Continuity Vs. Change
September 8th, 2020
Too much change?
Joe used to hear it a lot, but not in the past couple of years.
Someone gets on radio and claims the Bucs can’t win because they change coaches. They use the word “continuity.”
Joe is of a different mind: Why would you want to continue with garbage coaches? How about quit hiring garbage coaches and the team might win. What a concept?
(In the business world, if a guy isn’t doing this job, why on earth would you keep him for the sake of “continuity?” That wouldn’t fly very well. And if a coach can’t demonstrate he can take a team to the promised land, then what’s the point?)
Joe cannot remember the exact quote, but his good friend, NFL columnist Mike Tanier once wrote of lousy Lovie Smith — Joe is paraphrasing here — nothing torpedos a talented roster quicker than a bad coach.
In the Bucs’ case during The Lost Decade, imagine how bad coaches Pearl Harbored marginal talent?
That was Joe’s case for changing coaches. But Tanier, who after leaving Bleacher Report this summer now works for a variety of publications, including the following item from Fansided, noted continuity can be a good thing.
Your favorite television sportstalk pundit has probably stressed “continuity” so often this offseason that you are sick of hearing about it: obviously, it helps to have a coaching staff, quarterback and roster who all worked together before OTAs turned into Zoom meetings and preseason games were replaced by intrasquad scrimmages in empty stadiums.
It’s easy to overstate the value of familiarity and stability: continuity won’t make a terrible team good. But it should help the Chiefs and Ravens stay on top, it could give a second-tier contender like the Titans an edge, and too much roster turnover could spell trouble for a team that was forced to make wholesale changes (hello, Patriots).
I covered the Giants in 2011, the year of the offseason lockout. Their roster looked mighty ordinary, but they spent the first two weeks of that unconventional training camp re-signing their own backups and role players instead of pursuing many of the big-name free agents who were left in lockout limbo.
Of course, the Eagles were the talk of the NFL that year for their offseason moves. So what happened? The Giants won the Super Bowl while the Eagles sucked their thumbs and watched the playoffs from their couches or a beach bar in the DR.
The Bucs this year are an odd mix of continuity and change. The entire coaching staff returns. All but on starter returns on defense, a defense that played strong in the final weeks of 2019.
Offense? Well, the core is back. Four starting offensive linemen, two excellent receivers and two underrated tights.
However, the most important position on the team is brand new (and old). And the Bucs have a brand new (future Hall of Fame) tight end and a damn good new running back.
So how will this Bucs team do? Defense shouldn’t be an issue. But on offense, how quickly can this team gel and be a force. Many believe the Bucs will sputter early and then get hot midway through the season.
That seems reasonable since the offense is a new blend and had limited time to work out this crazy offseason.
As for what the Bucs will do in the Tom Brady era? Tanier has a hunch Bucs players and owners will make more money than they will championships.
“You sell a lot of Bucs apparel. Tom Brady gets to expand TB12 aggressively into Florida. But there’s a little too much of that in the formula -a little too much of ‘hey we’re going to make a lot of money’. And less of, this is a surefire way to get to the Super Bowl@MikeTanier pic.twitter.com/c3aVKLG24j
— TSN Radio Vancouver (@TSN1040) September 8, 2020
September 8th, 2020 at 4:12 pm
What a concept is right. Continuity of bad coaching? Yeah sell that somewhere else. And it wont take the best QB to lace em up long to get that offense going.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:12 pm
TB12 won’t make $$$ unless he wins.
He knows that.
So his focus is on winning regardless what a talking head claims.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:13 pm
You know what makes you alot of money? Winning the super bowl in your own house.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:18 pm
Its amazing how these loser Twitter heads like Mike Tanier are questioning the motives of a 6 time Superbowl champion.
