Mike Florio Talks To Joe
July 18th, 2019
Talks Bruce Arians.
Joe is cleaning out his voice recorder of interviews conducted with NFL analysts earlier this year. One was with the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio.
Part of this interview was about malcontent wide receiver DeSean Jackson. He’s gone now so no need to reset that. But Florio touched upon something that he later discussed on his weekday NBC Sports Network show, “PFT Live.” And that is he’s not all-in that Bucco Bruce Arians will be around if the Bucs don’t win right away.
JoeBucsFan.com: So was that a swift move by Jason Licht to lure Bruce Arians out of retirement?
Mike Florio: I think it was and I think Jason Licht knows he needs to make an impact sooner rather than later or he is going to be the guy that is the next one to go. Arians can come in and turn things around quickly. I think it is a boom-or-bust kind type of a situation where it is either going to turn things around dramatically or it is just not going to work and everybody is going to be gone in a year or two.
As Joe pointed out earlier, Team Glazer has once before run off a coach a year after inking the guy to a three-year extension. And that was Chucky. Team Glazer cleaned house. Got rid of Bruce Almighty, too, and ordered aging veterans purged.
And if you think about it, the stage is set for just such a move. Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is in the final year of his contract and many players are either on one-year pacts or reaching the end of their contracts.
No, Joe doesn’t see a purge happening come January. But hey, if the Bucs finish 5-11 (again) or worse, all bets are off.
July 18th, 2019 at 12:27 am
You must also take into consideration and think, would turning the roster over completely be such a good ideal? At some point you have to develop these young players, or you’re perpetually starting over every 2-3 years. This team needed a good coaching staff that can recognize talent, be willing to weed out weak players, and develop some continuity and trust.
I personally hope Arians doesn’t get frustrated and hang it up at the end of this season. There’s a mountain to climb, so let’s see if this MONSTER coaching staff get these guys prepared.
July 18th, 2019 at 12:52 am
Arians is an awesome coach. Has there ever been anyone else to win NFL Coach of the Year in each conference? And if he can win Coach of the Year in Tampa, will he be the only coach ever to win that award with three different teams? If so, he might get into the Hall of Fame on that record alone.
July 18th, 2019 at 1:04 am
The GM needs to go NOW!!! Far too many misses on free agency and not much better with the draft. A coach is only as good as the talent he has to work with. The Bucs are an average team, with an average QB and a below average running game and a below average defense. Arians will indeed need to be a miracle worker to finish 9 and 7. If he does, Licht stays. If the Bucs go 7 and 9 Licht needs to go. What GM would still have a job going 5 and 9 for 2 years in a row and yet be so far over the salary cap they can’t even sign their draft picks. If he were in the corporate world he would already be gone!!!
July 18th, 2019 at 2:06 am
Even if we go 9-7 I think licht should be out..
July 18th, 2019 at 2:47 am
Bucs were 5-11 last year because of turnovers, poor defense, poor running game and poor special teams – all points to poor coaching.
Injuries on defense, Jameis suspension- issues that good coaches can work through.
Good coaches don’t have back to back 5-11 seasons.
Good coaches know how to deal with Diva attitude (see Parcells and T.O.)
All GM’s need good coaches to be successful and vice versa.
Licht is improving over time , it takes most a little while to work through mistakes and Licht wasn’t exactly in a great position initially to pick coaches.
I would say this year is more on Jameis than Licht and I think Jameis will be just fine with Arians.
July 18th, 2019 at 2:57 am
I hope this works out cuz a reboot would be what…Buc Reboot 7.3🤦♂️🤷♂️
July 18th, 2019 at 4:51 am
Oh rats, just when I thought there was HOPE at JBF World HQ, out comes an old recording made before any meaningful upgrades were made here (‘earlier this year’?) to generate angst among the masses. Snuff out any HOPE for sure. We cannot have any HOPE here in Bucsville. Nope, not allowed. Woe is us.
The Great Mike Florio’s scenario is laughable. IF BA can’t turn things around ‘dramatically’ this year or next ‘everybody is going to be gone’? Really? The only thing ‘dramatic’ there is the absurdity of the prediction.
Coach Arians knew EXACTLY what he was getting into when he signed on to coach the Bucs, and so did the coaches who he brought with him. The Bucs were a dumpster fire when BA arrived … a marching band for an offense, lawn chairs for a defense, and a carousel for S/Ts. Perpetual losing seasons playing in the NFL’s toughest division and no salary Cap space to fix it. Bummer.
