be. Ira should copyright it and retire on the royalties for its use.
July 20th, 2018 at 6:03 pm
I start every season optimistic. But this year I told them to stick their season tickets. No more throwing money away, especially on preseason games. The biggest problem over the last 10-15 years has been terrible drafts. Years of high round busts. No one stays on the team because of injury, ineptitude or being traded away. You can’t build a team that way. Licht has missed on some big ones but is finally turning it around. Next year should be dedicated to the O line and probably a safety. Let’s hope he doesn’t have to draft a QB with his first round pick.
July 20th, 2018 at 6:08 pm
Usually the off-season is like an episode of Diners Drive-in’s and Dives. Chefs cooking up awesome looking dishes. This going to be so good. Then it has a bad aftertaste and you spend the next two weeks on the crapper. All that’s left is a steaming pile and a burning hole.
July 20th, 2018 at 6:20 pm
Jameis tried to take out the trash. But he couldn’t hit the can in stride.
July 20th, 2018 at 7:31 pm
was supposed attract great players
——————-
I’d like to chime in if I may.
I think one thing Ira is neglecting is the affects of the fans and the city as a whole. Tampa is simply unable to attract tier 1 talent in free agency. It seems like the only tier 1 talent that comes to Tampa are past their prime and simply come to collect massive unearned paychecks ie Revis, DJax and Michael Ghost Johnson who received 16milnfor 14 games. I digress.
Players talk, they see the empty seats in RayJay and for that matter the Trop. They see the media hanging players out to dry and righteous fans who spew hate every chance they get while ignoring facts. Fans who think that bc they can throw away money on a fancy suite they can consistently call anyone they don’t like thugs.
Fact is while the rest of the division is able to improve through free agency allowing them to compete at a higher level the Bucs are only able to overpay for back-ups and players that are on their way out of the league.
Why? Bc what star player wants to live and play in 98 degree weather, in a stadium full of opposing fans and have the media berate them every chance they get? There are very little redeeming qualities about Tampa, the owners, the org as a whole, coaches etc and obviously the “no state tax” is not as strong an incentive as many people think.
Consider what Nick Foles recently said, he said something to the affect of – I would rather remain a back-up than go to a dysfunctional organization-. If you think his ex-teammates haven’t told him what they found when they got to Tampa then your being naive.
The owners know for a fact that they don’t have to spend their money on fielding a winning team. Not only will the real fans continue to blindly support them they can even trick the city into spending hundreds of millions if not billions on building them a new stadium and renovating said stadium after a decade of last place finishes. Smh
July 20th, 2018 at 7:56 pm
9-3 and the Defense Quit as soon as Monte said he was leaving. This defense has never recovered no matter what they try to do. And now all sides of the ball are bad. We get in playoff talks one year and here comes another collapse. And people think we are to take all this year after year with a smile on our face? Don’t want to hear the BMFS crap cause the big boys took it away from you and beat your ass with it. It’s bad when you turn on the game and have the feeling your going to see the same stupid garbage over and over with no end in sight.
July 20th, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Build a defense and for the most part… who cares who plays quarterback.
July 20th, 2018 at 8:47 pm
What would be fun is if we had archives of JBF back after the Sapp/Brooks draft.
Of course that was pre JBF but I gotta believe the conversation would have been a lot like today’s.
One group would be going…wow we managed to land Sapp because of a stupid weed charge and also got Brooks. There’s hope guys….other’s would respond exactly as they are today listing Wyche and all the coaches before him who didn’t get it down…how stupid we were for having hope.
Then next year we nab Alstott and Abraham and the next year WD and Ronde and oh btw some decent players as well like Reagan Upshaw and Marcus Jones and Jason Odom…not great players but good complementary pieces.
And so in the late 90’s we had plenty of fans chiding we optimists for looking at that talent and believing the Bucs had turned the corner.
But then….97 WD is the offensive ROY…98 still mediocre at 8-8…naysayers rebound…until 99..Sapp is Defensive POY and the Bucs go 11-5 and even the naysayers jump on the bandwagon.
To those who believe “objectivity” demands all this review of our past negative results…don’t worry we’ll leave room on the bandwagon for you guys when we turn the corner this year.
Just check out where the Eagles and Jags were predicted to finish last year!
The only thing “objective” about preseason predictions for ANY team by ANY expert is that it’s all a big guess.
All teams are 0-0 a prediction for success or failure is equally guessing on a result that nobody knows for sure.
July 20th, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Vincent Jackson was a scrub???
DeSean Jackson was garbage???
July 20th, 2018 at 10:35 pm
Vjax was probably the exception to the rule but with that contract why not ball out plus imo mike Williams was a better rcvr but wtfdik
As for Djax he got Revis syndrome. Humphries has a highlight of like a 70 yard gain could’ve been a TD if Djax would have thrown one block, instead he watched and that’s not mentioning all the balls he missed by a half inch but again wtfdik
More importantly, let’s look at the FAs our division has landed and compare.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:14 pm
I’d ratherdraft well than splurge on great expensive free agents that cost the team depth.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:15 pm
To answer your question dB.. not much
July 21st, 2018 at 4:34 pm
After all of these years of dysfunction the Buccaneers should truly consider allowing it’s season ticket holder‘s to effect (by voting) all football decision-making.
It would:
1. Drive up team interest, greatly. Encourage folks to buy season tickets. Yes, it would be a huge publicity stunt.
2. Take on the feel of the fans actually owning the team; ergo Green Bay. Folks care about the things they own. As close to a co-op as a privately-held team can become. (Google: “business co-ops”, warning: hard-core capitalists may struggle to understand the concept; think “union with power & control”)
3. Reduce overhead; cost effective. Advice would be free from fans who love and have suffered with the team for decades because they are fans, not because they receive exorbitant paychecks.
4. GM ego is minimized or eliminated entirely. Also, the GM’s job and allegiance is permanent.
5. Many minds on a given task are generally very adept and successful.
6. Could fans really do a worse job?
There have been many studies conducted about “herd intelligence” that are absolutely riveting! Sometimes, it is on display here, on JBF. The majority of individuals will align and fall closer to the middle which, often yields solid results. Are there nut jobs? Of course. They are the outliers however, and get washed-out by the greater number of “sane” individuals who render the outliers as nearly irrelevant. Many hundreds or thousands of brains uniting to form one powerful mind can indeed become quite ingenious!
Again, would it be worse than what has been happening for the majority of this teams’ history?
July 21st, 2018 at 5:57 pm
This team needs new ownership
July 21st, 2018 at 10:28 pm
Mariota may have had a semblance of a running game but he damn sure didn’t have the quality receivers that Winston has enjoyed. If Mariota had them I believe his INT/TD ratio would have been a positive stat. We’ve got Jameis but you can’t help wondering “what if”