Frustration
October 24th, 2014
The beginning of the Lovie Smith regime offered so much hope. A man who knows how to build defenses and make the playoffs with a Tampa Bay pedigree was coming to save the Bucs.
Bucs fans were giddy. Still searching for that first playoff win since Chucky hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory in January 2003.
Lovie would finally get the Bucs over the hump.
Eight weeks into the season, it is the polar opposite. The Bucs defense has never been worse. The Bucs still cannot pressure quarterbacks, which Joe is convinced has become a team tradition. Major free agent signings have been, thus far, major swings-and-misses, and 2012 draft picks have turned invisible.
Fans have responded predictably. They have checked out, feeling conned by another season that turned to draft talk before Halloweeen. It doesn’t help that the Bucs suffered a pair of their worst losses in team history within 24 days.
If Bucs fans are frustrated — and they are — a “rejuvenated” Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, has comforting words. Speaking in a TBO Bucs podcast with Olivia Stacey, Kaufman says the coaching staff is equally searching for answers.
“Lovie Smith, again, who talked about special teams, who talked about turnover ratio and also talked about establishing a dominance at home,” Kaufman said. “Those things haven’t happened. So, that is why Lovie Smith and that coaching staff is so frustrated.”
Still, the record shows 1-5 with a division leader with three losses. Joe understands the NFC South is a cesspool, but even with that knowledge, Joe cannot bend his mind into thinking the Bucs are a playoff contender. It defies logic.
Even with this depression, Kaufman offered hope for Sunday against the Vikings.
“I’m not looking for a 38-0 win but the Vikings are very ordinary,” Kaufman said. “There is nothing special about the Vikes. They have a rookie quarterback. This team [the Bucs] was embarrassed [against the Crows] and when a team on this level gets embarrassed, they usually bounce back. I think Bucs fans are counting on that.”
October 24th, 2014 at 8:28 am
Momentum is in reverse.
WHO is going to step up and be the SPARK this team needs to get a FIRE going?
Who Can?
October 24th, 2014 at 8:45 am
I remember a Bucs win over the Vikings in the not too distant past when Minnesota was undefeated after at least half the season, they could have been as much as 10-0. That was a home win for the Bucs. I know the Vikes stink now, close to on par with our Bucs. This is a big game for the home team, they have to win it, no ifs ands or buts. I’m going to go with the Bucs finding a sense of urgency and pulling out a close game.
October 24th, 2014 at 9:00 am
I have no confidence the Bucs won’t get blown out again, irrespective of whom they play.
Looking forward to seeing how Zach Mettenberger, the guy I wanted the Bucs to draft, will play as a starter for Tennessee this week against Houston.
Pretty sad when a lifelong Bucs fan cares more about the Titans game. You were mentioning apathy or something?
October 24th, 2014 at 9:22 am
So what I’m hearing is that we need to get blown out every other week so we can win the other weeks?
October 24th, 2014 at 9:38 am
Well the upside is the Bucs have a pretty good record against the Vikings in the past few years. Frazier may want some pay back for getting (deservedly) canned in Minnesota? Finally it’s about damn time this team lets out its frustrations on another floundering squad and hands out a sound ass whoopin’ instead of receiving one. It’s pretty much now or never!
October 24th, 2014 at 9:50 am
We are already numb to this; a promise of a Hope and a positive Change, and we get epic failure…
October 24th, 2014 at 9:51 am
Buccfan37 Says:
October 24th, 2014 at 8:45 am
I remember a Bucs win over the Vikings in the not too distant past when Minnesota was undefeated after at least half the season, they could have been as much as 10-0. That was a home win for the Bucs. I know the Vikes stink now, close to on par with our Bucs. This is a big game for the home team, they have to win it, no ifs ands or buts. I’m going to go with the Bucs finding a sense of urgency and pulling out a close game.
——-
I think the Vikes were 8-0… and that ended up being the only regular season loss for that team that year. The Bucs went…8-8 I believe… I think that must have been 1998 because we didn’t make the playoffs. That was the Todd Washington kickoff return game.
October 24th, 2014 at 10:06 am
LOL@scribes continuing to use the “rookie QB” or “back-up QB” as reasons for us to have an advantage…
How many times do we need to get torn up by these back ups and rookies before we realize THEY OWN US.
It almost seems we are better playing against the teams starters…
October 24th, 2014 at 10:07 am
Vikings could win with their backups……the YUCKS! are the laughing stock of the nfl….
October 24th, 2014 at 10:18 am
I can see the Bucs winning this game; only to ensure that they slip out of contention for the first overall pick in the draft next spring ceding the coveted spot to either the Jags or Oakland as I really doubt that the Raiders have 2 wins on their schedule unless they upset the Browns in Cleveland to set up the Bucs with a Johnny Manziel debut so that ESPN can show endless highlight of Johnny football schooling the Bucs D. A win over the Vikes would hurt the Bucs in the draft next spring; kind of like how the Bucs beat a bad Buffalo team last year to get win #4 before the Bucs finally quit on Schiano but that 4th win moved the Bucs from picking 3rd to picking 7th; who knows how that affected the whole 2013 draft and I can see this bad Tampa team just winning enough games to move them down the draft order enough to miss out on whoever they will really covet next spring……
October 24th, 2014 at 11:12 am
I don’t get it, Joe. You predicted a 7-9 record at the start of the season. I know that it’s unlikely now, but I’m wondering…if they had attained that record, did you think they would make it into the playoffs?
