“I’m Going To Find You If You’re Lollygagging”
June 25th, 2019
Fresh update
There’s been a healthy share of loafing by the men wearing Buccaneers uniforms while America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, has been the face of the franchise.
Yeah, Tampa Bay faithful talk a lot about leadership, too much. Why? Because the Bucs have missed the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons and their home record is abysmal during that time.
Leadership is something to obsess over when you’re on your fifth head coach in the post-Chucky era and nobody considers your team a physical band of relentless warriors.
It appears Jameis (who is not a loafer) and other top Bucs were willing to tolerate guys like Chris “Swaggy” Baker not caring, DeSean Jackson begging to leave and making it clear he didn’t care, as well as the too-often loafs by Donovan Smith and other offensive linemen, plus the Brent Grimes 2018 experience and more.
It’s fair to ask how that happened.
It’s also unfair to blame Jameis. However, it’s easy to say Bucs locker room leadership was poor.
The Athletic beat writer Greg Auman watched Jameis coach kids at a camp last week and noted Jameis’ message and how much he emphasized effort. Joe was amused.
“Rest assured, I’m going to find you if you’re lollygagging,” Winston says. “If you’re not showing effort, I’m going to find you. And if I find you, it ain’t going to be pretty.” Sure enough, halfway through the passing drills, three of the youngest quarterbacks are sent off for a lap around the quarter-mile track.
Joe wonders what would would happen if Jameis brought that same mentality to his leadership of the Bucs?
Hopefully, the Bucco Bruce Arians regime will pluck all the weeds so the locker room chieftains won’t have to.
June 25th, 2019 at 8:06 am
Joe says “Leadership is something to obsess over when you’re on your fifth head coach in the post-Chucky era and nobody considers your team a physical band of relentless warriors.”
Joe really doesn’t get it on this. Lack of leadership (among other things) is the biggest reason the Bucs have had an 11 year drought. That is WHY it is obsessed over by everyone, especially fans, many of whom can recognized it and in this town, probably know a little something about leadership themselves. Leadership can be taught and learned to an extent, but to mold someone into a leader assumes they are the right lump of clay to begin with. Some are natual leaders and just have to sharpen a few things. Some will never get it. Some are stronger than others.
Leadership is the pinnacle of any organization being successful. Fact. It is about a person or people (often designated as such) that can possess or otherwise use various qualities to enable or improve an organizations ability to achieve its goals. It’s using qualities owning and using technical competence and skill, accountability, confidence, inspiration, integrity, compassion, empathy, decision making, humilitiy, innovation, insights, and others in a way that makes the organization and it’s people better. Good effective Leaders have “vision” and the ability to recognize gaps in what an organization needs to move forward. Leaders are needed at the top and in the trenches. For an NFL team, leaders are needed from ownership to management to coaching to players.
It’s also not whether someone is or is not a leader, it is how much they possess or balance important qualities and/or how well they apply them. They are often better on some of them than others. It’s really a continuum. Let’s take a guy like Derrick Brooks, maybe John Lynch who arguably have about all of the qualities. I personally think Lynch will be a great GM. Then there are guys like Sapp who showed many of them but lacked in others–not strong leaders but pivotal to have. But guys like Sapp definitely had things like commitment, passion, and technical competence that were far and away more than plenty to be an asset to the Bucs. The Bucs of course cleaned house of those Bucs (many say too early…a poor leadership decision) and who has ever been even close to Brooks since? Add to that the fact that so many others on the team in years and years since lacked those same qualities needed in leadership and good followership…like commitment and technical competence.
There are the formal leaders like owners, GM, coaches, etc and informal leaders that be can good (like JPP and Godwin) or bad like Baker and DJax. Some are terrible followers too. And if you have the designated leaders, let’s say team captains like GMC and Winston, who are devoid of one or more of the leadership qualities needed at any given time, the team can fail. It is arguable the team failed last year (2018) largely due to both of these leaders failing.
