Five Things
November 14th, 2022
What a game. What a time. What a city. What an experience. The old (?) Bucs have reawakened. Come back from the dead? Who cares? It’s Victory Monday! Fill your coffee mug and, as Tom Brady would say, let’s @#$%^&* go!”
Out-bullied The Bully
So was that a cool game or not? It had it all: Big plays, drama, suspense, and most important of all, a win!
Joe just loved how the Bucs bullied the bullies. The Bucs came right at the Seahawks from the first snap. Seattle is a physical team and they tried to intimidate the Bucs but the Bucs threw it back in their faces with extra mustard.
Joe noticed early a Seattle linebacker twice going after No. 3 tight end Ko Kieft. No doubt Kieft had gotten under his skin. Kieft didn’t back down after the first bullying attempt by the Seattle defender and Kieft went back for more on the next play.
Joe has no idea what Kieft did to the rile the guy but you know it has to be good.
It was like the Bucs were saying to the Seahawks, “You might get away with shoving around the soft Rams or the spiraling Cardinals but you are getting double the payback if you try to strong-arm us.”
That’s how to play football. You go right after a guy who thinks he is tough, you don’t let up. You set the tone, not the other guys. That’s just what the Bucs did all game. And it carried them to a big-time win.
Playoffs?
Has the season turned around? Well, we fans should find out in two weeks when the Bucs fly up to Cleveland for their first game after the bye. The Bucs have a game lead on the Dixie Chicks and a two-game lead on the Slimy Saints and Stinking Panthers. The Bucs play each division rival one more time.
So clearly the NFC South runs through Tampa. If the Bucs don’t win the division, that’s because the team has fully collapsed.
Granted, the Bucs could crater in non-division games. Cleveland (3-6) could be a problem. Cincinnati (5-4) will be a problem. The 49ers (5-4) will be tough at San Francisco, but if the Bucs play them like they played yesterday, it’s a winnable game.
That’s a manageable schedule.
Playoffs? Unlike two weeks ago, playoffs look like a reality now.
Tough-guy Defense
Joe loved how the Bucs defense got down and nasty and gritty with the Seahawks. There may be one reason for it: Akiem Hicks.
The defense has played excellent ball the past two weeks. And if you think about it, the defense really hasn’t been the issue for the Bucs most of the year, aside from the Kansas City game and the Panthers and Ravens running the ball down the Bucs’ throat.
Seattle was averaging nearly 26 points a game and the Bucs held the Seahawks to one measly field goal through three quarters. Pretty impressive.
Joe is convinced the return of Hicks is a big difference. Notice how Bucs coach Todd Bowles said that when Hicks came back the rest of the defensive players can return to doing what they do best? Joe is beginning to believe Bowles was letting the cat out of the bag.
Joe will have more about Hicks from the happy Bucs locker room. Joe thinks the return of Hicks and the defense playing some of its best ball is no coincidence.
Joe doesn’t believe in coincidences.
Return of the Super Bucs?
Joe is not getting over his skis here. No, the Bucs are not a Super Bowl team, yet. They haven’t even clinched a division title (yet) in an awful division. Let’s not chug the Kool-Aid (yet).
Last night, even Tom Brady explained this year’s Bucs is a different team. But the way the Bucs played yesterday, it sure smells like they have turned the corner.
Joe thinks all fans will agree the Bucs played yesterday like the team we all thought the Bucs would be back in training camp: Relying a little more on the defense, relying a little more on the run, but still having the weapons and talent to make big plays.
Yeah, Joe knows some folks will point to the scoreboard and holler, “But it was 21 points, Joe!”
Yeah, but…
The Bucs sure seemed like they were going in for a score when Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich got way too cute when he didn’t need to and had Playoff Lenny attempt a throw to Brady. Joe doesn’t have an issue with the play. Joe had an issue with the timing and the intended receiver.
Really? You are going to have a 45-year old quarterback run a route on a slippery field and try to run for a touchdown? Forget that Brady is slow as a waiter in Europe delivering your check so you can pay and leave. You are going to risk your shot at the playoffs, so Brady can get blown up by a linebacker trying to make a name for himself on national TV? That is just so stupid.
