Lovie Failed At Office Politics
January 10th, 2016
If you’ve ever had a job, you know the No. 1 rule of job security is making sure your boss loves you believes in you.
Clearly, Lovie Smith failed in those areas. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Morrissey hammered home this point in a scathing rant on Lovie following his firing.
The stunning thing about Smith’s firing in Tampa Bay is not that he was sent packing after just two seasons. It’s that he, of all people, didn’t have the right folks in his corner.
Smith, who always watched his back in Chicago, was done in by letting his guard down. Again, shocking — not so much because an oddball owner would fire a veteran coach so soon but because an in-house politician like Smith hadn’t stopped the revolt before it got traction. He used to have one eye on the field and one eye on any perceived threat to his livelihood. Ask former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
Lovie, obviously, felt more comfortable than he should have following a late-season collapse — and with a defense that was historically ugly on third down and against the pass. Lovie wasn’t fired on Monday, so he clearly did a horrible job re-selling Team Glazer on why he was the guy to the lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl.
Joe is not crying for Lovie one bit. He did a poor job over two seasons. But Lovie had plenty to sell Team Glazer last week. The magnificent handling of America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, should have been a true pair of aces. But it seems Lovie couldn’t find any other cards to beat Team Glazer’s strong hand against him.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:21 pm
What happens when the employee loses faith in the employer. I’m sure nothing, lol but making a point.
Glazers handed this horribly! I’ve lost a lot of respect for the family. And unless we can have a lot of faith in Licht, so much so that all decisions can successfully go thru him, I’m concerned about this franchise moving forward.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
I have more Love for the Glazers because they did not wait to put the Fans through another year of bush league football..
I would have cheered Lovie on with a 4-12 record if this team played hard football every game.
Lovies problem is not the losing its they way they lost.
20 points up on Washington.. Rookie QB ate his lunch..3rd string nobody a QBs killing this Defense.
If Lovie had to take over Defensive play calling last year why was Frazier here this year..
TOO MANY FAVORITES…THAT KINDA OF THINKING ONLY HELPS U ON THE PLAYGROUND
January 10th, 2016 at 1:29 pm
Mike….we’ll be fine going forward. We have the most important missing piece in house…#3!!!
I was not on the bandwagon to run Lovie but as tnew and tom jones have said it just felt like the right thing to do. I don’t think it automatically costs us continuity.
And let’s talk continuity. I think #3 is incredibly motivated, very bright and a football junkie. Licht is not going to hire a coach that runs an offense(like a run option no Chip Kellys) that does not suit #3’s skill set.
We still have Bajakian…and perhaps Koetter if we’re really that concerned about #3.
I’m concerned about the rest of the team and in truth I’m torn. On one hand I feel truly sorry for GMC, LVD and some of the others who have been through so much change and upheaval. It’s time for the team to find a coach who will last for more than two years that’s for sure.
But OTOH this team has been continually stupid and undisciplined through three coaches now. Lovies teams didn’t play any worse than Schianos or Rahs in the dumb department. Maybe we do need to blow it up to clean out whatever is wrong with some of these guys. Hopefully we haven’t already lost ASJ and ME to “Buccanneer Attitude”.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:29 pm
I’ve seen the phrase “you like that” on twitter too many times today. Every time I see it, I thank God a little more for Lovie getting the boot. Eff him. And eff his meme generating arse!
January 10th, 2016 at 1:31 pm
ATrain
Well stated. I agree 100% with all of your points.
BTW for those watching the NFL game once again Michael Bennett rubs our face in it eh?
January 10th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Lovie became the Rodney Dangerfield of head coaching. I thought Dungy was low key and aloof, but Lovie took that to another level.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:48 pm
If i could punch mark dominik in the face right now i definitely would. Cant believe we let bennett walk . Smh
January 10th, 2016 at 1:48 pm
I thought Dungy was low key and aloof, but Lovie took that to another level.
And Dungy averaged 10 wins a year for his last four years. Lovie still doesn’t have 10 wins. Lovie is NO Tony Dungy.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:49 pm
The Great Gazoo is never wrong.
January 10th, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Lovie could have saved his job by making the difficult of firing his son(s) who were certainly part of the problem…..good coaches fire bad coaches.
Sure, there were other things….he truly displayed an amazing disregard for the reality of his mistakes….his players weren’t playing well in particular on defense.
I suspect he had his name all over miscues like letting Revis go….Michael Johnson, McCown and more….
