“Still In The Hunt”
October 21st, 2015
Gerald McCoy believes the team could easily rattle off a series of wins.
The Bucs are 2-3. With a win over the rotten Redskins, the Bucs will be 3-3. All of a sudden, could — gasp! — a wild card berth be within reach?
The NFC has turned into garbage this year. The Packers are elite and will win the NFC North. The NFC South should have two teams, Atlanta and Carolina, in the playoffs. The NFC East and NFC West? Who knows?
Gerald McCoy believes Bucs history could repeat itself and Tampa Bay could make a run. That’s what he told viewers and listeners recently on “The Doug Gottlieb Show,” seen on the CBS Sports Network and heard on CBS Sports Radio.
“You want to build off [the momentum of the win over the Jags] and get on a run,” GMC said. “We started similar to 2012. We won one game and then we went on a streak five of the next six. Anything can happen. It is still early. We are not far off from where we want to be. We just have to keep building off of [the Jags win].”
To hear (and see) more from GMC, click the video below.
October 21st, 2015 at 4:19 pm
Yea….. We was in the hunt to win the division last year too
October 21st, 2015 at 4:26 pm
I’m on the record for 10 wins and a one and done appearance in the playoffs.
I needed us to be 3-2 at this point not 2-3 and so we’re already behind schedule.
But if Fameis continues to improve, and the defense and offensive line continue to improve, we have all the ingredients of a playoff contender.
The things this team is starting to do well are the things that bode well for good football in November and December. And if we can continue to regain our health and I mean at the margins as well..folks like ME who are playing but perhaps still dinged..ASJ…two OL who are returning…Akeem Spence…a long list of potential really good depth players helping us improve even more.
And our strength has become a physical mauling line that can run the football. A defense that continues to improve. A QB who continues to mature and an OC who by and large has done a good job easing #3 into the fray. #3 is only going to get better. And so by the time the final quarter of the season rolls around, those crucial final four games, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that Fameis might be able to finally step up beyond just being an NFL quality game manager and a guy who can carry his team to a 4th quarter comeback. If Fameis can steal just two games over the final six…..
October 21st, 2015 at 4:29 pm
too bad tenn, houston and the jags aren’t still on the schedule.
October 21st, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Unfortunately….we should have beaten Houston……need to forget all the “still in it” stuff and simply show it on the field….
It seemed like every week last year….we were talking only 1 game out and then we would lose….need to shut up an win.
October 21st, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Now if we only had garbage teams to play the rest of the year. But that would be a small chance to get in also.
October 21st, 2015 at 5:28 pm
To quote the Rock, “Dont sing it, just bring it.”
October 21st, 2015 at 5:38 pm
Lol, seems like we’re all on the same page. #justdoit
October 21st, 2015 at 5:40 pm
GMC can talk all he wants to, but the fact is they’re a 2-3 team with wins over 2 of the worst teams in the league, if not the worst. And losses to 2 of the worst teams in the league.
Anyone thinking this is a 10 win team must believe they’re in the ACC.
October 21st, 2015 at 5:41 pm
And my negativity has ZERO to do with Jameis. It’s the nasty, disgusting excuse for a defense giving it up to the tune of 29.6 ppg. You can’t field a winner with a unit that’s THAT bad.
October 21st, 2015 at 5:59 pm
This isn’t a playoff team. I’d rather hear accountability of where improvements are necessary for this team.
October 21st, 2015 at 6:12 pm
Hell the NFC looks pretty weak to me actually. Anything can happen as far as I’m concerned. The Eaglets and Gints are tied for first at 3-3. So I’m trying to remain optimistic. Still have very little confidence in Lovely though.
October 21st, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Louis is right. The schedule is about to get hard after the skins. With that shtty defense they’re not going 10-6.
October 21st, 2015 at 6:28 pm
You may be right, this very well could be the closest the Bucs get to .500 anytime soon.