No, it’s not GMCs fault so many lacked the technical skill or commitment. It is GMCs fault or the fault of those with authority to pick him to see he lacked an ability to inspire others for the most part. He may have been by others as lacking commitment, falling off in his technical competence, etc, rendering him as ineffective.
To say it’s unfair to blame Winston is just dumb. Winston is exceedingly strong in most of the key leadership qualities, but he lacks and in some cases has been consistent at showing he lacks some key characteristics. Shall we bring them up yet again? Lack of accountability, honesty and integrity, poor decision making. So yes Joe, Jameis gets his share of the blame too. But he is far from being the only one who failed as a leader. It’s not an all or none, or either/or kind of things. This organization has so many problems. My take is from the start, Winston has bamboozled ownership on what he lacks. It’s a lot easier to go back and prove technical competence but wants one demonstrates lack of integrity/honesty….it will take longer to convince others those are fixed. Indeed, the “face of the franchise” needs to be pretty darn shiny in ALL of those things. I just don’t think he’s got it.
I will state that had this organization had strong enough leaders at the various levels they’d not be where they are now. That includes Winston, GMC, Koetter, Raheem, Dominic, Freeman, Glazers…ALL OF THEM.
Ownership is not absolved either–they have recognized their lack of some things and defer to their GM and coaches who are expected to be able to lead to shore that up. And too often they’ve not been up to it. I’m not saying the Glazers are bad owners from a leadership perspective. They’d certainly be bad if they tried to Jerry Jones it…because they lack his technical confidence at the game. Some think Jerry doesn’t have it!
So can Arians be strong enough to overcome what Licht lacks? Can Winston redeem himself to be respected as a strong leader of the Bucs in the time he has to do it (again, may take to long to show he has integrity/honesty; but no one can doubt his commitment and passion)? Can both Winston and Arians and others make others around them better?
An organization will not win without effective leadership. If it lacks, all the commitment and technical competence in the world won’t cut it. And those that also lack those things turn in records as losers. Enter the year-over-year losers. Like the Bucs.
June 25th, 2019 at 8:08 am
Careful calling out your teammates Jameis….leave that for the leaders…
June 25th, 2019 at 8:30 am
Suh will be stepping on Jameis if he calls him out. HAHAHA.
June 25th, 2019 at 8:31 am
Jameis: “Rest assured, I’m going to find you if you’re lollygagging, If you’re not showing effort, I’m going to find you. And if I find you, it ain’t going to be pretty.” Sure enough, halfway through the passing drills, three of the youngest quarterbacks are sent off for a lap around the quarter-mile track.
That works multiple ways for Jameis. If he lacks the key characteristics other than “not lollygagging” (Jameis is no loafer) that are must-haves to be the face of the franchise…particularly honesty, integrity etc. that others expect in him, “it ain’t going to be pretty.”
June 25th, 2019 at 8:39 am
You may be able to call Jameis alot of things but lazy isn’t one of them…
Personally I believe there’s different types of leadership…That said, I think holding players accountable falls on the coaching staff first, then the players…
In this politically correct world we live in you really need to be careful how you approach/talk to people; there’s really a very thin line…God forbid you hold someone accountable nowadays, that can quickly make you the bad guy…
June 25th, 2019 at 8:46 am
I WILL PAY YOU 1,000 ASH IF YOU CAN GO A DAY WITHOUT POSTING A PIC OR HAVE AN ARTICLE OF THIS LOSER
June 25th, 2019 at 8:47 am
ALSO MAGADUDE YOU NEED A LIFE OR JOB MAN TO SPENT THAT KIND OF TIME WRITING A POST
June 25th, 2019 at 8:55 am
@Suck, I’ve got both. And still find the time. Imagine that. Thanks for caring.
June 25th, 2019 at 8:56 am
Jameis calls out his team mates. His team mates then think “you lied to us”. Oh boy, that won’t go well.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:00 am
Succ don’t get on people needing a life. Look in the mirror dude.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:11 am
Magadude-
Good post.
