The New Punchline
November 11th, 2020
Not boring.
For much of their history, the Bucs have largely been a punchline during their franchise history except for a handful of years here or there.
And why is that? Because the Bucs have been near synonymous with losing. Whether it has been the 0-26 start, the dark ages between John McKay and Father Dungy eras or the Lost Decade, the Bucs have found ways to lose so much there are hardly any surprises.
This year (finally) looks to be different. The Bucs have a loaded roster and were a favorite to make a run to the Super Bowl until — WHAMMO! — the Bucs got blasted across the grille Sunday night with the sole of a Nike shoe like a slave laborer in a Red Chinese sweatshop who didn’t meet a daily quota.
After the discolored snow was cleared from the seal-clubbing by the Saints, it’s more difficult to concoct a logical path for the Bucs to play a home game at the Den of Depression in the Super Bowl in February.
Sure, it could happen, no question. However, the cold slap of reality raises doubt.
The way good guy Mike Tanier of Pro Football Network sees it, Sunday the Bucs became a laughingstock again. Only this time, Tanier writes, NFL fans may be laughing at the Bucs for not making the Super Bowl as opposed to just plain losing.
Antonio “Brown’s arrival makes the Buccaneers even easier for many fans to root against than when they were just the New England Patriots Retirement Home. Brady has spent decades as the guy the rest of the league wants to take down a peg, and heaven knows how Brown perceives anything, so being cast as the heel won’t bother them. But the Buccaneers’ status as the team ready to sell its soul to buy a championship could rattle around the organization like a quarter in a can and cause that oh-so-dreaded “distraction” teams selectively decide to fear.
Again, distractions are unlikely to truly hurt the Bucs unless Brown starts throwing practice tantrums at Brady or turning his private conversations with Bruce Arians into a podcast. And what are the chances of either of those things happening? Five percent? Ten percent? Anyway, the bigger issue in Tampa remains the possibility that the Bucs have done all of this so they could go 11-5 and lose in the divisional round of the playoffs. If that happens, they will become a team with no plan for the future, and a segment of the NFL world will be laughing just as hard at them as they laughed on Sunday night.
The Bucs have ample sideshows going. The Mike Evans/Tom Brady drama is taking center stage. And some people are just wondering when Brown will flip out.
Joe can sure say one thing about the Bucs that you couldn’t say in some years during the Lost Decade.
The Bucs sure aren’t boring.
November 11th, 2020 at 5:47 am
But they’re boring when they play in prime time. I mentioned this yesterday – if they go to the wildcard and lose, then what was this all for? This is the potential, if not real problem of having a guy like Brady after 20 yrs of success. He is going to be stubborn, he is going to want to do things his way or no way. The reality is that we are his little fantasy island pet project. We need to it all this yr or next, or this will have all been a disaster. On top of that, no one will respect us. People will laugh at the clown show that we are. Words do not do enough to describe just how bad Sunday was, because of all this good will and respect they were starting to get, this kind of a marquee glamour team, the IT team! And in one fell swoop, they served up a reminder that they’re still the Bucs and I’m sure the Glazers are PISSED. That will be a microcosm of the tidal wave of shi to come if our pretty little house of cards collapses. I’m frankly a little jealous how the Dolphins are built, how exciting the cardinals are. The chiefs etc etc. Do I want a few playoff appearances in exchange for another shi decade with no end in sight
November 11th, 2020 at 5:54 am
The grass is always greener, and you’re free to follow any of the teams you mentioned. The Bucs are 6-3, not 3-6 like last year. Me, I’m HAPPY that the Bucs have a potential playoff team. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE THE BUCS MADE THE PLAYOFFS? Now a playoff appearance is a complete disaster? The real fans of the Bucs will be fans, the phonies will lust after other teams.
November 11th, 2020 at 6:05 am
brown was brought in by brady…
it was a clear statement that evans is not brady’s guy…
mike gets a few garbage throws his way towards ends of games so it’s not obvious what brady is doing…
brady smiles and lies in pressers, and gets away with it because he is good looking…
he is tight with randy moss and they might have decided it’s in brady’s hand if mike breaks the 1k 6 years in a row record…
i can go on and on and on…
he is not letting evans flourish…
he will not throw mike open ever, anywhere on the field…
it’s like a conspiracy…
mike is playing it cool…
tom is playing it cool…
tom knows mike has a temper and will blow his top soon…
mike will be playing with deshaun jackson next year if brady plays for the bucs in 2021…
this is complete bs…
why has it taken so long for anyone to notice this…
tom even gve mike 2 td catches for 2 yards a few weeks back…
but no yard stats…
tom will make sure evans streak i
November 11th, 2020 at 6:06 am
Gofortheface,
I don’t recall anyone here at jbf pining for the bucs draft either of the 2 QB’S from the teams you mentioned. Murray and Tua , according to the experts here, qimmick players, under sized, injury prone, not pro style, etc etc….so can the idea you would have drafted either of them.
Besides, since 2002 this team has been officially rebuilding. This year is not one and we’re 6-3 with a solid nucleus of young players.
