Who’s On The Bucs Again?
August 20th, 2010
Joe enjoyed talking football and hanging out with former Bucs quarterbacks Jeff Carlson and Shaun King yesterday at a party rolling out the new Cadillac CTS Coupe at Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa.
Now there’s a sweet ride.
Carlson and King were introduced to the crowd, and through the evening there were sober partygoers who thought the retired QBs were currently on the Bucs roster.
That sparked a discussion about how the Bucs have lost so much of their identity and their star power in the community. It’s an interesting topic, and one that is quite timely as the Bucs are facing blacked out games and are in the midst of an admittedly painful process of building a “lasting contender.”
Joe and hardcore fans are always fired up about the team. But where’s the excitement for the average fan?
August 20th, 2010 at 10:34 am
It concerns me that the “casual fan” would seemingly rather we re-sign Jeff Garcia & Derrick Brooks than bother to get to know Josh Freeman and grow with him, Gerald McCoy, and the rest of the young Bucs. I feel like the way the Bucs are doing things right now is actually the BEST way to build a team AND a dedicated fan base. As a long-time fan (since ’86), I saw the explosion of fans and even national media attention as the Lynch/Brooks/Sapp/Barber/Dunn/Alstott group came into town over the course of some very productive drafts. I feel like we have a group here now (Freeman, McCoy, Price, Stroughter, Mike Williams, Geno Hayes, Talib, TJack) who are for the most part very young and filled with potential. Sure, one or two of them may fall out of favor, but I don’t see the majority of these guys being busts. There is a lot to get behind in Tampa, even for the casual fan, and I think it’s really only a matter of time before Freeman becomes the most famous man in town. The biggest worry/question about the entire team is in coaching. We’re used to having a top-flight high-profile head coach, and I think the anonymity and inexperience of Raheem Morris is the biggest strike against local and national confidence in the team’s rebuilding effort. I know it’s my biggest concern.
August 20th, 2010 at 10:39 am
This is the problem, too many average fans. Every business has a bell curve. You start at the bottom, peak at a certain point, then drop off again. The process repeats itself over time. No football team has ever maintained the peak for a long period of time, say 10 plus years. So, to think that after 2002, the Bucs would maintain and never drop off is naive. The average fan doesn’t realize this. I’m more excited, and other people should be as well, to see a young QB grow with a young WR. This in itself should draw fans. But not the average ones. You could replace average with Fairweather
August 20th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Tampa fans are among the most ignorant around the country.
August 20th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Wait…. Shaun King doesn’t play for the Bucs anymore???? When did this happen?
But seriously… Why would anyone think Jeff Carlson still played for the Bucs I can barely remember when he did play. I mean he’s only played in 4 more Bucs games than I have.
August 20th, 2010 at 11:02 am
the “average” Tampa Bay Bucs fan is “below average” by other NFL cities standards.
If Tampa fans had it thier way, The Bucs would win the super Bowl every year and never have to rebuild/restock the roster. Also, when a player gets cut……. it just means that the team is not nice to them, and should reward players contracts for being good guys.
August 20th, 2010 at 11:08 am
The average buc fan is smart, and not buying into this rebuilding nonsense with a unproven coach, no-name staff, and manchild GM with rookies at key starting positions, until they see some results. When I talk to people about the bucs they usually just laugh and consider the team a joke.
Would there be blackouts with the Chin at the helm? I think not.
It’s a credibility issue, and an economic one. Last season is still fresh in everyones mind. Rememeber the home record for the bucs in 07-08 was 12-4. Home game attendees were treated to one stinking win last year. They were blown out of the stadium by the Jets, Giants, Saints, Falcons.
Wanna change it? Win some freakin football games or hire some people who can.
The good fans of the Tampa Bay Bucs are not responsible for this mess, that would be the Glazer boys.
August 20th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Eric, I don’t understand how the chin would make us that much better. Would he automatically get every free agent available? Who would be on the team. The Chin runs a different defense. Would he be able to run his defense with the current Bucs? The Chin would probably put more butts in the seats, but that would mean more disappointed fans leaving the stadium. I blame the TB media for blackouts. Constant negativity from Newspapers, Radio, and Web have infiltrated the minds of good fans. Its contagious. This should be an exciting time. We’ve been through this before.
August 20th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I agree- this is an exciting time.
I hope everyone remembers that Brooks, Sapp, Barber, Lynch, Allstot, Dunn, and every other great player we’ve had were all rookies at one point.
Tony Dungy was a relative unknown when he was hired here.
