Vincent Jackson Has The Wrong Attitude
July 1st, 2015
Some guys are obsessed with winning Super Bowls and are driven only by that prize.
Vincent Jackson? Well, he doesn’t seem to be that guy.
Jackson chatted with WDAE-AM 620 host Rick Stroud recently and Stroud shared chunks of the conversation on the air.
Stroud explained 32-year-old Jackson wants to retire a Buccaneer and play at least a couple more seasons, and then Stroud said something that didn’t sit well with Joe.
“[Jackson] said something else interesting, ‘Look, if I could just be part of the reason that this team gets back to the playoffs and we turn the corner the way Tony Dungy helped them turn the corner, then that would be good for me. And that would mean something to me.'” Stroud shared.
Call Joe a lunatic, but Joe wants players aching for a Super Bowl and only satisfied by winning one, not just “turning the corner.” It just feels like the wrong mindset.
C’mon, V-Jax, your own head coach wants guys thinking about the Super Bowl daily. That’s why “California Dreamin” is the team slogan for 2015. That’s why it struck Joe so violently when Jameis Winston backed off his Super Bowl plan last week. That big chatter, Joe believes, is healthy.
Gerald McCoy’s mission this season is to stamp out any whiff of the culture of extreme losing he’s experienced through the last four seasons. That’s the only thing Joe wants to hear.
(You can hear all of Stroud’s discussion of Jackson below.)
July 1st, 2015 at 11:04 am
One step at a time Joe. I am sure if the team gets to the playoffs, they will all be thinking super bowl, even VJ.
July 1st, 2015 at 11:09 am
OK this article is a bit of a stretch. He has a realistic goal of playoffs for a team that hasnt been over .500 since he has been here. Get to the playoffs and anything can happen.
July 1st, 2015 at 11:35 am
Ten wins…one and done in the playoffs. Too many holes and lack of depth.
Fill holes, create depth for 2016 and make a real run!
That’s realistic. That’s what I EXPECT! Anything less will not be enough for me.
July 1st, 2015 at 11:39 am
@stpetebucsfan
and when they fall short, what will you say, “when it is not enough for you?” another year of they don’t have the talent? the ball did not bounce their way? so and so was injured so it does not count???
what excuses will the optimistic fans have next offseason!!!
July 1st, 2015 at 11:41 am
If Vjax had talked SB…..everyone would have called him delusional. I think his goal of playoffs and a turnaround in the next two years is reasonable….and I hope he gets his chance to get there.
July 1st, 2015 at 11:48 am
Agreed with TBBF. I think his attitude is spot on. Lets fly under the radar once again. Like BuckWild said, if we can get into the playoffs, its anyone’s game at that point.
If we’re going to build something special here, we’ll need another draft or two. Getting into the playoffs this season would be an amazing achievement…but dont get me wrong, once we’re in, lets do it up and get to the big dance!
July 1st, 2015 at 12:14 pm
I agree, it’s the wrong mindset.
But be real here for a second, isn’t it refreshing to hear a realistic opinion?
If I hear Lovie say one more f’n time we’re almost there and the division is up for grabs, as if the playoffs are a down hill to the super bowl, or after another loss harping on the positives I’m gonna vomit
July 1st, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Well Joe…… VJAX knows we suck! He’s there on the team and not just reporting. I love your site, but our team isn’t really any good. Playoffs would be a huge thing for TB! I’m not sure about JW or Lovie at this point, but I’m willing to give it a go. It’s called years of losing!
July 1st, 2015 at 12:35 pm
The Buc Realist Says:
what excuses will the optimistic fans have next offseason!!!
Optimistic fans don’t need excuses, just a positive attitude. Of course, you wouldn’t know a positive attitude if it walked in to the bar in a mini-skirt and high heels and offered to buy you a drink.
When the Bucs do well, will you still be here kvetching?
July 1st, 2015 at 12:38 pm
I’m perfectly fine with V Jax’s comments. I’ll have to disagree with Joe here. It’s one thing to have lofty goals but it’s another to be unrealistic. We are coming off an embarrassing 2-14 year. Getting to the playoffs or even close would be a remarkable achievement. The only way to get to the Superbowl is through the playoffs. It’s not like V Jax is going to be a part of this team getting to the playoffs and be happy and not try to win the playoff games. If the Bucs get to the playoffs this year or next, it would be as remarkable, if not more, than what the Lightning did this year.
July 1st, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Joe is spot on. The Super Bowl should be every players goal. V-Jax saying “if I could just be part of the reason that this team gets back to the playoffs” is accepting mediocrity, just being a part of a team that wants to get back to the playoffs. I also agree in your disappointment when Winston back pedaled on his Super Bowl statement. Remember the first thing Donovan Smith said after being drafted by the Buccaneers? “Going to the Super Bowl”. When this team plays to their potential this year and wins the NFC South and earns a bye week, they will be just two victories away from the Super Bowl. V-Jax is one of the highest paid WR in the NFL at $10M and is play along with his expectations should be nothing short of a visit to and winning the Super Bowl.
July 1st, 2015 at 12:48 pm
This is a prime example of a reporter taking something said honestly and turning into a negative.
Now, Joe you can say I’m doing the exact same thing, only taking the opposite stance…..and you’d be absolutely correct.
I take it that VJ meant he’s like to be a part of the tremendous turn-around that is needed in the Bucs future.
1. That starts with having more than 2 wins out of 16. Once you get to 8 wins a season, then you have improved.
2. When you have 8+ wins per season you are on the cusp of being in the playoffs.
3. Once in the playoffs, you have a chance to go to the Superbowl…..but not before.
So, VJ wants to help us get to the playoffs. That comes first, before the SB. Take his remarks, Joe, on a positive note. One step at a time.
