Beware The Spotlight
September 17th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
Now comes the hard part.
After two NFL weekends, the Bucs find themselves the little darlings of the pro football set. National talk shows that trashed Tampa Bay’s roster a month ago are tripping over themselves to salute Dirk Koetter and Jason Licht.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, who signed with the Bucs in 2017 because he was convinced nobody would give him a chance to compete for a starting job, is becoming a fashion icon.
It’s not easy to slow down when you’re cruising the fast lane, but this franchise needs to exhibit a short memory. Players need to gather around in a circle this week and listen to the longest-tenured Buc preach perspective.
“We’re 2-0 and we can’t let up,” says Demar Dotson. “In human nature, there’s a tendency to think you’ve arrived. We’ve got to stay locked in and realize we haven’t done anything yet. Teams are gonna start realizing, hey this Buc team is pretty good. We’ve got to get even better going forward.”
That won’t be easy, especially on offense.
These Bucs rank first in total offense, first in passing offense and second in scoring offense. They lead the NFL in average yards per snap and rank No. 2 in third-down conversion percentage.
Yes, these are heady days for new play-caller Todd Monken as Tampa Bay prepares for a Monday night matchup against the struggling Steelers.
So far, so good. Unlike the past two years, the Bucs didn’t suffer a massive letdown in Week 2 after an opening-day win.
Energy Checks
They outplayed the Eagles by a wide margin through the first three quarters in conditions hot enough to melt the heartiest Philly cheesesteak. And when it counted, an injury-depleted defense got the job done.
“We ain’t trying to prove it to nobody but ourselves,” says Kwon Alexander, the pulse of Mike Smith’s gritty group. “Keep coming with the same attitude every week, keep the energy going. We never let down and we stood tall.”
DeSean Jackson, who kept his mouth shut through a quiet 2017 season, is shining a light on the value of a deep threat. He won’t continue to average 30.6 yards per catch, but Jackson hasn’t lost a step — or his ability to make an impact.
“D-Jax’s doing his thing,” Alexander says. “Everybody said he’s washed up … he’s proving them all wrong.”
So are Jackson’s teammates, who are determined to maintain the same intensity amid all the bouquets currently tossed their way.
It’s been said that adversity reveals character. We’re about to discover what a little early success can do to an organization that hasn’t handled the spotlight particularly well.
“We’ve been the talk of the league before,” Dotson cautions.
“Remember Hard Knocks? People are gonna start jumping on the bandwagon. I just hope that this team doesn’t buy into it. If you buy into it, you can be 2-2 just as fast.”
Taping tomorrow! So enter your Bucs question in the form below for Derrick Brooks and Ira Kaufman, hosts of the new TAMPA TWO show right here twice a week and at The Identity Tampa Bay. (Yes, that Derrick Brooks!)
September 17th, 2018 at 2:38 pm
I feel like we have a steady hand at QB who knows from past experiences what it feels like to be burned. D-Jax forced the outfit on him, and he did as well as he could have with the spotlight. Make no mistakes about it, he’s not letting it get to his head. I don’t think there’s any chance we take this game lightly. Heck, 2 weeks until the Bye, our guys will be flying around. Should be fun.
September 17th, 2018 at 2:41 pm
D-Jax forced the outfit on him, and he did as well as he could have with the spotlight
I didn’t see it that way at all…smh
September 17th, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Yep beware the spotlight. For some reason I feel this team is different. Dirk tightened up and has them with a different mindset this season. I was not a dirk fan for sure as Ive stated many times. Kuddos to him for handing over play calling and being a much better head coach with game management. And Monk might be special. Reason for hope. How 2 games can change the outlook. One game at a time Bucs!!
September 17th, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Great win Bucs!!! Concerned about the secondary getting torched by the Steelers this upcoming Monday. But good to know we can outscore them if needed. And it will be.
September 17th, 2018 at 2:51 pm
So Jmarkbuc, you think Fitzy actually dresses like that and has let this go to his head? You can’t be serious. Watch the presser again.
If you still feel that way, well, you’re probably not very good at reading people.