I would suggest that Jameis is maturing from “entitled, worshipped…” young and immature talent to a more humbled, thoughtful professional , evidenced by the last 4 games last year and public service activities.
But if he is going to get a big contract extension, he must show he cam win in the NFL with coaches who have a winning background .
If Leadership emerges from this team, it will be on the defensive side
June 25th, 2019 at 9:13 am
Mega dude. I’m sure you have a well written comment and all but I will never have that much time to read it.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:21 am
Leadership was easy when Winston was a top tier college QB on a top ranked team….His “rah rah” follow me approach was a perfect fit for teenagers.
The pros are on a completely different level. You cant anoint yourself top dog and then play mediocre. McCoy has commented on this…..Simms has commented on this…..even Koetter. You HAVE to produce results….that’s what gets everyone’s attention.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:25 am
we’ve had leadership, just the wrong type of leadership…..
the leaders we’ve had (GMC) really didnt care about winning….it was all about having fun…..
the former leader of the franchise won 10games as rookie and was miserable because he didnt have fun…
biggest game in recent bucs history vs dallas for a shot at the playoffs and instead of getting his team mates ready to play, he just wants them to have fun…..thats what its all about…having fun….not winning, but having fun and laughing your way to the bank….
in the past we’ve had coaches that allowed players to “just have fun” but not anymore…..things will change under BA starting in TC….players and coaches only have fun, if we’re winning….all that losing and having fun is out the window….
GO BUCS!!!!!
June 25th, 2019 at 9:28 am
Is Winston the face of the team now?? …i don’t think so(not nationally).. either the coach or Mike would be a much better choice.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:32 am
Jay-Miss is not a leader.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:34 am
Thanks, I needed a good laugh today. Almost spit my covfefe out all over my screen. Jameis Winston, the face of the Bucs. LMAO
June 25th, 2019 at 9:46 am
ben
i would go with mike evans…..
he’s produced and has made it to his second contract….
GO BUCS!!!!
June 25th, 2019 at 9:56 am
“There’s been a healthy share of loafing by the men wearing Buccaneers uniforms” – JOE
That’s because they are not wearing uniforms. They are wearing pajamas.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:59 am
@AlanBucsFan…thanks. I agree Winston has to do those things…and don’t think he has the time to rebuild some of that, takes longer than a season. Why? Don’t think the Glazers have that long with local support, and Licht sure has his clock ticking. Keeping an eye on White to see he can fill the void as the face of the franchise in the interim. Who was the face during the SB team era? Hmmmm. Brooks, Lynch, Sapp, Brad Johnson. Maybe a little bit of all.
June 25th, 2019 at 10:37 am
Joe, not sure why you think Jameis or anyone could’ve done anything to mesean last year. He was a coaches pet. What did you expect Jameis to do, make him give effort on every pass? Maybe return some kicks? Heck the head coach couldn’t get him to do anything, what makes you think Jameis could’ve. Especially given how many times you mentioned mesean trying to ruin Jameis.
June 25th, 2019 at 10:38 am
Buccaneers, we all know you’re a troll, get off your keyboard and go find a life. Theres a big world out there find something else to do with your time.
June 25th, 2019 at 10:42 am
Magadude, exactly! How can you write so clearly (although at length 🙂 about the leadership deficiencies of JW and GMC and yet… the Joes can’t let a day go by without writing longingly about America’s QB (if you type it enough, will it come true?) and an $8M backup DT for the Panthers (who cares?). Enough already.
June 25th, 2019 at 10:48 am
I’m sticking with what we have in house..it’s time to man up..JW3 is the leader …follow JW3 or go put your blue cheerleader panties on and scream and shout for the stinking Panthers!! Go Bucs Go Shuy!!
June 25th, 2019 at 11:15 am
Sink or swim. Just like how everyone expects JimmyGQ to carry the 9ers on his back, we should expect Jameis too as well. The season hinges on his performance if we’re to have a shot.
June 25th, 2019 at 11:34 am
I think what this team and fan base lacks is camaraderie.