Maybe I’m miss-remembering (and I may well be), but I thought you said they would still need a lot of improving from the start?
In fact, many Bucs fans, as I DO recall, predicted worse records, knowing full well that there would be growing pains.
So what I don’t get is why people are complaining now. They are seeing what they expected to see. Maybe things seem a little worse, sure. I can see that. But. Growing pains.
Personally, I hoped for better, but came into the season understanding what I hoped for probably would not happen in the first year, so I’m not stressed over it. What matters to me is the finish. The last 6 games of the season matter the most, but seeing as we FINALLY had a bye week at the right part of the season, I’d like to see steady improvement from here on out.
Even with things the way they are, I’m not stressed. I’ve thought about it. Even if the Bucs win no more games this year, I won’t be stressed, so long as Lovie lands us a great QB in the draft.
Ideally, I would like Mike Glennon to turn into the next Payton Manning, but the odds of that happening to any QB are low. Maybe a Philip rivers level would be good too.
So I guess I would rather win 6-7 of the remaining games OR lose the rest for the pick. The worse thing, to me, would be to win just enough games to put us out of the running for a good QB. Either win more than enough from her on out, or win 1-2 games at most.
October 24th, 2014 at 11:23 am
Bonzai…best case scenario as far as the draft goes. Is that the Bucs end up finishing strong with about 6 wins and Oak and Jax are picking ahead of us. Both of them appear to have their QB of the future and won’t be looking for one in the next draft. Same goes for the Vikes. A lot of these teams with bad records drafted their QB’s in the last draft. That’s the way I’m looking at the next draft anyways. I hope most of the teams that pick ahead of us all have the QB position set and won’t need one.
October 24th, 2014 at 11:39 am
I don’t think I like the low win season because it means the team is not getting better and then hoping the draft saves next season, It’s a big gamble.. The team should get better as the season goes on and do what it takes in the draft to get your guy or two.. I don’t think we should tank..
October 24th, 2014 at 11:40 am
WHO CARES
October 24th, 2014 at 12:17 pm
Buc1987: lets assume that the Bucs actually win enough to pick 5th or 6th with a few teams set at QB ahead of them in the pecking order… But what stops the Oakland’s , the Vikes and Jags of the NFL from doing what the St Louis Rams did a couple of seasons back and trade a top 2 draft pick for a boatload of picks and thus having some other team in need of a qb leap-frogging the Bucs????? And even if the Bucs do get their “franchise” qb; its always possible that one drafts an Akili Smith, Vinny T, Crying Leaf, Tim Couch, DeMarcus Russell, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, etc rather than a bonafide savior like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Andy Luck; the odds are against picking a winner and lets face it: the Bucs history with qb’s; especially ones obtained with first round draft picks: Vinny T, Josh F., Jack Thompson (traded from Bengals for 2 first rounders) is well below average. Its simply hard to believe that this regime can do anything right until some positive things happen with the franchise and that seems a long ways off……
October 24th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
I don’t see how us bouncing back helps get Lovie fired which must happen for us to have any chance of success in the future or how that helps us get Jameis Winston.
October 24th, 2014 at 1:29 pm
Fort Myers Dave…what’s to stop the Bucs from trading up as well from 5th to 2nd? It might not take all that much to do it.
Also I only see one sure thing @QB coming out and sorry to say it but, it’s Winston and all the baggage that comes along with him. Give that kid just a little time in the pocket and he’s Manning deadly accurate. It’s just the way it is. People don’t want him but, I saw a lot of Luck in college too. Sure things don’t come around too often and in my opinion that’s what Jameis is. A starter on day 1.
October 24th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
A STARTER ON DAY 1, I emphatically AGREE!!!!!!!
October 24th, 2014 at 2:27 pm
With Winston the 1st 2 games of this season we win ATL and Baltimore are not blow outs and we would beat the vikings and Carolina would lose sunday making the Bucs division leaders. LIKE i SAID BEFORE THE PRE-SEASON STARTED THIS DIVISION IS GETTING OLD AND WEAK, THE bUCS WILL OWN THIS dIVISION FOR THE NEXT 5 OR SO YRS. WITH Carolina BEING ITS ONLY COMPETITION this stupid cap button works when it wants
October 24th, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Here are some other vaunted, juggernaut, head-coaches who (like Lovie) have made it to a Super Bowl:
John Rauch
Red Miller
Ray Malavasi
Forrest Greg
Bobby Ross
Jim Fassel
Mike Martz
There, see how significant it is to get to a Super Bowl?..I’m sure we can all bask in the peace-of-mind that it brings, knowing that Lovie, will eventually WIN a Super Bowl..
October 24th, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Some of us saw Smith as an overrated HC when he was hired and he is so far proving us right….. I have no confidence that the Bucs can win this game… The Vikes 1st game with Teddy B. they put up points and played well doing it… The Bucs haven’t done that 1 game all season… Hoping the Vikes don’t put the game out of reach by half-time!
October 24th, 2014 at 10:24 pm
it’s weird joe… “checked out” but can’t look away…