Father Dungy: Told Ya!
September 17th, 2018
He knew.
Look who is laughing now.
When Father Dungy spoke to the Bucs earlier in training camp at the behest of Dirk Koetter, Dungy told Bucs players he didn’t have any doubt in his mind the team had the talent to be a playoff team.
Jaded people like Joe scoffed. That’s how the (mostly) losing in the post-Chucky era caused people to react.
Well, it seemed Joe should have listened to the Hall of Fame coach who will be inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor a week from tonight when the Bucs host the Steelers. On top of Father Dungy telling the Bucs they have the talent to win, he also claimed they had the manpower to beat the Eagles.
That made football fans across the nation laugh at Father Dungy. But he is having the last laugh after the Bucs punked the Super Bowl champions at the Den of Depression in their home opener yesterday.
The win prompted Father Dungy to take to Twitter.
Everyone laughed at me earlier in the day when I picked the Bucs to beat Philadelphia. But it is a matter of styles. Philly defense puts their corners on an island with no help quite a bit. Bucs receivers are good enough to win those one on ones and they won a lot today.
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) September 17, 2018
Joe was talking to the King of New Port Richey, the Custodian of Canton, the Sage of Tampa Bay sports, the great Ira Kaufman after the game and Ira told Joe he was impressed by how the Bucs won yesterday.
A week ago in New Orleans, the Bucs won an arena league-like shootout. Yesterday they won a slugfest.
September 17th, 2018 at 7:07 am
Good for you, Tony! I’d tell them all off too.
September 17th, 2018 at 7:08 am
They laughed at me here in Philly. I have a quite a few bets to collect on
September 17th, 2018 at 7:13 am
Right there with you NJ. coming in to work today was GLORIOUS. Nothing like the belly aching and BS of Eagles fans after a loss.
September 17th, 2018 at 7:15 am
Vegas has Pittsburgh a 2 1/2 pt favorite.
Respect isn’t there yet, but betting money is…
September 17th, 2018 at 7:19 am
Pittsburgh game is going to be interesting I think it will be similar to the Saints game, as the bucs secondary played better on Sunday but the Eagles WRs are garbage and foles is a backup at best, the steelers defense is horrible so fitz should stay hot and this might be a late night shootout
September 17th, 2018 at 7:20 am
Yesterday was the product of the upgrade of the trenches!!!!! and that the “trench warfare was the “real” issue!!!!!! Huge effort was on display yesterday!!!!!!!! Its good to see others start to turn their views on this team!!!! Some have come a very long way from the “hold them accountable” and “status woe” campaigns that ran all thru the off-season!!!!!!! But I guess some sheep don’t fell validated until they see the national media validate them!!!!!!!!!!!!
#trust the coaches!!!!!!!! Fix the “real” problem!!!!!! the roster!!!!!!!!
Go BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 7:23 am
oppps…….4 TDs from Ryan!!!!! Again!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Down Steelers!!!! The Eagles will always bring us good memories!!!!!! We closed the Vet and opened the Lincoln. They open the door for us in our way to the Super Bowl and gave us our first playoff win in 79′.
Playoff are in the future!
September 17th, 2018 at 7:32 am
Did anyone miss Jameis on Sunday?
September 17th, 2018 at 7:33 am
Well yeah a lot of people picked the bucs to win after what they did to the saints, truth is that Tony Dungy just like many of us said during the season opener rain delay that the bucs may be the fourth team in the very competitive NFC south.
September 17th, 2018 at 7:51 am
And beers to drink Joe hopes. 🙂
Haha!
September 17th, 2018 at 8:03 am
Tom Edrington , I missed Jameis . I always miss Charismatic leaders that have won the hearts and minds of their teammates. Jameis was the first to congratulate Fitzmagic.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:07 am
Joe Says:
September 17th, 2018 at 7:51 am
They laughed at me here in Philly. I have a quite a few bets to collect on.
And beers to drink Joe hopes.
Of course…all my wagers are payable in beer
September 17th, 2018 at 8:12 am
That anyone would dare mock Tony Dungy for making any predictions on teams after all his years of coaching, success, and knowledge is beyond me.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:13 am
Where is the article on the youngry secondary. We beat up Ryan Smith all the time, can we show him some love, Dirk did.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:13 am
Dear Jameis……
September 17th, 2018 at 8:14 am
All the Bucs fans who had us at 0-3 before we played any games… where are you now? Come crawl out from under your rock and take your medicine.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:15 am
We are more ready for prime time than we’ve ever been
September 17th, 2018 at 8:19 am
Surprised we haven’t heard from Dungy hater extraordinaire yet. He always finds a way to put in his disdain for the man who finally made the Bucs relevant.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:19 am
rrsrq- Well said sir! Ryan Smith played well. Tip of the hat to Ryan!
