NFL Schedulers Owe The Bucs In Week 1
February 8th, 2018
In a no-excuses league, the Buccaneers managed to find a good one for some of last year’s mess: Hurricane Irma.
No, Irma didn’t force no-sack seasons from Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander and Will Gholston. And Irma didn’t stick with worthless Doug Martin and embrace Chris Where’s-My-Check Baker.
But Irma did cost the Bucs a bye week and mess with their preparation in a way that could have been avoided.
First, the NFL needs to have firm, advance plans in place to relocate games made impossible by hurricanes. It’s that simple. The owners have to buy in and not cry about potential lost revenue.
Second, it would be damn nice if the NFL sent the Bucs on the road to open the 2018 season — to a city where a hurricane won’t mess up the start of their season for the second straight year.
The Bucs play at Cincinnati this year, and if Joe highly advises Team Glazer to enter a request to the NFL to start the season there. At Chicago would be a second choice. Yes, the NFL accepts schedule requests from teams but doesn’t promise anything.
Say what you want about Dirk Koetter’s softer-than-most training camp approach — NFL standards — he certainly would have run things differently last year knowing he’d be stuck with a Week 1 bye. It simply shouldn’t have happened.
No excuses, but maybe the Bucs have a different result or two in those nail-biter December games if they had the benefit of a midseason week off, the kind enjoyed by every other team than the Bucs and Dolphins.
February 8th, 2018 at 9:37 am
bucs franchise is owed nothing until it proves itself competitive. if there was a B league bucs would be demoted. after the last decade of garbage football we were forced to witness the galzers should do the right thing sell or get a real football guy and not some has been ex player or coach. a real proven football exec. it wont’ be cheap but they owe the fans a real attempt at success. one thing is if glazers are in their current role there is no hope for change nor the future. 16 years of history prove it.
February 8th, 2018 at 9:43 am
In the grand scheme of things the bucs had an extra week off came out and beat down the bears. No excuses is right because this season was over long before they were close to a bye week. You mean dork would have run a NORMAL training camp if he’d known there would be an extra week? The excuses the local media makes up for this team. Hmm Miami was affected and win one game more than us down to their third quarterback but playing the majority of games with freaking Jay Cutler. Who wants to hear you making up excuses all off-season for bad coaching
February 8th, 2018 at 9:44 am
Knowing the Bucs, without the hurricane they would have been 3-13.
February 8th, 2018 at 9:44 am
Your right Joe and not only that, The league owes them for doing the ultimate distraction of that reality TV show HK!!!!!!!!!!!
Fix the “real” issue, the “trenches”!!!!!!!!!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 10:02 am
Would love the Cincy opening, only a little more than an hour away and I can enjoy the opening of a season the way I enjoyed the closing of last season! GO BUCS!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 10:20 am
The hurricane did ruin the season for the Bucs. Not because the hurricane was such a huge distraction that no team could overcome, but because the Bucs have no mettle. They’ve proved it over and over again. From the Capital Collapse, to the prime time beat downs (plural!) given to us from the Dixie Chicks, to MRSA, to the week one press clippings that inflated their egos, to the penalty on David in the Jets game in week one a few years ago, to the not finishing games and losing darn near every single close game. They can not handle a single ounce of adversity, and they proved for the 100th time in the last decade!!
In summery, the hurricane ruined their season, but if not the hurricane, someone would have gotten a hang nail, and that tiny bit of adversity would have ruined the season
February 8th, 2018 at 10:23 am
The NFL owes the Bucs nothing. It was a natural disaster. It happened. It was what it was.
And Hard Knocks did nothing to jinx the team either. I for one am grateful for the HK. It’ll probably never happen again, and we waited years for it. But fans are looking to point fingers at any excuse they can latch onto…the bye week issue, HK, Coaches, the Culture…
…teams have bad years in the midst of good ones. We had a winning season the year before. Licht will address the trenches and the other areas this off season, and we’ll really have a reason to be excited.
Everyone who is giving up before we even know what the team will look like needs to take a step back and clear their heads.
February 8th, 2018 at 10:24 am
The Bucs also had an extra week off to prepare for the season.
February 8th, 2018 at 10:25 am
Not until GMC starts serving “Flat-free” ice cream we ain’t going nowhere
February 8th, 2018 at 10:26 am
Clodhopper Says
“The hurricane did ruin the season for the Bucs. Not because the hurricane was such a huge distraction that no team could overcome, but because the Bucs have no mettle. They’ve proved it over and over again.”
