“They Need To Improve To About 6 Or 7 Wins”
June 7th, 2015
So what’s a reasonable expectation for the Buccaneers this year?
That question was posed to a prominent Tampa Bay scribe hours ago on NBC Sports Radio. That man was Rick Stroud, of the Tampa Bay Times and WDAE-AM 620.
Stroud starting answering by saying how the Bucs play in the weak NFC South and have a soft non-conference schedule, starting with the Titans and home on opening day.
“I would think they need to improve to about six or seven wins this year,” Stroud said, explaining that whether the arrow is pointing up or down at the end of the season will be important. “You would hope they’d be a much better football team at the end of the season.”
Stroud went on about concerns and questions on the offensive line and at safety, among other areas, emphasizing that Jameis Winston and Dirk Koetter will be the primary keys.
Joe’s more interested in Stroud putting six or seven wins out there.
What if the Bucs only end up with four? Would Team Glazer have the stomach to bring back Lovie Smith after six wins in two years? How Gus Bradley does in Jacksonville this season, his third year after seven total wins, might be worth monitoring.
June 7th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Go Bucs!!
June 7th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
If the OL line works, they should win more, if not, less.
June 7th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
I hope a lot of what will have to do with retaining said coach is his draft picks from last year have improved! coaching up of young players and being competitive all year.
I would like to see the coach actually held accountable. But I know how some of the local fans are around here. ( they would buy season tickets if the Glazers gave Tony Dungy’s future Grandson a Future head coaching job in 2025 if he promised to run the Tampa-2!!!!)
June 7th, 2015 at 1:14 pm
Trade for (MLB)-Mychal Kendricks & (RG) Alex Boone! Both could fulfill positions of need immediately.
June 7th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
If we get 6 wins, it will have to mostly come in the second half of the season, and personally, I don’t see it happening that quick.
I can see 4-5 wins. Which might get us our stud DE we need next year.
June 7th, 2015 at 1:40 pm
And I say keep Lovie.
In my book, last year and this year are a pass. Assuming there is progress in developing the talent. Doesn’t have to be reflected in wins. Just effort and good drafts.
But year three? That’s when things should turn around.
June 7th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Hey Bonzi… I thought your boy Lovie said that “fans should not be patient”… 3 years is an awful lot of patience in today’s nfl especially considering what an accomplished legendary head coach and team builder lovie is…
June 7th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
i think the bucs fallback would be welcome buc koetter. he will want to be a headcoach, soon, somewhere.
June 7th, 2015 at 1:48 pm
2015 tampa bay buccaneers — own the moment!
June 7th, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Aw come on, you have to be expecting more wins than 4, 5 or 6. A lot of losses last season were close, the Bucs are winning at least half of them this season. Where is the optimistic outlook? A few more wins may be better but is nothing to get excited about. Winning at least half their games will be a strong signal that this is no longer the woeful Bucs.
June 7th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
@bucfan37
were where you after the 2012 season? why did you not say that Coach Schiano was 13-3 if you were counting games by 1 score!!!
June 7th, 2015 at 2:08 pm
7-8 wins aren’t out of the question. Not overly concerned about our defense but offensively, if the OL improves and in turn our running game improves 7-8 wins is possible.
The major key in my opinion is Winston. As Winston goes the bucs go!!?
June 7th, 2015 at 2:39 pm
“A lot of losses last season were close…”. And those ‘close’ losses could have just as easily been by TWO scores. The way the Bucs played, *I* cannot believe that they were on the verge of winning them. No, what I saw was a team luckily keeping the loss close.
I agree with BuccaneerBonzai, that the majority of wins (regardless of the total #), must come in the second half of the season. The Bucs get a second shot at all of their division opponents (two of them at RJS), and two ‘outsiders’ who were division winners. The last eight games should show improvement. By then, the offense will have a feel for what Koetter expects them to look like. By the second half, we should have a good idea as to whether the defense really has improved. This year, *I* expect them to help the team WIN some close, low scoring games.
IMO, six games (at least four in the last eight) is needed for Lovie to feel safe.
June 7th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
@Hawk
“(at least four in the last eight) is needed for Lovie to feel safe.”
You mean like Mike Glennon did in 2013 with Coach Schiano????? cause that just happened!!!!
June 7th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
The Vikings won seven games with the rookie head coach a rookie quarterback know Adrian Peterson and not one pro bowler on the roster in the nfcn. We can’t win 9 games? Get the faulk outta here.
June 7th, 2015 at 2:47 pm
I predict 6 wins.
