Celebrating Excellence
October 29th, 2018
Among several standouts
Yes, Joe could join many Bucs fans and cry in a bowl of Wheaties this morning or go refill a Valium prescription, but Joe is determined not to let the crumbling of the franchise quarterback soil the memory of strong Bucs performances yesterday.
First, let’s all give a standing ovation to Jason Pierre-Paul’s two-sack day, the only two QB hits of Bengals QB Andy Dalton. JPP now has eight sacks with nine games to play. Not since the 2005 edition of Simeon Rice have the Bucs had a double-digit sack man.
Second, Mike Evans had a monster day with six catches for 179 yards. He’s now sitting with 46 catches on the season for a whopping 770 yards. Even novice math mavens know that’s a sick average of 110 yards per game.
Third, Peyton Barber ran hard like he always does and found daylight — 19 carries for 85 yards that included his first TD run of the season. Barber continues to show he’s a legit No. 1 running back. That doesn’t mean he’s a special running back, but he’s a solid 24-year-old on the rise. A season average of 3.7 yards per carry is about 30 percent better than what Doug Martin averaged through the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Fourth, O.J. Howard rather quietly already has 24 receptions this season. That’s just two less than he had in all of 2017. His 2018 average yards per catch remains over 17, which is ridiculously good for a tight end. Yesterday, Howard caught all four balls thrown his way, including the beastly 18-yard touchdown grab on 4th-and-3 with 1:05 remaining. Clutch!
And of course, there’s the bearded guy coming in cold on the road and looking like Aaron Rodgers for 14 minutes.
Take time to celebrate a little excellence with Joe this morning. It beats the inevitable alternative.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:08 am
Nice to see Justin Watson get his 1st NFL catch.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:11 am
It’s okay, just ignore the Big Turd (No. 3) in the punchbowl, keep on drinking!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:19 am
That is what makes this so maddening, we have SO many good players and still this team can’t get over .500.
JPP is a one man show on the D line, and that’s about it.
What else can be done in season? The 20.5 million dollar question is the QB spot. You otice the team has swagger and believes in Fitz, you can tell by the body language when he is in the game. Do you keep starting Winston, and lose the rest of your team? Only in Tampa !!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:24 am
Even with a lost, as Fitz was doing his Magic, the agony and pain dissolved like Magic, Baby!!!!
Yes, we lost. But the writing should be in the wall.
FitzMagic is BACK!!!!!
Once again the offense is back to normal and no longer UNDERACHIEVING!!!!!!!
Licht get us a trade for more picks!!!!!!!
Its really a good day in Tampa Bay!!!!! We are moving forward!!!!!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:26 am
Thanks Joe! I woke up this morning determined to celebrate the good things about this team, hopeful the GM and coach make a wise decision concerning the QB position. I still want the team to win THIS year. Field the best the best 46 on Sunday…if that means benching a guy with the “5 star virus” (yes, i am speaking of JW) so be it!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:26 am
Joe, you might not be aware of this but Mike Evans is getting close to breaking the NFL record for the youngest player to hit 6k receiving yards currently held by one Mr. Randy Moss. Interesting tidbit to pay attention to. Just needs 651 in the next 9 games, and if he stays healthy and Fitzpatrick plays like FitzMagic then he should get it.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:29 am
Smitty and now Jameis!!!!!
ACCOUNTABILITY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
KEEP CHOPPING THE WOOD GLAZERS!
20 MIL SHOULD BE MONEY WELL SPENT!!!!!!!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:32 am
WOW!! Great info OneBucPerson. Thanks for sharing. This year could get better yet.
Go Bucs!!! We are only 3-4. Lets keep getting rid of the dead weight!!!!!!!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:33 am
Good draft pick oj Howard
October 29th, 2018 at 7:35 am
I agree with everyone else, the last 14 minutes of the game was the best part. You could just see the light bulb go on and the Bucs were actually working as a team. Like the little dance maneuver they did last week where the boat was in the water and all ores were moving in the same direction. You could see that offense firing on all pistons!! I would rather watch the remaining part of the season with Fitzpatrick at the helm and the fired up offense than endure having to see America’s Turn-over Machine Winston constantly screw things up. Just saying this experiment has to be over.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:38 am
@db55
Come out of hiding with that mouth of yours!!
Weren’t you the one calling people rac#ists and bigots for not blindly supporting your boy.
Step up and defend your boy and your mouth. Don’t go into hiding now moron.