That is a complete and utter lie.
What you have is a team that is newly on the rise and they are still learning how to deal with adversity they have not faced yet. This team has lots of mettle. They fought back multiple times and never once gave up the fight.
As GMC said multiple times…it was their execution at key moments that cost them. I’m fine with that, you know why? It’s part of the growing process. They’ll take that next step this season because they are committed to getting better, and now they know more areas to address.
February 8th, 2018 at 10:32 am
Wow!!! Just WOW!!!! If this is a Buc FAN site I’d hate to see what a Buc’s hater site looks like.
A poster who I disagree with but at least tries to make rational points…unlike tmax’s continual whining and pussing out…got carried away by his hatred for the Bucs and said Licht’s video was great for the 1,165 Buc fans.
IE….There are some here so full of hate for all things Bucs that people are embarrassing themselves with absurdly negative posts.
We are two years from a winning record….last year at the start of the season we were 11th in power rankings ahead of both Carolina and N.O. trailing only the Falcons. Now many of you will want to come and trash the preseason rankings and I would agree. But then you come right back with the 2018 rankings because they make the Bucs look bad.
Some of you are morons. You are literally searching for EVERYTHING bad you can say about the Bucs…like ice cream. A person who comes to a team’s fan blog just to try and literally find any piece of information to make a team and it’s players look bad have some major emotional and mental issues. I feel sorry for your family and friends. A SMART person who feels like some of you would simply find another team. And we ALL invite you to start today!!!
Why not simply be a front runner and cheer for the Pats or Steelers or the Pack.
If I felt like some of you I’d be on the Packers fan blog but take your pick.
February 8th, 2018 at 10:36 am
@ joe
What are you talking about? You do realize hurricane season last until november? By your logic, the bucs should be on the road until then. While i agree there should be contingencies in place, a week one road game is not the cure seeing that the week two home game could be cancelled due to a hurricane. You are totally overthinking in this case. Nfl owes the bucs nothing.
February 8th, 2018 at 10:43 am
Buccaneer Bonzai
Umm no sorry maybe you’ve only been a fan like 2 years but this team isn’t full of newbies. The young guy Kwon is the one that called Baker out so these guys know what to do, it’s the guys like GMC who do all their talking in the off-season that hurt this team.
Fans like you their vision of a team on the rise is this trash we see every year, can’t close out games, being in the wildcard race then wetting the bed in November and December.
Realists idea of a team on the rise are the teams like the Titans, teams that actually earn a wildcard birth or losing in the first round of the playoffs, don’t tell me a team last in the division with a 5-11 record is a team in the rise, you must work for the Glazer’s
February 8th, 2018 at 10:43 am
Unless the Bucs open against the Bucs they will be an underdog opening week
February 8th, 2018 at 10:53 am
StPeteBucsFan
you are smart man sir please stop confusing Hate with Reality
February 8th, 2018 at 10:59 am
Check the contents of the ice cream being served. Make sure it’s Flat free before we decide to winning anything.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:01 am
st pete fan… So ur ok with bucs raising tkt prices and spending ur cash watching a bad team NOT make any changes in coaching ?
February 8th, 2018 at 11:04 am
StPeteBucsFan
that winning season was meaningless you refer to. raise your standards. bucs have not even played in a game that matters in 11 years and have not won a meaningful game in 16 years. stop acting like this is a competitive franchise down on it’s luck when truth be told it’s a mickey mouse franchise that has never figured it out and has never been competitive consistently.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:04 am
We are overdue for a snow game or at least a cold weather game. With 4 games in the North or Midwest it is very likely we will have at least one maybe a couple of December games in the elements. I hope we get our ground game fixed, and look forward to seeing the Bucs at the Meadowlands this year.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:08 am
@Bucdjt1174
Cinci also about an hour away for me, and I will 100% be attending that game no matter when it’s scheduled. Love other Bucs fans getting out to games in OH! Never many of us out there reppin.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:08 am
Bad teams that can’t fill their stadium without 25,000 of the opposing teams fans aren’t owed crapola
February 8th, 2018 at 11:10 am
stpete
you getting all flustered with the WOW’s should be turned around on you… WOW that there are still fans defending this crapshow and trying to justify failure. demand excellence
February 8th, 2018 at 11:12 am
Bonzai
You want to disagree with me, that’s fine, people have a disagreements, but to say I lied? And a “complete and utter lie” at that. Get fckd.
