Remember The Bully
November 17th, 2023
Defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.
Last year the Bucs went out to NoCal to play the 49ers and got their arses kicked. Physically beat up.
(Joe cannot say the Bucs went to “San Francisco” because the home of the 49ers is in Santa Clara, about 50 miles south of the big city in the heart of Silicon Valley. Saying the Bucs “went to San Francisco” would be like saying last week the Titans went to Brooksville.)
You know who doesn’t want the Bucs to forget that? Kacy Rodgers. The Bucs’ defensive line coach said Thursday while he doesn’t his defense to overly dwell on that gloomy California day, he surely doesn’t want them to forget it.
“They need to remember how they beat our brains in last year to start with,” Rodgers said. “And they beat us physically – that is the thing we have to own.
“That’s the first challenge we’ve got to try to deal with is the physicality of the last time we played them, and we made so many [mistakes]. We’ve got to play a heck of a lot better. They’re a really, really good team.”
Last Sunday, the Bucs played the Titans, a team coached by tough guy Mike Vrabel. He loves to try to intimidate teams and bully them to set a tone from the first snap of the ball. Joe talked to Bucs defensive players after the game on Sunday and they knew what was coming. So they decided they were going to bully Tennessee right away. That day, the Bucs were the more physical team.
Was that a warmup for this Sunday?
“Oh yeah, we talked about it right away,” Rodgers said of the need to match physical play with physicality. “I’m responsible for the run game and I think they had 38 carries for 206 [yards last year]. I remember it like it was yesterday.
“They kind of beat the fire out of us. We didn’t play well and it left a lasting impression. If we let them do it again, we’re not going to win.”
(The 49ers actually ran 36 times for 209 yards, but props to Rodgers for being that close when he rattled off the numbers.)
Joe remembers in 2021 when Tennessee came into One Buc Palace for a two-day series of scrimmages. The first day they pushed the Bucs around. The next day it was the Bucs who did the pushing. There were fights all over the place, incuding Devin White sparking a ruckus or Antonio Brown throwing down on a Tennessee corner.
To this day, Joe is confident Bucco Bruce Arians sternly talked to his team after that first day of scrimmaging.
Talk is cheap, of course, but perhaps the Bucs learned a valuable lesson from last year? You cannot allow another team to slam you to the curb and steal your lunch money the way the 49ers did to the Bucs.
November 17th, 2023 at 8:55 am
Bucs are huge underdogs on the road against a Niners team that just got their mojo back, and I’m smelling an upset. Just a hunch…
November 17th, 2023 at 8:57 am
This is the one for me . If San franny beat up the bucs fanny , then the remote in my hanny will get a big slammy
November 17th, 2023 at 9:51 am
What you’re smelling, Sasquatch, is that crack pipe you’re smoking.
November 17th, 2023 at 9:52 am
Sorry. Smashquatch.
November 17th, 2023 at 9:53 am
7 points with Brady……let’s see how Baker does….
Is it just me or does this year’s offense look at least equal to last year’s?
Still not good….but no worse.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:07 am
I turkey believe if the Bucs show up with their A-game and limit mistakes it will be a close game. Let’s go Tampa.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:34 am
Sufferingsince76, what Smashsquash…and also myself are doing is hoping. It may cause a let down and it might inspire some NSFW venting come Monday morning, but it allows us to actually look forward to the game as though its a Christmas present sitting under the tree.
I must admit I had little to no hope that we would beat the Titans. I really wasn’t looking forward to watching that game. Hopelessness kinda sux. After that first series where the Titans shredded our D and Baker threw that INT into triple coverage I was thoroughly disgusted. Then WOW! What a pleasant surprise I got at the end. Hey, let us have our hope while there is still a chance to save the season.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:41 am
Tampabatbucfan, technically the offense is an RCH better than last year.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:42 am
As far as PPG goes anyway.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:50 am
When did the 2020 team start playing good?
November 17th, 2023 at 11:25 am
IF…Our Defense can make Purdy have a long day at the office, We WIn. Bowles needs to plot and scheme by doing many different things on Defense. 49ers got a great O line.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:44 pm
Bucs will also need to watch out for the refs. This O is much better than last year’s. Brady stunk. He should have retired and let Trask have a shot at QB. It sure wouldn’t have hurt, and Methuselah already had his SB ring.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
Maybe if we change things up a little we might get some different results. More of the same will get us… More of the same.
November 17th, 2023 at 3:14 pm
Brooksville, represent!
November 17th, 2023 at 6:27 pm
This is the type of game u pull out all the stops, flea flickers, statue of liberty, exotic blitzes, player’s playing different roles, Vita out of the back field on goal line runs etc etc I mean why not!? We’re gonna get rolled at least try to change the narrative! Just a thought
November 18th, 2023 at 2:49 am
It doesn’t look good. A 4 pm game (our time) on the west coast. We can always hope. Maybe we get a nice surprise.