September 17th, 2018 at 8:20 am
Just needed a QB who could put the ball on the money and not do stupid stuff…
September 17th, 2018 at 8:27 am
Amen Jim !!!
September 17th, 2018 at 8:29 am
There is no doubt that with a QB that can deliver a ball on time, on target and to the right receiver, the offense looks great. I never anticipated 75 points in two games. I was in the 6-10 camp preseason, so I am thrilled.
I’m still a bit worried about our run game. Barber can get through holes but he slammed into a brick wall more often than not. And our defense…played better but Foles still had 334 yards. Browns held the Saints to 2 TDs yesterday. And it seemed that about once in every five plays, the Eagles had a free man on the DLine come busting through; that NEVER happens with the Bucs.
Anyway, I’m cautiously optimistic and hope that Fitz does not revert to 2015 form. As Fitz goes, so go the Bucs.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:37 am
He is the God Father. Much more of a true Bucs Man than Gruden ever was. Should have put him the ring first!
September 17th, 2018 at 8:52 am
I’ll be curious to see if that 2 1/2 line moves after yesterday’s games.
September 17th, 2018 at 8:54 am
Couldn’t agree more Jim!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:04 am
@SC Bucs Fan
The only people I remember thinking we were going 0-3 are The Buc Realist, Dewey Selmon, and Lamarcus. All of them were negative over the Summer. Can’t wait until the Bucs are 4-0 with Fitz at the helm and everyone starts arguing that Jameis should get the job back week 6. Hope Dirk makes the right decision and rides it out with Fitzy. He may lose next week though, Big Ben is going to carve this defense up if they cannot get pressure on him. First team to 40 wins!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:06 am
Beating the Eagles is especially gratifying! Good work, guys! Now, start preparing for Pittsburgh!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:14 am
Great call by the Godfather.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:17 am
lets keep things rolling!!!!!!!!
up next, the steelers….they’ll be desperate for……but so will we…..
#TUNNELVISION!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:21 am
SC, TrollMax had us losing to the Saints 53-3 or something as ridiculous. I haven’t seen his worthless troll soul here since. But never fear, he’ll be back after the first bump in the road. Like the little b!tch he now calls himself.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:22 am
Well we beat PIT in their own house with Glennon. 2.5 pt underdog at home this MON night with this Bucs team sounds like a good bet to me. Stay humble, grateful, and let the silent warriors come out and wreck those Steelers. GO BUCS!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:23 am
My, oh my…the bandwagoners are hopping on the old thing, talking like they never doubted. Shall we pull up the predictions thread to set things straight?
So far, everything is playing out pretty close to what I expected, though the wins came a bit differently than I thought they would.
Props to Desean Jackson, who must have realized he could lose money if he continued to shy from hits, because he laid it out there in the game. Very nice.
Props to Fitz too. I did not think he had a second game like that in him.
But now it is time for the FitzMagic bubble to burst. Steelers have beaten the Bucs 80% of the times they have played (look it up). The National Media might have a few guys jump on the wagon this week, but we’re not beating the Steelers.
Still, I suppose he earned a week 4 start. I think it’s a mistake keeping him in though. Fans are thinking about what Foles did last year. It’s not gonna happen.
Winston is the future and the soon to be present. Fitz is nowhere near as good. You can talk about his accuracy all you want, but the truth is, behind the same offensive line, Winston will shine just as brightly. Maybe more so.
Jameis is always looking to get better. During this suspension, you can bet he is learning patience watching Fitz. Learning not to force things. Before, neither QB had a choice. Now the team has matured. Now the oline is tops. Now the defense is improving.
So, sorry, haters…Winston will return and prove he is the franchise for a reason.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:29 am
I agree that we need a better RB. Hope Barber steps up his game or gets some help…
September 17th, 2018 at 9:31 am
Big Stinky, Realist has been positive this summer. You are mixed up. I know this because he and I have been at war a few times over the years, and we’ve been pretty much on the same wavelength this year.
Players were the issue, not the coaches.
Some players sucked. Others needed development time.
Jason Licht got rid of the bad players, replaced them with good ones.