Their lacking of execution during key moments is exactly why they have no mettle. It’s been going on since the ice cream man got here. They’re not improving at that at all. I’d be fine with the “growing process” too if they ever grew but they haven’t.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:20 am
So does this mean the BUCS will play East Carolina University in Week 1 to guarantee a Tampa Bay victory?
February 8th, 2018 at 11:22 am
Tom Edrington
East Carolina Has Heart unlike cancer93 led bucs so I would not count that has a guarantee.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:26 am
The next few years every team hosting a Super Bowl will have legit shots at playing in their home stadium.
THIS WE ARE OWED!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 11:32 am
Hurricanes, Literal and Metaphoric happen. No we know how to deal with it as a TEAM.
#SoftAsStickCarriers
#12thManRisen
We are closer to that 9 win team then the 5 win team.
Under normal circumstances of course. No excuses, IT IS WHAT IT IS (Till it isnt)
STAY THE COURSE.
Keep the Faith
Be a Fan of Inspiration.
#TheLightIsNotATrain
February 8th, 2018 at 11:34 am
@Tmax,
Glad you showed up this AM. I just started to miss your mouth…
Its so pretty.
Still want me to meet you under your bridge later for lunch?
February 8th, 2018 at 11:38 am
I agree…bucs should be on the road weeks1 and 2 just to be safe…..or at the very least be prepared and have a back up plan in place….
I hope dirk swiches things up in TC…..last year we had a soft TC and still managed to get hit with a few injuries…..injuries will happen regardless if with practice at 1pm in the blazing heat or at night….injuries will happen regardless if you do light hitting in TC or heavy hitting in TC…..
im the captain of this “NOEXCUSE” train and glad to see joe hop aboard…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 11:39 am
I have seen this point made a few times, and I am tending to agree.
Licht’s first draft was the beginning of a complete rebuild/overhaul. Dominick was so historically incompetent at bringing in talent that we were completely lacking.
2016 was definitely overacheiving for our existing talent, 2017 was underachieving, mistakes on Licht in building a team (not focusing enough on trenches and running game), bad luck (Spence and other injuries, ridiculously tough schedule and division, no bye week, handling adversity)
I think with a good draft we will see this team trend towards a 9-7 season again which I believe will be about where our talent level is at, whereas I think we were really a 7-9 team in 2016 that overachieved.
Give it a few years and few more good hauls on Lichts part, and Jameis and Co. will have this team consistently in the playoffs.
I did not mention coaching in this because, well some changes on Defence might need to be made, and they might not, we will see.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:43 am
There were no excuses in 2017. How did that work out? So The No Excuses is nothing new.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:51 am
StPeteBucsFan:
I used to really enjoy the joe’s, but now I scan the site maybe once a day, read the good articles, avoid anything related to GMC or would offend the Hater simply because I love the Buc’s and have for many years. I have no problem with constructive debate and never agree with anybody all the time, but thats enjoyable and I learn stuff. However this hate cult that has developed is not fun and is not healthy.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:52 am
@DBS, True.
Only no one predicted 2 freaking hurricanes hitting Florida and Hard Knocks being a legit distraction with no bye week and a hurt QB with a lame duck RB to go with our top talent getting hurt on the D Line and all the other BS…
Not an Excuse, I agree… It was Reality…
IT IS WHAT IT IS (Till it isnt)
Be a Fan of Inspiration
NOT
A Fan of Depression
February 8th, 2018 at 11:55 am
Dirk owes the players and fans a real training camp. Thatd be a great start.
February 8th, 2018 at 11:59 am
Just don’t start the walk softly garbage. Because somebody will take that stick and beat your a$$ with it.
February 8th, 2018 at 12:28 pm
This is not hate talk, this is love talk. I love all of the people of the world. That’s why I’m trying to convince them to quit spending their hard earned money on this poor excuse of a football team.
February 8th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
@Martinii
I hear ya!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
@TMax:
My Pirates went 3-9 last year, Scotty Montgomerie make Dirk Koetter look like Bill Bilicheat
February 8th, 2018 at 1:37 pm
SPBF says:
“people are embarrassing themselves with absurdly negative posts”
Welcome to JBF comments section. You must be new here… LOL
February 8th, 2018 at 2:06 pm
You guys act like if you say it enough times it somehow becomes true. GMC is NOT responsible for the TEAM’s decades old record. The same that he is not responsible for leading it to success.
