“It’s Part Of Our Culture Now”
April 2nd, 2024
Bucs edge rusher YaYa Diaby.
Joe hopes the Bucs take their warmly embraced anger to the next level.
Power hitters at One Buc Palace are irked by most national media thinking the Bucs stink — after their similar projections were wrong last spring and summer.
Buccaneers co-owner Joel Glazer shared his annoyance publicly last week. Todd Bowles has gone there to a degree, and general manager Jason Licht seemingly will talk about it to anyone that will listen.
Hey, maybe the Bucs will fan the flames this offseason by getting their social media involved in mocking the inevitable predictions of mediocrity or worse. Perhaps the video staff will craft a montage of dumb predictions and turn it into a YouTube feature.
And if the Bucs are rolling in midseason, how fun would it be to see JumboTron video of LeSean McCoy on FS1 saying Baker Mayfield is the third-worst quarterback in the division and the Bucs are destined for six wins.
Have fun with it, Bucs! The NFL is supposed to be entertainment.
Joe got thinking more about this when Licht spoke recently on WDAE radio about how the whole Bucs organization relishes the underdog role and feasts on it.
“It’s part of our culture now, part of our DNA of being overlooked,” Licht said. “I think it’s great and I think we’ll respond to it.”
The whole underappreciated thing is fun, but it’s also very sad at the same time.
Bucs fans trudged through The Lost Decade, finally turned things around in a huge way, and the reward is losing the perception game in the media.
Joe would demand answers from the professionals responsible for the franchise’s image, but it seems Team Glazer and company prefer the us-against-the-world mentality.
Perhaps most ironic is the national media indirectly and collectively saying they think Raheem Morris is a significantly better head coach than Todd Bowles.
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Need fast starts on offense and defense.
Need intensity and consistency for four quarters, for 17 games.
Need to ensure and validate that players know their assignments, especially in cover 3 zone bust.
Need to not gag in the 4th quarter, especially not in the last 45 seconds, especially on pass defense.
Need to bolster inside blocking schemes and please coach up the Goedonkey and reduce the matador tendencies exhibited in the Lions playoff game.
Todd. Bowles.
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:30 pm
“Perhaps most ironic is the national media indirectly and collectively saying they think Raheem Morris is a significantly better head coach than Todd Bowles.”
I think it’s more so about adding Cousins to a roster that was 2 games worse than the Bucs with a QB that had 12 TDs and 12 Ints and only 2800 passing yards last year.
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:33 pm
Love it. Call out the frauds in the sports media when they make a huge blunder. At the same time recognize those that get it right. Seems to me the Bucs should publish a good/bad list of those predicting the season record after the season is over.
Call out the iiots like Peter Ling who predicted the Bucs would win 2 games last year or Sports Illustrated predicting the Lightning as having the worst team in hockey when they won their first Stanley Cup after making it to the second round of the playoffs the previous year.
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:34 pm
Idiots
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:36 pm
To improve our reputation we need to dominate our weak division and beat some high profile teams. We didn’t make a splash in FA and we likely won’t make a splash in the draft since we need some big uglies. The national media are even talking about Atlanta winning some playoff games with Cousins! I will love a couple beat downs of Cousins and the Falcons!
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Mayfield > Cousins
Cousins is the one QB who Bowles seems to have answers for sometimes.
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:46 pm
What people think is irrelevant.
But ignoring the truth will end up up smothering your face in egg.
We are a good team, with a couple GLARING weaknesses.
Quit whining Mr. Licht- and fix’em!!!
Then we can all laugh at their predictions!
April 2nd, 2024 at 4:48 pm
Back in the day when TB12 was all the rage in Tampa, the media camped out and fell all over themselves just on the chance they might find some teeny, tiny bit they could report, blog, opine on. Now, it seems they can barely be bothered to look up on a map as to which Florida coast Tampa is on.
Keep receipts Bucs, and when the media comes crawling back, deny them access to OBP and send them away empty handed.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:15 pm
If you are going to crow about no respect you better bring it when the season starts or you are nothing but blowhards. I would prefer to keep your mouths shut and earn the respect on the field. Respect is always earned.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:22 pm
There’s an old saying, “Opinions are like …..
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:22 pm
There’s an old saying, “Opinions are like…..
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:23 pm
“Bucs fans trudged through The Lost Decade, finally turned things around in a huge way, and the reward is losing the perception game in the media.”
TOM BRADY turned it around.
Them looking past this is their ultimate mistake. They are what their records says they are. Tied for last right now and 2 division opponents have whipped dat azz in the off season.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:37 pm
The Bucs are a weak team with overachieving players. They need some true talent in the trenches to get to the next level.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:41 pm
Bucs fans trudged through The Lost Decade, finally turned things around in a huge way, and the reward is losing the perception game in the media.
