The Definition Of “Fixed”
November 7th, 2019
There are times when a coach blurts something and you just know those words may come back to haunt him.
With Chucky, he said the future of the Bucs was so bright, he had to wear shades.
With Raheem Morris, it was how his team was “youngry” — young and hungry. That same team, which included serial whackers, druggies and headcases, quit on him losing 10 straight games to end the 2011 season.
Former Bucs commander Greg Schiano once boasted he didn’t make adjustments at halftime. Joe knew what he meant — by halftime it’s often far too late to make adjustments — but fans never forgot that comment.
With inept Lovie Smith, in one of his first games as Bucs coach, he had his offense go full-blown turtle in the waning seconds of a first half with the ball at midfield, saying, “I didn’t want to put more points on the board.” The Bucs would lose to the Rams 19-17.
Of course, there was also Lovie bragging about being “Tennessee Ready” to open the 2015 season, only to get blown out of the stadium by Tennessee with one of the most ill-prepared NFL teams you will ever see. It turned out to be Lovie’s last NFL season opener as head coach — and Tennessee won just one more game.
With Bucco Bruce Arians, when asked about the woes of the secondary in May, he replied brimming with confidence the secondary was “totally fixed.”
As it turned out, the secondary is fixed all right. More like eunuched.
Yesterday, Arians was asked about his “fixed” comment. It seems those who remember Arians’ words misunderstood his quote.
“Totally,” Arians said asked if he really believed his secondary was fixed in August. “Because of talent, but that talent isn’t showing up [and] playing that way.”
Arians went on to say the Bucs have had to play man-to-man defense because his defensive backs can’t grasp the zone coverage the coaches want them to play. Arians also admitted he was conned by underwear football.
“It’s playing on Sunday, not in shorts in spring,” Arians said. “You get fooled sometimes in shorts in the spring, because that’s the guys that are out there playing. Big guys, you never know until you put pads on. Some of those guys, when the noise level goes up, it all changes too.”
Look, Joe is just a writer. An observer. Even Joe has learned not to be hoodwinked by the siren of underwear football. For veteran NFL coaches to be fooled, Joe doesn’t know what to say here.
And when the pads came on, the coaches didn’t detect there would be troubles? That’s hard for Joe to swallow.
Besides, help was available via trades. Joe asked Arians about this yesterday and Arians scoffed asking who was available? The biggest example is one of the best NFL teams, the Baltimore Crows, went out and got knucklehead Marcus Peters at corner.
Last Joe checked, with Peters starting, Baltimore beat the Belicheats on Sunday night.
That’s just one example.
From what Joe can tell, Bucs coaches, wisely or unwisely, believed they could turn around a sorry secondary and had the players to do that. And the same coaches either grossly misjudged the players’ talents or their own abilities to transform them.
That has come back to bite the Bucs in the backside. Big time.
November 7th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
I really hate the Marcus Peters idea. You trade for him you get him for 8-9 games and then he’s a free agent.
After the season you now still need a CB and Peters has taken away snaps from your younger players so you know less about their abilities. To me trading for Peters is a awful terrible idea.
A long-term solution would have to be a key part to any trade made in mine opinion. This put Peters out of consideration.
November 7th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
This guy has been in the game for years and he got hoodwinked, seriously!!!!!!!!!!!
November 7th, 2019 at 1:13 pm
Now I have visions of Derwin James and Jalen Ramsey in the secondary oh wait those FSU thugs suck I forgot.
November 7th, 2019 at 1:31 pm
“What happens if BA cant beat last year 3 win team Arizona?
BA complaining about the schedule but loses at RJS to his former team in front of the home fans
Which team is trending up?
Hot shot rookie college HC vs stubborn old goat
BRUCE ARIANS!
SHOW US WHAT U GOT!”
Kobe BMF Faker
November 7th, 2019 at 1:43 pm
This all makes me sleepy. It’s just like claiming we have an NFL-ready QB, or a pass rush, or the Glazers want to win. It’s all nonsense. Absolutely not true.
November 7th, 2019 at 1:48 pm
YOU ARE WHAT YOUR RECORDS SAYS YOU ARE !!! WAKE UP GLAZERS !! WAKE UP !!