Bad teams look for excuses, good teams don’t. Stop kidding yourselves, it starts at the top. When winning is the expectation, you don’t make excuses. You produce or you’re freakin’ fired. It’s as simple as that.
NFL owes the Bucs nothing, just like the Bucs have been giving the fans through the years….NOTHING!
February 8th, 2018 at 2:08 pm
A lot of disgruntled Buc “fans” trolling this site. None of your bellyaching is going to change a thing. Last year and all the years before it are done; nothing can be said that will change that single fact. If you want to root for another team, no one is stopping you. I really thought I was going to read about free-agents and the draft when I clicked on this story. Color me naive to think the posters on this site would change.
February 8th, 2018 at 2:15 pm
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read today.
Good stuff Joe. 😂
February 8th, 2018 at 2:32 pm
The entire point of practicing in that August heat is to have an advantage at home early in the season when it’s hot as balls. Cancelled games is not the norm and since Tampa hasn’t been hit by a hurricane since like 1913 so I think it’s safe to have a home game in September, you know assuming the Panicky Petes don’t get involved. However this is what happens when you have so many yankees here that have never been through anything, they buy up all the supplies, create artificial gas shortages by hoarding gas, then take all their supplies and gas and leave the state when the people that might need those supplies and gas are the ones that stayed. Ugh.
Anywho you schedule things just like you normally would and you beg the NFL to give you home games in September – just don’t schedule them for 4pm since afternoon thundershowers is the norm.
February 8th, 2018 at 2:54 pm
@Bill- So, you’re belly-aching over the belly-achers?! LOL!
February 8th, 2018 at 3:01 pm
**********************
I’d love to see the following schedule:
@Bears = win
Eagles = toss up
@Ravens = toss up
Browns = win
@Bengals = toss up
Redskins = win
@Cowboys = loss
49ers = win
@Giants = toss up
Steelers = toss up
@ Panthers = loss
Saints = win
@ Falcons = loss
Panthers = win
@ Saints = loss
Falcons = win
Wins: 7
Losses: 4
Toss-up Games: 5 with 3 on the road
At worst: 7-9
At best: 12-4 (yeah, right …)
Prediction: 9-7
Playoffs: Nope
Koetter Fired: Nope … he’s signed through 2020 and they’ll play 2019 by ear
Licht Status: Extended through 2020 to match Koetter’s contract
I hope I’m wrong on a bunch of the above but that’s how I’m thinking it plays out at this time …
*************************
February 8th, 2018 at 3:14 pm
Buccaneer Bill Says: A lot of disgruntled Buc “fans” trolling this site. None of your bellyaching is going to change a thing
I want my frustrations as well as others to be made known to players, coaches and ownership. It has been long rumored that some follow this site. I hope so. As a fan I have had it with this crapshow. I pay good money each and every year all I ask is a competitive team give full effort. I have yet to witness that. I see a team going backwards in spite of a few solid draft picks and some horrible FA signings. I love this team but I am sick of seeing it shoot itself in the foot year after year after year. ENOUGH. Fix it now.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:15 pm
It’s funny , in 2015 this site was loaded with people hating on the coaching staff. But, when people call this coaching staff out, they are trolls.
Hypocrisy
February 8th, 2018 at 3:34 pm
@Not there yet
See now, you judge them only by the most recent season. That’s where you are making a mistake.
You sit there, not even waiting to see what they do in free agency and the draft, and you think the team is not on the rise. You ignore the obvious shift in the attitude of the team, because the coaches did not get replaced. Yo might say we need better players on the defensive line, at cornerback, and at running back, yet you (or others) might blame the coaches for not making the perennial bad players produce.
Jason Licht drafted a franchise QB, and like all good GMs, he had to build around him first. People talk about how the draft is a crap shoot, but so is free agency. You never know if a player is all talk, hiding something or just looking for easy money. You never know if overpaying for a 33 year old player will backfire or pay off.
I have been a fan since this team started. That’s right, beside my father, I stuck with this team through the no-win season, the 22 straight losing seasons and more.
I know what a bad Bucs team looks like, and this ain’t it.
Three key pieces, development and good health could put this team in the superbowl. That’s it.
You may prefer to see the glass as empty….I don’t.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:40 pm
@Clodhopper
Okay, you didn’t lie. You were just ignorant.
Mettle:
a person’s ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.
They did that in spades.
Get over being wrong.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:44 pm
@bucsfanman
YES I AM!
