Changing The Culture
March 15th, 2016
Cleansing the stench of losing.
If Joe can sense a pattern with the four new Bucs free agents (J.R. Sweezy, Robert Ayers, Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson), they all have backgrounds with winning teams.
Sweezy has a ring from the Seahawks. Ayers played six years as a member of the Broncos and came from a quality organization led by Tom Coughlin. Grimes was a key defender in the glory years of the Dixie Chicks. Robinson has been in two playoff games with the Vikings.
There is a lot of talk about cleaning things up at One Buc Palace, and no, not the MRSA, the stench of losing. It’s a big focus of the front office: change the culture.
Sadly, the losing is embedded into the locker room, worse than the MRSA, worse than the grout in the bathroom tile. It reared its ugly head last year when Joe had four members of the Bucs defense shrug their shoulders and talk about how the team came out flat when it was playing its most important game in years, hosting the sad Saints.
To this moment, that open confession by four defenders stuns Joe, not so much for the appreciated candor, but how a team with a chance to continue a run to a wild card berth could come out unmotivated.
Remember when America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, said after the season that coaches cared more about winning than a lot of his teammates? That right there is what the Bucs are trying to flush from the locker room.
It’s also a not-so insignificant factor in why the new Bucs come from winning backgrounds.
March 15th, 2016 at 5:08 am
It was Lavonte that said that. I couldnt believe my ears that he said that.
March 15th, 2016 at 5:19 am
Yes David did!
Maybe that’s why Hardy was not kept…
March 15th, 2016 at 5:42 am
Yea they admitted to coming out flat before the second saints game but let’s not fail to mention what lovable did to Shepherd in the lockerroom to cause that. I was a defender of the man but when I read that that was the final straw for me. Can you imagine the fallout had Brian Billick ever done something like that Ray Lewis while rallying the troops before a game..
March 15th, 2016 at 5:50 am
We can’t be on one end singing kumbaya my lord the opposing team on the other end chanting Waka Flaka Flame’s “oh lets do it!!!”.I mean C’mon man no disrepect to anyone’s religion but I rather have a bad boy GM,a bad boy HC,and a somwhat bad boy QB. Wit some bad boys sprinkled somewhere in between.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:03 am
The coaches last year might have “cared more about winning than a lot of his (Jameis’) teammates” Joe but that didn’t translate very well to the players on the Bucs defense apparently. Caring about winning is one thing; actually being able to teach those under your wing HOW to win is something quite different from what I’ve seen. It was quite obvious after our 2-14 season in 2014 that some of Lovie’s key defensive coaches were in way over their heads. Players recognized that pretty quickly I’d bet.
Still, there’s no excuse for making $10 mil a year, like Lavonte, and not giving it your all in every single game. He’s a good LB, but Lavonte isn’t a true team leader yet in my opinion. I’m expecting Kwon to emerge pretty quickly as a true leader of the defense.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:04 am
They were loyal to that man,but the man posses no fire. Much like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors,Mark Jackson started that train a black man. Kerr with a little tweeking has taken that train to another level a white man. No one in those stands or that community give-a-s@$! about skin tones,they’re joy is all that winning. I careless about the color of my headcoach, I wasn’t defending lovie because he was black. I was defending him because he was my team’s HC. The way I’ll now defend Koetter the moment some you hit him wit the incompetent tag. Just know when happens I’m at yo @$$.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:07 am
Loser Lovies loser mentality is gone so that’s a step in the right direction
March 15th, 2016 at 6:18 am
Every FA before this draft came from a winning team so that is nothing new. I believe a lot of the talent wasn’t good enough for what Lovie wanted. Sound high IQ cornerbacks and safety have to play a discipline brand of football.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:50 am
Coaches aside, which players do you think Winston was talking about? I’m not going to offer my theories as they would be baseless, but we’ve got a few guys who have been inexplicably ignored in free agency. Read between the lines boys.
As a Nole fan I’ve got a head start on knowing Winston relative to some of you. He’s a legit leader and if he’s making public statements about his teammates there was something seriously wrong. I won’t presume to know where it starts or ends.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:50 am
As much as Tony Dungy changed the mindset back in the day, it was Sapp and Brooks said enough is enough, why, because of the football programs, Miami and FSU that they came from, programs that had coaches that losing tore at the core, so yeah, bringing in players from winning pro teams that get a check, culture will change with the Jameis’s and Kwon’s who went to traditional winning programs in college.
