Living In Hester’s Shadow
October 21st, 2014
Bucs opening-day returner Solomon Patton, who replaced Eric Page, was cut today. He was replaced by newcomer Trindon Holliday, as Page sits on the Bucs’ practice squad after being plucked from his couch last week.
Lovie Smith is finding that life after Devin Hester isn’t so pretty.
Of course, the great irony is that Hester wanted to play for Tampa Bay this season. And the Bucs had — and still have — the salary cap room they would have needed to sign Hester. Also, Hester would have been a legitimate No. 4 or No. 5 receiver for the Bucs. But now he’s on the Falcons.
So was Patton that bad through six games, or was he a victim of Lovie expecting a lot more from his return game after so many seasons with Hester in Chicago? That answer will live inside Lovie’s head for eternity.
What is known is that Lovie, without naming names, has spoken about wanting more spark from his return game recently.
Joe suspects that if Holliday doesn’t provide that quickly, then Lovie will keep searching for it.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:18 pm
Lovie probably got sick of watching him return a kickoff nine yards deep every freaking chance he got. I know I sure did.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:21 pm
Sucks. I had I hopes for Solomon Patton, but he was unspectacular.
As for Hester, he just wanted more money than the bucs thought he deserved. It’s really that simple.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Could have signed him for as much as our crappy punter makes… Let that sink in.
Maybe Hester didn’t want to sign with the Bucs and is simply showing a good man some respect by saying he wanted to come here?
October 21st, 2014 at 8:26 pm
Hester wouldn’t have represented a “value” if we signed him. Can’t have that. I’ve really grown to hate that word.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:26 pm
I like Trindon Holliday though. Wonder why he was ever let go by the Broncos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkhkR8sWCgc
October 21st, 2014 at 8:44 pm
Fumbles fumbles fumbles. The isn’t always greener. Lovely is going to remain calm when this guy fumbles punts. Stay calm Lovie, stop getting so excited.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:45 pm
“… Lovie expecting a lot more from his return game after so many seasons with Hester in Chicago…”
Kinda like Lovie expecting a lot more from his defense after so many seasons with Urlacher in Chicago.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:56 pm
Off topic but…bleacher report reported today that the pats are trying to trade for Vincent Jackson. The PATS?!?!? OMFG you have got to be kidding me. I bet they offer us a 10th rnd pick.
October 21st, 2014 at 8:58 pm
Gee…Lovie is pizzed @ his kick off returner….Lord knows they get enough chances…if you catch my drift….rearranging the chairs on the Costa Titanc….have you ever watched a plumber replace the wax ring at the base of your commode….that is Lovie
October 21st, 2014 at 8:58 pm
Andrew 1, so do I. A week or so ago, when I read that he had a try-out, my response was, ”That guy isn’t with a team??”
For someone his size, he has a lot of guts; no one will mistake Holliday for Dexter Jackson.
October 21st, 2014 at 9:01 pm
How inept is Lovie’s ability to evaluate talent if he couldn’t even determine that one of the greatest returners off all time that he effin coached wasn’t good enough to be a Buccaneer?!!! I get the feeling that the base irony of Hester’s huge, record breaking night against Lovie and his Bucs is completely lost on him.
October 21st, 2014 at 9:03 pm
It is Dallas. I’m convinced he’s a fool. And I don’t say that too often.
October 21st, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Seems like a ludicrous move
teams rarely return kickoffs anymore
and our opponents rarely have to punt to us anyway
October 21st, 2014 at 9:07 pm
Not to worry Lovie hired the othe L…as his GM…if you catch my drift….
October 21st, 2014 at 9:12 pm
Every Buc fan that still doesn’t get it…if you have Netfix/Amazom/Roku….Lovie is fore told in this must see film starring Peter Sellers…Lovie is portrayed as Chauncy http://www.rogerebert.com/review/great-movie-being-there-1979
October 21st, 2014 at 9:31 pm
Rastamon
That was deep man.
October 21st, 2014 at 9:34 pm
Apathy. I feel it growing. Not that Patton was all that. And not that Hester is worth what he wanted. But the decision making I am seeing, from what we paid M Johnson, to the trade we made giving away Zuttah, its making me turn away…
October 21st, 2014 at 9:35 pm
We are in deep kimchi….brother
October 21st, 2014 at 9:37 pm
Love could’ve hit a home run signing Hester, but He swung and missed… Just like he did on Collins, Johnson, Dietrich-Smith, and Mankins.
