It’s A Bucs Life
January 26th, 2019
Playing for yet another coach.
In what is an otherwise uplifting report, the hidden theme is how far the Bucs have fallen.
It seems almost like it happened in another life. A lost generation has passed since Chucky hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy in victory in the chilly San Diego night air. He had just delivered the franchise’s first and thus far, only championship.
In the feature below from WTVT-TV Channel 13 sports reporter Kevin O’Donnell on the best receiver the Bucs have ever had, Mike Evans, the Pro Bowler happens to reveal a sorry truth. Evans, now entering his sixth season with the Bucs, is on his third head coach as Bucco Bruce Arians enters the picture.
Now Joe isn’t one to scream how the Bucs change coaches too often. Since Chucky was jettisoned on that dark Friday afternoon in January 2009, the Bucs have gone through four coaches. Arians is the fifth in the post-Chucky era.
None (Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano and Lovie Smith) have demonstrated since they were fired by Team Glazer that they were wronged be being dismissed. Raheem Morris cannot get another head coaching job; Greg Schiano just now is reportedly returning to the NFL as a defensive assistant in New England and Lovie Smith is wrecking the football program at Illinois beyond recognition.
The problem isn’t Team Glazer firing coaches, it’s hiring coaches.
Joe sure hopes Arians breaks this streak of bad head coaches.
#Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans returns to the Pro Bowl for a 2nd time and is about to get some good intel on Bruce Arians from a 8-time Pro Bowler, Patrick Peterson @MikeEvans13_ @P2 #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/WL4AaluZmK
— Kevin ODonnell Fox13 (@ODonnellFox13) January 23, 2019
January 26th, 2019 at 1:32 am
Schiano is supposed to go to New England, I’ve heard.
I don’t think that’s entirely fair. A lot of coaches don’t get hired again for the same reason players don’t get signed onto new teams. No one wants to risk it with a perceived loser, especially when there’s a bunch of unknown coaches that are easier to sell to ownership and fans.
I might add, Raheem and Schiano both had tremendous success in their post Bucs job. Schiano was supposed to be the head coach at Tennessee.
Lovie, however, stinks up his job. But he’s a former head coach from that area that coaches the hometown team to the super bowl. At a non football school. My point? Coaches get jobs based on optics, not film
January 26th, 2019 at 1:45 am
Arians will know how to use mike Evans better.
I heard earlier that mike Evans likes to catch the ball and fall down on purpose.
Let’s respect the youngest kid to 6,000 yards. Not jerry rice. Not moss Not Owens. You know who else did that …no one man…
Off the field even better. His story is in a book
He will break every buc record next year.
January 26th, 2019 at 1:45 am
Thank you mike Evans
Favorite offensive player
January 26th, 2019 at 1:48 am
Yea great article because every year fans should expect failure because there is no reason to have hope no matter what changes the organization makes right. Damn the media and fans are the most depressing in the nfl, it’s like there’s nothing to write about so you come with this crap because of all the cynical people driving the conversation.
Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter but people are surprised by the franchise failing to be successful lol. Imagine that you need a credible coach and staff to actually compete in this league wow who knew that was the recipe for success
January 26th, 2019 at 1:55 am
Go Bucs!
January 26th, 2019 at 2:58 am
Sadly the odds are against Evans playing this long in the NFL…I wish him continued success and health…
January 26th, 2019 at 3:27 am
@Joe … “The problem isn’t Team Glazer firing coaches, it’s hiring coaches. Joe sure hopes Arians breaks this streak of bad head coaches.” Wow Joe, kinda scathing condemnation of the Glazer Boyz don’t ya think? Is that akin to saying that ownership should be held as ACCOUNTABLE for this team’s poor performance as the GM, coaches & players? Of course, in our case it’s always the coaching staff that gets held ACCOUNTABLE (every 2-3 years) so this is all virgin territory.
After botching it TWO GMs and FOUR HCs in a row, I’m convinced that the Glazers got it right this time … IF they’ve given Coach Arians FULL authority & support. They lucked into this situation IMO (landing Bruce Arians & Todd Bowles was just a matter of them saying YES rather than them or Licht actually creating the situation) but we needed some luck for a change. (Same thing BTW with us landing JPP … we simply said YES after the Giants new GM decided to make him available when Gettleman ‘decided that the Giants needed to go in a different direction’). ‘Timing is everything’ as they say in show business?
January 26th, 2019 at 3:48 am
The BigHogHaynes says keep your head down come to camp healthy and continue to play at that Pro Bowl level!! Joe it’s a new year let me be heard!!
January 26th, 2019 at 5:11 am
Cleveland South?
January 26th, 2019 at 5:25 am
The Glazers may have picked a winner with Arians…..but they paid a price by keeping Jason Licht. It remains to be seen how high that price was.
Perhaps the coaching staff will outweigh Licht’s apparent mistakes…..or was it always coaching…..did some of his draft picks and FA picks fail because of our coaches?
I think we can agree that if we have had failed coaches that at least some of the failure of players rests on their shoulders.
January 26th, 2019 at 6:36 am
Horrible drafting since Chucky was around is the real reason this team has sucked for so long….