September 17th, 2018 at 2:53 pm
Malloy
you must be completely misunderstanding …
September 17th, 2018 at 2:58 pm
2 wins into a 16 game season. Beware the ides of October! You got a pissed off Steelers team comin in here Monday night. They will want redemption in front of a national audience. We must be ready to brawl. Big Ben’s a hard out. He can sling it with the best of’em. Lets stay focused and get a win..by any means necessary!
September 17th, 2018 at 2:59 pm
Go back to one of the Joe posts this morning or last night – pretty sure Joe confirms that DJAX gave him the stuff to wear in the locker room, including the sunglasses.
For him to take that getup, stand up on the podium and kill it like he did with 5 or 6 one-liners, while all the while being humble, was heroic. The man has a career in stand-up when his playing days are done.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:03 pm
It’s pretty clear to me that Fitz handled that perfectly. He knows he’s a 14 yr vet with 7 kids who has been through all of the ups and downs. By being a clown and putting the spotlight on himself, he’s helping to keep it off the younger guys. This won’t go to his head, he knows how quickly it can fall. I think his PC was genius!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:04 pm
99.97.92.55.47.40.28.20.7
Agreed. That was true comedy gold.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
I think the word FORCED is the communication gap here. LOL
September 17th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
I thought it was great too….
Didn’t think he was forced…hope not.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:10 pm
FOCUS is the buzzword.
One week at a time.
This 2018 Bucs team has already demonstrated the ability to play with and beat two of the top teams in the league.
Maybe it was the timing – maybe we caught them both offguard – whatever. Doesn’t matter. Two wins is TWO WINS!
At 2-0 – The Bucs have put themselves in a great early pole position for a playoff spot.
Sole 1st place in the division – 2-0 in the Conference – 2 of our “toughest” opponents on the schedule already beaten.
I love that Green Bay and Minnesota tied. That tie is going to haunt one or both of those teams at the end of the year when it comes down to record and div/conf wins to determine play off spots and seeding.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:13 pm
BEST press conference of all time! God forbid we get something other than cookie cutter answers from other players (see Jameis and Gerald). I am fans of those guys but I don’t watch their presser’s anymore.. Fitzy was magical yesterday on the field AND at the podium!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Fitz in Djax garb just goes to show the team is loose and not letting this go to their heads. They are building an attitude and reputation of in your face offense, and dictating their will on other teams.
the interesting part is that there are many starters on the injusry held out list yet to compete. Potentially our depth is dangerous and the rest of the league just got a wake up call…Go Bucs!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:26 pm
Fitz reminds me a lot of how Jim McMahon handled himself during the Bears ’85 Super Bowl run, being light-hearted, not to serious and accepting the focus on himself.
Wearing D-Jax’s bling was classic!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:28 pm
The ’97 Bucs were 3-0 before people really jumped on the hype train. In week one of that year they beat the 49ers, in the game where Sapp single handedly took out Steve Young and Jerry Rice. That got them some big press, but people figured it was a fluke, the defense holding them to 6 points. In weeks 2 and 3 they take out Detroit and Minnesota. It was week 4 when the hype train hit full speed, a national Sunday Night Football game TNT against Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. I was at the game, it was the game where the rookie Warrick Dunn had a 58 yard TD in the 4th quarter to put the Dolphins away, and man, at the stadium, that’s probably the biggest eruption of cheers I’ve ever heard, and you literally saw at least a hundred (probably more like hundreds) of beers go flying into the Dolphins fans section as we taunted them and talked trashed and called for INS to escort them out of the stadium. It was such a incredibly fun game, the atmosphere, the fact the Bucs DIDN’T blow it on a national stage, and it set up the Bucs going to the playoffs for the 1st time since 1982.
Let’s hope the Bucs can get through this MNF game without turning into a pumpkin, because if you start 3-0, then 4-0 and then 5-0, good things happen to you.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:31 pm
The basic vibe of Ira’s piece is to be careful, don’t get too full of yourselves. Every game is a battle. The Steelers really need to secure a win this week or they start worrying about their playoff chances. We’ve got to be ready to roll. Hopefully, our D will continue to improve with each game, as the rookies and young guns get more and more reps.
