Warren Sapp: It’s Not The Coaches, It’s “The Jimmys and Joes”
November 1st, 2022
Not happy with defensive play.
Fascinating Bucs chatter between a couple of old Bucs, one of which has his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tom Brady plays under his name in home games.
That would be former Bucs offensive lineman Ian Beckles and Bucs legend Warren Sapp. Beckles, a local sports radio personality who hosts his own podcast “In the Trenches,” had Sapp as his guest.
Sadly, the audio was too often cutting out on Sapp’s takes but what did come through was gold. Joe will bring you highlights and there were many.
Beckles began by asking Sapp what is wrong with the Bucs. Sapp pointed his finger at the defense and basically said the players are unaccountable and that bothered him.
“I can break down the defense as I see it,” Sapp began. “We [in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s] had a defense where you had to trust and be accountable for the man next to you. All 11 on the field knew exactly what everyone was doing.
“We didn’t have an issue where something broke down. We didn’t have to look at the sideline or these damn little pictures or nothing. We didn’t even have to look at the Jumbotron.
“It was about accountability to each other. I don’t see that when I watch the Bucs’ defense.”
Sapp said make no mistake: The Bucs spiraling out of control is fully on the players.
Beckles asked Sapp about what responsibility coaches have in this mess. Sapp didn’t want to hear it.
“Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!” Sapp pushed back. “This is something I believe in wholeheartedly: It’s not the coaches, it’s the Jimmys and Joes. You can draw up any run play any way you want to but come Sunday, it ain’t gonna to look like that.”
Sapp had many more things to say about the Bucs’ defense and individual players as well, and Joe will share more. Joe guesses you could sum it up and say Sapp is suggesting he sees a lot of irresponsible play — and players — on defense.
Ira Kaufman Explores Answers, Responds To Tough Byron Leftwich Questions, Addresses Jason Licht’s Future, And Much More
November 1st, 2022 at 12:36 am
#SappInTheLab should be required viewing for all of our defensive personnel.
November 1st, 2022 at 12:39 am
How do you get guys to care?
That is what this comes down to.
These are high paid people that right now, do not seem to really care at all as a group.
T Bowles ” We are in a Dark Place” Well Sapp is describing that statement well.
That is a place in competitive sports where people just do not care.
Ray Jay has become again a Dark den of Depression.
November 1st, 2022 at 12:47 am
When most of us say coaching on defense we aren’t talking X’s and o’s. We are talking about motivation and accountability…. Soemthing a guy like Dungy instilled in Sapp and his team mates
November 1st, 2022 at 1:13 am
I call bullspit! Belichick would have White on the bench or traded for playings he does. Either motivate them or replace them. Coaches job. You don’t let a business sink because the employees aren’t motivated. You either motivate them or replace them. Otherwise you get new management. Period.
November 1st, 2022 at 1:37 am
This was never an issue with BA, will be glad when there is a new coaching staff in place, at least then there is hope.
Better than the Dog poop effort on display.
All the talk about BA by some, well his teams never looked like this.
November 1st, 2022 at 1:44 am
It’s the coaches #!!
November 1st, 2022 at 1:47 am
Bowles had the exact same thing happen to him with the Jets.
People rarely change their fundamental way of being.
Bowles is who the Jets thought he was!…and the Bucs
let him off the hook!
November 1st, 2022 at 2:31 am
Bowles is soft and so is this team now. Nuff said.
November 1st, 2022 at 2:43 am
That’s Warren’s opinion and it is wrong.
He’s talking from the experience of playing under great coaches, in which the culture, regimen, locker room and playcalling are all top flight, and the team had leadership in every direction. On a good team, sure, it’s down to the players doing what they’re supposed to do.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE TODAY, WARREN SAPP. Ownership has not good a good job with the roster. The coaches are not leading. The playcalling is poor. The culture has deteriorated gradually into this season’s malaise. Players are lazy, poorly focused and low energy, and talent level is overrated and in some cases genuinely mediocre.
Even if there are “Jimmys and Joes”—“Toms”—who are serious and want to do their jobs, THEY CAN’T. Not with the bad playcalling of Bowles and Leftwich. Not with the inconsistent support of the “Jimmys and Joes” next to you, and around you.