June 7th, 2015 at 3:01 pm
@BB
I would say that the Bucs will definitely play better in the second half of the season, but win more? Have you seen that brutal November schedule? Well if “football starts in November” the Bucs gotta lotta work to do. Hopefully those will be good games, if Jameis and the O-line are in sync by then.
June 7th, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Any Given Sunday: (8 – 10 wins) would not surprise me, this team was a comedy of errors last year, pride kicks in at some point, losing becomes intolerable, couple of wins early, then loses, then the streak of wins. I expect Jameis winning ways and a pissed off defense get it going by the bye week, Ray Jay will rock again with excitement.
June 7th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Lets look at those last 8 games that they are supposed to look better in
Dallas
@ Philadelphia
@ Indy
Atlanta
New Orleans
@ St. Louis
da Bears
@ Carolina
it will be tough sledding for the Bucs if you ask me!!!
June 7th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
@ The Buc Realist
I said, “… for Lovie to feel safe.”. “Feel” safe. I did not say it would guarantee his job for another year. I am NOT a big fan of Lovie, but he is the HC, and I will cheer for him to win every game. But the truth is that he MUST win games. If he wins four of the first eight, and only two thereafter… does ANYONE believe he deserves another year?
June 7th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
7-9 wins is coming this year….next year will be more. Sorry for not being around much, working is keeping me very busy……gotta pay the bills….and VERY thankful for the job to do so.
June 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
The reason I feel so confident in 9 wins is bc collins and fck face are gone. Fck face did more to lose games than anyone else on the roster. We will be fine.
June 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Guys, I think 6 wins would be great. JW has not played a down in the nfl. Get ready, he may look at times as bad as mc own did last year.. There is one way to get to 8 or 9 wins, play Glennon. He’ll be a good, not franchise ab this year with DK. THIS year he gives us a better chance to win than Winston. My prediction is the Bucs forgoes a .500 season or better and shot at playoffs to play Winston which is the right LONG term move but we WILL win less games this year
June 7th, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Play glennon..that’s hilarious yeah thats the best way to win start a 5 -13 loser when we just drafted a qb 1st over all. The only way America’s Heartless Backup sees field is if Jameis is hurt or abducted by aliens
June 7th, 2015 at 3:52 pm
I would prefer 7 wins minimum because I hate double digit loss seasons but if it is only 4 they should bring him back for one more. They cant keep changing coaches and coordinators they need to develop continuity on both defensive and defensive sides of the ball.
June 7th, 2015 at 4:00 pm
This is obviously where bad sports writers go to die.
..and this is also how idiots bait fools into chanting to fire a good head coach. Yellow dogs are so much fun until they cost you your job…(that’s for the faux-jorno’s in the conversation).
As for the nightcrawler “fans” you tease out of the ground with this sort of tripe, I’ll just remind them that journo’s “keep what they kill…”
Neither of you moron pools ever learn anything.
June 7th, 2015 at 5:08 pm
Defence 2nd year in the scheme and no film of this year’s offence. 6 wins my arse. Playoffs,absolutely nothing less.
June 7th, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Is there a reason you type offense and defense with a C?
June 7th, 2015 at 7:07 pm
Maybe I’m alone….but I think it would be a good time for another Lovie Confidence Poll……much has happened since the last one.
I would predict that he polls considerably better
June 7th, 2015 at 7:17 pm
I could not agree more with Tampabaybucfan!!! I miss hitting that “no confidence” weekly!!!!
June 7th, 2015 at 7:25 pm
What if Winston goes 3 and 13 in his first 16 games with Full support from the Front Office and Coaching staff, with a Real OC, and an Improved OL and ME13 to throw to as a Rookie QB With a healthy RB stable??
Will he suck as bad as so many people around here say Mike Glennon does??
June 7th, 2015 at 7:31 pm
@ Tampabaybucfan
How could he NOT poll better?
#1. He has not lost a game since last year.
#2. None of his new acquisitions have underperformed.
#3. AND, his OC is still standing upright. ;^)
Come on, Buc Realist, this is the time of the year that EVERY Buc fan has confidence. Whoops, I mean ‘hope’. Big deal, they are the exact same thing, but with different meanings.
June 7th, 2015 at 7:31 pm
I know of a QB that got drafted late in the first round. He was backup. By the time the coach that was getting fired finally put his boy in that team only had 5 wins in its last 22 games. Kid won one of his only three starts at the end of that yr. Next yr he was shelved again because of new HC and GM. Five games later they had to put him in there. He ended up winning 9 of his only 16 starts with one of those wins being a playoff game where he set multiple NFL records for PASSING of all things lol. He is currently under a one yr contract with a team where he will probably not make the roster.