January 26th, 2019 at 6:42 am
It’s not just bad coaching that have done the Bucs in during this period it is the OWNERS. Lest anyone forget Raheem was hired at the time the the Glazers bought that team in a sport that only little kids with super hot moms play on Saturday mornings, (soccer) they spent SO much money on the team that the gutted the Bucs slashed payroll and cut key players and coaches. When that backfired they tried to go all drill sergeant and hired Schiano but then one Buc got a nasty case of mersa and the rest you can read about in the medical books. Then they hired without any doubt the biggest bumbling fool of them all Lovie Smith. (WHO IN THE HELL NAMES THEIR BABY BOY LOVIE?) and voila there you have our present state. Thanks Glazers Bros.
January 26th, 2019 at 7:26 am
This new coaching staff is a dream come true
January 26th, 2019 at 7:33 am
2.3 years per Head Coach lends to inconsistency. Each regime had no choice coming in than to take the players from the prior regime. Morris, and Smith were the only ones to have any say into who they wanted to draft for QB. Schiano was saddled with Freeman, and Koetter was saddled with “Merica’s QB”. Schiano was allowed to draft a QB but only in later rounds, and Koetter none.
So surmise to say the most common link to the Buc woes are the QB’s
We love to flush out regimes but we’re stubborn to change for the right QB. I’m not saying these were great hires but let’s be honest with ourselves, the right QB can keep a coach employed for many years. Freeman and Winston were and are the reasons for so much change. #CoachKillers
January 26th, 2019 at 7:40 am
…and now the infamous A.K.A “QB whisperer” Bruce Arians has inherited Merica. I hope this changes things but call me cautiously optimistic.
January 26th, 2019 at 7:47 am
Stop the tragedy
Joe if you feel so bad switch teams
We’re not the only team facing challenges
For crying out loud you’re running out of stuff to write.
Go Bucs!!!
January 26th, 2019 at 7:55 am
The problem is not the coaches, its the Glazers.
January 26th, 2019 at 8:21 am
Joe, I am not a Lovie defender but you can’t keep saying he wrecked the Illinois football program; it was a dumpster fire before Lovie arrived!!!
January 26th, 2019 at 8:35 am
Why does Licht still have a job?? The bucs gm has been a large issue with winning!!
January 26th, 2019 at 8:58 am
Evan’s could have even more if he’d not fall down or voluntarily run out of bounds….
January 26th, 2019 at 8:58 am
Bruce Arians is the reason Licht has a job.
January 26th, 2019 at 9:08 am
Bird
“I heard earlier that mike Evans likes to catch the ball and fall down on purpose.”
Evans is a beast and has only been given the opportunity to run hooks down the middle most the time. His mass doesn’t allow him to turn up field and get the most yac.We all know Jameis has problems connecting deep. If he liked to catch the ball and fall down he would not be among only Green and Moss for 1,000+ yards for five years outta rookie season.
January 26th, 2019 at 9:18 am
I have no problem with Licht as a GM. I would love to see all the Licht haters know the process of hiring a good GM or even knowing what the job description means. Waaay too many idiots he alone drafts players and hires guys in FA. Go walk the streets with the Glazer kids and try to find an awesome GM and front office and we’ll see what happens.
January 26th, 2019 at 9:30 am
Victor Johnson Says:
“you can’t keep saying (Lovie) wrecked the Illinois football program; it was a dumpster fire before Lovie arrived!!!”
_________________
Maybe fair, Victor, but unfortunately Lovie turned it into a raging inferno burning completely out of control.
January 26th, 2019 at 9:49 am
Schiano is Belicheks DC.
That is a high octane job in the NFL and direct path to a HC gig and Schiano is relatively young. Howard always thought Schiano was hobbled by the glazers just like the other 4 coaches were.
But inspite of working for the worst owners in sports Schiano had 1 hell of a defense ….here….in tampa and in spite of the gboys
January 26th, 2019 at 9:50 am
Hell…Schiano might be the heir apparane to Belichek.
Wouldn’t that be some (more) egg on the gboys faces?
January 26th, 2019 at 9:50 am
*apparent
January 26th, 2019 at 9:58 am
The cliche that it’s a quarterback driven league is a cliche for a reason.
All in all, we’ve had terrible QB play here in Tampa since Chucky left, and before he left as well.
Some blame has to go to that position.
January 26th, 2019 at 11:21 am
I love Mike, but also wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the Bucs trade ME13 for a haul of pics. That position is the only thing on this roster that’s solid and it’s not hard to find talent through drafting and free agency. Yes he’s the best WR they ever had, but he is replaceable and they could immediately get stronger at other positions. I’ve said before and will say again that no one on this team is untouchable and still shocked DJax wasn’t moved last season because they missed out on a 2nd round pick in this upcoming draft. Mike and JPP are the most valuable and obviously could bring back significant return
January 26th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
If the sheep want to know why the Bucs have reached such low levels, you only need to look at what the league is telling you!!!!! The 2 buffoons that had the juice can not get a sniff from the league, even though they have begged for jobs in the NFL!!!!!! Talk show host domnik and loser incompetent lovie that ran this franchise into the ground!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The league knows these guys are bums!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 26th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
wish to hell we trade djax for a 4 or 5 round-we could that.
January 26th, 2019 at 1:49 pm
I wish we could pull off a trade for him
January 26th, 2019 at 2:23 pm
Here’s another little sad Bucs life nugget:
Since Chucky was fired, there is only 1 player we’ve drafted who has experience more than 1 winning season with the Bucs.