Obviously, Licht was not responsible for most of the mistakes or he’d be gone also. Instead, Licht seems to have gotten a promotion (without a raise or title change)
January 10th, 2016 at 2:00 pm
How did the glaziees handle tbis pokrly??? They invited the man to come in and be dismissed in person and he declined. I have my issues with the glaziers like how they are never at any of the bucs home games…but they made the right decision. I agree with all of the people sayiing we cannot continue to turnover coaches and expect success….but you also cant stick with a coach who makes bonehead decisions lime benching his best players because his defense wont work with anyone playing it in this day in age. Or make any coaching changes kn his staff like replacing his son with a real coach
Actually, Glazers are at Bucs home and road games. –Joe
January 10th, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Lovie did fail …..I mean losing a 17 and 20 point lead in 4th quarter and losing your last 4 games with playoff implications and against bad teams will get almost any coach fired….however Lovie did have a hand in setting this franchise up to succeed too…most of those offensive coaches were his hire choices from what I understand …also I hear that he was the main man behind the J Winston being drafted. Nonetheless less just hope the Glazers do the right thing and continue to build a winner
January 10th, 2016 at 2:10 pm
Lovie failed at more than office politics
January 10th, 2016 at 2:20 pm
I don’t think Licht did the Glazers any favor by tipping Lovie off o the firing. I’m not saying he was wrong to do it….just that the Glazers are taking some unwarranted heat for not firing Lovie in person.’
The Owners can’t win….if you retain Lovie….you anger more than half the fanbase…if you fire him, you get the wrath of the Media…..and you gamble on the next hire being right.
Lets just hope Jameis’ addition makes the difference no matter the coach.
January 10th, 2016 at 2:22 pm
Forget Lovie, get the person most like Arians and get a DC that’s gonna get the best out of this group, if that’s possible. A lot of soft players on this team that need to go if the new coach expects to have any success.
January 10th, 2016 at 2:35 pm
I guess Lovie didn’t have an ace up his sleeve.
January 10th, 2016 at 2:45 pm
Although I was a Lovie fan, I gotta say you hit the nail right on its head Joe. Had Lovie gone into that meeting last week with the Glazers and outlined getting a new DC and firing some ineffective Defensive coaches, he would still be the Bucs coach today. He did not. Not to say if he drafted all Defensively next yr, it would have made a difference, Lovie just did not know how to play the front office game. Don’t worry about Lovie though, how many of us can just chill for a few yrs while getting mega paychecks owed to them from previous employment? Lovie will be OK. We..on the other hand got lotsa worries for our sad sack Bucs. I’m not so concerned about the HC position. I’m more worried about us getting our Defense together. Jameis can throw 6 TD’s a game. You still gotta stop the opposition. Defense wins championships baby!
January 10th, 2016 at 2:57 pm
Who really gives a sh!t if the Glazers are ‘taking heat’ for the perception of how Lovie was fired?
All that matters is who the next HC is. Don’t f@ck this up Licht!
January 10th, 2016 at 3:00 pm
@Joe … ‘Lovie had plenty to sell Team Glazer last week.’
No doubt Joe. Lovie could’ve sold them on how the team had gone from 2-14 to 6-10 on the easiest schedule in the NFL, thanks largely to having a real OC this year. Definite progress. Or he could’ve sold them on how his defensive scheme will work in 3-4 years providing he can use the next several drafts to replace his entire defense.
Still don’t get your admiration for Lovie’s ‘magnificent handling’ of Jameis by the way Joe. Unless of course you call Lovie’s staying out of the way as being magnificent. Dirk Koetter and Mike Bajakian deserve credit for sure because they worked with Jameis from Day 1, but giving Lovie tons of credit? I think it’s only fair to give Lovie credit for what he did with the defense however.
January 10th, 2016 at 3:00 pm
i think Jameis somehow played a role in Lovie’s firing. Not in any backhanded way, not in any conspiracy. I just think that, in some way, the Glazers initiated some in-depth communication with Jameis, and as a result it was decided that there was a better chance of reaching the promised land… if they made the coaching change.
January 10th, 2016 at 3:12 pm
I don’t care if the Glazers are taking heat….it comes with the territory….I just merely pointed out that they are.
The only one that needs heat right now is Licht….he has to get this right!!!
January 10th, 2016 at 3:13 pm
i think Jameis somehow played a role in Lovie’s firing.
Johnny I understand your suspicion. And like you I certainly do not believe #3 conspired or engineered this dismissal. But I would find it hard to believe that the Glazers or Licht didn’t talk with #3 before making this public.