The championship team seemed from the outside to be fans of each other. The defense got excited for the offense and visa versa. I’m sure winning has a lot to do with that.
Seems to me that lately it’s been very much a me first approach. The only partners I see on the field are Evans and Jameis not unlike Brooks and Sapp or Alstott and Dunn Or Lynch and we’ll the whole team.
Once we start playing for each other and not against each other the wins will roll in.
June 25th, 2019 at 12:13 pm
Jaymyth’s best season is the off season….
June 25th, 2019 at 1:29 pm
I believe that the coaching staff is the 75% solution in this discussion. I hope that BA doesn’t lean back (rather than lean forward) on the staff or the players. Probably biggest unknown this season… I would like to believe that most of the staff understands this (Bowles immediately comes to mind.)
All it takes is a couple players (on the field leaders) to buy in to what BA has been selling. It sounds cliche’, but there has to be ‘alpha dogs’ in all phases, they have to drink BA’s kool aid and hold everyone to get onboard and don’t be the guy.
Our team has had a lot of warts leadership wise over the years. Expectations and foundations weren’t clear – favoritism was present. You name it…
There is no middle ground this season.
June 25th, 2019 at 3:04 pm
Jameis believes football in 99% mental and 1% feetswork.
June 25th, 2019 at 5:34 pm
Will he call someone out if they are dilly dallying too?
June 25th, 2019 at 8:52 pm
Magadude nailed it. One of the reasons why some people disdain the importance of leadership is because none of the Bucs leadership in our recent past has had an effect on creating a winning culture. “We’ve had ‘leaders’ and look what it got us.” Squat. So in a way that criticism is valid.
However the argument can be made that the leadership we’ve had over the last eleven some-odd years has been ineffective because we just simply have not had real leaders in our leadership roles. The team has designated the most likely candidates to take on that job and none of them have been up to the task because they have lacked so many of the qualities that Magadude so eloquently discussed.
Frankly it mystifies me why there’s such consistent doubt about the importance of having true leaders in team sports. I mean even in this article there’s this vacillation between (paraphrasing) “leadership is a really overblown and not that important” to “oh my gosh it was a lack of leadership that doomed the locker room”. We can’t have it both ways. Either leadership’s important in team sports or it’s not.
Quit saying that it’s not important and then turning around (sometimes inside the very same article or discussion) and saying that it is. Quit it with this cart before the horse mentality of (again paraphrasing) “it’s silly to keep talking about having leaders when all that matters are results/wins”. You really do need the one before you can build a unit and forge a culture that’s going to get you the other.
June 25th, 2019 at 9:27 pm
@sincethebeginning…my hunch is some people diminish “leadership” as a necessary umbrella for the Bucs org is because it is clear Winston is not a leader…not a complete one, and the most important things for him to prove he has (if he ever had them) are honesty and integrity. It will take time, which is frankly something he likely does not have. So if you love Winston, you may have a propensity to discount the importance of leadership, you want to say “just win” or “just play” or “just do your job” and let the blame fall elsewhere. And of course, the first overall pick and QB was brought here to be a centerpiece for a multibillion dollar business and a beacon in the community. And he’s gotten the spotlight most often for the wrong reasons. THAT’s why I think some don’t look at it as important.
June 25th, 2019 at 10:05 pm
If you want to know about Jameis Winston’s leadership go to Bleacher Report and read Matt Hayes’ article on FSU football. That will tell you all need to know about Jameis.
June 26th, 2019 at 5:27 am
@Buc Frank…Yeah, I’d say other than he big allegation at FSU, nothing else got my attention more than him dressing for the game despite direction not to. I didn’t care about the stuff like crab legs and his immaturity in shouting memes so much. But coming out in uniform under team suspension directly flies in the face of authority and cannot be tolerated. He’s pulled similar stuff with the Bucs WRT ignoring plays sent in and of course, off-field stuff (again). As we know, Winston will do what is required within the law, authoritative direction from coaches, and societal standards of common decency…for just as long as he personally wants to.