Welcome to reality. We’ve been waiting for you.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:42 am
I kind of feel for Koetter…….he has a kicker who fails…..a QB who throws 4 picks…..3 in their territory and one pick 6.
A defense that has no pass rush and 3 rookie DBs and injuries all over the place.
Yet in 3 of the 4 losses his team roars back to almost win while being down significantly.
Koetter is probably going down because he is the coach….but, I still feel for him.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:43 am
There were a few standout performances yesterday…..Mie Evans is one of the best WRs in the league…and tough to boot! JPP is ballin out! OJ Howard is an absolute star in the making! BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS IF THE COACHES PUT THE BALL IN THE HANDS OF A QB WHO TURNS THE BALL OVER WITH RECKLESS ABANDON!
Bench Winston Now! Make Fitz the starter for the rest of the season! Make a few trades and get some more draft ammo! Get a new QB in April!
The failed Jameis Winston experiment is over. Time to move on.
October 29th, 2018 at 7:47 am
You know, I think the difference in team chemistry between JW and Fitz comes down to maturity. When players first meet Jameis, they admire his rah rah character. But that probably wears pretty thin after a while. It may endear him to his post-pubescent college teammates, but not the grown-ass men he’s playing with now. He just doesn’t have the maturity, also evidenced off the field, that a true leader brings to a team. On the other hand you have Fitz. So, yeah I understand why the team seems to play harder for Fitz!
October 29th, 2018 at 7:52 am
I am with you bucsfans. I’ve been a big supporter of JW and I don’t have an idea of what’s going on with JW and the bucs organization but Jamis have not improved so the bucs need to go with Fitzpatrick the rest of the season and move on from Jamis next season. This team can ball with the best in this league we just need a good QB and DC we have more than enough talent on this team to make it to the playoffs
October 29th, 2018 at 7:55 am
A lot of us are celebrating! We can finally embrace our Buccaneers again!!!!
#nolongerfaceofthefranchise
#jameiscrabmanwinston
October 29th, 2018 at 7:57 am
The team isn’t too bad, except for the deer staring into the headlights at QB [WinSTUNNED]…He has no head for the position. Flashes like many young QBs do until teams figure out tendencies and WinSTUNNED has one very bad habit of staring down the main target…usually Evans. END THIS MESS NOW!!!!
October 29th, 2018 at 8:17 am
Great post Joe!!! I thought the same things and I also agree with TBBF. Koetter got hosed in this entire JW deal…but as AE pointed out yesterday…JW is the reason Koetter got promoted to begin with and so perhaps it’s only fitting JW gets him fired…still agree with you TBBF I feel sorry for Koetter.
I do not mean to wreck a wonderfully positive thread after suffering through yesterday. And this is not negative more of an overall question about GM strategy and QB’s.
But again if you read Bassenger’s column yesterday…keep Jameis or trade him. It’s not just about Jameis it’s about the entire concept of building a winning NFL franchise.
Everybody agrees the normal or traditional route is find a franchise QB and build around him….but really how much are franchise QB’s worth? I’m not talking market value I’m talking about competitive value to a GM.
There have been several instances now where a team breaks the bank to sign their QB after winning an SB. The cap hit frequently hurts the team significantly because not enough is left for the rest of the team.
So…I do not believe Fitzmagic is the Messiah or our savior…however I not only believe that this offense is good enough to allow Fitz to win games despite any perceived lack of talent…IE…he’s “good enough”. I do not expect him to turn in another day like yesterday but if he could just reach Brad Johnson level or Trent Dilfer level we could still win an SB. How much would we save with Fitz to load up on defense?
Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Jets in March for only 500,000 guaranteed and a boatload of incentives that could take him as high as 15 million…still 5 million cheaper than JW.
Bassenger’s point….there are now some GM’s who are no longer enamored with the old way of paying a “franchise” QB 20-30 million…depleting the rest of your roster due to cap issues.
IMHO I do not see this as black and white. There is more than one way to succeed at many jobs. Tom Brady is such a hometown discount that he makes about the 18th most money when he is clearly one of the top 2 or 3.
It’ll be interesting to see how Rodgers deal ultimately affects GB. Remember there was a period when Brees great deal really hurt the NO defense.
Some GM’s therefore LOVE finding a QB on a rookie contract and making hay while you can still afford to pay everybody.