July 1st, 2015 at 12:50 pm
No way in hell he doesn’t want a SB. But he also understands the rebuild may take longer than the two years he is aiming to stick around for. So, before he leaves or they get rid of him he wants to at least leave this team on the right track.
July 1st, 2015 at 1:02 pm
After his experience in the NFL, I imagine he lknows what it takes to get to the SB, knows the Bucs are a few years away…and knows his career is near the end.
I can see VJ is the same role as Hardy Nickerson: HOW to be a serious pro with attitude, a key component to getting to the big dance.
I don’t recall Hardy ever saying his #1 overriding goal was a SB win—that without it he failed—but he, more than any other player I can recall, set the “atitude” table that enabled Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, Barber, Alstott, Dunn & the “core” winners to flourish.
First things first. Get the mind, the attitude right. Then with talent the wins—and possibly a SB—may follow.
July 1st, 2015 at 1:53 pm
If VJax later is looked upon as the Hardy Nickerson of the offense, I would be fine with that.
July 1st, 2015 at 2:16 pm
How do you think about a super bowl on a 2-14 team? Dont agree with the article. Turning this franchise around is completely acceptable to me. Lets get some wins then think about a super bowl.
July 1st, 2015 at 3:15 pm
Just win!
That is all.
July 1st, 2015 at 3:40 pm
I agree with VJ, help the team become more respectable, turn the corner onto the same street the Super Bowl contenders reside on. Not saying it can’t happen on the present potholed drive. What is to disagree with?
July 1st, 2015 at 3:55 pm
I just want to be able to watch the Bucs after game 5 of the season…
July 1st, 2015 at 3:56 pm
Hardy Nickerson helped the Bucs “turn the corner”, but was expendable at age 35 in 2000. So too was Brad Culpepper (Bucs DT 94-99) sent packing after the NFC Championship loss. VJax is aware that this team is 2-4 years away from any type of SB run and helping the Bucs back to 1997-1999 form is a realistic goal fora 32 year old WR.
July 1st, 2015 at 4:00 pm
There’s NOTHING wrong with VJ’s comments, in fact he is unselfishly putting the team before himself, he wants to be a part of the big turnaround, if that takes them to the SB then awesome, if not, at least he helped lay the foundation for a playoff run consistently from that year forward….He’s the ultimate teammate!
July 1st, 2015 at 6:21 pm
VJax is the best FA the Bucs have landed since Simeon Rice in my opinion. Consistent WR stats despite mediocre QBs, OLs and OCs. And personally I think he’s not being negative, he’s being quite realistic given the Bucs dismal performances these past couple of years especially. After all, our 2-14 record did win us the ‘worst in the league’ trophy last year.
Since the AFL-NFL merger, only one team has gone from worst-to-first in TWO years … The 1979 San Francisco 49ers who won the SB in 1981. No team has done it in one year.
Given the Bucs present situation, I’d say that VJax has set some realistic goals. Personally I’d be ecstatic if the Bucs win the SB in 3 years.
July 1st, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Dick2111…my pre-draft prediction before they even took Jamies is this. Jameis Winston will win a SB within 3 years of entering the NFL no matter what team drafts him.
Let’s hope I’m right!
July 1st, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 1st, 2015 at 9:30 pm
Stop Focusing and trying to find a negative in a positive comments. It’s clear Vincent wants to win and leave this franchise in good condition for the future.
July 1st, 2015 at 9:48 pm
Jackson has the right idea, idk too many players of his caliber that love this team as much as he apparently does and he’s got a big picture mind frame from the quote provided above. Don’t be that guy Joe, we all want an SB, but you gotta crawl before you can walk and run,
July 1st, 2015 at 10:07 pm
I understand where he’s coming from, but it doesn’t sit well with me. He didn’t say that anything can happen if they get in, he wanted to be like Dungy. In hind site, him being the next Hardy would be a good thing for the team in the long run , but what does that say about him as a competitor and a leader? I love VJax but I think he needs to focus on him helping us win a Super Bowl instead of just making the playoffs before he retires. Talking about Dungy makes it seem like he knows he will never win one until he is gone.
July 1st, 2015 at 10:22 pm
at least he’s being realistic.
July 2nd, 2015 at 9:16 am
Joe, you’re a moron. The guy is smart enough to realize that he has 1 maybe 2 seasons left the with Bucs at best. We’re not going to win the Super Bowl this year and it would be a miracle if we won it next year. He’s just hoping to sniff the playoffs next year in his last season with the Bucs.
July 2nd, 2015 at 9:26 am
why not fight to be a 10 win team before talking superbowl? why not aim for wild card, playoffs or more wins than losses for a change. even if the bucs did make it from the playoffs you don’t go from 2-14 to superbowl the next year just by signing a rookie quarterback just ask Andrew luck
July 2nd, 2015 at 10:53 am
Every off season, every team starts the same. They should have a goal to win game 1. But they should also have the super bowl as they supreme motivation to win game 1.
A team is not what their previous record says they are. A team is what they collectively believe they are (and work to become)! Without that initial belief, they will quit as soon as the temperature hits 90 on the field. They will not work to get better each day.
So they need to want a super bowl ring so bad that they can’t sleep at night. Only then will this team be able to compete for a chance at the playoffs by winning game 1… Then game 2…
July 2nd, 2015 at 10:08 pm
The Buccaneers made the playoffs this year. It is unbelievable. Now that their in the playoffs it does not matter if we win or lose because we already met our goal. The team is so excited about making the playoffs that nothing else matters because we made the playoffs. Now next year we can worry about the Super Bowl because we made the playoffs. Get the drift..