March 15th, 2016 at 6:57 am
Guys:
To be fair, Lavonte David was not the lone player that spoke on the record about this.
March 15th, 2016 at 7:06 am
LVD is a leader on the field, not a vocal leader. Just because you don’t give pre game speaches doesn’t mean your not a leader. He’s a player that leads by example. This losing culture is slowing starting to rid itself from this team. Licht is making sure of that by bringing in WINNERS.
March 15th, 2016 at 8:02 am
Hopefully Hawaiian Bucs Fan (McCoy’s new agent) can put some fire in his arse this off season and 93 will make some impact plays in the second half and on 3rd downs, so we don’t get to see him so happy and celebrating losses like in the past. It’s not good for the young impressionable players to witness that behavior
March 15th, 2016 at 8:19 am
Nole on Sat.-Bucc on Sun. Says:
“…let’s not fail to mention what lovable did to Shepherd in the lockerroom to cause that.”
Let’s not forget that it was Raheem Morris that ACTUALLY brought the losing attitude to the team. Not Lovie the Scapegoat.
March 15th, 2016 at 8:20 am
Nole on Sat.-Bucc on Sun. Says:
“I mean C’mon man no disrepect to anyone’s religion but I rather have a bad boy GM,a bad boy HC,and a somwhat bad boy QB.”
And that worked so well for the Jets under Rex Ryan?
March 15th, 2016 at 8:21 am
I don’t mean to pick on you Nole. It’s just that I don’t agree. I probably could have been more diplomatic.
March 15th, 2016 at 8:23 am
DefenseRules Says
“Joe but that didn’t translate very well to the players on the Bucs defense apparently.”
It did actually. Through 12 games.
It wasn’t until Kwon got suspended that things went downhill with the defense. Up until that point, they were improving. That’s what people around here forget.
March 15th, 2016 at 8:23 am
BuccaneerBonzai
Lovie the scumbag gets to spend the rest of his life looking up at Raheem Morris on the all time bucs win list
March 15th, 2016 at 8:24 am
@BucBonzai,
How did Raheem Morris bring the losing culture, the last coach with double digit wins and a bad call from the playoffs, all being done when Glazers spent no money in Free Agency and as soon as Schiano came in, money was spent, not on Raheem. I agree Rah wasn’t ready, but he can’t be the scapegoat for losing mentality
March 15th, 2016 at 8:24 am
By improving, I don’t, by any means, mean that they were great. Just steadily building toward being good.
March 15th, 2016 at 8:25 am
@Rrsrq
Unfortunately, that ONE good season was not Raheem’s ONLY season. Was it?
March 15th, 2016 at 8:29 am
@Rrsrq
It’s easy to point at Raheem’s 10-6 season.
How about pointing to 3-13 and 4-12 as well?
And how about pointing out that the year they went 10-6 was the LAST year the Bucs had an easy schedule? Or that 10-6 still was not good enough to even reach second in the division?
Or how about pointing out that he LOST THE TEAM the following year, and the players all quit on him? (hence, the start of the losing attitude)
March 15th, 2016 at 8:37 am
2010 was fools gold!!! that was the year that Carolina tanked for the first overal draft pick for Cam Newton!!! and New Orleans was pulling starters in the last game by the 2nd and 3rd quarter and the Bucs still finished in 3rd in the division!!!
March 15th, 2016 at 9:23 am
Bonzai you alright wit me bro,I respect your postion. And we can agree to disagree on this one bro. You mention rex,that is a media clown in my book. When I say bad boys I’m talkin grit,attitude,passion,hustle. Not smacking ya around after a bad lost bad boy. Control mayhem type bad boy. Now his dad Buddy and those 85 Bears they epitomize my definition of bad boys. DB55 to be honest wit you was quite the bad boy.
March 15th, 2016 at 10:34 am
What happened to Bonzai? I use to enjoy reading his post now it’s just a bunch of negative garbage spewing out in words.
March 15th, 2016 at 10:53 am
Bonzai, you have seriously lost all credibility man.
Last seasons schedule was insanely easy too. And you’re gonna bag on Raheem for going 3-13 and 4-12…. Your boy Love went 2-14, remember? At least Raheem had a 10-6 season in between- last time we even finished above 500. Oh, and he dealt with the lockout and the Glazers spending absolutely no money.
Seriously dude I used to really enjoy your comments and perspectives, but now I’m just gonna start skipping past them. You sound less informed with each passing day.
March 15th, 2016 at 1:59 pm
unbelievable Says
“Bonzai, you have seriously lost all credibility man.”