Take that play away and the Bucs score on that drive. And dang if the Bucs weren’t moving the ball later when Brady threw his second pick of the season (and boy, Brady was upset with himself for that).
And remember that Rachaad White unselfishly slid en route to the end zone on the Bucs’ final drive to set up victory formation.
The Bucs were close to ringing up 35 points yesterday.
Yesterday we were reminded what could have been and what still may be for this 2022 Bucs team.
The German Experience
So Joe will be asked a lot about this (already have been on Twitter): “What was it like at the stadium?” You may have heard it was the first NFL regular season game in Germany. It wasn’t a monumental, life-changing experience, but it was fun. And of course, different.
The best way Joe could describe the scene was that it was a college bowl game, which for the NFL is way cool. Rarely does an NFL regular season game have the same spirit and intensity and vibe of a major bowl.
If you have even been to a sold out Orange Bowl, or heck, even a few years ago at the Outback Bowl when it had some meaning, that’s what it was like. (If any readers attended the Michigan-South Carolina Outback Bowl, the Jadeveon Clowney game, that’s what it was like yesterday in Munich). There seemed to be more Bucs fans there than Seahawks fans — at least they were louder — but everyone was loud. As if Bucs fans sensed a challenge from “The 12s,” Bucs fans were louder.
Joe doesn’t think the Germans tailgate like Americans (Joe was on a media bus from the hotel and it parked in the bowels of the stadium, so Joe had zero interaction with fans until gametime). Joe didn’t see any smoke from grills. But man, some four hours before the game, it seemed like all of Bavaria was there.
As the bus pulled up maybe 400 yards from the stadium, there was the largest three-level parking garage Joe has ever seen. Between that garage and the stadium, tens of thousands of fans were trying to get into the stadium. This was at noon for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff (Munich time). Joe never saw anything like that.
Tom Brady was the biggest attraction and when he stepped on the field for warmups, the crowd went bananas. When he was introduced, the reaction was much louder for Brady than when either team ran out of their respective tunnels.
How football savvy were the Germans? Well, and this is no way a shot at Joe’s friends in the UK who read this site daily, but from across the pond Joe never got the sense the British have embraced the NFL.
The NFL just seems to be a carnival-like happening there. A novelty. Sure, they sell out the stadium, but the crowd reacts for weird things like punts and kickoffs.
In the UK, it seems fans get excited more for big plays, no matter the team, than they do about a particular team. In Munich, the fans were behind either the Bucs or the Seahawks, not plays, not kickers or punters.
(Again, Joe is not trying to make sweeping generalizations or judgments here, just sharing the vibe Joe got.)
No, the NFL is not the most popular sport in Germany. For every person Joe ran into who was p!ssed they couldn’t find a ticket to go to the game, Joe met two or three who were disinterested (though they knew who Brady is) or cared nothing about the NFL (and didn’t know who Brady was).
That’s not to say there was no excitement. The locals were very welcoming to the Americans who invaded their land for the weekend. They thought it was cool how the Bucs seemed to bond for a few days with not just the area, but the team the locals care most about, FC Bayern soccer.
Whoever set up the Bucs to mingle with FC Bayern, smart move. It seems like Müncheners embraced the Bucs because FC Bayern embraced the Bucs. Sort of like, ‘Welcome to the family! Would you like a beer with that pretzel?’
As for the Germans who followed the NFL, the ones Joe spoke to knew the NFL well, not just a few stars.
The following is just an example of what Joe saw first-hand.
There was no press box at Allianz Arena (from the outside, the place looks like a giant tire someone spray-painted white). The “press box” was basically a row of seats with a long table right in the middle of the fans. It was beyond cramped and Joe has seen much better conditions at high schools. However, the fans were right there. Media was right in the middle with them. Hell, even folks right in front of media row were using the media desk’s electrical outlets to charge their phones (and tease Joe and others by setting their beers right next to our laptops).
In front of Joe was a group of maybe five or six Germans. They were in their 40s or 50s. And man, were they into the Bucs! Every play was intense for them. They would yell at Bucs players by their first names each play. “Go Lenny, run!” “Good catch, Chris!” “Good tackle, Lavonte!” You get the drill.
And these guys loved the “Tampa… BAY!” chant. They were yelling that nearly the entire fourth quarter.