October 21st, 2015 at 6:39 pm
With Lovie, I don’t see this team coming out of November with anything close to a winning record.
Hope he proves me wrong.
October 21st, 2015 at 6:49 pm
We have some winnable games. I’d love to be wrong on my 4-12 prediction!!
October 21st, 2015 at 6:57 pm
I’ll believe it when I see it from loser Lovie and his soft team
October 21st, 2015 at 7:06 pm
This SHOULD..be a game where we come out playing like wild dogs. We are rested and ready…I wish.I’ve learned not to get to hyped about my Bucs. Cause we never know which team is gonna show up. It would be nice..real nice to win 2 in a row. I’m not convinced though. I’ll just wait and see here. The Skins are not that good. But neither is…was..the Titans. I’ll just watch..hope..and pray.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:09 pm
Does anyone else other than me think that playoff talk is way, way too premature? This is a team that won one home game in the past 18 (?) months; A team that was embarrassed against the Titans. Maybe our best player, Mr. McCoy needs to go watch that Jim Mora video a few times. I’m a die-hard fan but jeez……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-eavMSBnk
October 21st, 2015 at 7:09 pm
I know a ton of Giants and Eagles fans. I’d love to win both of those games!!
October 21st, 2015 at 7:16 pm
woe joe you talk about rotten redskins why run your mouth this team hasn’t done anything yet fans don’t need punk trash talk from a non athlete you have issues if you think the bucs are not worse than the rotten redskins why punk there fans like that if the bucs can beat them will be lucky mcoy is not a dominating player as everyone thinks bucs have to earn respect and they are not even close yet most buc fans think the bucs are a 6 win team and that speaks for itself so you should layoff the rotten talk from where I am sitting the flies have been with the bucs for years
October 21st, 2015 at 7:16 pm
This is one of the wins I predicted in my 5-11 prediction. Hope I’m wrong about my prediction too. String together 2 in a row and something might start clicking.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:18 pm
I say we win every NFC east game. Screen shot it.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:24 pm
chickster…why do you have to be an ass? Oh that’s right you always are. 99.9% of the time you come on this site just to give Joe a hard time. Pretty pathetic.
Ever been here before? Joe calls them “stinking Panthers”, “rotten Redskins” or maybe even the “terrible Titans”. Yet you can’t handle it???
October 21st, 2015 at 7:34 pm
One more thing Chickster. There is this thing called a period. Not the one that women have. The one that ends a sentence. It looks like the little dot right here. It helps make the words you write able to be understood. I don’t necessarily disagree with your take but I had to read it 3 times to tell where one thought ends and the next begins. I apologize in advance but that’s a pet peeve.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:36 pm
@ DB55. He said screenshot that noise. LOL. I like it.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:38 pm
So is Dr. Livingston, I presume.
October 21st, 2015 at 7:43 pm
So shave your face with some mace in the dark
Savin’ all your food stamps and burnin’ down the trailer park
Yo, cut it
Soy un perdedor
I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you kill me?
–Beck
October 21st, 2015 at 8:09 pm
It’s the nasty, disgusting excuse for a defense giving it up to the tune of 29.6 ppg.
With all due respect guys I’ve been reading this throughout the threads. Our D is ranked very high in many areas but suckks in points allowed. Could there be an explanation? Well aside from the obvious…we have had some challenges on D there are also extenuating circumstances!!!
I’m a fan of #3!!! But it is what it is and he is what he is…a talented rookie who says all the right things, has the perfect attitude, a cannon for an arm, and yet is still a freaking ROOKIE!!! AGAIN FAMEIS LOVERS!!! This is not a knock on #3 I’m a big fan, I believe he’ll win some critical games by the end of the year but right now he’s still in the middle of a very steep learning curve.