Wait. So at one point you think I HAD credibility????? ROFL!!!!!
March 15th, 2016 at 2:05 pm
bucs4life86 Says:
March 15th, 2016 at 7:06 am
LVD is a leader on the field, not a vocal leader. Just because you don’t give pre game speaches doesn’t mean your not a leader. He’s a player that leads by example. This losing culture is slowing starting to rid itself from this team. Licht is making sure of that by bringing in WINNERS.
———
Agree!
Clean out negative vibes…
March 15th, 2016 at 2:07 pm
I have noticed something pretty cool..I follow Kwon, LVD, Jameis..and all the other bucs..
But the positive energy that they are posting and the excitement compared to last years tweets..reflects that Bucs did clear out whoever they didn’t want back..not because they were bad players but because the culture they were breeding in the locker room..
March 15th, 2016 at 2:08 pm
People mistake my takes on Lovie. I don’t give him a pass on the bad things.
I just don’t blame him for ALL of the bad things like you people do.
I was the first one that suggested Dirk Koetter be brought in…before Mike Smith was even fired, because I saw it coming.
I wanted him here, and notice I have not said one bad thing about him?
What I really have a problem with is people blaming someone…anyone…for something they were not responsible for. Lovie isn’t my “boy.” I just feel he is unfairly blamed for a lot of things that were not his fault.
I have no problem blaming him for the things that were his fault.
You people believe Jason Licht is blameless the last two years. The man has ADMITTED!!!!!!! that he was the one that made most of the free agent calls and blew them.
Lovie was responsible for Josh McCown. Yes. No way to deny that. But Licht admitted on the radio that he was the one who decided to bring in both Michael and George Johnson.
And yet…you people STILL blame Lovie.
I’ll tell you this too…because Licht made those free agency blunders, and you all seem to think he had control of the drafts…that shoots holes all through the theory that Lovie had complete control.
He didn’t. The evidence proves it. But, of course, you people want to take the word of media personality theorists over actual evidence.
Lovie had to be fired so that we could keep Koetter. I’m fine with that, because I actually wanted Koetter to be head coach at some point.
But I won’t sit here and give Jason Licht a pass like everyone else when he has confessed his mistakes.
March 15th, 2016 at 2:33 pm
I feel you Bonzai.
March 15th, 2016 at 3:13 pm
Yet another Lovie Dovie bashing session. It was Schiano’s fault, Raheem’s Fault and everything was Lovies fault. Can’t wait to see you guys turn on the present regime in 2 yrs. Not one of you has said, It was the Players Fault. Not one.
March 15th, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Mike if many fans were referring to him as incompetent you know some grown men in his lockerroom felt the same way. I can’t speak for you bro but during my time in the Army I felt a hell of lot more secure when taking orders from NCOs that knew what they were talking about in contrast to those that did’nt. As Joe’s we could tell the diffrence bro. I was way more motivated to execute when they came across as if they were competent man.
March 15th, 2016 at 4:23 pm
LOL @ Bonzai. I get that, and I’m not one to say Licht has been flawless or is blameless by any means. Him and Lovie both brought in some pretty terrible FAs. But at least Licht grabbed a couple decent ones too. Jenkins, Jennings, Melton, McCown?!? Those are just terrible.
Yes, Licht is responsible for the worthless Johnsons and Anthony Collins, but at least he owned up to it. Lovie never took a share of the blame for anything, I think that;s why you see people place so much blame on him. Plus you know, he was the coach, it was defense, his defensive coaches, blah blah…
I’ve just seen you so negative lately- when it appears we may have put together the most competent coaching staff since Gruden was here. That’s no small feat!
I would have liked to sign M Schwartz at RT too, but it’s not the end of the world. JPP was only offered 1 year deals from all teams, so we went back with the Giants so he didn’t have to learn a new system in “prove-it” year. Vernon was massively overpaid and Mario Williams didn’t want to come here, so it is what it is. FA has not been that bad.
March 15th, 2016 at 4:24 pm
*so HE went back with the Giants
March 15th, 2016 at 4:25 pm
Like I said, At what point will the Bucs fans, and media realize..our Defense did not, does not have the players to get it done? But every organization has to have a scapegoat. Somebody to make fans blame about the franchise’s downward spiral. I’ve said all along our Defense needs major revamping. You draft 2 consecutive yrs offense. I’m gonna wait to see. Still don’t think we have addressed our poor Defense. Grimes will give us what he’s got though. We shall see.