November 7th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
The secondary looked “ fixed” in the spring because they were picking off JW three times per practice… which a lot of secondary’s do.
November 7th, 2019 at 2:25 pm
Great questions Joe! “Who was available?” Jesus Christ what is going on with the management of the franchise. A few of the best corners in the league were moved prior to the trade deadline! Who was available??? Absolute game changers that the team desperately need. Stunning comment and scary to think that is the primary guy steering the franchise right now.
November 7th, 2019 at 2:30 pm
So now Bruce Arians HAS BEEN TOTALLY EXPOSED. Great story by Joe Bucs Fan.com. Now I ask everyone, including the Great Ira Kaufman this Question? Why did Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin And The Rooney Family FIRED BRUCE ARIANS AS THE STEELERS OC AFTER THE 2011 NFL SEASON 😀❓
November 7th, 2019 at 2:48 pm
Jmarkbuc Says:
November 7th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
The secondary looked “ fixed” in the spring because they were picking off JW three times per practice… which a lot of secondary’s do.
BINGO!!!!!!
and JWs spring performance followed him into the season….yet again…
GO BUCS!!!!
November 7th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Shut up 813. I am not sure what the area code is for Nashville, but please change your screen name to that next year and go troll Titan fans instead of real Buc fans.
November 7th, 2019 at 3:05 pm
tdtb
truth hurts huh….lol….
JW IS A BUST!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
November 7th, 2019 at 4:28 pm
This defense is going to be fine. Jamel Dean had 4 passes defensed against the Seahawks; we have gone many games over the last 3 years when we did not have one pass defensed as a team. Yeah, he looked gassed and got burned late. Hopefully he’s doing extra running every day on his own time to improve his stamina.
These DBs don’t look totally confused and pointing fingers at each other like they used to in Shmitty’s defense; and, if you analyze the defense without the many short fields due to turnovers, they are actually getting stops. I think we are forcing a lot more punts so far this year.
Cornerback is generally known to be the longest learning curve and most difficult position to develop, other than quarterback, and without real veteran players in our secondary, the growing pains are unavoidable. It does bother me that Arians says they can’t learn the zone coverages of Bowles. This draft class seemed smarter than what Lichtweight had been drafting in the past, but maybe it’s not just the rookies that Arians is talking about.
November 7th, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Because in Arians’ offenses quarterbacks get hit a lot and Art Rooney believed the hits were adding up on Big Ben and would shorten his career (sort of like what has happened with pouty Cam Newton) and Rooney wanted to maximize Big Ben’s career, which is also Rooney’s investment.
November 7th, 2019 at 6:41 pm
Bruce Arians comments that he got FOOLED don’t even qualify as EXCUSES. They’re just plain old BS. This same Secondary played in 4 preseason games as well as practice after practice against the Bucs’ offense & practiced against the Dolphins. So the talk of him being fooled in underwear football doesn’t hold water.
No self-respecting HC could possibly believe that a bunch of youngsters in the Secondary led by Vernon Hargreaves was gonna set the NFL on fire. That’s just so much hooey it’s unbelievable. The only thing more unbelievable is that Bruce Arians and Jason Licht didn’t do a danged thing to help this defense by signing some veteran leadership. Just 1 veteran corner, that’s all it would’ve taken. And BA, quality corners WERE AVAILABLE early in FA, and several were even there in the preseason. YOU as HC CHOSE to let these youngsters flounder without any FIELD LEADERSHIP to guide them in making adjustments during games. Please stop with the EXCUSES. Those youngsters will be fine in time; this 2-6 start is on you.
November 7th, 2019 at 7:11 pm
Sometimes coaches are better off not saying anything instead of constantly putting there foot in there mouth. And just because BA does it doesn’t meanyou have to do it Lefttwitch.
November 7th, 2019 at 9:22 pm
Bucs lost 3 times- 49ers game, 2nd Panthers game and Titans game, and no amount of “Secondary sucks” spin will change that fact.
November 7th, 2019 at 9:23 pm
^ because of turnovers