Remember A 2-0 Record? It’s Been A While.
September 14th, 2018
Yeah, it’s been a while.
Joe’s not sure Tampa Bay fans even remember what it’s like to adore a 2-0 football team.
Of course, Joe remembers.
It was back in 2010, before the Bucs set rookie bulldozer Legarrette Blount loose on the NFL. Under second-year coach Raheem Morris, coming off a 2-1 finish to the 2009 season, the schedule gods gifted the Bucs the Browns at home on opening day.
And the Bucs got the job done, a fourth-quarter comeback with Josh Freeman hitting rookie seventh-round pick Sammy Stroughter for the winning TD.
A week later, it was the Bucs defense stifling the QB combination of Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen in Charlotte — against the Panthers team weeks later would secure the No. 1 overall pick that became Cam Newton.
That 2-0 start bolstered the confidence of an extraordinarily young team that was all-in behind its head coach. Before you knew it, those Bucs were 7-3.
As for other 2-0 starts, you’d have to go back to the Cadillac Williams-fueled explosion in 2005, when the Bucs rode their rookie running back to 4-0 start.
Not even the Super Bowl champion Bucs went 2-0. You’d have to go back to Father Dungy’s 2-0 team in 2000.
Yes, the Bucs have quite an opportunity Sunday against the Eagles. A rare excitement and calm would come over Bucs fans, especially considering a 2-0 start against Drew Brees and Nick Foles would be a lot more impressive than what happened in 2010.
It’s all right there for the Bucs. Go beat the depleted but highly talented Super Bowl champs.
September 14th, 2018 at 12:05 am
Iwas at the niner game in 2010 right after they went 7-3. Got kellen winslow’s game gloves auto’s by raheem,gmac and talib
September 14th, 2018 at 12:16 am
I was at the 1979 playoff win versus the Easgles. One of the best games Ivr ever seen live. Settle for a game like that. 24-17 Bucs
September 14th, 2018 at 12:17 am
Spell check. Jeez.
September 14th, 2018 at 12:19 am
I think it’s attainable if history doesn’t come back to bite. I hope I see the team that played the Saints.
Otherwise I haven’t been this pumped up about the Bucs in quite some time.
Even if we lose we go 1-1 and I think the Steelers are more a beatable team right now. So 3-1 start before bye week seems about right. Yeah I said it
September 14th, 2018 at 12:40 am
The Super Bowl 2002 Bucs lost because of that worthless smuck Tom Tupa who, on a punt, threw an INT in over returned for a TD in OT to open the season. Then that worthless smuck gave up a TD in the Super Bowl as well.
I hated and still have an intense hate for Tom Tupa.
September 14th, 2018 at 1:12 am
Go to bed Munch
September 14th, 2018 at 1:21 am
They are losing on Sunday.
September 14th, 2018 at 1:26 am
I travelled to that game with my wife, also Mike William’s with a nice td catch early on…
September 14th, 2018 at 1:40 am
YUNGRY!
September 14th, 2018 at 1:50 am
Don’t jinx the team by counting unhatched chickens. I want a win as much as the rest of the fans here, but dangling a 2-0 start out there before Monday is setting us all up for a heartbreak if something goes wrong. Remember that the Eagles had 10 days to rest up.
#TheWinningHasBegun
#TheWinningMustContinue
#DontBreakMyHeart
#GoBucs
September 14th, 2018 at 4:30 am
Freeman to Mike Williams was pretty awesome.
Crazy to think we now have 3 recievers better than Mike Williams. He could ball though.
September 14th, 2018 at 4:43 am
YOUNGRY comes to mind
September 14th, 2018 at 4:48 am
@Joe … “Yes, the Bucs have quite an opportunity Sunday against the Eagles. A rare excitement and calm would come over Bucs fans.” A ‘rare excitement’? Bucs fans are always excited Joe, just not usually in a good way. And ‘calm’? IF the Bucs win Sunday then Bucs fans would be anything but calm (they may have to replace the goalposts at RayJay after the game). C’mon, man, keyword here is RARE, not excitement or calm.–Joe
But I still feel the same way as Blogtalkfootball … “Don’t jinx the team by counting unhatched chickens.”
It amazes me that JBFers had to endure weeks of endless ‘Woe is us; we’re gonna be 0-3 to start the season before Jameis comes back to save us’. We had a, what was it, 2% chance of making the playoffs because we’d almost certainly be 0-3 to start? NOW we’re seeing headlines touting the possibility we could be 2-0 after we whoop up on the reining Super Bowl champs? Scary. I still think we’ll win (28-24), but I’m more concerned about this game than I was the Saints game.
