Lovie Talks Extreme Pressure
December 1st, 2015
After listening to Lovie Smith talk on WDAE-AM 620 last night, it seems like the head coach reslishes the situation the Bucs are in right now — and he must have been sickened to his core by what happened after Thanksgiving last year.
Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Lovie explained that when teams and players are in an no-lose, extreme-pressure time in the season, that usually reveals the mettle of the competitor.
“Once you get really backed up against a wall, most times you see the best of people,” Lovie said. “And that’s what we’re hoping.”
Think about Lovie’s words there, and then think about how he must have felt about his team when it lost six straight to close last season, and couldn’t muster 300 yards of offense in any game during that stretch.
In a division that had a sub-.500 winner, the Bucs showed no heart.
Joe can’t imagine that happening this season. If it does, well, then that would be as unacceptable as Mike Evans’ drops.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:03 am
As unacceptable as Lovie’s 7-20 record? And by the way is Banks gonna start this week? I’m gonna storm the field around the 2nd quarter if we leave him on the bench for Barimah again. Who honestly thought that was a good idea?
December 1st, 2015 at 10:10 am
Fsuking
The Bucs are not FSU!! College powerhouses have all the advantages. You really have to screw up big time to lose at a Div I powerhouse. Jimbo, Urban, and Saban simply recruit the very best athletes available.
It’s the N freaking FL for heaven’s sakes. Maybe you should stick to college ball.
Your negativity helps nothing and is actually a hindrance. You are already criticising before the games have even been played. You wish to dwell on the steaming pile of manure Lovie inherited…not just less talent but a horrible culture. He’s turning it around but it doesn’t come overnight.
All of you freaking whiners were all over Dan Quinn when the Falcons got off to that 5-0 start…he must be better than Lovie. Well you people with the attention span of a gerbil have jumped off the Quinn bandwagon eh.
Lovie won 13..11..11 got to a Super Bowl. He is widely respected around the league. I can’t believe some of you don’t have more pride that to come here and show your ignorance and negativity.
If he loses out I’ll join you…but you are soooo freaking premature.. Pity poor Jimbo Fisher…if he has a couple of two loss season and fails to win the ACC you all will be talking how bad he is and acting just like the morons at LSU!!!
December 1st, 2015 at 10:37 am
Lovie does not have the pieces in place to make this defense great again. Not yet. I may curse the day Lovie was born during games and through sheer emotion but he really has squeezed quite a bit out of this roster this year. I originally thought if we can approach 7 wins, that would be a huge accomplishment. We have that opportunity and more. The Colts game was a disappointment. I truly feel we are a better team than they are. In a close game, I can’t understand how Doug martin who rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries in the first half only got 3 2nd half carries. That’s lunacy. I can’t stand watching Sims run the ball. The guy has great hands but he’s nothing more than a 3rd down back. He shouldn’t be getting full series. He should spell Martin and occasionally come in on 3rd downs. Lovie changed the secondary combinations multiple times but Jude and Moore have not performed any better than Banks and Verner. The most talented CB’s we have on this roster are Verner and Banks. I respect the effort from Lovie but if the secondary is looking good for us, it is because we are getting consistent pressure on the QB. This defense relies on this or the short middle of the field is open all day every day. Jude and Moore got torched against the Colts. The D Line put not pressure on the Qb. I can live with Verner in the nickel if that suits him best but I don’t get Jude over Banks. That just doesn’t make sense but I’ll defer to the coaches that are there seeing practice etc. If you look at our remaining 5 games, they are all very winnable, especially the next 2. Falcons at home and Saints at home. Those are crucial games that we need to have the tiniest little chance of sneaking in. We are better than both of those teams as it stands right now.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:51 am
@cmurda
Alas a rational take with legitimate concerns. And so how do you address them?
I believe MG8 will easily command a 3rd round pick perhaps even a 2nd for a team without a QB…can you say Cleveland. MG8 has one more year at $675,000 a steal at QB. A team can basically rent him for a year to see if he has any starter possiblity or how much to offer him as a backup.
So we combine MG8 with another pick and we should have several high picks.
Personally I want to see us take two DE’s with those top two picks hoping that one of them emerges as our franchise DE and one is at least sevicable ala William Gholston and will at least provide depth.