And yes, the crowd was on its feet the whole game.
Joe saw the video showing 3/4 of fans stuck around way after the game singing and chanting. Sara Walsh of NFL Network said on a selfie video on her Twitter feed that she was at the world’s largest karaoke bar.
Maybe this was because at various times during the game there were announcements about how authorities expected train delays back into the city (public transportation by rail is a huge thing here) so stick around for the postgame show.
Or maybe this is a German thing to stick around and celebrate your team’s win after the game? Joe isn’t sure. But you don’t see that often in America.
What floored Joe was the stadium’s reaction to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” song. It seemed they knew every word and the fans throughout the stadium took out their phones, turned the camera light on and waved the phones like it was all choreographed.
Joe learned that this song throughout Bavaria is sort of a “Last Call” song (so played at the two minute warning sort of makes sense). The song also, Joe was told, has a connection with FC Bayern games (couldn’t confirm that).
These German fans went wild over that song, sung during the two minute warning and spilling over into the first two plays after the two minute warning. Joe’s never seen that kind of energy in an NFL stadium at a two minute warning.
It seemed all Bucs players were stoked by the energy and passion of the German fans. Bowles called it “great.” Brady called it “epic” and thanked the Germans for bringing it last night. Julio Jones said the reception he got makes him want to return soon. Vita Vea got into the spirit so much, he went topless and partied with the fans before heading to the locker room. Seattle coach Pete Carroll called the atmosphere “extraordinary.” A lot of Bucs players used the word “electric” to describe the scene on the outskirts of Munich. Rondé Barber loved it.
If that was an example of the growing popularity of the NFL in Germany (the NFL’s TV ratings in Germany are the highest of anywhere in Europe) and the passion fans have, you will see a lot more games in Germany and more than just once a year.
Joe’s vibe is the NFL is a better fit for Germany than England.
And yes, everything went right yesterday. For the NFL and most importantly, for the Bucs.
MUNICH – My report after a memorable few days here. pic.twitter.com/5noeafQeq8
— Peter King (@peter_king) November 13, 2022
November 14th, 2022 at 7:25 am
Fantastic writeup Joe. Thanks. Made me feel like I was actually there.
November 14th, 2022 at 7:26 am
We are also a better team when Julio is on the field……Brady threw past the sticks and vary rarely to backs (2)……Didn’t even throw to White the entire game.
This was absolutely the most complete game the Bucs played since the opener.
November 14th, 2022 at 7:36 am
Nice recap! This gives me a much better feel for what was going on there.
It kind of makes me happy for the German NFL fans. To see anyone embrace football this much and make the most of the event like they did, those fans really deserved to have yesterday’s game there.
It’s kind of giving me the feels, haha
November 14th, 2022 at 7:38 am
Corner??
Well they are at least able to see around the corner now
No many missed turns allowed before the finish.
I allow only one more loss in the remaining regular schedule
November 14th, 2022 at 7:51 am
Thank you. And that’s the goal, to be people’s eyes (and ears).
November 14th, 2022 at 7:56 am
One of your best writeups Joe.
I did not want to ruin it by playing the Peter King link either, so I passed on that.
November 14th, 2022 at 7:58 am
Love it Joe!!!!
November 14th, 2022 at 7:58 am
I wasn’t there obviously and don’t know the “conditions” for the press or whatever, but the Stadiun looked way cooler than the stupid, stale, corporate-ty stadiums here with a bunch of suites and boxes for a-holes that drink wine at a game with their pinkies out. That was an old school stadium with way more personality – and the sound of the fans were 10x more “audible” coming through my tv than any Bucs home game. The constant singing, hollering etc had a European soccer element to it which, while I’m not in to soccer – the noise/ambience always seemed way more lively. NFL reg season games, objectively can come off as non eventful and boring especially with two bad teams. It is big because it is once a week and the elephant in the room that no one seems to want to admit is that the popularity/ratings dwarfs other sports because of the gambling/fantasy. That festive, fun atmosphere is what SPORTS in general is what it is all about, or should be. It was refreshing
November 14th, 2022 at 7:59 am
Nice job Joe!
I can just smell the sauerkraut…… or, maybe you really need to change your lederhosen.
Go Bucs.
