Zyon McCollum: Bucs “Found Enjoyment & Fun” In Late November
January 12th, 2025
Mentality hiccup?
With the Bucs’ playoff game against the Commanders just hours away, cornerback Zyon McCollum offered a somewhat bizarre look into the psyche of the team.
Hardcore soccer fans likely know talkSport if they follow the English game. That’s a website to turn to if you’re obsessed with Alejandro Garnacho’s next club, but talkSport has been dabbling more into NFL football and Joe’s enjoyed it.
McCollum was a guest last week and he offered a surprising take on the Bucs’ collective mindset.
Was there a mentality issue earlier this season?
“After that bye, everybody got away from the [team] facility, kind of took some time with their families and, you know, just kind of found the enjoyment and the fun back in the game,” McCollum said. “And we came back full steam ahead. Since then, we’ve been on a really good run. Everything’s just starting to come together.
“You know, guys are starting to do their jobs but also guys are starting to just buy in and just trust everyone — trust their teammates and trust the coaches. And it’s really starting to show, and it feels good when we’re out there, as well.”
Well, it’s fantastic to hear the Bucs are buying in and the team feels great about its unity and their jobs. Perfect timing.
But man, listening to McCollum, one could conclude the Bucs weren’t mentally in the right place before the Week 11 bye.
Very strange for a team well stocked with veterans and a veteran coaching staff.
McCollum also weighed in on tonight’s anticpated Mike Evans/Marshon Lattimore matchup. McCollum was clear that it’s a subject avoided in the Bucs’ locker room.
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January 12th, 2025 at 10:34 am
Every year, players say the same thing. It’s as if every season Bowles is coaching in Year 1, establishing culture. I don’t understand why???
January 12th, 2025 at 10:38 am
and now the wait begins….
the torture of the last game of the day 🙂
January 12th, 2025 at 10:42 am
Well we are safe from NE. Vrabel took the spot. No reason why Coen should want to leave… As long as the Glazers pull through
January 12th, 2025 at 10:52 am
If I was Bowles I would not like this statement.
If I were a Glazier I would wonder WTF.
Critics of Bowles should say “We told you so”.
January 12th, 2025 at 10:54 am
Or our top 2 receivers were just out and we couldn’t score enough points
January 12th, 2025 at 11:26 am
2nd youngest team in the league from one of the oldest, yeah hard to get everyone on the same page when half are new.
January 12th, 2025 at 11:29 am
Good point Greg, except it was top 3
January 12th, 2025 at 11:55 am
“Just starting to buy in” ok well just in time! just because McCollum says this does not mean it is true, maybe the truth is this: the team bought in early and won some games that were against the better teams, then the injuries crept in and they lost games and lost confidence and it started to suck. Then they took some time off and came back to play against teams with bad records, they had success and think they are good now. That is more realistic.
January 12th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
I want to see Lattimore get mowed down and pancaked on a screen pass or two. Let’s introduce him to Tristan Wirfs or Graham Barton early on.
January 12th, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Latttimore isn’t used to facing a Bucs offense with a strong running game. He will have to come up in run support at some point. He can’t just focus on Evans.
January 12th, 2025 at 12:31 pm
Cool hopefully they find enjoyment in motivation and sound tackling first halves this January
January 12th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
That was a big statement from Zyon. Guessing other teams go through the same thing. The Bucs definitely have the momentum now too after Mike’s 1000 yards.
January 12th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
@firethecannons:
“Just starting to buy in” ok well just in time! just because McCollum says this does not mean it is true, maybe the”…
Good point. I was thinking the same thing. Hard to keep your spirits up when you’re on a losing streak sometimes.
@aqualung:
“Let’s introduce him to Tristan Wirfs or Graham Barton early on.” (Marshon Lattimore)
Tristan, Graham, or maybe Luke “Mr. Glasseater” Goedeke, lol!
January 12th, 2025 at 12:58 pm
Regardless of what any Bucs player says …….
Todd Bowles will CONTINUE to keep on playing soft zone coverage…..
January 12th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
I’m glad I don’t watch interviews live, someone is always saying something crazy
January 12th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Eh, I think it’s much simpler than that:
Going into the bye week- they had just lost 4 games straight (3 of which were one-score losses) after starting 4-2, and had been ravaged by injuries.
Bye week gives them a break from that, they come back and start getting some players back (Evans, Dean) and then started winning again.
Players are always enjoying the game more when they’re winning.
January 12th, 2025 at 2:08 pm
But you let Joe listen to them, pull one or 2 comments or sentences that JOE thinks are important, and feed them to you…..then react to that?
January 12th, 2025 at 2:24 pm
Vanessa – love our glass eating Donkey! Him too.