I’ll contend forever that Bruce Arians didn’t sign on here because of Jason Licht. He didn’t sign on here for a retirement package. And he surely didn’t sign on here because of the Bucs winning tradition & record of excellence. Nope, BA is a LEADER and a VISIONARY. He saw something here that so many fans & media don’t seem capable of seeing … OPPORTUNITY. There was enough here for BA & his coaches to build on to turn this organization into a winner. Great LEADERS and VISIONARIES see the FUTURE while so many are mired in the PAST.
BA came in with a PLAN, just like Tony Dungy did, and it’s being executed to perfection IMO. Immediately rebuild the horrid defense … check. Immediately rebuild the horrid S/Ts … check. Open up some salary Cap space to be in a position to add needed pieces to the offense before season start … check. Run a demanding training camp that lets the cream rise to the top via competition … in progress.
Far too many Debbie Downers and Negative Nellies in Bucsville. This MAY be a ‘dramatic’ turnaround leading to a playoff spot but it’s more likely that this year is a ‘change the culture’ year. Regardless, enjoy the journey; it promises to be a heck of a lot of fun.
July 18th, 2019 at 5:56 am
If it’s bad, it doesn’t matter what the past is, especially if the owners’ assessment is they can’t wait. You clean it out. Strip is down to the frame. Sometimes you do have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. And sometimes it’s the right thing to do. And it’s coming if they don’t get it sorted out rickity tick.
July 18th, 2019 at 6:32 am
@Defense Rules . Arians’ own son Jake has been on record saying that it could be very short lived if it doesn’t work out right away . Florio’s position on this isn’t absurd at all .
July 18th, 2019 at 7:19 am
What a phenomenal interview and great insight into the Bucs
July 18th, 2019 at 7:54 am
“$21 million guaranteed, golf cart and delegate
Where do I sign”
BA
July 18th, 2019 at 8:20 am
SmoothBayRider … Back on Jan 13th Jake Arians had this to say about his dad Bruce being hired as the new Bucs HC …
“I don’t know how you build a more solid staff to move forward with an organization that’s kind of been in flux. And yeah, IT MIGHT BE FOR THREE YEARS; who knows how long B.A. is going to do it. But the fire has been re-lit. Being away from it for a year, being on CBS and really missing it. I don’t think he realized how much until maybe within the last month. But I haven’t heard him this excited since they went like 13-3 in Arizona. My mom is over the moon for people that are worried about that. His health is great. (laughs) Had to get a physical to get the job. I don’t know how you do a better job of eight [head coach] jobs open than this. … Turn it around now and win. They can win with the pieces they have. They’ve got some cap space. They can make some moves. That’s my analysis of it trying to be not biased. I’m over the moon for my dad that he’s this excited and has another chance. … I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do his second time around.”
Jake wasn’t talking 1 year. Or even 2 years. His analysis? “It might be for three years”. That’s not “very short-lived” IMO as Florio contended. In just about every interview various media folks have done with BA, he’s stressed how his staff are all great TEACHERS. And how it’s a mix of old & young, experienced & up-and-comers. Only a coach looking longer-term would take that approach.
Of course he wants to win now, and intends to win now. But there are ‘variables’ in the equation that he doesn’t have 100% control over, and being the highly experienced coach that he is, he knows that better than we do. Injuries are one of those variables, especially to key players. Limited 2019 ‘budget’ is another variable, as is the 2019 schedule and ‘strength of the competition’. And whether we want to admit it or not, Lady Luck plays a role every season.
And don’t underestimate the Glazers. The totally blew it up once when they fired Jon Gruden and gambled on youthful Raheem Morris as his replacement, followed by Iron Fist college coach Schiano, then unemployed, ‘Get Me Out of This Cellar’ Lovie Smith and then ‘Who Needs a Defense’ Dirk Koetter. What do you think the odds are that the Glazers could find a better, more experienced HC than Bruce Arians? They won’t make the same mistakes yet again. They’ll ride this horse until the horse doesn’t want to run any more, then they’ll promote him to President of Football Operations. Enjoy the ride.
July 18th, 2019 at 8:27 am
“Just enjoy the ride”?????????? That is a moronic statement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That “ride” that your telling people to enjoy is headed straight for a wall and a huge crash!!!!!!!! The “real” fans want more than just a “ride” as we want places to go and things to accomplish!!!!!!!!!!! You better start to smell the coffee defense rules, and be ready after the wall and crash to salvage what little is of little worth and rebuild for a ride and a destination!!!!!! IT will takes years of planning and work!!!!!!!! But that is what happens when they have KNOWINGLY gone in the wrong direction and refused to turn around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 18th, 2019 at 9:03 am
As usual agree D.R.