November 14th, 2022 at 8:00 am
Joe, thanks for painting the scene. It sounds like a great experience for all involved. Thank you for bringing it home for the home team.
November 14th, 2022 at 8:05 am
Couple of days ago Joe had this purple cabbage famous in Germany at lunch and then had sauerkraut at night. Let’s just say for the next 12 hours you wouldn’t have wanted to be around Joe.
Joe leaves tomorrow morning. The food here is pretty good, but Joe’s had his fill of cabbage for a while.
November 14th, 2022 at 8:07 am
That is really interesting, Joe. The NFL has to know this, right?
Your write-up on the Munich experience is fantastic. Like Defense Rules said above, it made me feel like I was there. Just as a reminder to JBF readers there are a lot of Americans in Germany due to the various military bases including EUCOM. I believe there are two military bases within a 3 hour drive to Munich. There are other military bases where the American military are stationed. This could explain why the NFL ratings do so well in Germany.
Joe, do you have any sense of how many people there were Americans compared to Germans?
November 14th, 2022 at 8:08 am
It won’t ruin it. He gave his two cents on football (and the Bucs) in Munich and it’s pretty interesting.
November 14th, 2022 at 8:24 am
Every stadium let’s out a reaction to a booming punt Joe. Rewatch the 74 harder by camarda in Tampa last week. Most punts look the same but when the punter gets ahold of one it’s different. Both punters were on yesterday. And yeah Leftwich is a mess. Every week they’ll be bone headed decisions
November 14th, 2022 at 8:35 am
Can the Bucs play their home games in Munich. Looks like the vibe energizes the bucs to play well… 🙂
November 14th, 2022 at 8:40 am
That Country Roads bit, blew me away. You could sense the energy in the stadium and it just took it to another level when the entire stadium belted out that song. Great writeup Joe. Gave me a much better sense of what was going on in the stands and in the minds of German fans. Kudos!
November 14th, 2022 at 8:53 am
A great game for the NFL, the Bucs, Rashad White, and the Buc fans!!!!!
November 14th, 2022 at 8:58 am
We need to bust out “Sweet Caroline” at our next home game.
November 14th, 2022 at 8:59 am
A great game for Germany, the NFL, the Bucs, Rachad White, and the Bucs’ fans!!!
November 14th, 2022 at 9:03 am
What sometimes gets lost here are just how good Joe’s writing skills are……spectacular!!!
November 14th, 2022 at 9:05 am
fantastic article!! thats why i continue to come to joebucsfan,com for my bucs info!!
November 14th, 2022 at 9:16 am
You mean to tell me that no one was crying to sit down like at rayjay sec 114 every home game like they do to us
November 14th, 2022 at 9:17 am
Favorite Bier?
November 14th, 2022 at 9:17 am
I routinely look at other teams fan forum sites the week before each game and it is crystal clear JBF is head and shoulders above the rest-Thanks Joe
November 14th, 2022 at 9:23 am
Oh, not sure about that, but thanks!
Augustiner Helles. Giesinger. And Hofbrauhaus lager.
Paulaner? Not so much. ☹️
Don’t know about that! But thank you. 👍
November 14th, 2022 at 9:24 am
That was a fun read
November 14th, 2022 at 9:26 am
This is a total guess but thinking at least 70 percent (at least) were German. Perhaps of the 70k, maybe 50k were German. Lots of Bucs fans and Seahawks fans came from the states.
November 14th, 2022 at 9:34 am
Terrific article, Joe! Reading this is a great way to cap off the German week and start anew as we pivot to begin our march on Super Bowl 57!
November 14th, 2022 at 9:43 am
Augustiner Helles is great, the Hofbrauhaus house lager is legendary. Never had Giesinger.
What was lacking about the Paulaner? I’ve only had it here in the bottle snd it’s just ok.
I’m thirsty.
November 14th, 2022 at 9:47 am
Yeah, it’s tolerable. But when you are in the middle of Munich “tolerable” or OK doesn’t cut it.
November 14th, 2022 at 9:52 am
Fantastic journalism, sir! Excellent descriptive writing and I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Great job!!
November 14th, 2022 at 9:56 am
Getting healthy on the D line changed everything and we look like the D we are used to seeing. Go Bucs!