Perhaps that is why #3, unlike others did not tweet or react because he had been prepared. Then again the only outspoken players were all on defense. Perhaps the offensive players were at minimum secretly relieved with the move.
January 10th, 2016 at 3:38 pm
Lovie got himself fired all by his lonesome not because of the schmooze factor, it was crappy coaching.
January 10th, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Maybe the glazers just want this team to move to London
January 10th, 2016 at 3:58 pm
Jamies had a factor in Lovies firing in One Way ….
Jamies has Fire and A Will to Win
Lovie has EXCUSES…
By the way was not a Jamies Fan I wanted Mariota..
I was Wrong!! Jamies won me with his fire for the game …
January 10th, 2016 at 4:03 pm
I would like to see FOOTBALL….
YES I would like to see this team win..
But right now we need a team to play with HEART!!
Look at Redskins.
Look at Indy they won their last with Freeman
January 10th, 2016 at 4:22 pm
8-24. Horrible personel moves.
January 10th, 2016 at 5:58 pm
I am glad All you great experts aren’t picking any coaches period! Lovie would have a much better third year if he would have been given a chance. They could have made the personal changes . Get professional! The Glazers are the disappointment.
January 10th, 2016 at 6:02 pm
It’s funny how Lovie never had issues ingratiating himself to ownership anywhere he’s been, even when he was in Tampa under Dungy.
Let’s look at the facts though before we (again) buy into the mindless media drivel such as what is written here in this article. The Glazers fired a (soon to be) HOF coach in Tony Dungy; they fired a very good coach in Jon Gruden; they fired a guy who took a crap team to the Superbowl, Lovie Smith, a coach who was the glue holding this team together because he failed to win INSTANTLY. They fired the two coaches prior to him before giving them a chance really to do anything.
This is not about Lovie’s failure to ingratiate himself to anything, this about the Glazers being pure garbage. They know less than nothing about football.
January 10th, 2016 at 6:24 pm
StPeteBucsFan, that’s kinda all i’m saying… that the Glazers must have talked to Jameis before they made this move. And my gut feeling is: whatever was or wasn’t said, that conversation must have had a subtle but profound impact on their decision.
January 10th, 2016 at 6:40 pm
Johnny
Yea I think we’re in agreement.
January 10th, 2016 at 8:07 pm
You fans think just because Jameis and our Offense can now score, we will win games. We’d better get a strong DC in here. Because if we don’t, Your golden boy Koetter is gonna have the same ole Defensive problems again. And it will not matter how many TD’s Jameis throws.
January 10th, 2016 at 9:00 pm
The Glazers fired a Super Bowl coach in Sam Wyche who had a conference championship win and 2 division championships. What makes Love different than Wyche? By the way, Gruden won with Dungy’s players, but no one ever mentions that Dungy won with Wyche’s players. Why couldn’t Dungy win with Dungy’s players? Why couldn’t Dungy’s teams score a single touchdown against the Eagles in the 3 playoff games?
January 10th, 2016 at 11:32 pm
This piece (thanks Joes) strikes at the heart of Lovie’s downfall. He saw this situation, ownership, fans, community and thought that it was some kind of loserville because of some strange hires like Morris and Piano that he could just coast. I mean coast in the sense of “we’re a 4-12 football team” so the bar was miserably low and he magically limboed underneath with 2-14 and the ridiculous gift of #1 overall. No HC earns it and then gets to choose. Have your special ridiculous cake and eat it too. Lovie Dovie.
Sometimes we just forget it’s about winning football games when it never effing happens…especially at home.
Go home Lovie Smith
January 11th, 2016 at 12:09 am
Ok Joe !! Enough already !!! I know you have a job to do but Dang!!!! Lovie’s gone lets just move on. You got what you wanted!! But it really sounds like your boys the Glasers prematurely F ‘d this thing up again. I just want my team not to be a Browns type franchise if you call it that!!!
January 11th, 2016 at 6:51 am
So wait a minute was Lovie fired for his record or was there a coup in place Joe you cant have it both ways
January 11th, 2016 at 5:49 pm
Lovie said the 4-12 Bucs could win 10 games a year with his coaching and swapping a couple of pieces. Two years and multiple players later the 10-win defense was a 10-loss defense that collapsed down the stretch.
I expected the Glazers would choose continuity over another coaching overhaul but Lovie shouldn’t have been surprised when he totally failed to deliver on anything he promised when he interviewed for the job. That includes picking Jameis because the Bucs never would have had that number one pick if Lovie had delivered.