“It’s Not That Complicated; It’s Killing Us.”
October 28th, 2018
Candid
Nineteen quarters of football plus an overtime. That’s the answer to an ugly 2018 Buccaneers trivia question that puts a spotlight on the biggest problem facing the team.
Of course, Joe is talking turnovers. And the question is, “How long has it been since the Bucs recorded an interception?“
Since Justin Evans squeezed a Ben Roethlisberger pass in the opening quarter of Week 3, the Bucs have not hauled in a pass by an opposing quarterback. As Joe wrote last week, the winless 2008 Lions recorded four interceptions, the lowest season total in the past 20 years. The Bucs are on a pace worse that that.
Joe’s not sure what’s more incredible, America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, giving away footballs like they’re Halloween candy, or the Bucs’ inability to generate a pick.
The Bucs aren’t exactly causing turnovers in other areas of their defense with any proficiency, either.. Officially, since Lavonte David’s forced fumble on fourth down last week rolled out of bounds, the Bucs are -7 in the turnover department in their last two games.
Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network this afternoon, Dirk Koetter was very direct about that stat and losing the turnover battles in games.
“It’s not that complicated; it’s killing us,” Koetter said.
A pass rush would help, so would more talent in the secondary, as well as a quarterback who’s not throwing picks at an alarming pace.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
Probably because they are so used to catching easy picks in practice from America’s Turnover Machine that when a real QB steps up in the pocket they have no idea what to do
October 28th, 2018 at 7:05 pm
Jamies has got to go, time to upgrade!
October 28th, 2018 at 7:06 pm
America’s garbage is what’s killing us. Get rid of them W soup guy
October 28th, 2018 at 7:07 pm
In all seriousness, it’s probably because this is one of the worst Bucs defenses in years. Sapp, Brooks, Barber, Lynch, Jackson, Rice all of those guys have probably put holes in their walls at home watching this terrible defense on the same team they once played for and dominated for. It’s disgraceful.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:08 pm
wINsTon
Easy. Little w because it happens so early with him and big INT because it always happens with him.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:08 pm
Levante David is horrible in coverage, just throwing it out there.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:09 pm
Well that what you get for the -weapons for jameis- time frame when they put the emphasis on getting weapons for a QB that can’t get them the ball and making the defensive side the step children
October 28th, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Often…not early…damn red win
October 28th, 2018 at 7:12 pm
The Bucs defense would have to average 3-4 picks a game to out pace Winston.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:13 pm
This team needs to go into Oakland mode…..ship out McCoy….David….D-Jax and Winston….maybe even Grimes. Load up for the next draft and give the new regime an opportunity to come out with some quality picks.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:17 pm
At this point. I’m fine with completely cleaning house. From Licht on down. But this time has to be different. The Glazers need to hire Bill Cowher or Bill Polian to oversee the entire franchise and hire the next GM and HC.
Whether or not they choose to move on from Jameis is irrelevant with the way he played today as a 4th year player.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:18 pm
The team has invested everything in the past four years into thinking Winston was the QB to lead this team. This was his time. Who is to blame?
October 28th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Let’s face it: this is a bad football team that until 4pm today was masquerading as a contender.
Light on talent and coaching, but high on not taking responsibility for their actions, they were finally unmasked as pretenders.
Burn it all down and start over.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Winston sucks, we should trade him to Jacksonville for Bortles!!!
October 28th, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Just curious as to what Jay Miss does the night before a game? Does he stay in his hotel room or does he go out with the boys? This CRAP was reminiscent of a game after a Freeman bender.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:23 pm
Defending JW and force feeding your reader’s with the America’s QB moniker has exploited in your face. Don’t say you were not warned hundreds of times. You missed on JW as bad as the organization. Had you been more objective and less synical I would not be so ticked off! I hope your love affair is over!
October 28th, 2018 at 7:24 pm
Bucs have sucked long before winston and will suck long after winston is winning super bowls with a real nfl franchise.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:25 pm
Licht has his handprints all over that crappy defense and lack of solid OL, they need to go tank mode for TUA, and fire licht…. call up saban and give him the keys, he will have bucs in super bowl by 2022
October 28th, 2018 at 7:26 pm
NPRSageBoy
this burn it all down rhetoric is BS …there’s way more football to play. You make me think you’re a poser fan. A real fan would want to win ..loser mentality
Fitz could possibly be that spark to get this team motivated but this “burn it all down” comments are just plain dumb
October 28th, 2018 at 7:27 pm
@Bobby M. I’m with you bro,trade Desean for a 3, McCoy for a 2nd,Grimes for a 5th, and Jameis for a 2nd and 5th. We’re not in complete rebuild mode,we just need to strke gold like the chiefs did or get a competent QB and OLine. Let’s start looking to the future. I like the idea of keeping Dufner and Buckner. Everyone else needs to start packin.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:27 pm
Damnit Bucs do something smart for once and go get Bortles from Jacksonville, give em Jameis and say thank you!
