Toughness Referendum Sunday
September 6th, 2018
By NFL standards, the Bucs were a soft, mentally weak football team last year when you consider the season in its entirety.
Just look at the inconsistency, the slow starts on both sides of the ball, the inability to close out games on defense, the brutal road blowouts, the drive-killing penalties, etc.
That mental and physical softness is the No. 1 thing that must change Sunday in New Orleans, win or lose. And the beauty of it all — for clarity’s sake — is that deep down Buccaneers officials know it.
That’s why Jason Licht ran out and traded for Jason Pierre-Paul, a football warrior whose drive wasn’t altered by literally having chunks of his hand blown off.
Licht also signed Mitch Unrein, Vinny Curry and Beau Allen, lunch-pail guys from top defenses. And he drafted the biggest manbeast in the draft Vita Vea. Oh, and Licht opened the vault for center Ryan Jensen who was known more for his toughness and angry play than his talent.
It was as if Licht was screaming from the top of One Buc Palace that the team was butter soft in the trenches.
Heck, in chatter that still has Joe flummoxed, Ali Marpet and other offensive linemen talked last year about how they could really use a guy like J.R. Sweezy to rub off some of his toughness on them. Marpet even said that this year (see The Current series) about Jensen.
Dirk Koetter? His hand-picked theme for this season is Discipline Driven. That’s code for ‘you guys were mentally weak to an unhealthy extreme.’
For Joe, Sunday’s game is much more than about a “W” in a brutally tough place to play. It’s Step 1 toward restoring fans’ faith that they have a team willing to be the most physical every Sunday and dialed in mentally for every snap.
Opening day is a toughness referendum, as will be every game until the Bucs prove they can give that consistent mental and physical effort.
If they can do that, they have enough talent to start the season solidly and rise as a playoff challenger in November. This isn’t a team with a rookie quarterback or one with any learning curves within new systems, or lacking in talent. There’s enough there to play good football.
Hopefully, the toughness is there from start to finish Sunday. If not, Joe sure hopes the accountability starts Monday, not in December.
September 6th, 2018 at 9:12 am
This toughness talk was a problem in Atlanta when Mike Smith was their head coach.
It’s not about the players all the time. Zebras can’t change their stripes…
September 6th, 2018 at 9:14 am
Discipline Driven, means turnovers (giveaways) and penalties!!!!!! NFL Jason Licht knew that his team was not ready, that the roster was still a work in progress!!!!!! Why do you think he “cringed”!!!!!!!!!! Why do you think that many of last year trench players are now sitting on couches!!!!!!!!! NFL GM Licht started the upgrade!!!! But it is not finished!!!!!!!! The ” they have enough talent” is very debatable!!!!!!!!! The Bucs being the biggest underdog on Sunday is not just some Buc’s conspiracy!!!!!!!!! For a Bucs victory, the coaches will have to coverup the known holes on the roster and out coach the saints coaches!!!!!!!!!
#trust the coaches!!!!! Fix the “real” problem!!!!!! The roster!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 6th, 2018 at 9:15 am
So, we’re in a new season and I won’t dwell on the past, BUT….how could this coaching staff stand idly by knowing all this last year?!
I’m a Bucs fan and will root for my team regardless, but I’m a tad skeptical of this coaching staff. Stories like these do not induce confidence.
September 6th, 2018 at 9:16 am
I agree, we need to toughen up in the secondary. Quality qb’s such as brees will kill us, pass rush can only do so much if you can’t take advantage of it by creating turnovers or hurried throws that lead to turnovers. We need to get more ints and turnovers to be competitive. Putting the offense in good field position is a must.
September 6th, 2018 at 9:19 am
With perhaps a few exceptions I do not believe the Bucs suffered from a lack of physical toughness. Our QB started a fight with Lattimore which drew in ME13 for a suspension. We have some physical players.
But we exhibited a true mental softness that was beyond frustrating…our QB attacked a DB and got our WR suspended. He tried to get to an official…that’s incredibly weak mentally. I’ll quickly add that our QB seems to have figured that out this pre season at least. I think his suspension has helped him finally grow up.