Winning has and will always be Bradys #1 priority. He would not of come to the Bucs if he didnt think there was a chance to win.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:20 pm
The way to make money is to win and win a lot. It’s not just about the merchandise it is about winning championships and the Glazers have Finally put all the pieces together to do it this year. I really think the Glazers want to win championships and I believe they have spent a lot of money over the years to this end. Unfortunately they have been duped by some stupid advice over the past decade. I think Tanier’s comment proves he has no idea about this franchise.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:26 pm
The old cheating goat brady has already “won”!!!!!!!!! He is hoping that Bree’s retires after this year and then the old cheating goat Brady will break and hold the all time passing records in 2021!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He came to the bucs to put up massive passing yards!!!!!!!! And if he wins some games along the way, then that is just gravy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But if some how he drags ole stale biscuit to a playoff game, then that would be more impressive than winning 6 superbowls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 8th, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Raheem, Schiano, and Koetter were all decent coaches that might’ve won if given more time and better talent.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:40 pm
“In the business world, if a guy isn’t doing this job, why on earth would you keep him for the sake of “continuity?” Preach Joseph! preach!
September 8th, 2020 at 4:44 pm
Jason Lite came to mind as soon as I read
“ In the business world, if a guy isn’t doing this job, why on earth would you keep him for the sake of “continuity?”
I’ll go back and finish the article now…
September 8th, 2020 at 4:56 pm
El stale o el commento
September 8th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Continuity is why I believe our defense will be very strong this year……all returning starters & coaches…..adding Winfield…..
Their communication should be much improved…..
#1 against the run and much improved vs the pass….
DEFENSE….
September 8th, 2020 at 5:19 pm
Western I cant give you Koetter on that buddy. He couldn’t developed a player to save his ass aside from pass catchers. That right there is enough.
Or just look at his handpicked veteran leadership on defense. Grimes. The guy literally ran away from tackles and then did some video saying the coach’s had him doing stuff he was uncomfortable with? So you dont know how to coach up a guy you had around 10 years experience working with? Is this some kind of sick joke?
Then look at Dirks first order of business after hired…..Bring back Doug Martin at top dollar……Or how about the Djax fiasco? That situation has Dirks grubby little paws written all over it…….The guy hadent a clue how to recruit talent he could get the most from.
But really what tears it for me is when we had a chance to make the playoffs in Dallas in 2016 and we got our teeth kicked in…….followed by an unmotivated team that got destroyed the next week to a 7-9 lousy Saints team as we were eliminated from contention. Dirk was awful
September 8th, 2020 at 5:34 pm
First, change was necessary; culture, coaches, and players. Change continued through the season and into the off-season. Now is where continuity must take place, continuity of winning football games.
And anyone who doesn’t see the change from 2018 to 2019 has an agenda or blinders on. This is a vastly different team.
Apprehensive? Who wouldn’t be after a decade of garbage?! Hear that, though? That’s the sound of cannons! The bandwagon is near, hop on board!
September 8th, 2020 at 6:02 pm
@westernbuc,
Each of the coaches you mentioned had either reached their ceiling (ala Dungy), lost the locker room, or couldn’t evaluate talent to save themselves.
This is why there’s only a handful of great coaches in the NFL. It’s not easy to balance everything and win.
September 8th, 2020 at 6:10 pm
Kinda mirrors 2002. Continuity on defense and new pieces on offense. Hopefully we have the same outcome.
September 8th, 2020 at 8:59 pm
My experience in “the business world” appears to me to be quite a bit different than Joe’s has been. I conclude this because I have observed over time that he is much more cynical than I am. He is also much younger than me, I am sure. That might mean something.
I judge the things that Jason Licht has done in the past three year quite differently too. I see what Bruce Arians has done since he came out of retirement in a dramatically contrasting light as well.
C’est la vie!
September 8th, 2020 at 10:31 pm
Raheem, will give you that, but he somehow lost the team and his job.
Schiano — if you give him better players? He ran off Talib and Blount. But X’s and O’s, Schiano wasn’t bad.
Koetter was a good offensive coach. He paid no attention to the defense and that bit him in the arse in the end.
September 9th, 2020 at 9:26 am
“In the business world, if a guy isn’t doing this job, why on earth would you keep him for the sake of “continuity?” {business and political world} {their}
Fixed that for ya! No problem, you are welcome.
Bring on the “taint’s”
Go Bucs!!
September 9th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
TB12 is raking in money no matter what the Bucs do this year.
Lol at thinking otherwise.