“Now We’ll See If We Grew A Little Bit”
October 1st, 2019
Coaches always talk about “situational football” and the Bucs ran into a rare situation against the Rams on Sunday.
It was the kind you can’t coach in training camp.
It was halftime and the Bucs had rolled up a 28-17 lead on the defending NFC champs on the road. At that point, it was time for the Bucs to man up and do what they couldn’t do at home the previous week, close out a fat halftime lead.
“Now we’ll see if we grew a little bit,” head coach Bucco Bruce Arians told sideline reporter Laura Okmin at halftime.
Joe found that to be a telling line from Arians, and probably a window into how he views his roster: talented but raw and very inexperienced in the art of winning.
Arians went on to repeat the growth line a couple of times at his news conference yesterday, adding that now the Bucs should know “talent’s not an issue.”
Were players questioning that? That’s unclear, but regardless, it’s a very strong public message when the head coach tells the world you have the talent to beat everyone. Like Dirk Koetter before him, Arians has said many times that talent is no issue for his club.
The Bucs now should be a confident team, and they’re certainly talented enough to survive their next four road games before returning home Nov. 10.
Optimism is flowing everywhere, but Joe would be just fine if the Bucs found their way from 2-2 to 4-4. And then the next immediate growth area would be establishing a real home-field advantage, which most teams have. Only four NFC teams last year had a losing record at home, and the same was true in 2017.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:07 am
“Grow a little bit”…..bet he wanted to say “Grow a pair”……we did both.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:15 am
I really liked the confidence we saw. Not just from the players, but the coaching staff as well. No turtle O… keep the peddle to the metal.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:15 am
Winning home games guarantees attendance. If the Bucs are in first place in the division on November 10,we’ll see more Bucs jerseys in RayJay.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:18 am
Harry,
I saw a shot of Arians barking at Leftwich during the second half. Looked like he was telling him to get rid of the turtle plays.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:30 am
licht is screaming out: F U!!!!!! to all the folks that said he couldnt recognize talent…..lol….
careers were lost, stolen and ruined because of the previous staff inability to develop players…..
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 1st, 2019 at 9:34 am
Blogtalkfootball
“I saw a shot of Arians barking at Leftwich during the second half. Looked like he was telling him to get rid of the turtle plays.”
That same clip ought my eye. I thought Bruce was making some type of point with Leftwich about his play calling. Cant complain worked well. Different second half compared to previous week. The Culture is changing.
Go Bucs
October 1st, 2019 at 9:35 am
Well written piece. These Bucs are growing. Its a process. Fun to watch.
Go Bucs!
In BA I Trust!
October 1st, 2019 at 9:38 am
813…bingo… some of us saw that clearly in that game where Jameis and Mike got into it with the other teams a year ago, and Koetter said he never saw it. It showed a coach that didn’t know what was going on, wouldn’t back up his players so they wouldn’t think of having to take things in their own hands to achieve justice, and guys that didn’t respect the coach enough to understand that you just didn’t take things in your own hands, without suffering the wrath of the coach. The entire coaching organization was out of control…over their heads…with no winning culture…no accountability… to cohesion. Just couldn’t understand why everyone else couldn’t see it.
October 1st, 2019 at 9:54 am
damn people they won ONE game against a decent opponent in like 20 years and you act like everything is solved. IT WAS A GREAT WIN!!!! But it was just that 1 win.. just like when a player finally makes a play he is supposed to make you put him in hall of fame and declare them irreplaceable and great without any consistent results. This team is only a week removed from losing at home to the giants… this is why everyone in the world laughs at bucfan and their extraordinary low standards. chest pounding after being 1 week removed from being embarrassed at home by a bad giants team and rookie qb making his first start is exactly why optimistic bucfan is the most laughable sports fan going. free passes flowing from desperate bucfan…..
let them earn it consistently before handing out free passes…. get back to me when they win a playoff game and are NOT 0-2 at home with the worst home record over the last decade by any sports team. act like you won before fans stop embarrassing yourselves with chest pounding and proclamations of greatness after 1 good win. it’s pathetic.
October 1st, 2019 at 10:01 am
This game reminds me of the ’96 game at the Chargers during Dungy’s first year. That is the game that Sapp and Brooks said that they fully bought into Dungy’s coaching and learned how to win.
October 1st, 2019 at 11:00 am
If this team whips the Saints and play well, I may become a believer.
Certainly, this week has been much more pleasant with a monumental win on the road against an excellent NFC Champion team.
Make no mistake: this defense is not a Monte Kiffin “rush the passer and keep the play in front of you” defense. It is a “no risk it, no biscuit” defense. They will give up some big plays but will keep an O off-balance with constant blitzes.
I like it.
It emphasizes how pathetic this team has been coached in the past.
October 1st, 2019 at 11:04 am
Going to the game and so stoked that there is so much on the line.
Defense needs to step up. We have the advantage of them not being used to seeing this type of look from us while the Saints have mostly the same personnel and systems as the last few years, other than Bridgwater starting for Brees.
GO BUCS
October 1st, 2019 at 11:09 am
One important coaching point I want to see against the Saints is DB play and scheme.
The front 7 looked very good, but the backfield got exposed.
They need to step up by the coaches stepping up.
October 1st, 2019 at 11:29 am
Mark2001 you’re so right about that game!! I remember it vividly and couldn’t believe that our coach not only didn’t run over there and get in the middle of it to break it up, but then acted like he had no idea what was going on after the game. Like cmon bro they replayed that fight on the Jumbotron like 10 times for the replays!
That showed he literally had no nads to speak of. Just sitting in LaLa land pretending he has no idea what’s going on.
Then again based on his record here maybe he really had no idea what was ever going on…
October 1st, 2019 at 11:29 am
I am beginning to like this coach a lot. Good comments by him. Good coaching philosophy, imo. Keep it up.
October 1st, 2019 at 11:49 am
I like this matchup for the Bucs. The Saints have been winning low scoring close games so I’m like the Rams they certainly don’t have the firepower to put up 30 or 40 points. The noise in the Superdome is going to be the biggest factor but the way this offense is working the short screen passes that we’ve seen to Howard Godwin and Ronald Jones can take some of the pressure off of Jameis. Make the Saints kick field goals create a couple of turnovers and protect the ball all the keys to win the game
October 1st, 2019 at 11:53 am
Some of us have been saying for awhile that its not the talent or lack there of, it is and has always been, the coaching!!!
October 1st, 2019 at 12:21 pm
mark2001
i remember that game like it was yesterday….lol…
GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 1st, 2019 at 12:23 pm
There’s T M A X I P A D CRY BABY at it again spewing worthless uneducated an non truth facts love wen these boys shut you up like they have an will keep doing now that we have coaches who can develop an not sabotage this team
October 1st, 2019 at 12:39 pm
“Arians went on to repeat the growth line a couple of times at his news conference yesterday, adding that now the Bucs should know “talent’s not an issue.””
@Realist is choking on his pizza roll
October 1st, 2019 at 12:51 pm
The players follow the leader. Maybe coach meant he’d see if his O coordinator grew too. They coached scared n played scared. Then against the Rams they coached aggressively n the players followed. Keep the pedal down
October 1st, 2019 at 2:20 pm
And Tmax, how’s bout you never get back to us or this site. Now go stroke a furry wall little man.