But the dead ball penalties are just beyond infuriating. I’m tired of watching a great play of ours wiped out because of a bonehead play before the snap. I get the holding calls…tough interpretation…penalties of competition generally do not bother me….but dead ball penalties…lining up wrong…jumping offsides are simply unforgivable!
Let’s see if this year the Bucs are “Discipline driven” because last year and for too many years going back…prior coaches and teams…this team has been mentally weak….including at the kicking spot where we CHOKED away a couple of games last year. Hopefully Catanzaro has fixed that problem.
September 6th, 2018 at 9:24 am
gang tackling and rushing to the ball like savages is a must…
like the bucs did in the sapp era
September 6th, 2018 at 9:26 am
the savage pirates by the bay will come off the ship and pummel your men and use your women…then drink and spit and adjust themselves accordingly 🙂
September 6th, 2018 at 9:38 am
St.PBF:
But the dead ball penalties are just beyond infuriating. I’m tired of watching a great play of ours wiped out because of a bonehead play before the snap. I get the holding calls…tough interpretation…penalties of competition generally do not bother me….but dead ball penalties…lining up wrong…jumping offsides are simply unforgivable!
Let’s see if this year the Bucs are “Discipline driven” because last year and for too many years going back…prior coaches and teams…this team has been mentally weak….including at the kicking spot where we CHOKED away a couple of games last year. Hopefully Catanzaro has fixed that problem.
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SO MUCH THIS!!!!!!!
I am tired of pros that don’t know their own snap count!
Illegal formation??? Are you kidding me?
How can we focus on getting to the SB if the players cannot focus for a few seconds pre-snap?
September 6th, 2018 at 9:47 am
The bucs talk way too much, hopefully it will show up on the field, that last year meaningless win over the saints cost the bucs a future HOF tough guy that would have 100% improved the OL that is a HUGE question mark heading into a game with a top 10 defense
September 6th, 2018 at 10:05 am
It was as if Licht was screaming from the top of One Buc Palace that the team was butter soft in the trenches.
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Well whose fault is that Jason?
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Opening day is a toughness referendum, as will be every game until the Bucs prove they can give that consistent mental and physical effort.
Hopefully, the toughness is there from start to finish Sunday. If not, Joe sure hopes the accountability starts Monday, not in December
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SPBF, Joe’s no Coach, but even he can see the importance of
Sun 1:00
September 6th, 2018 at 10:11 am
SPBF
Our QB started a fight with Lattimore which drew in ME13 for a suspension. We have some physical players.
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Oh Please….He poked him in the back of the helmet and made some smart ass remark (when he should have had his “injured” ass on the bench)… Not Physically or mentally tough. ME drawn in for suspension..not Mentally tough.
All the while DK has no idea what is transpiring right behind him..The whole thing was a Fiasco.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:17 am
All you need to know about soft is the Arizona game. A 2-2 team smack dab into the season and in the thick of things after losing a close one 10 days ago vs the SB Champs gets off the plane, runs out of the tunnel and lays an egg to the tune of 31-0. This team WAS NOT READY TO COMPETE! Soft, softer, softest! Right now Koetter is on the path to Mr. Coach Klein from the ‘Waterboy’ and needs to get his manhood back. That can start Sunday!
#Get After It!
September 6th, 2018 at 10:36 am
That’s the question I would ask Koetter or Licht or Monken or Smith — if it was so obvious how undsciplined and soft the team was (which it was), then why didn’t they do anything about it after the blowout in Minnesota, or Arizona?
September 6th, 2018 at 10:56 am
horse liver
Because they don’t know what to do or how to do it. That and the GM has built a team with little depth and less toughness…..
September 6th, 2018 at 11:02 am
Kamara scored seven td’s on us last year.
Might want to start toughening up right there.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:14 am
@Eric, 7 td’s? I counted 4 and one was a kickoff return in week 17. Where did you get 7?
September 6th, 2018 at 11:35 am
By NFL standards, the Bucs were a soft, mentally weak football team last year when you consider the season in its entirety.
