Punishing Defense
April 27th, 2014
Lovie Smith wants opponents to fear the Bucs.
Oh, what it was like to watch the old Bucs, hell, even back to the Lee Roy Selmon days.
And shoot, even the woeful years when Scot Brantley played. When teams faced the Bucs, they may have won but they paid a price, as their bodies were black and blue for days.
When Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and John Lynch and Ronde Barber prowled the field, opponents must have had aching ribs… and that was before their plane landed in Tampa. If nothing else, new Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, who was a part of the coaching staff of that latter group, wants to deal pain to visiting teams, notes Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
“If you’re not describing us as a tough football team, then we haven’t established what we want,” Smith said.
“When people come down to Raymond James Stadium, they need to be saying, ‘Man, we have Tampa this week.’ We have to get back to that.’’
That’s what Joe wants to hear. He wants the Bucs in the heads of visiting teams, and not just because they did their homework. Joe wants receivers fearing for their lives before they leave the line of scrimmage. Joe wants linebackers rattling the teeth of running backs.
And mostly, Joe wants quarterbacks eating grass, and not like Les Miles.
April 27th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
I’ve heard this before Lovie. Becareful, those refs are gonna get ya.
April 27th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Shivers man Shivers. I was 11 back in 79 when we earned the name The Crunch Bunch!!! Sat through every home game for the first twenty yrs. Can’t wait to watch us have a D like those again
April 27th, 2014 at 4:34 pm
We had a hard hitting team last year early on… then the refs penalized our defense until they played with too much caution. Thanks Refs. I am not sure if defense can dominate like they used to.
Which is why Seattle being able to win a Super Bowl off of defense was even more surprising in this new era of penalties.
April 27th, 2014 at 4:36 pm
(Posted this 3 times already cause I just like reading it, I’m feeling it this year!)
I want a major change in attitude and reputation. I want our O-line to be maulers and our D-line to be feared. I want that fearsome reputation to return that earned teams names like the Steel Curtain, Purple People-Eaters, and Monsters of the Midway – reminiscent of days gone by.
I don’t want names on police blotters, but I’m done with choir boys, former team captains, and otherwise good guys that don’t excel on the field and strike fear in the hearts of opponents. I want Goldson to lower his aim, not change his attitude. I don’t want McCoy to help the QB up anymore! I want the Twin Towers Johnson and Gholston to steam off the edge like two runaway semis coming downhill! I want a monster 300lb lineman to reach a bloody hand out and give a kid a coke in the tunnel! When we lose a game, I want everybody on the opposing team to “ice up, son” because they were in the fight of their lives.
Let the new Unis strike fear in the hearts of opponents knowing that we are next on their schedule. Bring back player nicknames like “mean”. “terrible”, “body snatcher”, “assassin”, “Killa”, and “head-hunter”. OK, head-hunter may be going a bit too far, but you get the picture. I want to go huntin’ on Sunday and bring’em back alive! If we win we win! If we don’t I can still be proud to be a Buccaneer!
(Promise this is the last time I’m going to post this, but there’s Viagra in them words. Lol)
April 27th, 2014 at 4:47 pm
OT…but for many many years……the draft would be rapping up in n hour or two…..I hate It !!!…I’ve got a photo of my first born @ Manatee Memorial and in the back ground of the picture on the TV screen….is the NFL Draft…..it is his birthday today….31 st
April 27th, 2014 at 5:11 pm
Seems we are forgetting that the NFL is becoming a flag football league. Don’t see that tough defense ever being like it use to be. The rules won’t allow it.
April 27th, 2014 at 5:13 pm
Thumpity…thump, thump thump!!!!
April 27th, 2014 at 5:13 pm
Macabee Said:
“Promise this is the last time I’m going to post this, but there’s Viagra in them words. Lol)”
You mean you typed all that with a boner? Impressive. 😉
April 27th, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Couch Fan Says
“I’ve heard this before Lovie. Becareful, those refs are gonna get ya.”
That was the firsst thing that entered my mind too. While Lovie’s nature may gain us a little leeway with the refs, Goldson will suck it dry.
April 27th, 2014 at 5:29 pm
BoJim,
Had it on Word a week ago. Just having a little Sunday afternoon fun. But you bring up a good idea! :>)
April 27th, 2014 at 6:23 pm
Wouldn’t it be Ironic if Tedfords offense goes Chip Kelly and off the charts and Lovies defense get a league high in penalties and is what holds the team down. These new rules won’t allow football like the good ol days. You can’t just lay receivers out over the middle anymore. Can’t do it…
April 27th, 2014 at 7:51 pm
Personally, I hope mccoy helps oppising QBs off the ground this season with freakish regularity. Hopefully, he’ll help up oppsing QBs up at an average of once per game, and four times a game after hits. He can be polite as he wants just as long as it is frequent.
April 27th, 2014 at 7:53 pm
Wow, I need better spell check on my tablet and perhaps much greater attention to detail.
April 27th, 2014 at 7:55 pm
ATLBucsFan Says:
April 27th, 2014 at 5:11 pm
Seems we are forgetting that the NFL is becoming a flag football league. Don’t see that tough defense ever being like it use to be. The rules won’t allow it
—————
What was that I saw in the Super Bowl then?
April 27th, 2014 at 8:08 pm
Unfortunately you can’t hit anyone in the NFL anymore. Lynch would have spent half his pay checks on fines and suspensions back in the day.
April 27th, 2014 at 8:47 pm
I was thinking the same thing Brandon. What the Hawks did was flat out refreshing. They showed that football can still be football even though the NFL is doing their best to turn it into grab ass.
April 27th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Eating the grass is probably healthier than what passes for food these days.
April 27th, 2014 at 9:57 pm
I would like the shazier pick. Cbssports compares him to lavonte david.4.3 40 BUT I doubt lovie n licht will make that pick. Just imagine those hail storm lb blitzes n the thick inside zone coverage of that defense. Jimmy garoppolo in the 3rd
April 27th, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Bucsqb12: that, or he would change his tackling method like everyone else in the league because he isn’t an idiot.
Also as as been mentioned, you can hit hard and not get penalized. You just can’t hit in the head. That’s not unreasonable and still leaves plenty of room to blow guys up.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Brandon Says
“What was that I saw in the Super Bowl then?”
What you saw in the Superbowl was the refs having a double standard. There were a LOT of blatant penalties in that game. Had the refs called them, the Broncos may well have won.
April 28th, 2014 at 12:29 am
Lol the broncos closest chance of winning anything was the coin toss. Peyton had zero time. Thats why a franchise qb ain’t aneed. If u can pressure the qb with just ur d line u have 8 or 7 guys in coverage. A smart decent arm qb can manage the game
April 28th, 2014 at 12:32 am
In this league and in this day?..
Doubtful at best. You have the players or it. League will not allow it. Welcome to your new brand of football.
April 28th, 2014 at 12:33 am
*for it…
April 28th, 2014 at 12:45 am
I almost don’t care how many games we win if we can actually play tough and punish. League says tough equals dirty…penalty, fine, excuses, lawsuits,..etc.
Everyone loses.
Can’t tell if Goodell is the problem or a symptom. Certainly an object to be despised
April 28th, 2014 at 2:07 pm
It’s hard to be tough when the NFL is so wussified. The best hits I saw laid on recievers last year were called back.