I can’t believe how ignorant people around here are………
August 20th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Nick,
Well remember we are not going at this in a vacuum. 3-13 is the current record of the team. In one year they managed to:
1. Hire and fire ofensive and defensive cooardinators.
2. Backstab 55
3. Lose 13 games
4. Hired a guy who had only been a DB Coach after firing the winniest coach in bucs history.
And we wonder why the fan base is skeptical?
What difference would the Chin make? Instant credibility and proven leadership.
When did we ever rebuild our team with a guy with comparable credentials to Rah?
August 20th, 2010 at 11:55 am
DRB,
Comparing Rah and Tony Dungy in terms of credentials is as ignorant as it gets.
August 20th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
You guys crack me up! Average Bucs’ fans this, average Bucs’ fans that! Do you really think we are the only fans that have concerns or love for their football team? ALL TEAMS’ FANS want their team to succeed and go to the Super Bowl! Why are we any different? Or below average? What’s funny, is the average fans are the ones watching, cheering, and buying the tickets.
I think, the problem is there are too many “above average” fans on these sites that are taking the “average” fans’ opinions and making them as if they are the whole. Or more than just what they are, OPINIONS!
Opinions are like a–holes. Everybody has one, just some are bigger than others!
Let’s just all enjoy some good ole football!
August 20th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Things the chin would’ve done in his first year:
1. Backstab 55 (only it wouldn’t have been backstabbing because the chin had no prior relationship with him)
2. Hired his D- coordinator (only to watch him fail because he wouldn’t have been able to run his defense)
3. Kept Jeff Garcia (we all know how that ends up)
4. Quit right after the season (he doesn’t want a rebuilding job at his age)
Bucs fans would have wanted a quick fix which the Chin wouldn’t have been able to deliver. Then we would be where we are now. With no young QB or players. Parcells couldn’t get the cowboys to win. what makes you think the chin would’ve won here. Credibility doesn’t guarantee wins
August 20th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Wow, Eric, are you like a crypto-Panthers fan, here to bring down the morale?
August 20th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
The ‘average’ fan around Tampa is the wine and cheese crowd who buy up the club seats only when it’s cool to be a buc fan (you were at a Cadillac dealership – joe…) lol.
Takes all types. Hardcore, casual, average, aged etc. The MOST important ones are the youngin’s. Most here are hardcore (why else would we spend time blogging about the bucs through out the day?)
This young team is going to make a name for themselves, and the star power will return…
We’re seeing it happen, cherish it as these guys build it up. It’s all apart of the excitement of a young, growing team.
Today’s Freeman interview/article on PR is a must read and falls succintly into this conversation. (Don’t hate for getting bucs information from everyhwere.)
August 20th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Yeah, Cowher hates young QB’s.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Hey Eric,
I never compared Coach Morris to Tony Dungy in regards to credentials.
Bottom line-NOBODY IN THIS AREA HAD HEARD OF TONY DUNGY BEFORE HAS WAS HIRED HERE………
AND NOBODY KNEW IF OUR DRAFT PICKS BACK THEN WOULD PAN OUT…
SO FREAKING RELAX ALREADY……..
Sit back and enjoy the season…………idiots.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
DRB,
I am totally relaxed.
I will enjoy the season if it is not “Rah the Sequel”.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
eric Says:
August 20th, 2010 at 11:08 am
THIS WARRANTS POSTING ONE MORE TIME FOR GLAZERITES!
The average buc fan is smart, and not buying into this rebuilding nonsense with a unproven coach, no-name staff, and manchild GM with rookies at key starting positions, until they see some results. When I talk to people about the bucs they usually just laugh and consider the team a joke.
Would there be blackouts with the Chin at the helm? I think not.
It’s a credibility issue, and an economic one. Last season is still fresh in everyones mind. Rememeber the home record for the bucs in 07-08 was 12-4. Home game attendees were treated to one stinking win last year. They were blown out of the stadium by the Jets, Giants, Saints, Falcons.
Wanna change it? Win some freakin football games or hire some people who can.
The good fans of the Tampa Bay Bucs are not responsible for this mess, that would be the Glazer boys.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
This will be confusing with both me and “D” on here lol. If casual fans still think King is on the Bucs, then that in itself shows how good Tampa fans are.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Casual fans? Average fans? Which is it? So a casual fans comments are now the deciding factor over average fans smarts?
August 20th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
If someone doesn’t realize Shaun King isn’t on the Bucs anymore then they can’t be a Bucs fan average or otherwise. They are just a person who lives in Tampa and doesn’t follow the Bucs or football at all. They may have an interest in the Team because they are from Tampa. That doesn’t make them and “average fan”.
Some idiot at a dealership for free coffe and donuts who doesn’t know the current players isn’t necessarily representative of Tampa Bay sports fans as a whole.