Bo BUCS!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:34 pm
There ought to be a video loop playing throughout One Buc Place. Showing all these pundits dissing the Bucs before the season. This team has been on the come for a couple of seasons now. Last year had some bad breaks early (i.e: kicker). And it snowballed after that. There should be no surprise to see it come together.
On another note. I’m a Jameis guy, and feel that he would be having the same success as Fitz. Just based on the preseason he turned. But proof is in the results. And you cannot pull Fitz out with the way he is clicking right now. Ball is in the right place and guys are making plays. Keep getting after it Bucs…
September 17th, 2018 at 3:37 pm
I knew we had the offense weapons, but what I’m surprised by is how well the O-line is playing right now. Need to get the run game going, but at least they’re giving Fitz enough time to find and hit his targets.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
I hope we punk the Steelers and steal another win!
September 17th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
The Steelers are going to put up at least 42 points – so the Bucs need to score at least 43. The Eagles had guys running wide open all day but Foles stinks and wasn’t going downfield. Lets hope Fitz can keep it up for at least one more week because Big Ben is a lot more like Brees than like Foles.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:55 pm
I thought Fitz deserved an Academy Award for his PC gig. I laughed my a.. off
September 17th, 2018 at 3:59 pm
We playing with house money, The hardest 3 game stretch in NFL history and we are guaranteed to come out with a winning record. Ride the wave and use Fitz like a borrowed mule. I think Dirk needs to assure Fitz that there will not be a short leash if he has a bad half of football. This is a feelgood story for the NFL and I wouldn’t be surprised if calls on the field start going our way.
September 17th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
This offensive explosion is mostly due to the Offensive Line pass protection. Last year Buc QB’s were sacked 40 times. This year so far 2 sacks in 2 games. I might add the RB’s are picking up the blitz too. The skill position guys are matchup nightmares for DB’s as we know and with time to throw and pick out the mismatch Fitz is lighting it up. The OL must continue the stellar play for this to continue. It won’t matter who is at QB if they keep it up.
#Get After It!
September 17th, 2018 at 6:31 pm
In case some were unaware…the Steelers are not exactly hitting on all cylinders right now. If they put up 42 on us shame on us for sure.
They are missing the biggest offensive threat!!! Leveon Bell is not only holding out it’s now become a team distraction with players discussing it openly.
And if Bell is not the biggest offensive threat Antonio Brown is and he’s not much happier than Bell.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-steelers-antonio-brown-20180917-story.html
Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown appeared unhappy during and after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon and his mood didn’t seem to have improved by the next morning.
Ryan Scarpino, a former Steelers media relations assistant, claimed in a tweet Sunday that claimed that Brown would not be nearly as successful away from the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
In response, Brown tweeted Monday morning: “Trade me let’s find out.”
September 17th, 2018 at 6:47 pm
If you’ve been playing as long as Fitz, on so many different teams at QB no less, you’ve had some ups and apparently a lot of downs…7 kids…it’s called maturity and EXPERIENCE…that is a NO BRAINER…if you see James at 35 instead of 25 he’ll demonstrate the same…SMH
September 17th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Just imagine your starting RB just had 1.4 ypc with fresh legs and a revamped OL. He has 2.6 so far in the regular season. That is worse than Doug Martin last year. Then, the RB you chose high in the second round didn’t even dress for the game because… Now imagine the local media completely ignoring this fact and then acting all surprised when they reluctantly decide to write about it. If only someone would have seen this coming.
September 17th, 2018 at 7:28 pm
*Jameis
September 17th, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Seasonisover
You should change your name to Zerocredibility. You must not be watching.
The Bucs are 2-0 with wins over the defending division champs on the road and the Super Bowl Champs.
But just continue your whining.
September 18th, 2018 at 9:16 am
This has been in the back of my mind since that first win.
Bucs fans were getting a little over the top even then.
The Steelers are gonna come in here pissed and needing a win, I just hope this team brings that lunchbox mentality to the game.
We want the win – and we need to take that win and send the Steelers home knowing they just played a good football team.
I dont want to hear anymore talk about playoffs. . . its 1 game at a time from here on out and then we talk about it.