“You’re Not Going To Get A Third Year, If You Put Up Another 2-14 Or Something Like It.”
January 22nd, 2015
Welcome to the hot seat, Coach.
The proverbial “hot seat” for an NFL head coach typically is a creation of prominent local media.
And as Bucs beat writer for the Tampa Bay Times and morning host on WDAE-AM 620, the Buccaneers’ flagship radio station, Rick Stroud would qualify as prominent. And he placed charcoal under Lovie Smith this morning during a chat about the draft and Lovie’s current activities at the Senior Bowl.
“This year, look, it’s an important year,” Stroud said. “You’re not going to get a third year if you put up another 2-14 or something like it, no matter who you’re quarterback is or what your first pick is or anything else.”
So there you have it. Count Stroud among the crowd that Lovie won’t get a pass for another dreadful season, even if he’s breaking in a rookie quarterback.
Joe’s in that camp, too. With a first-year head coach, the Vikings managed seven wins in a much tougher division with a rookie QB starting after miserable Matt Cassel was lost to injury.
The Bucs have to find a way to be competitive and relevant, especially in a struggling division. And that doesn’t mean patting yourself on the back for losing a lot of close games.
Raise your hand if think Lovie Smith will be a failure next season if the Bucs finish in last place. Joe’s hand is up.
Stroud went on to say he saw promise or production from the Bucs’ first three draft picks last season, and the Bucs need at least the same success there this season.
Yes, the Bucs need to nail the upcoming draft. It shouldn’t be difficult.
(You can hear all of Stroud’s Thursday Bucs takes via the 620wdae.com audio below.)
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:04 pm
Lovie is a failure this year after finishing in last place. Being the HC of the worst team in football by default makes you a failure. This is not debatable now nor will it be in a year if he continues to lose football games.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:10 pm
Welcome Back Koetter
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:10 pm
…
Stroud went on to say he saw promise or production from the Bucs’ first three draft picks last season, and the Bucs need at least the same success there this season
we see that every year but developing these guys in years 2 3 and beyond has always been a problem! I saw promise in clayborn, barron, martin, bowers, glennon, david, black, james, and spence in year one. In year 2 and beyond, nothing except from david.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:12 pm
And that is why they will draft Leonard Williams who can help them win now. Lovie can’t wait for a rookie QB to develope
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:13 pm
If the Bucs keep changing coaching staffs every couple of years they will be doomed to continued irrelevance.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Way to write an article about the obvious thing in Tampa! BRAVO!!
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:15 pm
DUH……you don’t have to be an NFL executive or ex player to know that. this is the part I hate, no matter what upgrades a team makes no matter who they draft, the bucs went 2-14 so a turnaround is impossible, this team is horrible and everything is based on last year no matter if the entire line was replaced by pro bowl o linemen people will still say the run game was bad, even with a different offensive coordinator your gonna hear people talk about how bad the offense was even though we had a quarterbacks coach running it. if marcus arroyo can get 2 wins out of this team I think our new coordinator can triple those efforts considering he actually knows something about nfl football
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Lovie will be just fine next year
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:20 pm
The problem is when Lovie goes 5-11 next year, The sheep will say that Lovie is heading in the right direction.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:20 pm
I’d say at least 7 wins, and even then it depends. A 5-2 start with a 2-7 finish should be fired. A 1-8 start with a 6-1 finish is probably stay. But it’s the 2-14 season that changes everything, all the goodwill is gone and the amount of time that fans would give has decreased as well. Just shocking we got the worst season in 28 years after firing Raheem and Schiano and getting a 9-year NFL veteran head coach.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:22 pm
2-14 after the Schiano regime really, REALLY hurt Lovie’s credibility as a coach. His seat should be rightfully hot.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:22 pm
I would think that the GM’s a$$ is on the line too, he had just as much in choosing players also; right?
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Usually when a coach spends millions in free agency, goes 2-14, goes winless at home, goes winless in the worst division in the NFL, and “earns” the #1 pick in the draft he usueally isn’t invited back. Lovie knows he has to win big this year
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Very shocking indeed.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Lovie needs 9 wins next year just to equal Greg Schiano’s record! Think about THAT for just a minute!