This is exactly what Realist and I have been saying since the end of last season. While EVERYONE ELSE was crying in their spilled milk, demanding regime change and a new rebuild, he and I, and very few others, were being positive.
Trolls and haters will try to rewrite history, but this website had a search function.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:32 am
Bonzai, the windy Insulter-in-Chief still thinks Fitz will be a bust. Flash>Fitz has already exceeded all expectations.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:32 am
Oh I definitely had the Bucs going 1-2 at best but figured they’d go 0-3 to start the season off. I was wrong and ok with being the punching bag as long as our Bucs keep winning. I like my crow cooked medium well, thank you.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:37 am
@Bonzai
All I know is I saw him say #season_over!!!!!! You must not have seen it but thanks for calling me mixed up. He said something about the rebuild can now commence.
September 17th, 2018 at 9:50 am
Toadaso!
September 17th, 2018 at 9:54 am
@Big Stinky
It was sarcasm at all the fire coaches crowd but wanted NFL GM Licht to stay!!!!!!! Because if you are firing the coaches, it is most likely all the new parts that did not fit together!!!!!!!!
The “real” fans are huge fans of this coaching staff!!!! Love how they really cleaned up the penalties since the last head coach!!!!! Like the game plans!!!!!! The play calling has always been very good!!!! it just does not work when the trenches were majorly losing their battles!!!!!!!!! and We have seen these coaches cover up weak parts of the roster at times to be successful!!!! which is a great sign of game plans and play calling!!!!!!!!!!!
#trust the coaches!!!!!!!! Fix the “real” problem!!!!!! the roster!!!!!!!!
Go BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:01 am
Pittsburgh starts off slow most recent years, the Bucs get them early sitting at 0-1-1. They are not that good and are prone to stink up the MNF joint. Their fans were booing them ferociously falling behind KC 21-0. Get ahead early and don’t look back. Go Bucs!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:06 am
To all the Jameis haters:
Fitz has been great, and if he wins Monday putting up similar numbers, he should continue as starter.
But lets not kid ourselves, OJ and Godwin are no longer rookies, OL has been upgraded and is doing a tremendous job. Defense is playing better.
Jameis is the future and hopefully will be as effective as Fitz when his time comes again.
Do you honestly think Fitz would’ve played this well under last years circumstances?
September 17th, 2018 at 10:25 am
Father Dungy has a direct line to the divine b/c I was, am, and might remain in SHOCK for another day or two. I LOVE this team- have for 40 years- been through Hell and back so many times over. Victimized by the team’s ineptitude, incompetence and indifference on the field for decades at a time. We’ve lost so many games like the two wins here- taken soooo many Sunday gut punches. In spite of trying to stay positive, I didn’t see 2-0 coming. I didn’t see Fitz playing out of his skull. Didn’t see the OL gelling…at least not to the tune of 48 and 27 points against top tier teams. We’re not a complete team, but we’re sure as heck a FUN team to watch right now. A FUN TEAM?!?!?!?! US!?!?!?! WOW. Just WOW.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:40 am
I’ve seen some negative comments about Barber as our RB and i just have to say i don’t get it. Are you guys seeing massive holes that he’s not hitting? The Eagles have a very stout front 7 and it was pretty obvious they weren’t going to let us get yards in the running game.
But, so far, what makes this team look great is that they will make you pay if you commit to stopping the run. That this the definition of balance. Now, if you want to play nickel because we torch you in the passing game, then we bring in OJ and Brate and run it downhill on your ass. Loving what i am seeing thus far and Barber can do the job.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:52 am
I’m always leary of the -2.5 point spread. It seems like Vegas likes to sucker the betters into taking a 2.5 pt favorite and the underdog wins the game outright. Because of this line I like the Bucs chances to win outright on Monday night. The way these two teams are playing right now the Bucs should be 3 pt favorites but Vegas knows all the money would then be on Pittsburgh getting 3. The public will bet Pittsburgh -2.5 and the wise guys will take Tampa + the pts leveling out the money. Take the points. Go Bucs!