November 14th, 2022 at 10:18 am
Great article!
November 14th, 2022 at 10:21 am
I have been to a lot of sporting events in Europe. Differences:
1. The stadiums are not built with luxury boxes first. This makes them vastly superior in terms of sight lines for the average stadium.
2. Soccer fans are MUCH more passionate than US fans. They sing. They stand.
3. There are FAR fewer women at matches in Europe than in the n US. It is the first thing she noticed when we went to the Euro Cup in 2016.
4. How crazy are European fans about the World Cup. In Germany they set up barges on the Rhine with enormous TV screens. Hundreds of thousands gather on either side of the river.
5. German interest in the NFL has some of its origins in the fact there are large US military bases there.
November 14th, 2022 at 10:53 am
I don’t give the Joe’s enough luv, that was good article 👊🏾🤙🏾
Guys in Tampa wouldn’t be a bad thing too
adopt “Country Road” seriously especially when
we play the Saints. How can we get that cracking?
November 14th, 2022 at 10:53 am
Joe you mean “uninterested”, not “disinterested”. Look it up. signed, the grammar police
November 14th, 2022 at 10:57 am
That was so informative, I felt like i was there, thanks Joe.
November 14th, 2022 at 10:58 am
Play a game in Dublin, Ireland. They are crazy about rugby. They will love American football.
November 14th, 2022 at 10:59 am
Great Article Joe!
The German Fans really turned out for this game, and yes, they were loud.
I was at a game at Tampa Stadium with some friends from Seattle.
I lived out there for 25 years. When these friends from Seattle heard the “Tampa Bay Chant” they remarked at how stupid it was. I must say I had to agree with them. The Chant is stupid because it shuts up an entire half of the stadium, as one half of the Stadium hollers “Tampa” then the other half of the Stadium hollers “Bay”.
This silencing of an entire half of Tampa Stadium kind of negates our home field advantage. In Seattle, the stadium is loud all of the time, and really gives a home field advantage to the Seahawks.
The return of Hicks can not be overstated! Just him being on the field demands double teams, freeing up our other players.
November 14th, 2022 at 11:03 am
I had a similar experience in Mexico City regarding slow service many years ago on my one and only trip there. We had an unexpectedly hard time getting reasonable turnaround for breakfast at our hotel restaurant. I was in a tour group with my aging mother at the time. It was quite stressful as the tour bus waited for no one. The hotel was set up by the tour company so we had no choice. We Americans take for granted the pace of our society.
November 14th, 2022 at 11:10 am
Great write-up, really enjoyed it. Sounds like an awesome time.
The crowd, at least the electricity, reminded me of the Dungy era in Tampa, in particular in 1997 when the Bucs started their run and tickets for Tampa Stadium were cheap – so you got a rowdy, loud, energic crowd at nearly every game. The 1997 Sunday Night game vs Miami (when the Bucs started out 5-0) was right there with the 2000 MNF game vs the Rams for the most rowdy Bucs game I’ve ever been to. For anyone that forgot how great the crowd can be at RayJay, go watch clips from that 2000 MNF game, the crowd was insane.
Fortunately and unfortunately, the NFL in general has priced out all the white trash fans who went to games to get drunk and be loud. It’s nice in that when I go to games I don’t have to deal with them – but it stinks because it does kill the atmosphere, as your average upper middle classer that is buying tickets now doesn’t yell and scream like an idiot – at least compared to your lower class drunks.
November 14th, 2022 at 11:53 am
Disinterested is a synonym for indifferent. … I looked it up. I have learned something new today already. 😃
November 14th, 2022 at 11:54 am
@ Joe
Our starting Center (Hainsey) seemed to be limping and grabbing his right knee throughout the game. He played the entire game but is obviously battling through an injury.
Do you have any news on Hainsey’s health? Any update on the return on Jenson?
Thank goodness we have a bye week – we severely need it.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
Football like most spectator sports has mass appeal especially for blue collar society. Pro sports because of $$ separates out the economic classes somewhat. Look at the rise of baseball for smaller cities across America in recent years. Those games are fun for the entire family. The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox fans were like that maybe one hundred years ago I gather.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Chris, you and your seachicken friends are idiots, the chant is to get the whole crowd involved and going, not for being loud on defense. The whole place gets loud on defense, well for the past 25 years or so that I have been going.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
The crowd looked more fun, more into the game, and sounded louder than the crowd at RayJay ever does, even these last few seasons with Brady.