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:28 pm
it’s not about wins and losses when your evaluation lovie. I remember greg schiano’s first year when he won 7 games that dude was the worst coach I had ever seen and he shouldn’t have ever got a 2nd year. what happened when he got a 2nd year he got rid of the veterans like Michael Bennett to give away a starting job to daquan bowers. those kinds of moves get you fired more than a bad year in free agency. signing the hawk, revis and other “stars” then going for less wins than the year before that’s a losing coach. im more interested in the chemistry of the team under lovie and if they can make common sense plays like recognizing when 12 men are in the huddle and situational football downs cuz that was the difference between wins and losses last year hence all the close losses
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:35 pm
No talent =6-10 Dosent matter who the coach is
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:38 pm
After trying to decipher Bucs4lyfe post. I think he just stated that Lovie should have been fired after 1 year!
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:41 pm
“Mr. Patrick Says:
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Usually when a coach spends millions in free agency, goes 2-14, goes winless at home, goes winless in the worst division in the NFL, and “earns” the #1 pick in the draft he usueally isn’t invited back. Lovie knows he has to win big this year”
All well stated and accurate
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:41 pm
I think we should nickname Rick Stroud as ‘Chicken Little.’ Someone needs to tell him that the sky really isn’t falling.
The Bucs owners have done an awful job of selecting head coaches and general managers ever since firing Jon Gruden. Raheem Morris … seriously? Greg Schiano … really? Mark Dominick … YGBSM.
After winning the Super Bowl, the Bucs worked their butts off to put together a team ‘on the cheap’ while increasing ticket prices 10% every year for several years. Let’s see now … what could possibly go wrong with that formula?
Oh ya … Very poor drafts year after year. Constant coaching turnover. Bad starting lineups with very little depth. Losing season after losing season. Hmmm, I wonder why.
It took them several years to screw up the Bucs this bad. And it’ll take several years to turn it around. Lovie isn’t perfect, but he’s a decent head coach with an OK track record and is respected by his players. That’s a pretty good start in my book. He’s surrounding himself with some pretty good assistant coaches in my opinion, but it’ll take time to ‘right the ship’. Ya, probably more than 2 years.
We’ve had TWO back-to-back years of the perfect storm. MRSA, combined with some major injuries on a team with no depth and a college-level coaching staff equals 4 wins. Losing your OC prior to the season, combined with yet another new coaching staff, more major injuries on a team still with no depth equals 2 wins. It’s not rocket science.
All the media pundits need to stop stirring the pot. You all are half the Bucs problem. I’m not even sure that a 19-0 season ending in another Super Bowl win would satisfy some of the pundits who make their living here in Tampa Bay dissing the Bucs.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:47 pm
A “Good coach” would not have played Josh Mcclown all season this year,.. Lovie is Not a “good coach” Greg Schiano was a Much better Coach, had he stayed, this year we likely would have won the division!
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:47 pm
Lovie should have been fired? I think like everyone else lovie quickly realized he overestimated the talent on this roster and when tedford tried to come back he was decided in letting it play out, you don’t do that unless your trying to get the quarterback at the top of the draft, no one does that for a defensive player but please if anyone thinks that the bucs should have had a better record with marcus arroyo at offensive coordinator please please speak up now. I do remember the lions AND the Miami dolphins coming out on the positive side of an 0-16 and 1-15 season or something like that…..ever since matthew Stafford and calvin Johnson that team has been competitive even without a decent defense
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:49 pm
@IdahoBucsfan
stop snorting potatoes there is a reason raheem morris lasted in tampa longer than he did
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Evidence proven by the fact that Schiano had so many coaching opportunities open up to him this year and next year…
…oh wait.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:54 pm
This is exactly why you can’t afford to draft Mariota and sit him on the bench. Not even for half a season. The #1 pick has to play from the start and produce. Lovie doesn’t have enough time. Thats what happens when you go 2-14. Schiano wasnt a good coach either but he seems to be light years behond Lovies skills.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:54 pm
beyond*
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:01 pm
I really do hope that Lovie gets things turned around and puts a winner on the field every year for a long time. However, I think he has only one year to do so
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:08 pm
schiano was a horrible coach….everybody who thinks he was a winner thinks that because josh freeman made him and his coaching staff look good hahahahaha a soon as he was benched for mike glennon he got fired hmmmm I wonder why, maybe it was true the owners really did like freeman and why would Dominick give up on his pick and make himself look bad? where is the future of the franchise now hahahaha I wont defend lovie and the bad season he had but don’t even try to compare schiano to lovie simply because he had one okay season with josh freeman as quarterback. i’ll take a coach who gets fired for having a winning record but not making the playoffs over schiano any day
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:08 pm
my prediction:
come draft day we do NOT take a QB!