After that who? Most want DB’s and I get that and do not disagree. However while I’m no FSU or UF homer I gotta say that I’m getting higher and higher on Aguayo. Hadn’t seen enough of him but everytime I did the kid was money and he’s one of if not the best kicker in College Football History.
Now Nole fans will remember the last great kicker who was worth a high draft pick…Sebastian Janokowski was taken 17th overall! 15 years later he’s still money for the Raiders.
Watching the FSU-UF game I realized early on that Treon Harris simply isn’t a Division I QB…but the Noles had their own problems at QB after losing Fameis.
But what a huge difference when you have a kicker like Aguayo who is money!!
That games was in the Noles pocket before the kickoff.
Yeah I know we need DE’s and CB’s but man how often does a kicker like this come along? And you get 15 years or perhaps even 20 if they’re like Vinateri.
In the NFL a league predicated on parity with many games very close I sure would like to have money in the bank at the kicking spot. I just haven’t figured out yet how we can get him.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:51 am
If he really thinks their backs are against the wall, then dont sit in the cover 2 and let hassleback pick you apart. start bringing some exotic blitzes and sell out, Maybe i have missed it but where have the corner or safety blitzes that used to be a part of the system. Again maybe I have missed the blitzes, send safeties, send corners, send LBs…i know the bucs cannot play man like revis can, but its not like teh corners on sunday were getting burned deep, it was just hassleback having time and being on fire…..matt ryan sucks under pressure as shown the past few weeks, if the bucs sit back and let ryan pick them apart then lovie deserves to find a new job….Lovie and Jeff Fischer are 2 coaches I just do not get why they get to stick around and be losers
December 1st, 2015 at 10:56 am
Dusty
I don’t know about the blitzes..but Hasselbeck was actually statistically at least under the same pressure as #3…sacked 3 times and hurried and hit virtually the same number.
The difference was Hasselbecks 17 years in the league versus 3 months for #3 . Again no slam on #3 he’ll eventually be better than Hasselbeck. But Hasselbeck threw the ball away and when he saw a blitz or a defense that was going to get to him he unloaded the passes quickly. #3 will figure this out quickly. In fact as fast as he’s been learning I wouldn’t be surprised if last week didn’t show him..gotta get rid of the ball quickly if the D is coming after you.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:56 am
cant be too hard on the rookie jude…kid had one off game but he was in position all day long..wr would catch the ball and would tackled immediately….banks had all offseason and half the year to tighten up and he couldn’t get it done…sterling moore and jude are our best outside corners because they are the most consistent and give up fewer big plays…if we trade mg8 I hope we have a proven plan in place because the next man up could come on the next play…in the draft we have to focus on defense…I say use the first 2 picks on cb and grab some de in fa…and im talking about a proven de not a back..someone like m.bennett or bruce irving from seattle…I wouldn’t mind grabbing a guard as well but we need some de’s and cb’s very badly…GO BUCS!!!
December 1st, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Bottom line fellow Buc fans? We are not there yet. Close but…We are not getting enough pressure on the opposing QB’s. Brooks/lynch/Sapp would have been able to adjust to the Colts quickly. Still you gotta get pressure. Lovie knows that. Look for us to really recruit strong on Defense next year. And relax guys. No superbowl this yr. and probably no playoffs. I do think we have ATL’s number though. We win Sunday.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:15 pm
I thought jude played really well in his man coverage and i cannot believe that jonathan banks at 6-2, 6-3 and a former jim thorpe award winner cannot be out on the field and play man defense or something or even be taught the safety spot if he is allegedly too slow, i mean the seahawks switched up their coverage this week and played more man and not the fastest corner richard sherman shut antonio brown down, the only comparison between banks and sherman is their size, but they the coaches need to get more out of banks and verner esp since they have been playing more man and then they are alos bringing more pressure from LBs…i just hope they dont let ryan sit back and play against the cover 2/3 this week
December 1st, 2015 at 3:29 pm
@StPeteBucsFan
You are 100% incorrect in saying “You wish to dwell on the steaming pile of manure Lovie inherited…not just less talent but a horrible culture. He’s turning it around but it doesn’t come overnight.”
Lovie did not inherit a “steaming pile of manure”. EVERY SINGLE ANALYST in football claimed that Lovie was walking into a playoff ready team. One of the biggest excuses all the whiny anti-Schiano haters used to run him out of town was that he was losing with all the talent he had on the team. This is well documented. I have a very extensive list of writers and analysts who claimed, in 2013 and the start of 2014, that our team was extremely talented and that Lovie was gifted a playoff ready team. Stop trying to be a revisionist.