Though I can’t say I’m surprised, the Bucs home crowds have always been weak. I used to yell at all the people around me to get loud and make noise when we were on defense cuz they’re so soft and quiet.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Rod I was at those games, I did not get priced out and I still yell like a drunk @ hole!
November 14th, 2022 at 12:31 pm
Unbelievable – agreed.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:35 pm
Rod – agree with everything you say. The only thing I challenge is that you can still get jacked up for a game and be successful. You don’t need a bunch of poors at the game for an atmosphere to be lively. Passion to me can be a culture thing, the euros take their soccer pretty seriously and that essence carried over to yesterday. I think more and more transplants have move to Tampa as well 22yrs later and Tampa is a diff kind of town than from those upstart glory yrs
November 14th, 2022 at 12:37 pm
Unbelievable you must sit in the pricey seats, the end zone gets nuts.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Criticizing the TB12 WR play is myopic …
1. They ran the same play earlier and TB12 was wide open. No one covered him. This is called a “setup play”. It’s actually what good OC do.
2. They were in Germany and wanted to put on a good show. TB12 is the #1 reason all those people turned out. The Bucs did something memorable.
3. The Bucs had a sizable lead. They could afford to take a chance.
4. Plays like this create fun in the locker room. This teams needs to improve moral. This was a great play for the plane ride home.
Look a little broader in the future.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:42 pm
I think it is more of “I am too cool to yell like an idiot ” problem than anything.
November 14th, 2022 at 12:59 pm
Terrific article!!
November 14th, 2022 at 1:33 pm
Peter King made his dough. Nothing like a round trip to Munich, Germany, all expenses paid. I and my biker old man did this trip 20+ years ago. We rode the Alps on a mountain BMW motorcycle. We started outside of Munich and ended in Innsbruck, Austria. Then we turned around cos of the time frame, dropped the bike off and flew back home. We paid for all of it, and the folks there were super friendly cos we weren’t ugly Americans. Plus, we accidentally hit the last weekend of the real Oktoberfest. 🙂
November 14th, 2022 at 1:36 pm
Gofortheface30 / Mike C – oh yeah, I didn’t mean to speak in absolutes, if I did. But go back to early days of RayJay, and basically only in the club seats did you get people who only reacted to big plays, while the rest of the place was generally loud the entire game. But as prices went up, more and more of the loud idiots (said in a positive manner) got priced out, and even the people who used to get club seats got priced out and moved into other sections where they’d sit on their hands most of the time. You can still get a rowdy crowd from time to time, but it was probably the Seattle game in 2016 the last time you really had the place going nuts. People talk about that like it was a big deal, but that was just an every week atmosphere in the Dungy era, once you got past his first year.
For Brady, his issue is timing, he came in during the plague, and even with things reopened, there does seem to be a lot less energy than you might expect. It also could be that you’re getting a bunch of people who just want to be at the game to say they saw Brady in person, and don’t actually care about the Bucs, ie, all your yankee fans.
November 14th, 2022 at 1:45 pm
unbelievable Says: the Bucs home crowds have always been weak.
————-
Just depends on the era you’re talking about. Again, those late late 90s and early 2000s crowds could be insane. Every game I went to back then was fun, even ones where we lost, because the crowd was so intense. Those MNF games in particular, the king of which is that 2000 game vs the Rams. But also I went to other MNF games, such as vs the Vikings, which was nuts, then Sunday games like vs the Packers and Vikings, those games were insane. Go back and watch the old stadium too, that 97 night game vs the Dolphins, again, the place is going insane.
Now when you go to a game, it’s really very mellow. Sure, people cheer big plays, but mostly they just sit on their hands. Although, in fairness, I’m a fancy man and only get club seats, but even looking at the peasants section, I don’t see them or hear them that much.