Koetter will start Glennon and use him as he should
We will get a beast DE and several good OL prospects early in the draft, perhaps even trade the 1st pick thereby upgrading the lines on both sides instanly.
Koetter will single handedly save Lovie’s a$$ by installing a real offense and bringing swag and experience to the table.
The D will not be the dominant D everyone thinks. It will still be the Tampa 2 and be exposed by elite QB’s.
We finish 7-9, lovie keeps his job, but fires frasier.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:12 pm
I believe the Vikings finished with 7 wins. But still.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:18 pm
Largo
I was just about to post the same thing. 7 wins with a rookie in a division w 2 playoff teams. A first year hc And the team won 2 games the previous year so….they sucked. Did I mention no AP? Just saying ….
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:18 pm
@ Robert 9
I think your prediction might be real close. Lovie doesn’t have time for any rookie QB to develope, has to have players to help him win now
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Celly,
Evidence that Schiano > Lovie, look at the records.
7-9, 4-12 for Schiano and 2-14 for Lovie….
Lovie has to go 9-7 this year, just to match Schiano.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:22 pm
does anyone really believe that a rookie couldn’t come in and do what mike glennon and josh mccown did? they’d be team mvp compared to those guys….theres a learning curve for everyone coming into the league including freakish atheletes like clowney who looked mortal in the nfl but I think wherever they go both will be day one starters
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:30 pm
How are we ever going to make it to the playoffs or be a contender if we keep firing every coach after 2 years. Especially one that made it to a Super Bowl. Rome was not built in a day. All you people that want Lovie to be on the hot seat if he does not make it to the Super Bowl next year are the same people that sit next to the microwaive taping your foot cause its taking to long.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:34 pm
To add to that. Lovie came into a team that is not as talented as everyone thought. Give hime time and this guy will win.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:38 pm
Let’s shelve the QB argument since we all know that the Cannon was the better choice to finish the season.
Can someone representing the clueless and confident crowd kindly list all of Lovie’s accomplishments last season?
The biggest joke is that Warhop still has a job.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Biff
He woke up every morning.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:43 pm
SteveK Says:
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Celly,
Evidence that Schiano > Lovie, look at the records.
7-9, 4-12 for Schiano and 2-14 for Lovie….
Lovie has to go 9-7 this year, just to match Schiano.
———————————————————————————–
I THINK YOU FORGOT TO MENTION A FEW SEASONS OF LOVIE’S CAREER MY FRIEND…..SCHIANO ONLY HAD TWO SEASONS AS A COACH NEVERMIND HEADCOACH, HE ONLY HAD TWO SEASONS BECAUSE HE’S A NOBODY IN THIS LEAGUE, HE’S BILL BELICHEATS DOBOY
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Or he’ll keep losing with his playing not to lose mentality thats just as bad as Schiano’s was.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:45 pm
This is the perfect situation to bring out the best in a good coach. Let’s see what Lovie is made of.
I know what I personally think but due to the sensitivity of some of your eyes I will withhold judgement.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:46 pm
Schiano may be Belicheat’s “Doboy” but so far in Tampa he’s been flat out better than Lovie. You can use the excuse “Lovie took over a team with no talent” but you can’t leave out the part that Lovie made this talentless team worse. Your hate for Schiano doesn’t change that fact.
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Production out of the first three picks haha uhhh what was he watching.
ASJ, didn’t touch the field and when he did, he was dropping passes and losing games.
None of us would have even noticed Charles Sims if it hadn’t been for Lovie’s petitioning for him.
And Pamphile and Edwards… (crickets)
Ya they hit a home run on Evans, if we’re playing tee ball on the moon. Anyone selected last year in the top 10 of that draft was a home run and a position of need for us that could be easily wearing a Bucs uniform instead.