October 28th, 2018 at 7:29 pm
I’ve seen this in Jameis the whole time and been trying to tell ya
October 28th, 2018 at 7:30 pm
How ironic… Coach Koetter got the head coaching job so he could mentor Famous Jameis; now he’ll lose his job because of Jameis. When you are known for throwing interceptions in college, it doesn’t get better in the pros. Mariotta isn’t great, but he’s leaps and bounds better than what we got. It’s a Buccaneer life !
October 28th, 2018 at 7:31 pm
In a world with an angry God who hated lying, Joe would have his testes zapped by a lightning bolt everytime he writes Jameis Winston, America’s Quarterback.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:34 pm
Agree that this might be the end for Jameis but let’s not forget Fitz had 3 picks in one half just 4 games ago. So yeah we are screwed no matter what.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:34 pm
Goodell is a wuss, he should have suspended Winston for the season!
October 28th, 2018 at 7:35 pm
El_Buc941, nobody in their right mind would trade Jameis for a 2nd and anything or even a 2nd at all. Maybe a 3rd.
Best hope is we can trade our dumpster fire for another one with promise and hope the change of scenery helps them both. Like Carr.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:38 pm
Ndog
Yeah but Fitz doesn’t do it practically every game like your boy JW
October 28th, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Love these marks who say trade jameis, get a 2 and 5. Who in the world would give you that for him, especially after today. But it is time to move on from him, just waiting for joe to finally acknowledge it.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:53 pm
@ Jean Lafitte:
If this team wins another 3 games this year, it will be a miracle
October 28th, 2018 at 7:56 pm
America’s Thug is eating I’s not W’s
October 28th, 2018 at 7:57 pm
Dirk is a dead man walking. He has no chance next week, only luck will save him.
Just another game with an unprepared, untrained & clueless team that had no chance from the start. We look like we haven’t practiced all week long and it personally offends me.
Stpetebucfan would do a better job preparing this team.
October 28th, 2018 at 7:59 pm
Dirk is a dead man walking. He has no chance next week, only luck will save him.
Just another game with an unprepared, untrained & clueless team that had no chance from the start. We look like we haven’t practiced all week long and it personally offends me.
Stpetebucfan would do a better job preparing this team.
October 28th, 2018 at 8:00 pm
The Bucs offense has the weapons to execute, but the QB is wasting their talents and our time. Get a QB who won’t turn the ball over, and they will outscore opponents, regardless of the deficiencies on defense. The ownership wants to believe that JW is their franchise QB, but they are in denial. Team Glazer will pay JW $20 mill guaranteed for 2019 and then cut him before the season starts. That’s just how they roll. And, yes, I’m bitter after a loss! #Fitzweapons #PaidFloridaVacation
October 28th, 2018 at 8:00 pm
STOP CALLING HIM AMERICAS QB!!!! JESUS CHRIST! I SWEAR THESE DUDES HAVE A AGENDA FOR JW
October 28th, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Reality is a biotch
You said Jameis would go down as the most important buccaneer of all time.
Dude – not even close.
October 28th, 2018 at 8:01 pm
@JOES
ADMIT JW IS DONE HERE!
October 28th, 2018 at 8:03 pm
Beotch
Come on man! You’re right about McIcecream but get real about your boy Jay Miss. He’s not going to be successful anywhere!
October 28th, 2018 at 8:03 pm
That is it….Ive seen enough. I’m done with Koetter. The guy ruined this game today. Jamie’s liked like complete crap, but the bad in game management is that of a football dad that just got jammed out of the stands last minute to take over his kids youth football team for the rest of the season. The guy is suck a puzzy. Not going for the first down and kicking that field goal, not utilizing timeouts in first halves and then using them too early in second halves. This guy is a broken record just like Smith. I wanted him to get the job, I believed he would be the guy. I WAS WRONG!!!!!!!!!
I hope Jason Licht gets to stick around and I really hope the next head coaching job is a retred. At this point there is no hope. I mean whay complete Morron refuses to put one of the fastest most elusive players in the league who happens to play for his team back to return punts? Why is the offensive playbook cut in half for Jameis but Fitz has all.ptions at his disposal? Damn I’m disspaointed…
October 28th, 2018 at 8:03 pm
This team can win with fitz. He came in and looked calm and ready to ball.
Fitz will have that bad game where he throws a few picks. But Jameis does it every game now so there is nothing to lose.
This offense was humming under fitz. He can play downfield where Jameis is now charley check down and runs for his life cause he doesn’t trust his own arm.
October 28th, 2018 at 8:11 pm
This team can’t win with ANYONE…. HAVE YOU FOOLS NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES!!!!!
Giving up on Jameis would be almost as big of a mistake as hiring lovie, keeping dungy 2 years t0o long and letting 55 hang on 5 years too long…. this team has sucked long before winston and will suck long after winston regardless of anyone who this dysfunctional franchise hires.