October 21st, 2014 at 9:49 pm
The return game us not the same and kickoffs are non existent . Heater bailed his pitiful offense out before and thus time he is exposed as the fraud he was in Chicago. He had tremendous talent on defense and great special teams. That’s it. When he loses both of those he’s a Below avg coach
October 21st, 2014 at 9:49 pm
The kick return game in the NFL is dead. Get over it Lovie.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:13 pm
Lovie and McCown suck
October 21st, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Every Buc fan that still doesn’t get it…if you have have Internet Explorer/FireFox/Chrome.. Replacing head coaches year after year is fore told in this must see website starring the Oakland Raiders. Oakland is portrayed as the idiots who go through coaches thinking it’s “coaching” rather than the lack of “talent” on the team..
http://www.raiders.com/
October 21st, 2014 at 10:24 pm
Hey…One Love….we are only a half year into this mistake…keep on rolling…G’Boyz…this is by far the worst….don’t be afraid of cutting your loses and facing the invetable….move on !
October 21st, 2014 at 10:32 pm
Kickoff returner is the least important position in NFL football now. Who cares who takes a knee in the endzone?
October 21st, 2014 at 10:43 pm
Didn’t Hester play CB too? We could’ve definitely used him.
October 21st, 2014 at 10:50 pm
@RastaMon You sound just like Al Davis (RIP)
October 21st, 2014 at 11:13 pm
RastaMon…..damn man I tried to sit and watch that movie. It had great reviews and I hear it’s some kind of classic, but I was bored to tears and shut it off. Should I give it another go?
If you’re saying this Chauncey dude is like Lovie maybe I should…
October 21st, 2014 at 11:48 pm
Ignorant!
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:08 am
I’ll tell ya what’s ignorant. People becoming a new Bucs fan. WTH is wrong with you people?
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:28 am
DB55 Says:
October 21st, 2014 at 8:56 pm
Off topic but…bleacher report reported today that the pats are trying to trade for Vincent Jackson. The PATS?!?!? OMFG you have got to be kidding me. I bet they offer us a 10th rnd pick.
——————————————————————————-
My exact thought when I first heard that VJax may be on the trading block.
Louis Friend then posted this same thought earlier, which was quoted by Robert 9, and completely misinterpreted by ddneast, I believe.
If the Pats send our original 4th round pick back to the Bucs, they will have effectively traded an aging, declining guard for our two best receivers last year.
No, not Mike Williams, but VJax and Tim Wright. I cannot believe our current regime could be that ( in my best Tom Cruise impersonation from “A Few Good Men”) galactically stupid. Yet everything they have done this year seems to have a terrible mistake.
tickrdr
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:39 am
To this day I wonder why Michael Spurlock was let go. He was a good returner. Hell, didn’t we BENCH him while he was still here? I remember one time against the Failcons Maurice Stovall muffed a kickoff, Spurlock picked it up and RAN FOR A TD! And we let him go. Haven’t had a decent returner since. Didn’t he do well returning for the Lions last year? SMDH.
October 22nd, 2014 at 1:08 am
Holiday is a good returner. Fumbles are his own issue. He’s so small that a good hit will knock it out. But he is as electric as any return man out there. It’s a risk, but screw it, this season is in the drain anyways. Might as well take some chances, and give the fans a show.
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:38 am
We let him go because we had Peanut (can’t remember his real name) and Spurlock kept fumbling or muffing kicks. So we let spurlock go, kept Peanut then he got cut by Schiano after an injury!
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:22 am
Eric Page averaged more than 2 yards a punt return greater than Holiday and he only fumbled once all year. What did EP do to piss off lovie? Holiday dod average about 3 yards more than page on KR. Starting on the 23 rather than the 20 will make a difference. Oh yeah did we mention FUMBLES.
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:34 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDwwrSBssCg
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:56 am
i can’t believe we are debating a return man. Everyone open a 1000 piece puzzle. Now take out one piece of that puzzle and put it on the table. That’s what we have here. The bucs need so many pieces to make this team even relevant. A return man is the least of the worries! Ownership all the way to the people who scrub the toilets after the game need to be replaced!!!