……..
Joe, The “Lost Decade” is for the more recent fans. Some of us sat through a 26 game losing streak and 14 Straight losing seasons Way before the lost decade.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:50 pm
Raheem Morris was our head coach at one time, so unless he’s completely changed his entire outlook and philosophy while being an assistant coach, he hasn’t proven to be a very good coach yet.
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:53 pm
SB, you are so right! The lost decade is a vacation on the Beach compared to the 1980’s. Back when every NFL football follies video had a Bucs player doing something stupid almost weekly. I’m old school so this win while rebuilding phase is fantastic compared to the 2 win seasons. The 2 wins would be lucky as well.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:02 pm
I don’t know why Buc fans have such a hard time understanding this. We’ve been a .500 club that scores 20 points a game. We don’t have a lot of star players. Our QB is ‘scrappy’ but doesn’t light up the scoreboard by any means. We’re average to below-average in most O & D categories. We’re in a small market. We’re in the worst division in the league. We have a head coach with zero charisma.
And if that isn’t enough, all roads lead to Vegas. The bookmakers don’t care about clicks, they care about getting it right, and more often than not, they are. They say we’ll be a .500 club again.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:08 pm
If we can win another division title this year, I’ll be a truer believer than I already am.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:27 pm
KABucs Says:
April 2nd, 2024 at 5:50 pm
Raheem Morris was our head coach at one time, so unless he’s completely changed his entire outlook and philosophy while being an assistant coach, he hasn’t proven to be a very good coach yet.
***
Of course he’s changed. All people change. This is his first opportunity since he was fired here over twelve years ago. He’s almost undoubtedly better than he was before. Whether he’s good enough to lead the Falcons we’ll eventually find out.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:31 pm
I’ve been following this team since I was a high school student in Polk County and McDonalds was giving away free Bucs inaugural season cups in 1976. I’ve only had a few years of confidence in this team; 1979-82 when Williams was qb and McKay head coach, 1997-2005 top ten defense, good coaching, adequate qb play with the exception of Dilfer and lesser extent Sean King anf most recently with Brady as qb. Right now I’m in the middle. I’m somewhat confident that the offense can put up 25 points, that the defense can hold opponents under 22-23 points and that this team will win 10-11 games.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:31 pm
When they made predictions that were way off last season, why would anyone trust their ability to evaluate the relative strength of each of the teams?
They get paid to give their opinions on such matters and do so even when they’ve demonstrated their inability to offer an accurate evaluation.
The truth is that no one knows how the Bucs will do next season. There are so many factors that cannot be known at this time, including injuries. The offense would have looked much different if Ryan Jensen had not been injured last season. Maybe we would have beaten Detroit in the playoffs.
We’d probably get just as accurate of a reading by consulting a psychic as we would get from LeSean McCoy.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:36 pm
Those so-called experts couldn’t count their nads and come up with the same number twice. Mayfield is better than Cousins’ and we we should take the division. A good draft should be all we need.
April 2nd, 2024 at 6:56 pm
People made we didn’t make any splash sigings but when we did it didn’t amount to anything, hence the Lost Decade
April 2nd, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Because there are those who point out the holes that need to be plugged and the weaknesses that needs to be addressed, does not mean they are not fans , just realists, thinking all we have to do is just show up with basically what we had last year while the rest of the Division is working hard to improve because the opposition will just roll over because we are the Bucs , We won three NFC-South Division titles , we can win with what We got! We are great ! You might want to remember what Albert Einstein ,(a pretty smart guy), once said , “the only thing more dangerous than ignorance, is arrogance”.
April 2nd, 2024 at 7:15 pm
Last two seasons our “Culture”has been bad Oline play, and last place Running attack.
Over confidence can be fatal, JI.
Fix the OLine.
And the pass rush.
April 2nd, 2024 at 7:56 pm
I believe the combined strengths in our players make the team a winner. They all want individual NFL records, and to do that takes a team effort. Let’s get that NFC South for the third time in a row. Let the negative media eat dirt. #Go Bucs!
April 2nd, 2024 at 8:16 pm
Bucs upgrade their interior OL and add a power back and they will be sneaking up on teams again this upcoming season.