And even if it were true that Lovie needed to “rebuild” (which even he said he did not need to do. Remember the whole “win now” line he used from the moment he walked into the door until halfway through the season last year?) then a good coach does not take this long. Look at Zimmerman in Minnesota or Arians in Arizona. There are plenty of examples of good coaches coming in and turning teams around immediately. Three years is waaaaay too long.
Yeah, Lovie went 13-3 and made it to the Super Bowl. During that season he only played 3 teams with a winning record. Lovie is notorious for only being able to beat losing teams. He has an absolutely horrid record against winning teams. Something around 30%. Four out of our five wins this year have come against bottom 10 teams. Jeff Fisher made it to the Super Bowl too and so did Whisenhunt. They both suck. Lovie is in that category. At least Fisher and Whisenhunt made a good game out of the Super Bowl when they got there. Lovie got embarrassingly beat in one of the most lopsided and boring Super Bowls ever.
Between you being constantly wrong and your constant name calling it is starting to appear as if you are a troll. YOU, with your attacking other Buc fans, are doing more harm than their negativity. I wonder if I looked at your posting history if I would see you hating on Schiano? It would be interesting to find out that not only are you troll like in your name calling but are a hypocrite as well.
December 1st, 2015 at 8:26 pm
True Buc Fan
I was not posting here when Schiano was coach but I’m certainly no Schiano fan. He was a college coach who turned around a horrible 2nd tier college program from horrid to mediocre. His main claim to fame was upending Jim Leavitts highly ranked apple cart every year.
He was the worst of Lovie….having Seattle down in their own house and then totally changing the very strategy that was working because he believed his defense would win. Schiano basically lost that Seattle game by shutting down MG8. So if I had been posting here I would have been critical of Schiano’s hire from day one and critical of his performance and the lack of respect the players felt for him.
EVERY SINGLE ANALYST in football claimed that Lovie was walking into a playoff ready team.
I get the caps for emphasis but what you have emphasized is complete hyperbole. NO EVERY analyst did not…many did pick the Bucs to reach the playoffs including Lovies old buddy Herm Edwards who actually predicted a Super Bowl. Most…NOT EVERY analyst had the Bucs as the worst team in our division and the Saints rated higher. The analyst predictions are wildly dispersed and frequently innaccurate.
Certainly Lovie said he’d win now…what’s he supposed to say…I think we’re short on talent and so you need to give me three years to build this team? Boy the Glazers would have loved that sales pitch eh? The ticket sales would have boomed!
Who was his QB…I thought MG8 gave us a better chance but he’s no #3!!!
Jon Gruden said Lovie has done what he failed to do and what ultimately got Gruden fired…Lovie found a franchise QB.!!! He married him to an OC with talent and gave them the green light. In short instead of drafting the USC DE he went for the franchise QB and does ANYBODY question that decision.
Look at Zimmerman in Minnesota or Arians in Arizona. There are plenty of examples of good coaches coming in and turning teams around immediately.
Two is not plenty…everybody was beotching that we could have had Quinn after his hot start…WITH A FRANCHISE QB and two superstar receivers! Where are those bandwagoners now.
Between you being constantly wrong and your constant name calling it is starting to appear as if you are a troll.
CONSTANTLY WRONG? LMAO…Do you know what the word hyperbole means?
I was very slow to jump on the Fameis bandwagon…I went back and forth between MM and #3 much to 87’s chagrin. When we drafted #3 as a Buc’s fan I became a Fameis supporter. When #3 became everything we hoped for and more I was quick to acknowledge to 87 that he was totally correct about #3
My prediction at the beginning of the year was clear…8-8 talent..I believed we could win 10 if things broke our way and I said 6 wins would keep Lovie’s job.
My ten wins are looking like a stretch and when and IF we lose that next game I’ll admit that mistake. But constantly wrong…I don’t think ANYBODY here is constantly wrong.
I do not call individual posters names. I do get exasperated by unsubstantiated reports about Lovie losing the locker room….that’s trolling.