Also, it’s not just the Bucs, but the Lightning and to a much lesser extent the Rays. The Lightning, go back to when they played in the Thunderdome, and to fill it you could get some really cheap seats, well, that place was also insane. Tons of fights, very very loud and aggressive crowd, I loved it back then. Then, with the Rays, in the very early days of the Rays, again the 90s, the place could get loud at times, and you’d legit get 40,000 people there for a normal Sunday afternoon game. Last Rays game I went too, probably 5 years ago now, the place was literally so quiet I could wear people on the other side of the stadium. It’s not just the stadium, when the Lightning played there, that place was loud and mean. For that last Rays game, I felt like I was going to fall asleep, it was so boring and quiet.
November 14th, 2022 at 2:01 pm
This is the first Joe has heard or read about Hainsey. He was not listed as injured on any injury report during the game that Joe heard (though those reports were sketchy given circumstances described in this story).
Yeah, Joe heard about Jensen’s return date but is being an a-hole in not reporting it. #Sarcasm
(Why would Joe hold back on such big news? C’mon. 🤷♂️)
November 14th, 2022 at 2:06 pm
You and your friends haven’t been to Tuscaloosa, eh? Or even Ames, Iowa?
November 14th, 2022 at 2:10 pm
BTW, Vita is gonna make a great professional wrestler. He looks the part already, they can just claim he’s a cousin of The Rock, and boom, you got a star. If he can’t talk, just give him a manager. Him and Warren Sapp could have a huge feud, I’d watch, and of course cheer for Sapp.
November 14th, 2022 at 2:19 pm
Rod, the energy has picked up in the last few years, maybe come down and have a beer with us peasants.
November 14th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
@ Joe
Gotcha… I only ask about Jenson because Hainsey is definitely dealing with an injured right leg.
I re-watched the game several times and it is pretty clear to me. One play in the later 4th qtr he went down screaming and holding his upper leg. He was able to continue playing but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him on the Injury Report this week.
November 14th, 2022 at 3:04 pm
Mike C – Yeah, I haven’t been to a game the last couple of seasons. But going back to the cheap seats? No way. Back in 1999, I bought club seats for the Redskins playoff game because that was all that was available, and even then, you could absolutely feel the energy. I had to (mostly) sit in the upper deck for years, before making the permanent move to club seats around 2008 or so. The idea of going back to the cheap seats and trough urinals, ugh… no thanks.
November 14th, 2022 at 3:42 pm
Seem to recall Hainsey on the ground once. Trust Joe, what you guys watch on TV and what Joe sees on the field in person are often two different games. For example yesterday there were no TV feeds for reporters so the only replays we had access to were from the JumboTron.
Do know on the various injury report updates, Hainsey was never listed. Again, it was less than ideal situation yesterday for working press so it’s possible updates were not issued or Joe just missed them. We were outside in the crowd and it’s possible the crowd drowned out an injury report update. Also noticed that no one else is reporting (from what Joe has seen) anything about Hainsey being injured.
(Joe gets this a lot during games. Someone will Twitter Joe, “What’s up with [name a player]?” and Joe just shrugs his shoulders because said player isn’t on any injury report update — we get those no less than twice a game — but something on TV caused the Twitterer to think player-X was hurt.)
November 14th, 2022 at 4:11 pm
Sly,
Mostly agree with your thoughts on the TB12 attempted pass play. You might be right in being tricky due to where the Bucs were playing.
Taking it one step further, Brady recently said the only thing he hasn’t done is caught a TD pass. I interpret that comment to mean, “Before I leave, I’m catching a TD pass.”
And IF Brady ever actually catches a TD pass? Even Brady haters would say, “Yep, one more thing he can do.”
The crowd in Munich, and perhaps around the world, would have erupted had Brady caught that pass.
Was it a smart play to put your Legendary QB in harm’s way? Definitely not.
November 14th, 2022 at 4:44 pm
Hey Joe, just a quick note. Awesome article, thanks for that.
November 14th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
@ Joe
Cool. I’m picking up what you are laying down…
Hopefully he is fine and now (whatever happened) he will have a week to get treatment and heal up.
Thanks for the response bud.
November 14th, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Thanks for the writeup Joe, it gave me goosebumps again! I was there yesterday. I haven’t gotten back my voice yet, and my ears are still ringing. Had to give up my soul and a kidney for the tickets, but I think I made what we call a “Schnäppchen”.