January 12th, 2025 at 2:42 pm
GoneGator
You’re dumb af, YOU pull a sentence or two from posters comments here all the time to twist the facts? In this situation a specific question was asked and Zyon answered it so I didn’t pull sentence or two from his response. While it’s true I don’t know if that’s the entire interview I do know enough to respond the way I did. I would love to insult your intelligence sir but you don’t have any I actually have to state the obvious that I’m sarcastic
January 12th, 2025 at 3:03 pm
I’d say they for sure did getting to play against a BUNCH of bad teams with HORRIBLE Offenses, & (outside of Herbert, with a God-awful “O”) all with QB’s that the ‘average’ fan has never heard of. DeVito. Lock. Someone named Aiden. A Cooper & a Rattler (I thought that was a snake… that’s what they should call him). And, the Panthers TWICE. Got beat by a VERY ‘banged-up’ 49ers team at Home & allowed the ONLY player on the Cowboys entire roster to BEAT ‘EM. I think (or hope) they win today, It’s been A LOT of “smoke & mirrors” that we’ve been witnessing. But, we are in the dance and have at least one home game to play. Bowles has not seemed so great at home. We’ll see what happens and how it all plays out anyway, though.
January 12th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
@PP
Am I right? Yes!
There’s a difference between twisting facts and stating facts.
Fact is McCollum’s comments are verbatim and in context. –Joe
January 12th, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Reading too deep into this one… sheesh
January 12th, 2025 at 3:15 pm
The key phrase is ” one could conclude”. Yes, one could conclude. If they are trying to stir things up and create a story. This happens all the time. Not complaining, but it is what it is. It creates content. And yes, I know you’re not misquoting him, but you are choosing to conjecture based on your interpretation of a simple interview. ” One could conclude” any number of things from any interview ever.
January 12th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
SOB, Buffalo is beating the Broncos. Granted, that was expected, but some home team in the first week of the playoffs is usually upset. I think Green Bay might be that team, that can go into Philly and pull an upset. If not, hold your breath for later tonight, I don’t care what McCollum says. I’ve been watching this team for too many years.
January 12th, 2025 at 3:23 pm
@Joe
Not saying you mis-quoted Zyon.
Was just pointing out that some people do their own research and some people prefer to listen to someone else’s reporting on whatever. Some people do both.
I’m sure you’d agree that if someone wants the most knowledge/info on any subject the best way to do that is go to “the source” themselves and not just listen to (read) JBF ✌🏼
January 12th, 2025 at 3:40 pm
GoneGator
Am I right? Yes!
There’s a difference between twisting facts and stating facts.
This moron here! How do you know I made a comment based on a sentence or two out of everything in Zyon’s interview?
@JOE
Whether Zyon’s comments were in context and verbatim was never a question so not sure why you got involved
January 12th, 2025 at 4:22 pm
@pewter power
Because you said it in your own post. You literally said “I’m glad I don’t watch interviews live, someone is always saying something crazy”.
So your watching them later? Or ever ?
So if you don’t watch them but you comment on JBF articles about them then what I said originally seems correct =
“But you let Joe listen to them, pull one or 2 comments or sentences that JOE thinks are important, and feed them to you…..then react to that?”
What did I twist? Its an accurate description based on what YOU said.
Anyway, try not to get your undies in too big a wad over this.
January 12th, 2025 at 4:28 pm
Hi Vanessa agreed–McCollum didn’t take a poll of his fellow team mates–he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, no worries with that though. Bucs were good this year and have a run game now. Nice to see another gal on this site(I am one), you are the only one I have seen in years. Anyway lol I’m here for the football commentary.
January 12th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
14 of the 32 NFL teams make it to the playoffs. That is 43.75% of NFL teams.
So, on average, across the first 10 games of the season, most teams should play 4 playoff teams; a few teams should play 5 playoff teams across their first 10 games..
In the first 10 games of this season, the Bucs played 6 playoff teams including 4 division winners. That is 60% of games against playoff teams for the Bucs vs 43.75% for the average NFL team.
What is really impressive is that, instead of playing 4 games against playoff teams in the first 10 games, the Bucs played 4 consecutive games against playoff teams in the first 4 games of the season. The Bucs began their season against the level of competition a team might face in a postseason Super Bowl run!
Add to that the gruesome season ending injury to Godwin, the hottest offensive player on the team.
The comment was made by a defensive back, so consider that Antoine Winfield, the best DB on the team, missed 5 of those 10 games.
January 12th, 2025 at 5:08 pm
Toopanca
Thanks for some perspective!
January 12th, 2025 at 6:32 pm
toopanca, rolling my eyeballs but appreciate your astute comments. I sure hope Defense Rules didn’t drop dead. Hope Izien plays as well as Zyon. Lattimore is long in the tooth as in ME13. I’ll take Big Mike (HOF) in a heartbeat over the ex-Aint bozo. Go Tampa Bay!!
January 12th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
as is ME13*
January 12th, 2025 at 6:55 pm
Fact is Joe, and I know one Joe doesn’t agree with this take, but sports in general are about 50% mental. Maybe more. As in life we need perspective and positive attitude and a tough mental makeup to get through hard times. Football is made up of humans and flawed humans we all are can lose focus and lose faith in our foundations. This is why probably every franchise employs a sports psychologist of some sort. Because the game is partly mental and it’s easy, even when making millions to feel low and maybe even feel sorry for yourself or your team. Especially when teammates go down with catastrophic injuries and won’t be back for a year or whatever. Mental toughness is not something every player is blessed with and most players are not there to mentor in that field, they are there to knock the mouthpiece out of the other guy.