You at least backed up your rant against me with “some” facts. Winning 30% of your games against winning teams? What is the average of the other coaches? Don’t most good teams feast on the bottom dwellers that would roughly be 50%…or 8 wins…30% of the remaining 8 opportunities would be 2.4 or roughly averaging ten wins a year with those over the losers.
But hey you are entitled to your opinion. Good rant!!!
December 1st, 2015 at 8:31 pm
Most not every analyst THIS YEAR predicated the Bucs dead last and not the Saints.
December 1st, 2015 at 8:56 pm
Look, over the last several threads there have been a number of posts on the level of talent on this team.
If the Buc offense, plays as well as it can, it can put a hurting on people. The defense is average on it’s best day. Because Lovie is an idiot? While I don’t agree with a number of things Lovie has done scheme-wise, the bottom line, especially on defense, is there just are not enough good players on this team. Let me illustrate.
We would all agree there are three keepers on defense: McCoy, Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander. Is there anyone else who could walk out that it would be tough to recover? No!
Looking at the roster, here’s why: We have…
Two 1st round picks (McCoy and Mike Jenkins… who is awful)
Three 2nd round picks (David, Banks and Bruce Carter)
Two 3rd round picks (Chris Conte and Major Wright)
Five 4th round picks (Kwon, Gholston, Henry Melton, Spence and Verner)
One 6th round pick (Keith Tandy)
No 7th round picks and ……
13 undrafted free agents…. 13! On the defense alone!
A good team may have one or two and they barely play. We have 13, 8 of whom play SIGNIFICANT snaps on defense
Jacques Smith and Howard Jones seem to have really nice upside but at this point in their development, these are depth guys… not 65 snap a game guys.
In the first 3 rounds of the draft, it seems likely the Bucs will take a corner and a DE, if not more throughout the draft. This looks like a good draft for those positions. I like our DT’s, LB’s and the safeties look serviceable. Let’s get 2 or 3 more defensive starters and you’ll see this defense… as infuriating as the Tampa 2 can be… playing much better with the guys getting plenty of playing time this year being used as depth.
December 1st, 2015 at 9:01 pm
CBS has 3 DE’s with solid 1st round grades and 2 corners. The Bucs will likely pick between 12 and 20. It’s certainly possible one of those 5 fall.
December 1st, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Rob
Great points. And some of that drafting lack started with the hiring of Chucky and the draft picks we had to give up to get him. I think most if not all of us were happy to make that deal with the devil to win the SB and so it was worth it.
But it totally eliminated any margin of error in drafting for the next decade and we made plenty of errors. I still cannot fathom Dexter Jackson!!!
Also agree with your analysis of the available DE’s…and Walter Football sees it like CBS. There will almost certainly be a top DE available and certainly a CB.
Here’s my question Rob. I really, really like FSU’s Aguayo. Seeing the difference Vinateri makes…the fact that we haven’t had a dominant kicker in a long time…if we could package MG8…perhaps a lower round draft pick…might even need to be a 3…IF there was any way to move up and get him I think it would be a good move. Kickers last 15-20 years. When they are like the last great FSU kicker Janakowski or Vinateri they are game changers.
I know..I know how do we cobble up enough to move up to get him when we have so many needs on offense? 87 who is pretty good at these things when they involve FSU players says he’s going in the late 1st or 2nd. He’s been touted as one of the all time great college kickers and the Raiders took Janikowski 17th overall. Oh for a few more high picks.
December 1st, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Oops typo…so many needs on defense. Since we’ve drafted offense the past two years it’s Lovie’s turn to repair our D…and a FG kicker is an offensive weapon.
Still paired with a dominant defense a FG kicker can be money.
December 2nd, 2015 at 4:23 am
SPBF,
Great points as usual. I like Aguayo quite a bit, I’m just not sure I’d go kicker…any kicker that high when you have the lack of defensive talent that the Bucs have.
The real issue is how Licht will proceed if when the Bucs pick, likely between 12 and 20, the top DE’s and CB’s are off the board but someone not necessarily of need, such as Zeke Elliot of OSU or Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss are there. All good problems to have.
December 2nd, 2015 at 1:45 pm
@Dusthty Rhothdes Says – “I thought jude played really well in his man coverage” What game were you watching? Adjei-Barimah was targeted 11 times, surrendering eight catches for 71 yards, a score and a 31 yard reception by TY Hilton. He also missed three tackles and two receptions on critical 3rd downs in the 4th.