I’m still in disbelieve how epic this experience was. My first ever live NFL game was watching the Tom Brady led Buccaneers win in Germany! Good luck to make me believe this a couple of years ago …
I would like to add two things:
First, this was the coolest version of the German national anthem I’ve ever heard. Normally they sing it to the tune of some dull brass music, and any variation of the beat is forbidden under penalty of death.
Second, when you know that Bayern München is the German soccer version of the Patriots, hearing the Bayern players getting booed in their own house was pretty hilarious!
November 14th, 2022 at 5:56 pm
Shout out to the NFL Fans in Germany. Man, they put our stadium fans to shame. They are loud and happy. I had the audience on my TV turned up and those fans guys..Deeyham! They were off the chain. Impressive to say the least. They get their monies worth and then some. When the Tampa B-A-Y shout went out, it sounded like a monster call from the heavens. They were on it. Outstanding fans.
November 14th, 2022 at 7:02 pm
@Joe
In Tuscaloosa, when one side of the stadium yells “Roll”, and then the other side of the stadium yells “Tide,” the silencing of one side of the stadium certainly negates Alabama’s home field advantage as they have only won 16 National Championships in their history, recently playing for 9 National Championships and winning 6 National Championships during the Nick Saban era.
November 14th, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Ok Joe you nailed it
Country roads #1
You may get away with that in los Angeles but try it here and you will get double 2
Defense is not the problem 3
You want a beer with that pretzel 4
Brady, vea, kieft, Jones, everybody had a good time 5
And #6. Thank you Germany. I don’t know the right words in any language, but you did it. Joe said it, he tries hard to be right and I appreciate that even when we argue! Great stuff
November 14th, 2022 at 7:16 pm
BelleGlade:
Yes! Bucs got the “Tampa Bay” chant from Alabama. Hugh Culverhouse went to Bama and worshipped Bear Bryant.
November 14th, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Awesome. Thanks for this Joe. I really hope that Germany gets a team now as long as it’s not ours.
November 15th, 2022 at 12:50 am
@Joe
I´m from Argentina, in South America the public chant the local team singing, even we course the oponent, singing. Luckily Tampa Bay rimes with River Plate (one of the two bigs soccer team of the country and the continent, with brazilians teams), so i can sing the chants of my soccer team (soccer has no competion with any other sport here, the sports newspapper is 85% soccer and 15% split the others like basquet, tennis, cars, rugby and box), and simply change the name of my two teams. Even translate some because we speak spanish, thats how crazy we are for sports in the south 🙂
It will be impossible to land an NFL game here, but it´s not madnes to think a game in the Maracaná, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. That will be a new experience.
i left some of my love to Tampa Bay Buccaneers and thanks for the excelent job of this site.
i can see the hour
to sunday arrive
I left everything i have to make
I´m going to see Tampa Bay
November 15th, 2022 at 2:27 am
Southest:
Thanks for the kind words. Don’t fret. From what Joe has heard, NFL may be coming to your neck of the woods soon.
November 15th, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Joe,
Love the website, and this is the first time I’ve commented. As a retired Soldier I lived in Germany for 8 years while serving in the US Army. “Country Roads” is a classic German Fest song, it’s played over and over by the German bands at all the Fests, including the famous Oktoberfest in Munich. Every German knows all the words and they stand on the bier tables to sing, great fun. Having also attended a FC Bayern Munich soccer game at Allianz Arena, the experience is not like any in US sports. The Germans never leave their seats during a game. The bier maiden comes to you and you hold it until halftime or the end of the game. Fun experience.
November 19th, 2022 at 6:09 am
I’m all for Pro Football in Europe but… not our NFL teams in Europe.
Alas the money will probably win out. Greed has no bounds!!! Note the insane cost of season tickets!!! The failure of NFL Europe was all about the money… not the game.
November 19th, 2022 at 6:53 am
Your description of the crowd in Munich reminded me of the exhibition games at the old sombrero in 1972, the Baltimore Colts trained in Tampa during the preseason. This was one of the big selling points for Tampa to receive a franchise… along with the Seahawks … Ironically.
November 19th, 2022 at 7:16 am
You People should have been at the Bears games of the 70s and 80s. Before they priced the real fans out of the crowds.