Good job catching the irony! I was wondering if anyone would.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:47 pm
@813bucboi
In regard to Training Camp and during the season, what do you think of this idea:
If the players have bad outdoor practices at the beginning of the week, they don’t get to practice indoors unless it storms.
During the season, if the lose, they don’t practice indoors the following week.
Make them earn it.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
@GhostofTedford
I think you’d have a better chance of getting the Bucs to listen if you simply wrote to them directly. They might even reply.
If the Bucs front office or coaching staff read this forum, it’s probably only for entertainment value.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
Rod Munch Says:
“The entire point of practicing in that August heat is to have an advantage at home early in the season when it’s hot as balls. ”
That’s a mythical advantage though. It never works out to be an advantage.
February 8th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
NUT
idk……cant see how you can say the bucs will win against any team in the league…Cleveland included…..
I think: bears..9ers..redskins…and browns are all toss up games….I think we lose against the steelers and philly…..glazers clean house…..
with that said, I hope your right with that 12-4 prediction….lol…
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
February 8th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Bonzai
That’s better. But you never told me why I’m so ignorant. You had no argument at all. You gave the “You’re dumb and wrong” argument without any details. I just assume a professional writer can come up with better words than that. Kinda like my arguement where I made specific examples to back up my claim.
February 8th, 2018 at 4:16 pm
5-11
Yeah there’s a ton of mettle in that record!! They’re so resilient. If they didn’t have so much mettle they would’ve only won 4 games!!
February 8th, 2018 at 5:06 pm
so you all seem to have it figured out for the 5-11 season last year what’s the excuses for the last 16 years of failure.
February 8th, 2018 at 5:30 pm
The cancellation of the 1st game for the hurricane was lazy and greedy, period. The excuses about caring for the family and so forth was BS. Nothing changed for the players on either team. Play or not, they had to care for their families. They are all 6-figure earners with the wealth of a billion-dollar franchise backing them. They do not have to think about getting their families out of town, you just make reservations for your family at a resort inland, buy a plane ticket, then move to a training facility and continue to practice and prepare. In two days that could have easily been done. It was the League’s inability to make a decision that caused the problems. With around half of the NFL stadiums empty around the country, there was no reason reschedule unless that is what they wanted to do. What would they had done if the teams did not have the same bye week? They would have played elsewhere, just as they should have on week 1.
One could argue that the entire season would have been different. There of course is not way to know how, but every injury would have been different most likely because of the ripple effect of the changed scheduled. The players injured in week 1 would not have been the same player injured had the Bucs played the Dolphins instead of the Bears. Then week 2 injuries would have been different because the lineups changed based on injuries in week 1 instead of playing the same lineup in week 2. Everything could have been different. It could have been better or worse, but the season turned out differently based on a decision by the league to be lazy and greedy. JMHO
February 8th, 2018 at 5:44 pm
Last 16 years:
Pre Jameis starting qb’s:
Brian Griese
Chris Simms
Bruce Gradkowski
Jeff Garcia
Byron Leftwich
Josh Freeman
Luke McCown
Mike Glennon
add in changing coaches every 2-3 years
sprinkle in giving up on no 1 picks, bad no 1 picks
-there’s your formula for 16 years of failure
If Bucs stop doing what they have in the past- they have a chance to build something positive- build through the draft and keep coaching staff and front office intact, re-sign your picks who are performing, focus on trenches – fundamentals.
February 8th, 2018 at 5:48 pm
I wonder if Vegas is giving odds on Licht hitting a home run in this years Free Agency or whiffing as usual. Love to know those odds. Same for the draft. So much blame needs to be placed at Lichts feet.
February 8th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
At Alanbucsfan
You forgot those awful free agent signings…. Remember Ghost Johnson?
February 8th, 2018 at 6:04 pm
GhostofSchiano-
How about picking Mark Barron over Luke Kuechly , then trading Barron and signing Dashon Goldson
February 8th, 2018 at 6:44 pm
Clodhopper Says
“Bonzai
That’s better. But you never told me why I’m so ignorant.”
Wow. Just wow. I provided the definition for you, buddy. I gave the reason, you just didn’t catch it. lol
February 8th, 2018 at 8:36 pm
The definition was your arguement? That’s worse than not having one. You’re right. Your argument was so weak it flew right past me. “They did it spades.” You didn’t give a single example of this mettle they are full of. I gave many examples for my argument. You gave me a definition of a word I used correctly. How often has this team been down by ten points and won the game? Also, how many games were we UP by ten+ points then lost?