April 2nd, 2024 at 8:23 pm
Yeah, I would say for the them ALL to probably refrain from doing all of THAT. The Bucs ‘social media’ department, nor the franchise as a whole, needs any egg on their face for (If/When) the season turns into a DISASTER. Just lay back and keep everything internal, including the receipts. You would expect to at least get some play in the media/ESPN, being a ‘4X-running’ Playoff Team, who is recently removed from a Super Bowl & a Playoff WIN from just last season… PLUS, having kind of a media ‘Lightning Rod’ as their Starting QB (who won a Heisman AND was a #1-overall pick). It’s frustrating… I get it! But, we all saw what happened last season with amazing health, & a weak schedule inside of a just AWFUL Division. Legitimately, “6-Wins” or worse is a DEFINITE possibility. McCoy is not wrong. You’re just NEVER getting THAT Lucky again, two-seasons in a row, cause the NFL just does not work that way!!!! It’s ALL On Baker (and Bowels). They will determine how we ALL ‘view’ the Bucs by the end of next season.
April 2nd, 2024 at 8:43 pm
Maybe all the talk from Licht, Bowles, and even Glazer is meant to motivate all the youngsters during the offseason.
April 2nd, 2024 at 8:49 pm
I think being overlooked and underappreciated is a good thing for a Team. Feed the hunger. That said it sucks for players like LVD and Mike Evans, who should be no-brainers for the Hall of Fame. LVD has never gotten National recognition so it’s going to be tough.
April 2nd, 2024 at 9:38 pm
Buc4evr … ‘The Bucs are a weak team with overachieving players. They need some true talent in the trenches to get to the next level.’
I agree that we need to improve in the trenches, but I’m not sure what an ‘overachieving’ player looks like. You are pretty much what you put on film in the NFL. We’ve all seen any number of players who have 1 great ‘contract’ year, get re-signed for big bucks, then just play average (or less) for the life of that new contract.
Shaq’s 19.5 sacks year in his 1st year here in Tampa (2019) comes to mind. That’s the same year that Todd Bowles arrived, along with Suh. JPP, Vea, Davis, Whitehead had all been here for 1 year, but they had to transition from a 4-3 to the 3-4. Devin White, Jamel Dean, SMB, Mike Edwards & Anthony Nelson were all added via the draft that year too. Massive change, and it worked perfectly for Shaq to showcase his talent, even though that defense ended up ranked #29 in Points Allowed.
Shaq parlayed that performance though into a franchise tag ($15.8 mil) in 2020, and promptly produced … 8 sacks in 15 games. Of course we did win the Super Bowl that year. And Shaq was able to parlay that into a 4-year $68 mil contract with the Bucs. And after signing that he produced a grand total of … 17.5 sacks in 3 years.
So did Shaq overachieve in 2019, or underachieve in 2020-2023? Who’s to say. So much of what a player produces has to do with the team that’s around him, how he’s used within the framework of the defense (in Shaq’s case) and of course the player’s health. Playing injured (or being sent to IR) obviously takes a big toll.
April 2nd, 2024 at 10:13 pm
I remember a time before the Lost Decade where Bucs vs Packers games were called the Repus Bowl. I will never forget that shade.
April 2nd, 2024 at 11:03 pm
Don’t get upset that we are being painted as a poor team. With the exception of a couple of years the Bucs haven’t played well as front runners or favorites. We normally play exceptionally well as underdogs, when people are poor mouthing us I love it. I think the Bucs respond to that kind of stuff. As a fan of the Bucs I could care less what people write about the team or say about us. What I care about is the Lombardi trophy. We have two, and if I remember correctly there weren’t a whole lot of people loving the Bucs those years either.
April 2nd, 2024 at 11:35 pm
Well once again my money is on it. When we got Brady i put 100 down for 1100 and won it…im going light this time around…10 for 700 on the SB and 20 on the nfc championship for something around 600, i forgot. Just play money for fun. The tickets are stored. I need to do one for the NFC south winner too.
April 2nd, 2024 at 11:53 pm
Raheem Morris’ record as head coach and 21-38. Enough said.
April 3rd, 2024 at 10:17 am
9-8 team that hasn’t improved in the offseason yet. This shouldnt be a surprise to anyone why they are doubting them.
April 3rd, 2024 at 10:52 am
Fred McNeil said,
“ Those so-called experts couldn’t count their nads and come up with the same number twice.”
ROTFLMAO!
April 3rd, 2024 at 6:50 pm
Buddha Says:
Raheem Morris’ record as head coach and 21-38. Enough said.
—————————————————————————-
Most of that record you’re quoting from goes back up to 15 years ago when he was put into a bad situation. He was the HC not the GM but in 2010 he was starting 10 rookies!
Any opponent that underestimates him because of his coaching record in the past is going to be in for a rude awakening. He’s a great coach but wasn’t ready to be a HC when given that job. The league is going to find out he IS ready now.