Handling “Prosperity”
September 22nd, 2019
Wait-and-see approach.
One reason Bucs fans have been so down in the dumps in recent years isn’t just the losing, but the gut-punches the team inflicts on fans.
Year after year, just when the team offers fans a reason for hope, a glimmer of light, evidence to get excited about the team, it takes a mighty swing of the leg and blasts a boot square in the groin.
Take last year when the Bucs jumped out to a 2-0 record and then dropped a No. 2 on the field of the Den of Depression in the first half against the Steelers before the nation on Monday Night Football.
The year before, 2017, after beating the Bears, the Bucs then went to Minneapolis and got curb-stomped by the Vikings.
The year before that, 2016, the Bucs went to Arizona flush with a big season-opening win and were freight-trained by an over-the-hill running back. (Though to be fair the Bucs rallied that season and nearly missed the playoffs, and Adrian Peterson also revived his career last year.)
And in 2015, after pulling within a game of .500 in mid-October, who can forget the Capital Collapse?
On and on it goes.
(In the post-Chucky era, only 13 times have the Bucs strung together a winning streak of two or more victories. Four came in 2010 when the Bucs last had double-digit wins finishing with 10.)
Year after year, just when the clouds begin to break for the Bucs, here comes the band of a tropical storm to deliver the cold slap of reality.
Enter today. The Bucs come off a nice win on the road in a short week to punk a division rival, using a stingy defense (!) to get the job done. And now the Bucs face a team on the cusp of freefall starting a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut.
A good team should pulverize the Giants. But even with a nice win on national TV like the Bucs had in Charlotte some 10 days ago, many aren’t buying the Bucs, given a rich history of puking when tasting success. Such is the case with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of SiriusXM.
In his weekly spot with Russo, internationally popular JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman spoke about the Bucs winning at Carolina and how it felt like a new day has dawned in Tampa Bay.
Russo agreed with Ira that it was a nice win, but Russo cannot shake the memory of past tank jobs. So Russo, like many outside the Tampa Bay area, think it is perfect timing for the Giants to give a rookie quarterback his first start because, well, it’s the Bucs.
“It’s a good defense,” Russo said of the Bucs. “It’s a good defense. That defense is tough.
“I do think the Giants are catching Tampa right. Tampa does strike me as a franchise that never deals with prosperity properly. They do have a habit of letting one win go to their head.”
Sad as that is, it is extremely difficult to argue with what Russo said. There’s just too much evidence. This is life as a Bucs fan in the post-Chucky era.
Throw in the fact the game is at the Den of Depression, where the Bucs have the worst home record in the NFC since Chucky was jettisoned, and how in recent years the Bucs often seem to rear-end the delivery truck at the stoplight after a win, it is easy to see why folks are still skeptical.
Is this a new Bucs era under Bucco Bruce Arians? A win today would suggest, yes it is. A loss, and it’s the same ol’ Bucs.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Past performance is not always indicative of future results. This team has a new coaching staff and about 20 different players from last season. Probably about 35-40 new players from 3/4 years ago. Bucs win 24-13.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:21 pm
“Is this a new Bucs era under Bucco Bruce Arians? A win today would suggest, yes it is. A loss, and it’s the same ol’ Bucs.”
This is why today’s contest is not only a must win…but requires “comfortable” win. It’s time the Buc’s master the art of beating the totally beatable teams that occasionally pop up on the schedule.
In the NFL these opportunities are rare and so the Bucs need to cash in…but mostly they need to cash in for that final sentence Joe wrote. And not just for the fans and experts but for themselves as well!
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:31 pm
It’s about winning don’t get me wrong but it’s also about starting strong and finishing strong. For the past decade the Buc’s have been sleep walking through the entire first half of games. They’ll wake up in the third quarter and keep it close only to lose after tying it up or taking the lead temporarily late in the fourth. That’s why our stats are so skewed on offense but we don’t have the wins to show for it.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:40 pm
This should be a big win for us……but, why is a part of me still somewhat uncomfortable?…….well, it is the Bucs……but I think the coaching and extreme injection of new players & youth will win the day.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:47 pm
I see a very motivated Giants team coming in today and they truly believe they can get a win here. Like you said the Bucs have a bad habit of letting down after a big win. The Bucs should take all the time their wasting on reading their press clippings and use it on finding a way to win a game they should win. Unfortunately the Bucs are well known for finding ways to lose games they should win.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:48 pm
Russo … “They do have a habit of letting one win go to their head.” Aaah yes, that was precious. One win in Bucsville is called a STREAK.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:49 pm
Screw Russo and his pessimism based strictly on comparisons to past Bucs teams and their inept coaches….
To that, BA says:
“Stack ’em UP!”
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:57 pm
For some reason the Bucs have done reasonably well over these past several years when playing 4 PM games at RayJay. We didn’t have any 4 PM games in 2018, but we did have a total of 5 in 2017 & 2016 …
o 2017 … Beat Giants here 25-23
o 2017 … Beat Saints here 31-24
o 2016 … Lost to Broncos here 27-7
o 2016 … Beat Seahawks here 14-5
o 2016 … Beat Saints here 16-11
Most were close games and our defense stood tall. I expect the same today.
September 22nd, 2019 at 1:19 pm
bucslife = scheme glazer
Like I said before: Having Darcy running things is like having Kim Kardashian in charg eof the United States Navy…and the brothers are worse
September 22nd, 2019 at 3:05 pm
I wouldn’t exactly call Carolina a big win… Cam lost that game for his team
September 22nd, 2019 at 3:31 pm
Cam lost that game because pressure and tight coverage had something to do with it.