In terms of evaluation, I give Licht and Lovie an “D-” as not a single player except for your 7th overall pick was even the slightest-bit impactful.
This year, maybe start from the bottom of your draft board
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:05 pm
they drafted like drunken sailors playing madden last year!
(not that I was not right their to raise a glass and get excited, but hey… I thought they were actually going to use those offensive guys in a real offense)
little did I know their interpretation was just to make the whole damned team offensive to watch.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:13 pm
My question is do you have to be Asian? Oh, sorry….side tracked with the dating site ads. Its enough to get popped at work for a football website but now I’m more concerned with the Asian dating sites getting me.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:21 pm
At least 7 wins this year or move on.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Lovie = Fail
The sooner we get rid of him the sooner we can start over.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Greg Says:
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Lovie = Fail
The sooner we get rid of him the sooner we can start over.
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the greg schiano loser mentality rears it’s ugly head again. what was pete carroll’s record before Russell Wilson, didn’t get fired before too? his defense wasn’t all to impressive his first coaching stint, neither belicheat wasn’t all that impressive either when coaching the browns. losers say keep firing and hiring coaches when you have a bad season as if that’s going to solve anything. it’s not your money but if it was how many coaches would you pay at one time as if anyone is going to want to come coach for someone like you….you’d be getting turned down by college coaches too like chip Kelly did us
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Architek Says:
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:45 pm
This is the perfect situation to bring out the best in a good coach. Let’s see what Lovie is made of.
I know what I personally think but due to the sensitivity of some of your eyes I will withhold judgement.
_______________________________________________________________
Let me guess: Despite all the available evidence that suggests otherwise, you think he’s a terrific, borderline top 5 coach.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Welcome to the CHANCE BROTHERS
SLIM, FAT AND NOE.
You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time,
AND THAT IS GOOD FOR 2 YEARS
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:58 pm
losers say keep firing and hiring coaches when you have a bad season as if that’s going to solve anything
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Firing people after bad seasons isn’t the issue. Thats just the stupids talking and looking for a reason to hang onto a mediocre coach. All you have to do is watch the games and you can see Lovie is out of his league. Raheem showed it, Schiano showed it and Lovie is showing it. At no point yet has Lovie proven to be an adequate coach. I know I know. “But lovie went to the super bow!”…. yea just once and at this point it seems it was due more so out of luck than actual coaching skill.
January 22nd, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Lovie may not want to draft a QB #1 but there are more people involved than just Lovie. Lovie might be 3rd in line (or worse) behind the Glazers and Licht when it comes to what happens at the top of our draft.
January 22nd, 2015 at 4:21 pm
We have some crazy fans……you don’t even have the right to be spoiled! we got jon gruden in here and won a superbowl WITH A NUMBER 1 DEFENSE ALREADY IN PLACE. you think jurevicious and those boys propelled us to the playoffs or was it derrick brooks? classic example is Detroit who hired Caldwell and they won all those games and still went home in the playoffs just as they usually do. what transcendent player did we have that would help take this team to another level? lovie is a defensive coach and the defense got better and better even though they clearly need more talent. the offense did not improve and if you want to fire the defensive coach for a quarterbacks coach being in over his head…I swear some of you just sound racist, I remember the hate people had for raheem now all of a sudden he is comparable to lovie smith and greg schiano is a better coach? two guys who cant even get a job? folks your too emotional. i’m not saying he’s a top 5 coach but to say the nonsense being said about him after one season is just stupid….everyone will be asking where are the haters when this team starts winning because yea again it’s just stupid to talk as if this coach cant win games here in tampa lol yea because he’s never done it before right? nevermind the track record and history of winning in this league
January 22nd, 2015 at 4:58 pm
It’s so obvious all these Lovie apologists/Schiano haters are racists who hate white dudes of Italian heritage from Jersey. See how stupid that sounds, I just want the Lovie apologists who call people a racist if they think Lovie deserved to be fired after a 2-14 season that featured a total team regression as well as a 0-8 home record (on top of humiliation on an internationally broadcast game) to think about that before they inevitably go down that path.
It’s the Glazer’s team and money, so I respect their decision to keep him. That doesn’t change the fact that Lovie should be thankful he didn’t get bounced, he certainly made a strong case for it in his first season as Bucs HC. Here’s to hoping he goes at least 9-7 next season
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:01 pm
I just love how people say that Lovie is a failure when he just had his first full season as head coach with us, I say he will do better this year and to get back on track. Lovie is a wonderful coach and he will be right for us. Just watch and he will shut you all up for the peeps that dont have faith in Lovie Smith.
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:10 pm
Lovie has a 10 year NFL record, so saying he’s a failure is mostly based off his inability to build a consistent winner in 10 years. I mean he was 1 playoff win in his last 7 seasons as a coach. I’d hardly call that wonderful. Lovie is what he is, a mediocre coach who will at best get us into the consitent 6-10 to 10-6 zone. People expect a consistently great team are in for disappointment.
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:22 pm
@Dick
All the media pundits need to stop stirring the pot.
Don’t disagree with the sentiment Dick but they aren’t about to stop. That’s what they’re paid to do.
@Bucrealist…you’ll get no bleating from me if they go 5-11 in this crapola division!!! But I agree with bucrightoff.
How the wins and losses unfold will be HUGE for Lovie. It’s always HUGE(see Gruden firing) but even more so this year.
A good start with a dismal finish and it’s all over for Lovie.
7-9 with 4 of the wins coming at the end will look better for him than 8-8 if we win 5 of the first 8 and then finish with 4 losses.
Momentum will have a lot to do with Lovie’s future.
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Bucrightoff –
Actually I think and maintain the belief that Lovie is/was the wrong hire.
Based on one season and his track record I see no reason to think his habits will change.
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:36 pm
I am sure there will be a 10-6 somewhere for sure, this season will be alot better. With Koetter running the show on offense we will be fine for sure
January 22nd, 2015 at 5:39 pm
Gotta put a little set of faith that our team will succeed
January 22nd, 2015 at 6:00 pm
I’m with you BucsFan007.
The little train never chugged to the top of the hill saying I think I can’t…I think I can’t.
Norman Vincent Peale didn’t write the “Power of Negative Thinking”.
Henry Ford nailed it when he said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”.
January 22nd, 2015 at 6:45 pm
Since that’s the game you want to play:
Raheem went 13-19 in those 2 years…so he’s the better coach than Schiano and we should’ve kept him.
“Oh, but Raheem had an extra year”. If that’s going to be your argument, then Rah’s total win percentage is still higher than the GREAT Schiano.
“Oh, but Schiano would’ve had a better record year 3”. Can’t play that game cause it never happened, but if you want, we can just go ahead and add in his record from the team he coached this year….oh, wait.
I don’t care what anyone says. Why would you want to rattle the confidence of your (young) starting QB (lets not forget, Free was still one of the youngest starting QBs in the league) by drafting a guy in the 3rd round and giving him half of the snaps in training came THE YEAR AFTER MULTIPLE FRANCHISE RECORDS?
All because Gregory had a hard-on for the kid he wanted out of High School who didn’t want him.
So, yes, as far as I’m concerned, Schiano was a bad coach….
Ok, so fire Lovie today and hire who???
January 22nd, 2015 at 7:25 pm
He went 2-14, so if he goes 7-9, or 8-8 he get’s another year because he showed improvement. The falcons SHOULD be at the bottom of the south next year. But we have done a pretty good job as claiming it for the most part. Hope that changes when the Bucs draft Mariota!
January 22nd, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Raheem, Schiano, or Lovie… Geez.. You guys are talking about three turds in a bowl and evaluating their greatness based on which one sinks the quickest. Tsk tsk. Is this how far we fallen?
Bring a winner in..
January 22nd, 2015 at 7:56 pm
Ok, so fire Lovie today and hire who???
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Not today, far to late now. Should of been done right at the end of the season were stuck with him for one more year. As far as who goes, not my job to hire people but I can tell you it wont be hard to find someone that can coach us to more than 2 wins. Hell the last 2 college coaches we had managed to get more than 2 wins every season. Plenty of choices. Question is do you trust the Glazers to get us the right guy next time?…
January 22nd, 2015 at 8:05 pm
Terrible drafts for the past ten years and Mark Arroyo put us at 2-14. People are so moronic. Would have liked to have seen any team post a winning record with Arroyo calling the offense.