November 11th, 2020 at 6:16 am
tom will make sure evans streak is over…
arians might be intervening at this point…
this is going to become a huge rift between the bucs 2 offensive players…
brown is merely a pawn in the game to keep evans at bay…
this could get really ugly…
in fact it sucks that this is going on and this is what’s probably eating away at the core of the team right now and causing a lot of poor play…
tom could throw mike open anywhere on the field, toss him bombs, back shoulder throws anywhere near the sidelines, high point him all over the place and by the sidelines, and so on and so on…but continues to not do it…
tom knows how to make these throws, but won’t do it…
it’s like a fuggin conspiracy…
all because mike is also a superstar, and tampa’s previous top
superstar before the TB12 arrival, and he won’t fall in line and jock tom like the other receivers are willing to do…
now it’s finally hitting the media focus, and arians is getting involved…
if such is the case, tom can go…
i’ll take mike the long time buc…
he’s a true buccaneer…
i hope they fix this crap, because mike should have around 100 yards basically every darn game
November 11th, 2020 at 6:21 am
and now we got smashes up by the saints at home and they partied in the locker room and it;s viral…
even payton was boogying like john travolta…
i hope this season isn’t just becoming a soap opera with all these new players and pieces being brought in…
they only way to fix this is meet the saints for a 3rd time in the playoffs and thump ’em…
fact: it isn’t easy to beat a divisional opponent twice in a season…and 3 times is an even taller order…
bucs need a playoff rematch versus the dancing gang from the bayou so they can show them their celebration was a bit too premature
November 11th, 2020 at 6:22 am
i’m not gonna post for a while…all this is making me sick
November 11th, 2020 at 6:41 am
Why in the HECK do we have to open up JoeBucsFan to read….ONCE AGAIN…..about a player’s sexual assault case??? Cancer!!! Worst signing since Jeremy Steven and/or Jameis Winston. Why do we BEG to be laughed at/hated???
November 11th, 2020 at 6:43 am
Adam from NY…. good please don’t post for a while…. this is not your personal site. Out of 7 responses 4 are from you. Get a life dude.
November 11th, 2020 at 6:54 am
The new punchline will be even America’s GOAT can’t save the Bucs from the curse that is themselves.
November 11th, 2020 at 7:08 am
MTM: Have you ever heard of “presumption of innocence”? I guess not. So if anybody accuses you anything at any time, you’re GUILTY, since that’s your standard.
November 11th, 2020 at 7:27 am
It bothers me so much brady forces passes to ab and wont even look evans way. Ita almost like hes a double agent for the patriots… For instance he knows evans has a temper and he might force his way out for the pats to get him same goes for howard. Gronk and ab are just rentals the bucs shouldn’t comprise their young talent for 1 year rentals. It wouldnt surprise me if the pats get one of those guys and turns them into sure fire HOFers
November 11th, 2020 at 7:37 am
Hey Joe in Michigan…..do you realize you JUST violated what you JUST wrote about “presumption of innocence”??? LOL. I didn’t proffer guilt or innocence….but I stand by “CANCER”. And it’s a reasonable guess that Mike Evans agrees. SWING AND A MISS!!!
November 11th, 2020 at 7:38 am
This just in: Losing is boring.
November 11th, 2020 at 7:59 am
MTM: I’m sure you know Antonio Brown…I’m sure you know there’s dissension between him and Mike Evans already, and not just creating drama in your mind…I don’t know how you know this, but since you say so, I’ll take your word for it.
November 11th, 2020 at 8:08 am
“If that happens, they will become a team with no plan for the future,”
What? Is this guy another of the JW jock sniffers who lurk around here.
THE FUTURE IS NOW!!! Due to injuries and rosters that turnover big time every year NOBODY is really ready for next year. ALL teams have plans!!! Some better than others.
What people are talking about here is ONE position…QB!!! Brady is 43…he is not going to last that much longer.
WTF can’t these guys see? ALL QB picks are a crapshoot. Remember the year JW came to us…MM was also considered a CAN’T MISS QB. This is why I’m tossing in my lot with D.R. Defense wins championships because its not a gamble on a SINGLE PLAYER! If you get lucky like KC or Seattle…great…if you’re snakebit you end up wasting five years on a loser…as in 28-42.
So here is the plan! Follow D.R.’s advice and take a very, very good defense and make it a defense for the ages. The foundation is in place…build on it!
On offense…Brady is the QB for next year and hopefully we can find one or even two young QB’s to work with him next year.
Our other problem on offense is a great one…too much talent at WR to afford.
That will work itself out over the remainder of this season.
The ONLY move I’m really interested in on offense is the OL. Find one more Tristan Wirfs and we can win with Brady and better play calling.
THAT’S THE PLAN! DUH.