The only way out of this is a complete start-over. At the top, as well as significantly across the roster, leaving only the ones who are 1000% serious and consistently excellent. The rest, let them go. Draft and sign better, and be prepared for pain until it’s all undone and rebuilt.
November 1st, 2022 at 2:44 am
Hey Hoe, now that Bowles is the HC, I’m curious as to whether Sapp thinks having two coaches splitting up the DC’s duties (Foote and Rodgers) is part of the problem, maybe too many chefs in the defensive kitchen?
November 1st, 2022 at 2:44 am
Dah…Joe, not Hoe.
November 1st, 2022 at 2:54 am
a lot of other fans think like sal. I guess players always , everytime play perfect.
Sal Says:
November 1st, 2022 at 1:44 am
It’s the coaches #!!
November 1st, 2022 at 3:55 am
‘Sapp said make no mistake: The Bucs spiraling out of control is fully on the players.’
I agree with Sapp, but not fully. He’s exclusively focusing on the defense, and that’s fine. But the offense is equally to blame, maybe even more-so. And he’s letting coaches off the hook; sorry, that doesn’t cut it Warren. This is a TEAM SPORT as Sapp knows better than I do. No one gets a free pass. You win as a TEAM, and you lose as a TEAM.
November 1st, 2022 at 4:27 am
August 1976 Buc … Defensively you’re right; ‘It was never an issue with BA’. Reason being that he let Bowles run the defense & almost never interfered with that side of the ball. Much the same as Chucky let Monte run the defense. And both Bowles & Kiffin showed over the years that they were outstanding defensive minds.
Our 2002 team ranked #1 in Points Allowed AND #1 in Yardage Allowed, but they didn’t get there overnight. That team was built back in the mid-90s but refined year-to-year. And it all started under Sam Wyche in 1993 when we drafted Lynch & Ahanotu (our defense that year ranked #26). Added no one in 1994, but then in 1995 drafted Sapp & Brooks. Unfortunately for him, Wyche didn’t survive, but our defense did improve dramatically because of what he did (ranked #12 in 1995).
Along came Tony Dungy & company in 1996, and we added Upshaw, Jones & Abraham, all stalwarts of the improving defense (it improved to #8 that year, BUT we still had a losing season). We added Barber & Harris in 1997 (improved to #2 defense). We kept adding pieces though (McFarland, Kelly, Dwight Smith & several others) & were always in or near the Top-5, until 2002 when our defense became one of the greatest of all time.
Point being, it was a continual REFINEMENT PROCESS. Yes guys were accountable to each other like Sapp said, because they’d played together for years. And also because they had superb FIELD LEADERSHIP at all levels … Sapp, Brooks & Lynch. THREE HOFers. They also had a great DC in Monte Kiffin. And oh ya, they seemed to stay relatively healthy. Compare that with the turmoil that was created in our defense this season. THAT’S on management IMO.
Funny thing is, I can still remember folks saying that Tony Dungy was emotionless. Too even-keeled. Didn’t know anything about offense. Sam Wyche IMO got the defensive train rolling. Tony Dungy got it purring like a well-oiled machine. But Jon Gruden gets credit for bringing it into the station in 2002. Of course he then dismantled it & drove it off the tracks in coming years, but we won’t go there.
November 1st, 2022 at 6:41 am
Been telling ya’ll Bucs do not have the players on the Oline or Dline , maybe you will start to get it now. Until the Glazers TELL JASON LICHT to bring back Suh and sign Tretter , NOTHING will change. It is a shame , because 8 wins will take this division.
Aside to DR-Gruden was not afraid to make changes when he took over. 2002 Roster had 22 NEW players , over 40% of the team changed.
November 1st, 2022 at 7:05 am
Never had problems this bad when Arains was the coach. Just saying.
November 1st, 2022 at 7:22 am
Hodad … And we had MUCH better players on OLine & Dline. Pluys BA was JUST a HC, he wasn’t dual-hatted so he was able to focus on the TEAM picture. And he had the red pen to keep BL in line. Just saying.