August 20th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
@ eric & tampa2
“The average buc fan is smart, and not buying into this rebuilding nonsense with a unproven coach, no-name staff, and manchild GM with rookies at key starting positions, until they see some results.”
If that is the position of the average fan then he/she is ignorant and impatient. Last year was a necessary evil. The foundation of the team was crumbling in 08 and needed to be replaced. It’s as simple as that. Without young franchise-type players to build around we were dying a slow death. There is no debating that fact.
Obviously there are multiple approaches to rebuilding. It seems the Anti-Glazer faction wanted a proven coach. That’s fine. Look at what the Washington Redskins are doing/have been doing w/Shanahan: signed a ton of big name FAs and got older this offseason. Sure, they’ll improve from their 4 win season from last year and they may make the playoffs in a weakened NFC East but then what? How long until they get a franchise QB? What’s their long-term plan for success? Cobble together some more aging vets for another run? We’ve seen this approach in Tampa before…
Compare that with the Glazers “pull off the bandaid” approach. It’s not fullproof. It will be painful in the short term. But I can positively guarantee one thing: By the end of this year we WILL know what we have in Rah, Dom and our young core. Thus, we can move forward. If we need to fill holes or bring in young stud playmakers we’ve positioned ourselves perfectly for the 2011 FA bonanza! If Rah sucks our young stars will be advanced enough to attract a more successful HC that can take us over the top. If Rah succeeds by getting us 6 wins or more we’re on the way to successfully developing our very own home-grown HC who could possibly be the next Dungy, Cowher, however. It’s a win-win proposition for the near future and beyond! For the life of me I cannot understand what’s so hard about this?!?
I’m tired of our organization not identifying and sticking with and developing young talent! Did you like being called Raiders East? Did you like being identified by a head coach rather than an actual legitimate star player?
August 20th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Sesniblefan,
I hardly think we were Raiders East, since they haven’t had even a winning season since 2002 Super Bowl.
Otherwise, your opinion is well stated.
We just disagree on the basic premise of how to build and maintain a good team, thats all.
August 20th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Blackouts are more about the ECONOMY than “educated fans.” If Bucs fans are staying away solely because of the quality of the team, then why did the San Diego Chargers have a pre-season blackout? Cinncinati Bengals? If it is just the quality of the Bucs, then how do we explain league-wide blackouts that have been growing since the economy headed south?
From your local paper, the St. Pete Times:
“Turns out, Tampa Bay is not alone in this televised wasteland. Blackouts more than doubled in the NFL last season, and as much as one-third of the league’s teams either fell short of sellouts or required special circumstances to avoid blackouts. A blackout is required for a 75-mile radius around a stadium if the game does not sell out 72 hours before kickoff.
In 2008 the league blacked out nine regular season games or 3.5 percent of the total. Last season that number jumped to 22, or 8.6 percent, and that doesn’t include 20 percent of preseason games being blacked out”
August 20th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
“We just disagree on the basic premise of how to build and maintain a good team, thats all.”
———-One way has been proven to work for many teams. The other has never worked. Don’t know what the argument is about.
August 20th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Nick,
Having a proven coach and building in combination of drafting, trades and FA aquisitions has never worked?
August 20th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Oh wait so now you’re on board with the drafting? The way its worked in Drafting first, plug in later. In the past you have made it seem like you are totally against everything the Bucs are doing. So far they have (tried) to build through the draft (I say tried because its only yr. two), traded (winslow) and acquired FA (Jones, Ward, Vincent). Many proven coaches have failed at new jobs. Wyche, Parcells, Dude just give this a chance, for three more years. I’ve told friends who are as upset as you are to give it three years. I will be the first to admit Raheem is a bum if we don’t make the playoffs by then
August 20th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Nick,
i have never stated I am against the NFL Draft. It is the most important component, in concert with other avenues of getting good players.
Three more years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the modern NFL, that is just rediculous.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@ eric
Thanks for your reasonableness.
The “Raiders East” comment was based on us bringing in Chucky and his (at the time) high-powered offense…then Bruce Allen…then Chuck Garner, Tim Brown and Petigouts and Todd Steussies of the world.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
What is ridiculous Eric, is that you pontificate as though you are knee deep in NFL experience. I want this team to win as much as anyone, but I don’t work for the Buccaneers organization, so like yours, my opinions are nothing more than foul are blowing out of my azz.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Sensible Fan,
Ok, fair enough.
But in the interest of completeness, also brought in were Joey Galloway, AB, Hilliard, Garcia, McCardell, Pittman, Faine, Clifton Smith. Joe J, etc.
Also through the draft, Caddy, Joseph, TJ, