Top 30 Buccaneers Mysteries Of 2014 — No. 12
March 5th, 2015
In many ways, Tampa Bay’s 2014 season was more bizarre than the MRSA-infected, quarterback-gone-mental, Fire-Schiano-billboards campaign of 2013.
There were plenty of real Bucs mysteries last year, and Joe’s revisiting the most interesting of the bunch.
No. 12 — Counting To 12
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joe’s heard all the excuses. The Bucs fell apart because they didn’t have Jeff Tedford.
Sorry, but Joe’s convinced Marcus Arroyo, Josh McCown, the rest of the Tampa Bay offensive staff and Lovie Smith all knew how to count to 12 without Tedford.
Who hasn’t opened a dozen eggs? But the Bucs’ coaching staff couldn’t count to 12 when it counted.
On what could have been the Bucs’ game-winning drive against the Bengals, Tampa Bay was flagged for 12 men on the field.
Look, we are all human and make mistakes. But most NFL teams — hell, high school teams — have safeguards to prevent penalties that push a team out of field goal range.
But not one Buccaneer caught it. No one in the huddle. No one on the sidelines. No coaches. No one upstairs in the coaches’ box. No one. Not even the refs, much to the chagrin of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.
It was well documented how Lewis threw the challenge flag and a hissy fit and got the call for the Bengals. But as TV cameras noted, the Bucs were hustling to get off another play (before the penalty) with 12 men still on the field!
As Joe wrote at the time, this gaffe ultimately fall on the head coach. Heck, per Lovie Smith, the Bucs were still angling for a playoff run on that late-November day. So everyone on Lovie’s staff should have been dialed in. It didn’t happen, and the Bucs fell to 2-10.
Joe suspects the staff can now adeptly count to 12, given that the team lost that many games and more last year.
No. 13 — Not Trading Up
No. 14 — The Glennon Clarification
No. 15 — No Help Wanted
No. 16 — Sticky Spot
No. 17 — Virgin Center
No. 18 — Investing In Seven Starts
No. 19 — Returner decisions
No. 20 — VJax’s Wrist
No. 21 — Anti-Jell
No. 22 — Seferian-Jenkins Boasting About Penalized Pose
No. 23 — Never Moving Michael Johnson
No. 24 — “I didn’t want to put more points on the board”
No. 25 — Glennon success without an offensive coordinator
No. 26 — Putrid Punting
No. 27 — Defending Three-step Drops
No. 28 — Eight Consecutive Red Zone Runs Versus Rams
No. 29 — Leaky Sean Glennon
No. 30 – Jorvorskie Lane
March 5th, 2015 at 4:28 pm
We needed more than 12 on that offense to be effecitve….and who is complaining…..that loss was in hidsight, a gift…the #1 pick.
March 5th, 2015 at 4:56 pm
I am complaining! I paid good money to sit in the stands at Ray Jay watching the Buc’s beating the Saints with my son and then Lovie the Loser throws the game for what??? The chance at the Rapist Winston over the #2 pick Mariotta??? NO THANKS! What this demonstrates is a loser mentality! The fact that Lovie has absolutely no talent to evaluate talent, the realization that Lovie could not game plan for an opposing team if his life depended on it, the fact that the HC had NO game clock management!
I agree with Joe!! Lovie could not count to 12 and blaming this past hideous season on Jeff Tedford is just making excuses. The team failed to play with focus and with a desire to win! The last game proved that Lovie believes the #1 pick will make him a successful HC, but the results will be the same until a talented coach is located and hired.
John Fox was fired after a Super Bowl and 3 Championship games….yet Lovie was allowed to slide with a 2-14 season. PLEASE wake me up when it is 2016 ONLY if Lovie drafts anyone but the Rapist! I will refuse to support a team that allows this animal to lay for this team. The QB choice will not changes as the OC had a great QB in Atlanta….could not score points. Lovie is supposed to be a defensive genius…yet the defense was not aggressive and did not play hard!
The Buc’s will not change until the coaching staff changes, no matter who they draft. The only thing affected by the #1 pick is the moral fiber of our community!
Greg Schiano
March 5th, 2015 at 4:57 pm
More concerned about the number of delay of game penalties. The offensive structure n org should improve under Koetter.
March 5th, 2015 at 5:03 pm
Greg
Although I agree on several points, you’re fired! Go away now. Bye bye.
Clock mgmt
Talent evaluation
Soft defense. That’s bc it led by the ice cream man.
2-14
Koetter can’t score point. (I’d like to underline this as it is one of my biggest concerns. And I could give 2 fcks about what he did ten years ago)
March 5th, 2015 at 5:06 pm
One of my favorite moments of this past year.
March 5th, 2015 at 5:09 pm
My fav moments was when Charlie Simms ran into his own player in a wide open field. I still can’t stop laughing at that and the Lions game. Omg hilarious.
March 5th, 2015 at 5:18 pm
There is a song to sum up the Bucs overall game last season. It’s called “Call me up in dreamland”.
March 5th, 2015 at 5:55 pm
This is not a mystery. It’s called a mistake. I believe one of the SuperBowl teams had this same issue at some time during the playoffs. BFD.
Woo hoo, can’t wait to see which complaints make up 1-11. 🙁
March 6th, 2015 at 3:01 pm
[…] No. 12 — Counting To 12 No. 13 — Not Trading Up No. 14 — The Glennon Clarification No. 15 — No Help Wanted No. 16 — Sticky Spot No. 17 — Virgin Center No. 18 — Investing In Seven Starts No. 19 — Returner decisions No. 20 — VJax’s Wrist No. 21 — Anti-Jell No. 22 — Seferian-Jenkins Boasting About Penalized Pose No. 23 — Never Moving Michael Johnson No. 24 — “I didn’t want to put more points on the board” No. 25 — Glennon success without an offensive coordinator No. 26 — Putrid Punting No. 27 — Defending Three-step Drops No. 28 — Eight Consecutive Red Zone Runs Versus Rams No. 29 — Leaky Sean Glennon No. 30 – Jorvorskie Lane […]