To all the anti MGers that say You are what your Record says you are I give you Tim Tebow
June 7th, 2015 at 7:36 pm
So what says everyone? If LeBron can win one without Irving OR Love is he the Greatest Ever?
June 7th, 2015 at 7:37 pm
@ Buc-A-New
With everything he has going for him, if he has only three wins, it will mean that he is WORSE than Glennon. THAT is NOT going to happen(standard Buccaneer-fan blind faith kicking in).
June 7th, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Buc-A-New Says:
June 7th, 2015 at 7:36 pm
?So what says everyone? If LeBron can win one without Irving OR Love is he the Greatest Ever?”
They don’t get called for traveling anymore in the NBA and LeBron does major traveling, probably more than any player in the NBA. I don’t know. I don’t watch that fake sport anymore. It’s not the game it used to be back when you were only allowed to take 2 steps to the basket.
Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time.
Today’s NBA sucks!
June 7th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
LeBron is a baby back b!tch. He has major talent, but I refuse to respect somebody that whines and cries foul every possession, and flops like a fish out of water. Dude, you are 6’8″, and 260 lbs, built like a fcking tank, and fall over if somebody ever so slightly makes contact with your far back hairline-having ass. Not fooling anybody.
Oh yeah, and about to go 2-5 in Finals appearances.
There will never be another player like Jordan, at least not in today’s foul-driven league.
June 7th, 2015 at 8:22 pm
Oops, I meant 2-4.
June 7th, 2015 at 8:29 pm
And I grew up a Celtics fan, back when they played the game how it was supposed to be played…but no doubt Jordan is the best of all time.
June 7th, 2015 at 8:30 pm
You won’t have to worry about a 2-3 win season, this is at the very least a 7 win team THIS year. Anything more is possible but gravy on top. I like where we’re headed though, we’re really building something special. I can see at least that much.
June 7th, 2015 at 9:10 pm
8 wins would be a good year for this team coming off 2-14. I think Koetter and Winston along with all the existing skill position weapons can make this offense viable pretty quickly. Major improvement on the OLine will be the key to real success though. If the Oline is still not good – then 4-6 wins is realistic.
If the Defense can play at the level of or better than the last half of 2014 – and the OLine can be in the top 15 range – then this team could surprise everyone and compete for playoffs. maybe. LOL
June 7th, 2015 at 9:22 pm
10 wins.. mark it down..
We have an O C this year that in itself is huge…
The Bucs were in gamed last year without an OC without a QBand an Online that had nothing
Just the addition on An OC is a big help.
Then a QB, a O line that will be better if Mankind has taken a leader role as reported.
10 wins
June 7th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
tmaxcon Says:
June 7th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Hey Bonzi… I thought your boy Lovie said that “fans should not be patient”
That he did…and I find it hard to accept that you don’t know coach speak that wants to sell tickets.
You act as though I believe Lovie is infallible. I do not. I’m just thinking team first. You see, Tampa now has a reputation for not giving coaches enough time to develop a team. If they fire Lovie after 2 years, no good coach will come to Tampa. Period. We’ll be stuck scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Oh sure, you can talk about promoting Dirk…but if the team does poorly this year, it means he also did not do a good job.
Some fans have reputations for operating under the Chaos System. They think blowing things up every other year will eventually yield results. The cases where that happens are VERY RARE.
Patience is the only thing that will turn this team around. Fans have to face reality.
We have a Rookie QB. Two-thirds of our offemnsive line are rookies. We have a center who has bad snaps at bad times. We had limited picks in the draft, so with so many needs, not everything could be addressed.
So they went with free agent bargains. All of them with injury issues or are inexperienced.
There is no doubt that BOTH Lovie and Licht blew free agency last year. But they had a decent draft. Did this year too.
EVERYONE KNOWS you build through the draft. What some people forget is that there are only so many picks each year, and good ones STILL take 2-3 years to develop.
So there you have it. Patience.
June 7th, 2015 at 10:31 pm
White Tiger, you are what you are, from recessive genes, right? So too, moron pools are what they inhereit and fans pools see what they see and smell what they smell and hunt for better prey. Bucs better improve greatly or the guy who writes the staff checks will be getting a lot of change of address notices along with a clothespin for his nose.
June 7th, 2015 at 10:35 pm
@Bucbonzai-
I’m sick of this whole “patience” mantra created by Derrick Brooks and other media. Minnesota, and the Texans had better success with first year coaches than the Bucs did with a experienced head coach. This is year 7 of the Glazers rebuilding plan after firing Gruden. They’ve proven they need to hire a VP of football ops to hire their next coach as they suck at picking the right coach.