Just look at the inconsistency, the slow starts on both sides of the ball, the inability to close out games on defense, the brutal road blowouts, the drive-killing penalties, etc.
so glad joe tells it how it is!!!!!!!!!!!
and all that softness starts at the top with the HC!!!!!
Mr. Blank fired these two because the falcons were SOFT!!!!!!……
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
September 6th, 2018 at 11:41 am
Bucs saints preview on their cite.
Maybe they were wrong.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Love that pic!
“Hey, Mike. Check it out. Hit the biceps hard yesterday. I’m getting buff, bro! Feel this. WOOO!”
“Wow, that’s great, Dirk. I bet the chicks can’t get enough of you. Do you have any ideas to help me get rid of this gut? Jenny Craig and my Pilates and body pump classes just don’t seem to be working.”
September 6th, 2018 at 1:08 pm
You summed that up about as well as you could have Joe. Good story and starting Sunday, we will get a glimpse into how this teams season will play out. Are they mentally tougher? Go Bucs!
September 6th, 2018 at 1:32 pm
bucs have been the softest team in nfl since the day they drafted the crying doll playing Batman wanna be… They made the wrong choice that day and it was just another wasted first round pick. not a single meaningful win in captain blowouts pathetic career in the basement. the team is only as tough as it’s weakest link. until tinker bell the leader of the losing culture is gone this team will be soft and weak.
September 6th, 2018 at 2:06 pm
As many posters have stated this is the downfall of Mike Smith’s coaching staff in Atlanta. And that could be heard on hard knocks when the falcons were on it practicing against the Bengals and the Bengals players were calling them sof CAPITAL T or SAWFT. This is a coaching philosophy issue and a gm issue not building the team thru the trenches. Licht has found some gems but better players could’ve been had i love Mike Evans but we would’ve been a much better team had we drafted Aaron Donald. We still need more trench players with premium draft picks. And our the bucs organization needs to show a better commitment to winning. I read a story online that the Rams made an aggressive offer for khalil mack. We need to win period be any means necessary.
September 6th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
RiaB/tmax- Coming out the gates strong! Don’t you want to work up to this much vitriol?!
You’re going to be singing his praises by the end of the season!
Crow stew, crow kebabs, fried crow, BBQ crow, roasted crow, crow feet…..
Let the crow feast begin!
September 6th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
Koetter nor Smitty should have never been hired. They did not get it done in ATL.
What made the Glazers think they’d get her done here? Having said this, I’m still a Bucs fan and wish our Bucs the very best. No hiding in this league. Thats what I luv about it. We shall see if this Defense has improved come Sunday. Time for talk is over. Ruck up and ball out Bucs!
September 6th, 2018 at 4:46 pm
St. Pete buc fan. You are over the top. Jameis attacked Lattimore. Grow up man. He was pointing towards the saints sideline telling him to go over there where he should have been. And tried to get a 15 yard penalty on Lattimore to help the team. By running towards him while he was pointing and poked his pointer finger into the back of his helmet. Yeah he attacked him with his vicious pointer finger. That is a deadly weapon the dreaded all mighty attacking pointer finger.
September 6th, 2018 at 4:51 pm
D Rome good call I forgot that’s what everyone was saying during the falcons hard knocks how soft Mike Smith was. When you have no fear of messing up what’s the point in trying not to. Plus he is in the booth so he can’t even come chew the players out. He would have to call them. That might be another reason he is up there he is scared of confrontation and uses that he likes to see the field from the box as an excuse to not have to get in players butts on the sidelines. But I hope this year Buckner changes that he looks like the person you don’t want to come see after committing a stupid penalty. I bet smith never said anything to baker when he jumped offsides. Probably went to koetter and said we need to release him first day of offseason. Then dirk says did you talk to him mike. No I didn’t just figured it would be easier to cut him.
September 6th, 2018 at 7:41 pm
I don’t think I ever saw Dungy doing dumb poses like that – heck I don’t think even Gruden did dumb poses like that. Dirk just doesn’t seem like headcoaching material and little things like this is part of that. You’re supposed to be a leader amoungst men, and as such you have to be aware of your surroundings and not come off like a complete cornball this is stuff he could do as an OC and it’s not even worth mentioning, but as OC it’s a different world.