If History Is A Barometer…
November 3rd, 2020
Does history repeat?
Joe is a big history guy. So this little piece of Bucs history has Joe all jacked up today (and it’s not from a third cup of Black Rifle Fit Fuel coffee).
The Bucs are now 6-dash-2. Not too shabby, eh?
Well, it’s damn rare for the Bucs. Very rare. In fact, in the 44-year history of the Bucs, only twice have the Bucs started the season at 6-2. And the two previous times, good things happened.
Very good things.
In 1979, the Bucs started 6-2 (actually 7-2, but stick with Joe here). And what happened that season? The Bucs won the division (in a monsoon against the Chiefs) and advanced to the NFC title game.
If Doug Williams doesn’t get hurt in that game, who knows, maybe the Bucs get to the Super Bowl? The Bucs lost 9-0 to the Rams.
Then in 2002, the Bucs were 6-2 (they actually got to 9-2). Joe doesn’t think anyone needs a reminder of what happened that year.
Also a piece of trivia: Last night’s game was the first below-40-degree game the Bucs won since the 2002 NFC title game in Philadelphia, when the Bucs shut down the Vet.
It was the second game that year the Bucs won in below-40 degree weather. The Bucs also beat the Bears in Champaign to lock up the division title. Temperature at kickoff was 34. The game was held in Champaign as Soldier Field was being renovated and the Bears played their home games that season in Champaign.
Before the win over the Bears, the Bucs had lost 21 straight games when the kickoff temperature was below 40.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:05 pm
Ummm, Bucs lost 9-0.11-7 was 1999
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:07 pm
slow down, lets worry about the teams we have to face before we talk super bowl or playoffs. That was not a playoff team last night for sure.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:11 pm
Sorry 11-6 in 99
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:18 pm
Saints game biggest game of the last few years for bucs.
Maybe since 2002
I will be there
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:18 pm
Got the quarterback and defense hope everything else falls into place.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:19 pm
Might need a proof reader here joes. It was 9-0 in 1979, and yesterday you had an article claiming the giants had the 4th worst redzone defense, when in fact they had the 6th best redzone defense coming into last night’s game, better even than the bucs redzone D.
Check yo sheet?!
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:19 pm
one game at a time…
GO BUCS!!!!
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:23 pm
Need to get healthy. For the life of me I can’t understand how or why Mickens was out there instead of Watson.
Insanity. Godwin plays in that game we blow them out. He plays v Bears and we win that one too. We really need him to heal up.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:23 pm
I am convinced the weather played a factor in the MNF game, especially on the Bucs side.
For one, the ball was not carrying. When was the last time you saw kickoff returns? Short punts? FG’s not blasting, just a lot of spin and not much height.
The entire team looked a step slow. I experienced this as a player, going from a warm, sweaty climate to the cold. Your body just does not move as well. You need to become acclimated, and that takes many days.
I don’t want to play a Wild Card game in Chicago…or Green Bay.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:24 pm
@Kalind: AB to the rescue!
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:49 pm
The 1999 score was 11-6! What a game that was! GO BUCS!!!
November 3rd, 2020 at 2:28 pm
I was at that 2002 Bears game in Champain with my 3 sons. It was an adventure!
November 3rd, 2020 at 3:35 pm
Black Rifle Fit Fuel coffee–GREAT coffee, highly recommend!
November 3rd, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Bobraboy … I’m not big on excuses, but cold weather is a reality that the Bucs have not dealt with very well over many years. And probably understandably so because it does take a long time to get acclimated to the cold.
Fortunately we play Kansas City here as well as the Vikings here later this season. The only real ‘cold weather game’ we have left is Detroit, and that’s in a domed stadium thankfully. Playoffs though could be a whole different matter. It would definitely be nice to win a 1st-Rnd Bye, but we’ll have to play a LOT better than we did last night to make that happen.
November 3rd, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Damn, I didn’t realize that was still an issue for us.
I remember always hearing about not being able to return a kickoff for a TD and we couldn’t win in the cold.
Then we did both.
That was a long time ago though.
November 3rd, 2020 at 9:27 pm
I was at that Bucs game vs the Bears. Started by the worst QB in Bucs history, Rob Johnson. Gramatica kicked 5 FGs for a 15-0 win.