Building thru the draft only works if the team is actually good at drafting. Outside of Mike Evans Lovie and Licht bombed last years draft. The time for patience is OVER!!! Start demanding a competitive team NOW! Not 3-5 years from now. Other teams have turned around quickly with the right coaching hires, yet the Bucs can’t?
Let’s start demanding a better team and not just settle for losing close games.
June 7th, 2015 at 10:49 pm
I love seeing some of the younger he Greategeneration sticking up for MJ. MJ was Great!!! The Greatest of his time by Far!!! The difference between MJ and LBJ is Huge really!!. MJ never saw a Zone Defense. It was illegal in the NBA back then. It was simply, my best guy against your best guy and MJ was always the best guy. Not to mention that Jordan was Always given the push off and the extra step back then because he sold more revenue for the NBA than half the league combined. Couple that with the fact that he had Pippen and Rodman and Co. for his career. LBJ has taken his teams to the Finals FIVE straight yrs in a row while being a NBA All Star all Five yrs……………Only Bob Cousy and Bill Walton have achieved that stat
June 7th, 2015 at 11:01 pm
And Nobody has ever gone to the Finals Five yrs straight on Three different teams much less Led all of those teams there.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:11 pm
My dam computer has no mouse right now so the pad keeps F’n with me. Sorry for the illegible stuff.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:12 pm
Dayum …I get both your points Bonzai and Tampa Tony. I side with both of you. Although the jury is still out from last years draft, because I DO think it takes 3 years to truly evaluate a draft. That’s where the word patience comes in. I also think they will never get anywhere if they keep firing and hiring coaches every 2 years. That’s where patience comes in.
Then again….
Tampa Tony is right to be impatient at this point….BUT I can’t fault the new coaching regime for that. Especially if I’m in the “tanked it” crowd. Actually I was one of the first ones in here to start saying it was tank job. I think it started mid season. Others think it started later or earlier. Some don’t think the tank was on at all and Lovie Smith is just THAT incompetent.
Is it possible that this team could have went backwards from Greg Schiano? Really? We’ve what they did with their shopping last off season and the results. Some of them the jury is still out as well. I don’t know. I kind of like what they did this offseason MORE than what they did last offseason if you ask me. They went after prove it and I’ll pay you more players as opposed to dropping big change in some chumps hand, and expecting it to work out, because they had an okay season the year before with their other team. Sure they did the same this year, but paid a lot less for possibly hungry for more money players, that will give it their all. Unlike Johnson and Collins.
I feel GOOD about this season just like I have every season this time of year. I’m expecting BIG things from this offense and Lovie to iron out the wrinkles of the defense. I’m expecting the o-line to be MUCH better. I’m expecting rainbows and unicorns. Now is NOT the time to be mad at my team for it’s past failures. Think positive I say, just like I have every off season. If I’m wrong oh well such is life of a Bucs fan. Rejection once again. For right now though I’m happy with what they are doing. I won’t even complain about the lack of quality at the DE position, which is a very BIG thing this team has been lacking since McCoy emerged as a stud. I just think it has to be priority one the rest of the way.
Oh well I’m done with my story, but it’s mine and I’m sticking to it!
June 7th, 2015 at 11:19 pm
I hope that was enough for you to read…I don’t do it too often anymore.
Phew….I’m wiped out.
New Buc….they DON’T play the game of basketball in the NBA anymore therefore Jordan is the greatest of all time, then Wilt, then many more before LeBron in my mind. LeBron’s name should have an asterisk next to it in the record books that says : *era of free traveling days in the NBA
Is it 3 or 4 steps that he can take to the basket? I know most players today get away with 3, but I’d figure Lebron gets away with 4 being he’s the big star and all. I don’t know, I can’t tell you. You watch it, not me. That’s why I’m asking you. Does he get 3 or 4 steps. I only watch NBA highlights on ESPN every now and then. Slow mo’s when you catch the 3 steps. It’s almost like WWF these days it’s so fake.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:34 pm
Hey 87, you know who I am so you know that I am not a ” new buc”. Plus I will gamble that you never went to a Professional Basketball back in the 80s as I went to close to 100. I saw Basketball back then in person. I don’t get to see it in person now but I know that the athletes today are bigger faster and stronger then they were 30 yrs ago. I am realistic to know that there is Zero comparison in Then and Now. No team that ever existed in the 80s could beat the Cavs or GS of today.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:44 pm
game, and , enough.