And so some facts on our scoring average given up
#3 is personally responsible for 14 of those points..OK 12 if you don’t count extra points as automatic..but the net effect of those pick sixes was 14 points against us…NOT GIVEN UP BY THE DEFENSE! Now add in the fumbles, other ints and short field scores our offense gave up, and you begin to understand why the scores we have given up do not match the overall defensive numbers.
If the defense had played playoff calibre defense in Houston we would have won that game. We were never in the Tennessee or Carolina game. Hard to recover from a pick six to start a contest even worse when additional turnovers give freebie points to the other team.
IE…a lot of our scoring defense woes are actually horribly played offensive games from #3…and in fairness…receivers dropping the ball…
October 21st, 2015 at 8:20 pm
SPBF…yeah I was going to mention that opposing teams have had pretty good field position on numerous occasions, thanks to our rookie QB turning it over. So opposing teams practically had less than 50 yards to make a score, and or they ran back 2 pick 6’s. 4th ranked defense is because of the short field many times and the points against is on the same page with the short field.
I know I kept running in circles with that paragraph, but I’ve pretty much been on the same page as what you just posted. I just never posted it and let the Debbie Downers have their fun.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:22 pm
SPBF
Welcome back haven’t seen you in a minute. I’ve been thinking about this exact subject and plan to do some research to see just how many points the messiah is responsible for. I’ll post again later.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:22 pm
Damn do you guys realize that we can sign
Both
The Krakken & JPP next year !!
October 21st, 2015 at 8:23 pm
SPBF…though I disagree with you saying we were never in the “stinking Panthers” game. It was 17-10 at the half and possibly with Connor Barth it was 17-13. If lovie had some cajones and trust his rokie QB to try for the tie at the half.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:24 pm
Greg Hardy contract includes a term that prevents the Cowboys from applying the franchise tag or the transition tag to Hardy in 2016.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:26 pm
I won’t say anything is impossible.
Doubtful, but not impossible. IF they somehow do make the playoffs, I want it to be because they actually improved enough to do so, not because they got lucky and the right teams lost.
Of course, even getting in the lucky way would have positives and negatives.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:27 pm
Oh no Greg Hardy talk already LUV? Now I know you truly are a Bucs fan. You’re thinking about the offseason already.
October 21st, 2015 at 8:28 pm
Good Points St.Pete
October 21st, 2015 at 8:32 pm
87′
ebb n flow brotha …..ebb n flow
But serious that could be wicked. On paper that line would be better than the one
…that beat
October 21st, 2015 at 8:32 pm
The Pats a couple years back
October 21st, 2015 at 8:36 pm
Anything can happen Sunday……
A bad team coming into their house with their coaches job on the line,,,,,we saw that just happen……
And yes, we are still a bad team until we proove diferently….we need to blow out bad teams and play competively with good ones….
October 21st, 2015 at 8:48 pm
JW’s now averaging a mere 1.4 picks a game. That means he’s on pace to throw 22 picks or so before the season’s out. I’m not too far away from my prediction of 24 picks in his first season.
Ya see …I can be a numbers guy too, even though I think they’re meaningless…because I am an any given Sunday type of fan.
October 21st, 2015 at 9:18 pm
“I can be a numbers guy too, even though I talkhink they’re meaningless”
Man I can’t live without my excel spreadsheet.
Constantly reviewing real-time call tracking analytics – forecasting.
I can’t send payroll into ADP – without data.
I can’t go over expense sheets w/ partners – without data.
I can’t even speak with underwriters for bids- on performance and payment bonds -without data.
I know numbers don’t decipher everything – But its a great measuring stick
October 21st, 2015 at 9:23 pm
@87
Point taken about the Carolina game. 17-10 at half and certainly a winnable game but we always seemed to blow up every time we got close. Some of our frustration with our defense is perhaps as much as timeliness as much as overall bad play. Seems like we give up the important or big play too often after playing stout defense for a stretch.