I like the combination of attitudes between HC and new younger players.
The one thing perhaps that has impressed me most about our draft class is the word that comes to mind for me anyway is “hungry”. Hopefully we don’t butcher that into “youngry”!
I do think the young guys seem focused and incredibly motivated.
They’ll be coached up by a guy who has nothing on the line in any negative sense. He’s already made his bones. If it does blow up he just walks away and folks will not be saying Arians messed up…oh noes they’ll be saying that the Bucs suck so much that even Arians can’t turn them around.
We as fans have more on the line than Arians.
He came back IMHO to take a final shot at a SB. I think he believes…along with we cockeyed optimists…that there is an opening window for the Bucs to make a move. He obviously believes in JW.
In addition to a shot at a SB he has the chance for one of life’s most satisfying achievements….next guy in at New England can’t win…or at least get credit for it…but if BA can win he’ll be viewed as the guy who turned around the wretched Bucs.
He will OWN Tampa if he wins and he’ll put the icing on the cake of his career.
July 18th, 2019 at 9:05 am
Realist … Your question marks and exclamation points have gone ballistic on you once again. But hey, what do I know? My mastery of the English language is limited to moronic statements. So while the “real” fans ‘enjoy the ride’ this year, you be sure to ‘Enjoy the crash’.
July 18th, 2019 at 10:13 am
the ball is really in the glazers court and winston is the most important piece to this puzzle…..
if winston plays like he did the last 4games or better we win 10+ games, BA and the staff stays and licht is off the hook….winston plays bad, cleaning house could be in play….
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 18th, 2019 at 10:55 am
Licht should have been gone two years ago. Worthless GM.
July 18th, 2019 at 11:37 am
BA’s goal with the Bucs is to finally win a Super Bowl as the Head Coach and that is a three year goal to cap his glorious achievements. I am certainly fine with that! The first year is to change the culture and at least a winning record and hopefully a playoff appearance and prove Jameis is a Franchise QB. Once the goal is reached accept a President of Operations post to keep all his Asst. Coaches together while promoting one to Head Coach.
July 18th, 2019 at 11:54 am
Lay off the fire Licht rhetoric and let BA prove that Licht picked players with good potential that was never developed by Warhop and other prior Coaches and let BA fully develop their potential. One glimpse that is coming was how upset with Smith’s 4 month suspension BA was when many of the naysayers have posted that Smith should be cut as if he was another Licht bust, but Smith was only partially developed by BA’s Coaches and BA already has bigger plans for him enough that he didn’t cut him and instead is keeping his position open until he comes back. Watch Jones and Spense also pay off this year too and I guarantee you BA will find some diamonds among all his undrafted free Agents that Licht found for him, just like Licht used to find diamonds in the rough for the Patriots.
July 18th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Interesting take on Jason Licht BA Fan. Totally agree with your 11:37 post & most of the second one. A number of the FAs who we’ve added since BA arrived however had ties to him from previous years (Koetter & Smitty did the same thing BTW).
My belief though is that Bruce Arians & Jason Licht have a good personal & working relationship. Most likely a much better relationship than Jason had with Lovie or Dirk, because BA knows what he wants & knows how to get it. BA is a LEADER and knows how to use those who he surrounds himself with to build a winning TEAM (I won’t say the same thing about any HC we’ve had since Tony Dungy).
Jason’s safe, for now at least, but in the final analysis it’s PERFORMANCE that counts to leaders like BA. If you want a place on the TEAM, you’d better produce. I’m not at all enamored with Licht’s performance as our GM to date, but IMO a new TEAM is rising, and it’s what happens going forward that I care about now. I’m personally rooting for him to excel from here on out as a GM. Only time will tell though.
July 18th, 2019 at 2:04 pm
Defense rules: GREAT POST hard for some to see the possibilities
July 18th, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Oh and when we had to fire our young FSU placekicker that Licht saw NFL potential in enough that Licht moved up to the second round and took him; if BA had been here with a true NFL Placekicker Coach Arguayo may still be kicking for us. That Coach could have developed his mental approach to NFL pressure which was all he needed. He definitely already had the mechanics or he would not have been the top College placekicker. He could have made 30 yard extra points because he kicked plenty of 30 yard field goals for FSU.