October 28th, 2018 at 8:32 pm
@SchwiftyBuc Says:
It’s gotta be GM to the entire coaching staff ……Palace clean out.
This team is all over the page.,…..No consistency.
Koetter making big mistakes like JW….it’s FUBAR.
Keeping Smith and coddling JW has likely sunk us this year.
Glazers should get NFL business Equity Raiders… to Mitt Romney the Bucs $$
Walk as many the plank …..for least amount of $$$
October 28th, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Ever since Monte Kiffin quit, we have had so many years of horrible defense, it’s hard to pin which one is the worst.
Raheem’s 2011 defense was pretty horrendous, as was Lovie’s 2014 defense. Mike Smith’s defense has been horrendous for 3 straight years. Take your pick.
October 28th, 2018 at 9:41 pm
Joe, no doubt the defense is bad but when you are playing with a big lead early on, you are much less likely to throw into coverage or force balls. Last 3 games the opposing team has been but up by 2 to 3 scores in the first half. That allows for some pretty conservative play calling and a lot of runs. Then you have a defense selling out to stop the run and, well… we know what happens next.
October 28th, 2018 at 9:53 pm
I see the defense improving…the running game was better today…our receivers are already good…and look how our QB is improving…NOT.
October 28th, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Winston or Mariota didnt even matter. We were screwed either way. We knew Jameis turned the ball over coming out of college but it wasn’t a problem at FSU because they RAN the football and played excellent DEFENSE. When Doug Martin produced Jameis put up respectable numbers but when you’re ranked 32nd in rushing and in defense you’re not giving anyone a chance whether it be Winston, Fitzpatrick, Mariota, Favre, Brady, Starr, Unitas, or whoever you want to name.
October 28th, 2018 at 10:26 pm
You know I can say I’ve somewhat defended Winston to this point and the readers can make fun of me if the wish but people before you start mocking your fellow readers on this site just remember to mock joe bucs first for being the only two people on the planet to use America’s Quarterback when talking about Winston. None of us were insane enough to go that far.
October 28th, 2018 at 10:30 pm
There’s actually only one high priced buc player earning his paycheck and he was traded here. Licht your resume sucks and I’m sure that with the writing on the wall he will still not make any moves before the deadline.
October 28th, 2018 at 11:13 pm
I thought this headline was going to be referencing Koetter’s offense and Jameis’s understanding of it.
October 28th, 2018 at 11:20 pm
Jameis is the best QB the Bucs have ever had, and that is a very sad truth. It shows just how awful the Bucs QB have been since the beginning.
October 28th, 2018 at 11:56 pm
TOLD YOU SO!!! Fitz was taken out of the starting lineup way too soon. Winston is, AT BEST, an average QB. Today he wasn’t even that. 9 interceptions in 3 games. Pathetic! I don’t care how early he gets to work, how many weights he lifts, “he does what he is”. He did it in College and now in the Pros. He was drafted by Lovey Smith. Enough said! He is most definitely worth $20 million dollars a year. The Bucs have a real problem with Winston as to what to do with him. The way it looks now, someone other than Dirk Koetter and Jason Licht be making that decision.
October 28th, 2018 at 11:58 pm
Sorry! NOT WORTH $20 MILLION PER YEAR!!!
October 29th, 2018 at 12:03 am
Can’t wait for the RG4 train to start rolling. Re-re-re-re-rebuild here we come! I’m done with this clown show. Already feel my pockets weighing me down with all that saved 2019 season ticket cash!
October 29th, 2018 at 2:43 am
If you call yourself a reporter or a journalist you MUST ask a simple question: why was fitz benched and who’s decision was it. Thats a must question for a media guy who calls homself professional.
October 29th, 2018 at 3:34 am
@Joe … “Joe’s not sure what’s more incredible, America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, giving away footballs like they’re Halloween candy, or the Bucs’ inability to generate a pick.”
@Joe … “A pass rush would help, so would more talent in the secondary, as well as a quarterback who’s not throwing picks at an alarming pace.”
Kinda answered your own question there Joe.
October 29th, 2018 at 4:24 am
I’d keep Djax. Roll w fitz. Trade McCoy, brate and winston. Get O line or defense. Trade giants for janoris Jenkins. Winston or brate should do that. Maybe get a 3rd for McCoy. The way the league is going protecting the qb Fitz can play here for at least 2 more years. Draft a qb and let him learn behind fitz. He brings energy to the team. You can see it. They believe in him.
October 29th, 2018 at 4:47 am
We need Patrick Peterson now that will solve our secondary and bell will take care of our running game.
October 29th, 2018 at 6:17 am
No Dirk.
You and Winston are killing us.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:42 am
Trade Winston and GMC. Both are garbage!
October 29th, 2018 at 8:39 am
Really sucks that we are gonna have to clean house and go back to square 1 again.