I don’t think we are yet a team. Too many rookies…new faces..new regime…but I’m very optitmistic. I can see a team starting to come into focus. Pieces are beginning to fit but we have a long way to go. I suspect some of the folks we expect to be a big part of the future will not…(ASJ…ME…?) others may be unexpected surprises like Kwon at MLB. But the outline of the team is taking shape and one part of the puzzle that is making me feel pretty good is the character of the locker room.
You guys were all correct about #3…the O is in great hands right now and our young OL in this draft seemed to have worked out as well which makes this the most successful draft since the Sapp/Brooks year.
The bottom line for me is still up for writing however. I like where we are right now…the direction we’re heading…improving…but let’s see which team shows up Sunday. The young stupid team? Or the rapidly improving group of young guys who are starting to figure out how to make a play and how to win a game.
October 21st, 2015 at 9:41 pm
Luv…yes sometimes they can be a great measuring stick. Then again the Bucs were THAT close to beating the eventual SB champs @ Seattle 2 years ago. If you looked at the numbers prior to the game, you’d have thought the Bucs were in for a beating. So any given Sunday certainly applies for our team, just as much as any other team. Yah I looked at the schedule more than once over the past week, and I’m really not all that worried about most of it. I think they should be in most of those games. I think they will split with ATL and N.O. and the Panthers @Carolina. Other than that the rest of schedule doesn’t look as scary as some are saying.
Any given Sunday.
October 21st, 2015 at 9:49 pm
I say Carolina because…right now I think they look like the team that we will be watching in the SB next January and if the Bucs beat them @ home, even though Cam might be resting by then, it will do wonders for our team. Especially IF it DOES push them into the playoffs. That’s a big if though, so don’t everyone pounce on me like you did Joe for mentioning the word. I’m optimistic right now and DallasBuc,Tmax and Realist combined can’t bring me down.
Yes I know it was only the Jags….
October 21st, 2015 at 10:32 pm
Football doesn’t start until November.
October 21st, 2015 at 11:06 pm
@SPBF and others…
Did you guys actually watch the Jags and Titans games? Did you notice the defense being absolutely leveled? Most of the rest of us did.
The Bucs currently feature the 31st ranked red zone defense. Jameis didn’t create that. Although you’re right, there are quite a few short drives that lead to opposing team’s scoring – but the defense broke repeatedly.
I’m not going to defend that defense, and I can’t believe anyone else would. 5th ranked in yards is just a joke when you actually watch the product over the course of a few games.
October 21st, 2015 at 11:27 pm
Louis to each his own I guess. I don’t know what else to tell ya at this point other than it’s nice that you don’t mention the other games. Fine so you want to cherry pick certain games. The D still flustered Drew Brees no matter that he was injured or not. They also played fairly well against the Texans…..that is IF you want to cherry pick.
October 22nd, 2015 at 12:31 am
@87
Actually the D was lit up by some dude named Alfred Blue (who?) when playing the Texans. As for the Saints, well so far that has been the outlier. The Carolina and Tennessee games…well you already know.
The most recent game we got diced up by the Jags (THE JAGS! ).
There. No more cherry picking. The D is not very good. It is the offense that is progressing. Simple as that.
October 22nd, 2015 at 12:35 am
We play easy teams yet luck his so good but does it routinely. Hmm
October 22nd, 2015 at 12:46 am
trade for steve smith.
i said it.
trade for steve smith if we say we are a ‘contender’.
he will retire at the end of the year, he wants to be on a team that has a chance.
and i always wanted a reason to love the man. playing for the bucs for half a season would out do playing for the panthers.
TRADE FOR STEVE SMITH.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:18 am
WalkdaPlank…well I wasn’t talking about the D as a whole in the Houston game. I was talking about the pass defense. Compared to the Titans and Jags game.
October 22nd, 2015 at 1:41 pm
Louis Friend…actually if you read OUR posts SPBF and I are both saying the 4th ranked defense is deceptive because of the short field that teams have been given. Therefore that 4th ranking is a sham.