January 22nd, 2015 at 9:12 pm
If there was a QB Option who didn’t think the Senior Bowl was not Mobile Mardi Gras, I’d go for Blake Sims. But, beyond that, it is a choice with little and no other choice. I wonder if the Bucs would score 5 Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns in 2015, including Preseason?
January 22nd, 2015 at 9:38 pm
We don’t need a QB, we need lineman on both sides of the ball. Glennon will be just fine with better protection. TAKE LEONARD WILLIAMS!
January 22nd, 2015 at 10:05 pm
Gotta love hearing negative Bucs Fans here that are hating on Lovie already this is great LMAO
January 22nd, 2015 at 10:34 pm
HELLO!!!! I have been saying this same crap for 2 months! really ! no pinhead lovie is not taking a QB he needs to win this year or see ya! and part of me hopes so. but I would rather see the bucs do well. we shall see. because in my opinion lovie is overrated period.
January 22nd, 2015 at 11:16 pm
bucrightoff Says:
“I’d say at least 7 wins, and even then it depends. A 5-2 start with a 2-7 finish should be fired. A 1-8 start with a 6-1 finish is probably stay. But it’s the 2-14 season that changes everything, all the goodwill is gone and the amount of time that fans would give has decreased as well. Just shocking we got the worst season in 28 years after firing Raheem and Schiano and getting a 9-year NFL veteran head coach.”
I would have to agree. Another thing to consider is how the team wins or loses; more inept losses like the way the Bucs lost to the Rams, Vikes, Browns and Saints (the first loss not the intentional tank job to leapfrog the Titans in the chase for Winston) should amount to Lovie’s immediate dismissal. The draft will also have a say in things: if the Bucs grab Winston then a few ealry losses might be deemed acceptable if the rookie holds a clipboard until the bye week. If the Bucs trade down or go for Leonard Williams then the fans will demand some immediate returns and Lovie could be gone if the Bucs start 1-5 or so like this past season. I think 6 or 7 wins will give Lovie a third season unless the Bucs do a Sam Wyche and start 5 dash 2 only to finish 7-9….. Still 5 dash 2 beats starting 1-6 or 0-7 like the Bucs did these past 2 seasons…. To quote the late crazy AL Davis: Just Win Baby and us fans will show up like it was 2002 all over again, keep losing and it will be like the Creamsicle days when the Yucs last went 2-14; I was there at the Old Sombrero, it was pretty dismal sitting in the South End Zone section 103 being one of 28K fans who watched that pathetic team lose each week unless the Bears came into to town and it was a sell out (even the Packers did not draw back then as they were as bad as the Bucs until they stole Favre from the Falcons)….. Of course tickets were under $20 a pop back then not the coin they demand nowadays….
January 23rd, 2015 at 12:23 am
Don’t worry, we’ll start the season 0-5, making no part of the season competitive, lovie will win 5 or 6 of his last 11 and it will be “improvement” and we’ll have him another year. I’m getting sick of this franchise.
January 23rd, 2015 at 12:38 am
I think most of you are disregarding the fact that the defense “already” started to improve and was performing well by the end of the season.
If coaching matters and development is important, then we have to acknowledge what has already happened. The defense improved and looked respectable by seasons end. The crappy mindset of our fanbase is showing its face right now. Why shouldn’t we be thinking about how much better the defense will be with another year under its belt?
I think Lovie “does” have the defense going were it needs to be. I think it will be better next year. Our offense needs help.
January 23rd, 2015 at 5:20 am
@Bill
I suspect you are correct. Despite all the dislike of Lovie on this board he does have a SB appearance with Rex Grossman as his QB! He obviously knows how to coach defense and I agree with you the defense did improve significantly.
Defense still has a way to go but a Denzel Perryman in the middle could make a huge difference just as Kuechly did for the Panthers. This would also allow Mason Foster to move to an OLB and give depth to a thin LB corps.
I think Koetter can squeeze enough offense out of this team to get 10 wins with a soft schedule in a horrid division. Obviously we need to improve the OL.
January 23rd, 2015 at 5:45 pm
You’re more than welcome to leave.
January 24th, 2015 at 11:48 am
You need players. From the 2011-2013 draft classes – My guess is we will keep Gerald McCoy, Doug Martin, Lavonte David, Keith Tandy and Luke Stocker.
Not a pretty picture.