November 1st, 2022 at 7:35 am
BucsFanSince76 … Yes Gruden brought LOTS of personnel changes in 2002, vast majority of them on the OFFENSIVE side of the ball (where they were needed most). And even though Chucky was dual-hatted as HC and OC, he had Monte (much like BA had Bowles). That left Gruden to focus exclusively on the offensive side of the team. It wasn’t until he & Allen started messing with the DEFENSE that things went south.
By 2006 after Sapp & Lynch had been shown the road & a bunch of new faces had come onboard, the defense had deteriorated all the way to a #21 ranking. Same DC, one of the best of all-time IMO, but without that continuity & field leadership, they struggled. Sounds all too familiar today.
November 1st, 2022 at 7:58 am
Its definitely the Defensive coaches, its the same guy (s) making the same mistakes. Its communication from the sideline to the field. Letting a top 5 player in the NFL run free down the field and half the team didn’t know if there was a blitz or not, in a game that basically was for the Super Bowl. That has been a consistency of this defense for several years and now glaring this year. Devin White, LVD and Todd Bowles are the 2 main culprits. Panthers game call time out, yell it, they didnt and let some practice guy run wide open down the pipe
November 1st, 2022 at 8:17 am
Players who are looking for the glory aren’t interested in the team – they are like cancer – if you don’t get rid of it – it SPREADS and kills the team
November 1st, 2022 at 8:18 am
Coach isn’t just there to call plays. The coach is the leader of the team. If the players are floundering its because of poor leadership which starts at the top. Sapp never gave any credit to Gruden either by saying Gruden got too much credit and maybe he did but when you insert a coach it will make or break teams. Bruce Arians held this team accountable even Brady. We saw how Bruce would yell at even the GOAT. Bowles took this BA team that went what 20+ and 5 in BA’s tenure to a sh*t show. Yes Gronk is gone, yes we have a rookie LG but we knew all of this going into the season. Even Jenesns injury was early enough in camp to make adjustments there really is no excuse for the way this team looks. Its all on Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff for not having the team ready. Period.
November 1st, 2022 at 8:22 am
I like Warren…but this is a bunch of BS…..
Warren want’s to be welcome around the Bucs so he can’t trash the coaches…
It’s the coaches job to hold players accountable….
November 1st, 2022 at 8:34 am
Sapp and Beckles together are Gold!
The 2 of them compliment each other very well.
From what I see, the Bucs are not in very good football shape.
Their conditioning is very suspect.
But, I think we can win Sunday against the Rams.
If we beat the Rams, it will be “payback” of sorts for them knocking us out of the playoffs.
November 1st, 2022 at 8:34 am
It was about accountability to each other. I don’t see that when I watch the Bucs’ defense.”
Lack of talent leads to lack of trust which leads to lack of accountability- it starts with talent.
November 1st, 2022 at 8:44 am
Lots of intellectual gymnastics going on in these here comments. It’s almost shocking that some commenters are apparently struggling to acknowledge the existence of the hand off of responsibility between the staff, players, and the roles both elements of a football team play in determining the teams’ on-field success. I agree with Sapp to an extent, while I feel like our staff has made some scheme and personnel errors, but know well enough to know our talent is underachieving between whistles. It’ll take the direction of the staff and re-establishing set standards with players & coaches both needing to do better in order to be better moving forward.
Also, if you’ve never been chewed out with your teammates in a film session, threatened with running a hill flat, or my personal favorite, been on a team disciplined the week following a win because a coach has zero tolerance for bonehead mistakes win/lose, I wouldn’t expect you to know how accountability gets doled out in a team conscious environment.
November 1st, 2022 at 8:49 am
Tampabaybucfan:
Understand what you are suggesting. You are not wrong about the coaches. But Sapp has always been a players > coaches guy. What Sapp said is not really surprising at all, given his statements about coaches over the years.
November 1st, 2022 at 8:52 am
I love warren sapp but WHO instills in players to care? Who motivates them? Who fosters the mentality? Who gets the players to buy in? Coaches.
November 1st, 2022 at 9:06 am
Most of you still don’t get it-when your offensive line is looking at breaking a FUTILITY RECORD for rushing inadequacy that has stood for over 50 years, you have a HUGE lack of talent issue. Jason Licht’s job is to put the talent on the roster-Licht is FAILING MISERABLY.