What’s changed? EXPECTATIONS. Is there anyone in Bucsville expecting that Sunday’s game will end in a 9-6 victory for the Bucs? That it’ll be a defensive slugfest? I’d bet the answer is NO WAY JOSE. Some (like Vincente) expect the worst, while more & more of us still HOPE for a Bucs victory (there are no ‘Sure Things’ in Bucsville). I EXPECT that our defense will give up points to the Eagles … after all, Eagles did put up almost 30 PPG last year & still have pretty much the same offense. I also EXPECT however that our Bucs offense will score TDs against their defense, even though that same defense limited the Falcons to only 12 points last week. Keys to the game IMO will once again be winning the turnover battle, winning the TOP, and having a respectable running game. Should be a fun game in any event.
September 14th, 2018 at 4:49 am
The good ole days….when Freeman was a functioning addict and Raheem was hanging out later then the players.
September 14th, 2018 at 5:31 am
I agree. . . last week was last week
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves with all of this talk.
This will be a tough game to win.
September 14th, 2018 at 6:07 am
I would love a win against the defending champs more than the saints however a highly competitive game would show the world the bucs are serious just not as much as a curb stomp like we gave the saints.
September 14th, 2018 at 7:10 am
in the words of al davis JUST WIN BABY, JUST WIN anyhow anyway, i do not care defense, offense, special teams, field goals, extra points, two point conversions, slug fest, shootout, or dirk koetter stomping the guts out of doug pederson on the fifty yard line just win
September 14th, 2018 at 7:32 am
Rod Munch Says:
September 14th, 2018 at 12:40 am
“The Super Bowl 2002 Bucs lost because of that worthless smuck Tom Tupa who, on a punt, threw an INT in over returned for a TD in OT to open the season. Then that worthless smuck gave up a TD in the Super Bowl as well.
I hated and still have an intense hate for Tom Tupa.”
Tupa was punting from the endzone, had to dodge a tackle that would have resulted in safety (ending the game). So he tried to dump it off and like a true punter he screwed the pooch (it was picked off in the endzone). It was OT, he had no choice.
September 14th, 2018 at 7:43 am
Should have kept gruden the bucs would have won more
September 14th, 2018 at 8:03 am
I wonder why Joe was so excited about a very weak schedule and some wins over a list of Backup and 3rd string QB’s!!!!!!! That was excitement?????? The “real” fans saw thru the facade!!!!!!! The Panthers tanked the season for Cam and The Bucs finished 3rd in the division!!!!!!! why was wacky joe so excited over the rah/dom regime who was 13-20 and not NFL GM Licht/ Head Coach Koetter who are 15-18??????????
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 14th, 2018 at 8:24 am
Thank god we don’t have Gruden anymore. He has already dismantled the Raiders into an old team that sucks again. We seriously averted a disaster not getting him.
September 14th, 2018 at 8:33 am
The NFL is a 16 game season
Why get excited after one game?
There’s 15 more to play
SMH
September 14th, 2018 at 10:20 am
Lakeland
I agree….
I remember tons of folks thought we were headed to the playoffs last year after we beat the bears…..and then 5-11 happened….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
September 14th, 2018 at 10:41 pm
Lakeland the why is because we root for the bucs to win every game. And excitement for me comes in the form of being able to listen to 620 all week after a win. Watching nfl network and halftime shows and late games. And hearing the Bucs pull of a huge upset. If you don’t get excited about one win then what are you a fan for. I love going and reading all the power rankings that have us jumping up ten spots. It’s just one game but I’m going to enjoy the crap out of it until Sunday at 1. Sorry I didn’t know there was a rule that fans arent suppose to be happy after we throw up 48 points against a division opponent in there stadium. Worse case scenario we lose to the eagles and we are still 1-1. With are starting qb and 1st and 2nd round pick still to take the field. After all offseason hearing every talking head say we would go 0-3. And now after one game saying our offense might be the real deal. It’s exciting is it Sunday yet. Cause I really believe we are looking at 31-17. Davis or Stewart have a pick six. And Mike Evan finishes with 9 for 185. But ok Howard is the difference and he catches 2 touchdown passes. Godwin has the other offensive touchdown. And the defense lik I said scores one. And
September 15th, 2018 at 10:10 pm
Last time we started 2-0 was 2010, against a horrible Browns team, and a bad panthers team(obviously so bad they had the #1 pick and took Newton that next year). Coincidentally we played the Steelers week 3 that year as well, and lost. This 2-0 start would be so much more impressive!