October 29th, 2018 at 8:29 am
I agree with you PSLBOB…
I believe the older vets, including Evans and Jackson have had enough of JW’s immaturity and antics. The offense comes alive when Fitz comes into the game…
Licht will be fired at the end of the season…too many wasted high round draft picks that do not contribute. Now you can officially toss Spence onto the piule of wasted second round picks ( 2016 was brutal )…MJ Stewart is a liability in coverage and RoJo has not impressed…for that matter, either has Vea.
House cleaning coming!
October 29th, 2018 at 8:38 am
OJ Howard is another Kellen Winslow Sr, he’s a stud but Koetter does not know how to use him. Man…Sean Peyton n Bill Bellichick would make this guy the top TE in the NFL. OJ is a beast!! He just need a coach who knows how to maximize his skill set. I’m talking game changer every game, especially in the red zone. No one should be able to handle him one on one. With ME n OJ why can’t we score TDs on every possession, look no further than the Head Coach.
October 29th, 2018 at 8:42 am
Tbbucfan
U feel for Dirk? He is the leader of the mess. He is the reason for the mess. I feel for the majority of the team. The guys out there giving 100%. This team is loaded with talent and gets outcoached every week. Makes for bad tv for sure.
October 29th, 2018 at 8:48 am
You forgot to mention the catches By Hump
October 29th, 2018 at 8:48 am
Joe has one baby left to hang his hat on and its peyton barber excelling against crappy teams, peyton barber is a 3rd string back at best but thanks to genius licht he is a starter in tampa
October 29th, 2018 at 9:11 am
Big Dust. Yeah you are probably right about Barber. Next week he will probsbly average 1.2 yards a carry and force the Bucs into numerous 3rd and long situations and the Panthers do not allow 56% of 3rd downs to be converted like Cincy….. We fans will need a perfect game from Fitz to keep close to the Panthers….
October 29th, 2018 at 9:36 am
And when Fitz gets mauled this weekend, AND THAT WILL HAPPEN, will JBF readers come to the reality that Fitz ISN’T magic? I wish him the best but I get sick of seeing people, my fellow Buc fans, set themselves up for more disappointment. Stop doing this to yourselves people.
October 29th, 2018 at 10:50 am
Fitz MAY not be the long term answer but now WE KNOW Jameis isn’t. Time to move on from him, the kicker, and Dirk.
October 29th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
If Fitz gets banged up go to Ryan Griffin. Brady was an unheralded late round pick who came in when Bledsoe went down and is now the GOAT. Winston should not take another snap with the Bucs as an injury would force team to pay him the fifth year option. Trade him now or release him later but no more “he’s the future”, “he’s only 24” or he’s gonna develop”.
He isn’t gonna develop into anything other than a good backup who maybe can learn under a good coach and do a good job filling in when a #1 goes down.
A team like the Niners could have used him this year. Or Dallas when Tony Romo went down. He has value as a very good backup.
October 29th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
@passthebuc
“You forgot to mention the catches By Hump.”
For real. Hump was all over making some serious grabs.
October 29th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
I agree Ed. We need to get Griffin into some real action, so we can see what we’ve got. If he’s a mess, we know it’s time to draft a QB.
October 29th, 2018 at 12:36 pm
How about the excellence of Derwin James? Vea has done nothing for this team and looks like a huge bust so far.
October 29th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
Joe:
pls consider an article on who we could trade for most return
October 29th, 2018 at 2:11 pm
DoctorBerto
I thought Derwin whoever he is played for the Chargers. Why should we give a crap? Seriously!!!!
We could play this shoulda drafted ad infinitum and there are a few of you FSU Derwin nuthuggers who are NEVER going to let it go. I feel your pain for this season but I honestly am more interested in how Taggart rebuilds your once proud and IMHO soon to be proud program once again. I can root for NOLES but not Chargers, or Vikings or any other NFL team’s player.
I loved Dalvin Cook and wanted him over OJ…..I was wrong!!!
Plenty here wanted Guice…how many yards has he picked up?
The draft is a crap shoot…Brady the GOAT in round six? Rodgers 24th pick…we could go on and on forever so why should we waste a freaking second thinking about Derwin whoever he is?
Do people here never read cliches….spilt milk…the cow has left the barn…that ship has sailed….LET IT GO!!! You’re boring us and insulting a Buc player because SEVEN games into his career after suffering an injury that wiped out his camp he’s not playing as well as another rookie seven games into his own career.
Really? It’s a done deal after seven games eh?
October 29th, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Just want to say Hump had a really good game. People tend to forget about him. Also I can think of better ways to spend 20-25 mil than on Winston. But then again the Bucs are good at throwing good money away. Just ask McCoy or Grimes.