November 11th, 2020 at 8:13 am
Joe, you’re hilarious guy. It’s called being introspective and looking at yourself in the mirror. Maybe try recalibrating your standards and thinking like a winner. Bravo, slow clap, we had a first round exit in playoffs hypothetically. Do you really think that’s what ownership is striving for. Jesus Christ. We have a god damn all star team, the goal is the Super Bowl. Period. Don’t give me that real fan bs lame shi. We need a foundation, an identity. We need to be a respected organization, we need to learn how to have sustained success. The fact that some people would be happy with a brief playoff appearance and then back to being hideous for the next 8yrs (or whatever) is laughably appalling and extremely beta
November 11th, 2020 at 8:23 am
D1 – lol this f’ing guy. Let me explain something. At no point did I suggest that we should’ve drafted them or was I inferring that I was “pinning” for them at the time. The whole concept of what I said is to have young, exciting quarterbacks to build around. Your gimmick quarterbacks, as you put it – it’s 2020, friendly reminder. Those gimmick quarterbacks are productive. Kyler Murray is kind of amazing. Burrow, Herbert, Kyler, Tua. Pick one. The whole point of this yr with going all in, is to WIN THE SUPERBOWL. How do you not comprehend this. If we, hypothetically, end up 10-6 or 9-7, we head in to playoffs ass-backwards, and we get bounced – you mean to tell me you’re cool with that? Wow. I can promise you ownership will not be
November 11th, 2020 at 9:02 am
Whatever..…..They are 6-3 , best record in years, actually relevent for first time in decades. Finally not all in talking abiut the Draft in November. On to the playoffs . Forward march. GO BUCS!!!!
November 11th, 2020 at 9:08 am
Gofortheface,
First, this is a year that it’s SB or bust. 10-6 is not good enough and that’s understandable considering the fact that the Glazer’s have gone all in.
I’m 100% for drafting a QB that is more suited for today’s newer offenses, unfortunately that’s not the type of coach and offense we have currently.
I’m not a big BA fan for that very reason. The other problem was last year we weren’t in a position to draft one of those QB’S. So it’s not really something that we missed on.
November 11th, 2020 at 9:23 am
Winning fixes everything. Losses like the Sunday Night Chernobyl Meltdown, the bandwagon gets a little lighter. Look, I have watched this team for decades now, and last decade has been like watching a kid’s ball roll into the street and the car coming is being driven by Jeremy Stevens. You know what’s going to happen, and it’s going to be horrible. Yet you have just a sliver of hope that the car will swerve or the kid will look before chasing the ball. This year it’s more like the vehicle coming is a golf cart and the kid is definitely looking both ways before chasing the ball. There is still possibility that it could go wrong, but there is a much better chance it won’t. I’ll take that.
November 11th, 2020 at 10:09 am
Joe in Michigan….take your whining to JoeBucsFan….
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2020/11/mike-was-open/#more-254707
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2020/11/was-antonio-brown-a-distraction/#more-254648
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2020/11/the-bucs-dont-yet-have-a-mike-evans-problem/#more-254808
November 11th, 2020 at 11:04 am
MTM: It the was you that was/is whining. Read your posts above. ⬆️
November 11th, 2020 at 11:17 am
Brown was NOT the problem Sunday night.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:40 am
Joe in Michigan Says:
November 11th, 2020 at 11:04 am
MTM: It the was you that was/is whining. Read your posts above.
Then you’re calling Joe a whiner too. ARB is a CANCER (and this is NOT the first example….check with his other former teams).
November 11th, 2020 at 12:51 pm
MTM: Since you have so much inside information on the Bucs, what has Antonio Brown done, on the Bucs, to make him a “cancer”?
November 11th, 2020 at 12:59 pm
I remember when the Patriots cut Albert Haynesworth, and the Bucs signed him. The Patriots won their remaining games, Tampa Bay lost the rest of their games. Do you think the same thing is going to happen this year with Antonio Brown and the Bucs, MTM? I’m going to predict it was just a clunker game versus the Saints, and the Bucs will bounce back.
November 11th, 2020 at 11:43 pm
You guys remember the 2004 Men’s Summer Olympic Basketball Team .. Lost 3 games to go home with the bronze medal. Even a dream team cause lose games. It happens .. Either way I’m a bucs fan for life.. We’ll get it together .. I agree something is up with Brady and Evans . Just my 2 cents
November 12th, 2020 at 8:11 am
Joe in Michigan (NOT to be confused with JOE)….you’re still arguing with Joe…..and what has ARB done? Uhhhhh……familiar with Jeremy Stevens? Jameis Winston? Derrius Guice? Ray Rice? CANCER (but not as bad a cancer as Gerald McCoy) Look if you wanna sniff ARB’s jock strap, have at it !!! But, the FACT IS that the team has OBVIOUSLY turned south since his arrival.
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2020/11/mike-evans-and-targets/#more-254915
November 12th, 2020 at 8:56 am
MTM: Yes, what a sample size, AB has played ONE game with the Bucs. We’ll have to wait and see what happens the rest of the season.
I’ve always been a Mike Evans fan, in part because he’s a team-first guy. I’ve never liked Antonio Brown, because he’s a me-first guy, or has been up to this point. That said, AB is a Buc now, and I want the Bucs to succeed.
November 12th, 2020 at 12:06 pm
There is no “ARB” in “TEAM” (except the A)