Damn computer or beer one or the other.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:46 pm
If those teams of the 80’s could take 3-4 steps to the basket like today. No problem.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:48 pm
PLAYER TRIPLE-DOUBLES
1. Magic Johnson 30
2. Jason Kidd 11
2. LeBron James
11
4. Rajon Rondo 10
4. Larry Bird
10
6. Wilt Chamberlain
9
7. Oscar Robertson 8
8. John Havlicek 5
9. Tim Duncan 4
9. Charles Barkley 4
9. Elgin Baylor 4
9. Walt Frazier 4
9. Scottie Pippen 4
June 7th, 2015 at 11:51 pm
Anyone see MJ’s name up there on the “Team Player” stats up there???
So MJ won Six Titles without a Triple Double?? What does that tell you about the teams he played on?
June 7th, 2015 at 11:53 pm
It’s all well and good it doesn’t change my opinion that today’s NBA sucks. I’ve never seen a sport so rigged up since I watched WWF when I was a little kid back in the early 80’s.
I’m done talking about such rubbish.
June 7th, 2015 at 11:54 pm
MJ was One dimensional. He was the BEST Player on the court. He was always matched up with the Best player on the other team. He was ALWAYS better than Said player. There was no Zone D.
Simple. You younguns want to complicate things. It is cool and I find it refreshing. LBJ is Bigger Faster Stronger and Jumps higher and passes and rebounds and is a total Team player.
June 8th, 2015 at 12:00 am
And for the record…
Michael Jordan recorded 31 triple-doubles (28 regular season, 2 postseason, 1 All-Star)
Are you done yet?
June 8th, 2015 at 12:14 am
Sorry about that Joe. Staining your Bucs site with Non-Basketball-Association drivel.
June 8th, 2015 at 12:22 am
LeBron already has 3 triple Doubles in this series alone. And it doesn’t matter whether you or I are done yet. LBJ is NOT done yet.
June 8th, 2015 at 12:23 am
Playoffs I meant. Not this series since it is only two games old
June 8th, 2015 at 12:28 am
This says that MJ only had 28 Triple Doubles in 15 yrs whereas LBJ has had 36 in only 11 with 11 in the Playoffs!!!!!
http://www.sportscity.com/nba/records/all-time-triple-doubles/
June 8th, 2015 at 12:31 am
The 11 that are in the Playoffs actually went up to 12 tonight as the demographic that I posted earlier showed. Dam Magic for having 30 Postseason Triple Doubles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 8th, 2015 at 12:39 am
Um…if Lovie only wins four games this year, he should be fired. In todays NFL, all 32 teams have close to the same amount of talent. Coaches cant mask their competence behind all star stacked teams. Sure, the Bucs have holes, but every single team has holes. The Patriots have holes, But Belichick was coaching out of his mind last year. He was on another level. He had his entire roster, all 53 men, on the same page with his system. No one was going to stop him last year.
Now, you do need a quarterback. That said, if the Bucs only win four games, then either Jameis was a bad choice, or Lovie aint coaching worth a damn. Its not like this team is nothing but scrubs. We have some talent and we have a quarterback. Four wins, Lovie should be gone.
June 8th, 2015 at 12:44 am
LargoBuc …then how long does the next coach have before you’d call for his head too?
June 8th, 2015 at 12:49 am
The Dream got 3 years, Schiano got a 1 year and 1/2 before a Fire Schiano sign was erected. So I guess Lovie gets 2 years?
June 8th, 2015 at 12:57 am
We got a special player playing the most important position in all of football. And I don’t care if some of you don’t want to believe that, because its the truth. And because of that, we are on our way to being out of the basement dwellers in the years to come.
June 8th, 2015 at 8:45 am
the bucs aren’t getting rid of lovie smith…I find it really disturbing that as a buc fan some people don’t realize you cant keep changing head coaches and gm every couple of years and expect any kind of success. people keep talking like changing coaches will instantly make you better because of the chiefs and eagles both whom made the playoffs that first year due to overachieving or strength of schedule take your pick but came back to reality the 2nd year under those head coaches.
June 8th, 2015 at 9:01 am
Pro basketball comment: I can’t stand watching even a minute of it. Raise the hoop up a foot and it might be worth watching.
June 8th, 2015 at 12:45 pm
Michael Jordan was the best player I’ve ever seen in their prime. Lebron and Kobe are 2 and 3 for me in that order. James and Bryant have the same number of titles when they were the best player on the team, 2. I don’t like Shaq but he was the MVP for Kobe’s first 3 titles. If James was more clutch I think he could rival Jordan, and Kobes clutch factor is a little overrated. If I could pick an all time team it would be Jordan, Magic, Bird, James and Bryant. Positions wouldn’t matter much with that team.