#Get After It!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:10 am
The passing game is solid. This receiving core is making Fitz look like an MVP candidate two games into the season. Im worried about our ground game though. Barber has been decent but no one has shown they’re worth writing home about yet. Our def turned it around this week, lets hope they keep treading upward. I know its early, but we really need to see this run game start to take shape or were gonna have a problem if we make it to the post season. If no one has told you yet the NFC will have to go through LA this year to make a SB appearance. They got awesome cover corners, were gonna need that run game to balance the offence. Just my 2 cents.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:11 am
I’ve predicted a 2-1 start. I may need to adjust that due to Le’veon Bell not being with the Steelers. I think we go 9-7 this year. Hope there is more.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:50 am
Bonazi the jw haters will eat their words soon n by eat their words I mean they will swear they believed in jw the whole time n were so happy hes back lmao
September 17th, 2018 at 11:52 am
Bonazi the jw haters will eat their words soon n by eat their words I mean they will swear they always believed in jw and are glad hes back
September 17th, 2018 at 12:48 pm
There’s a reason why Coach Dungy is in Canton, and we’re just bloviating on a blog. HINT, HINT!! Okay Bucs, Tony Dungy is being enshrined in the Ring of Honor Monday night. How about a Mighty Offensive (like his Tampa 2 Defense) win for him!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
Props to Fitz too. I did not think he had a second game like that in him.
But now it is time for the FitzMagic bubble to burst. Steelers have beaten the Bucs 80% of the times they have played (look it up). The National Media might have a few guys jump on the wagon this week, but we’re not beating the Steelers.
Still, I suppose he earned a week 4 start. I think it’s a mistake keeping him in though. Fans are thinking about what Foles did last year. It’s not gonna happen.
Winston is the future and the soon to be present. Fitz is nowhere near as good. You can talk about his accuracy all you want, but the truth is, behind the same offensive line, Winston will shine just as brightly. Maybe more so.
————————
I have to completely disagree here. Fitzpatrick has proven himself to be an effective QB in the past… and that was when he had nowhere close to the weapons and protection he’s getting here. With our supporting cast, there’s about 40 QBs in the NFL that can hit open receivers. Obviously, Fitz and Winston are two of them… but what you can’t say is that if Winston was in there, he would have done better. NOBODY could have done better. He’s been Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees these last two games. He has run this offense to perfection. He has not had ONE bad throw… not ONE… even his lone interception was a perfectly thrown ball. Could Winston have done just as well? It’s possible, but there’s no way he would have done better. Fitzpatrick has been a 10 since the season began.
As far the team NOT beating the Steelers? Why? Because we’ve lost 80% of the time? How is this relevant now? Every Buccaneer that was on the team since 2014 is 1-0 against the Steelers… which is also irrelevant but far more relevant than going back to 1976 to pull 80% out of a hat. You think the Fitz bubble is going to burst? Why? Are we taking away his weapons or no longer going to block for him? That’s why he is successful. The game is easy for him right now. Right before DeSean Jackson caught that 30-something yard pass on the left sideline, I saw the CB covering him tight man coverage with a single high safety leaning over to the opposite side of the field. Despite it being 3rd down, I immediately blurted out at the bar that we were going to throw deep to Jackson along the sideline before the ball was even snapped. It’s easy. Our receivers are making it easy. Our line is making it easy. Fitz is better now than he’s ever been. He’s a well preserved QB despite being 35. Rich Gannon became a star for the Raiders at 34 years old despite being a career journeyman that was drafted to play safety. Their backgrounds and games are not all that different either except Fitz will stretch the defense vertically any cnance he gets. I’m not saying Fitz IS Gannon… just that other players have been written off before only to prove everybody else wrong. Until Fitz proves us wrong, he should be the guy. One thing you can’t do is sit him when he’s looking like a first ballot Hall of Fame candidate.
September 17th, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Speaking of Ryan Smith, did you see that hit on the punt returner the second the ball touched his hands? Betcha that guy wished he had called a fair catch.
#BeatTheSnotOutOfThem
#ThoseHitsCauseFumbles
September 17th, 2018 at 2:16 pm
The Bucs are now ready for Prime Time and should take the Steelers without Bell. It is now time for the whole country to see that the Bucs are the real deal and are not only candidates for playoffs, but are going to challenge higher.
September 17th, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Bonzai
Winston is the future and the soon to be present. Fitz is nowhere near as good. You can talk about his accuracy all you want, but the truth is, behind the same offensive line, Winston will shine just as brightly. Maybe more so.
——————————————
The accuracy IS the thing…..that’s the main thing fueling this. If JW comes in and throws high and away, or behind, the offense comes to a screeching halt.
Personally, I think Defense will Ultimately decide this teams fate. Again.
September 17th, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Winston haters – triggered by literally everything.
Winston lives 24/7 in their head, rent free.
LOL!
September 17th, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Can’t wait for Jameis to get back and eat some W’s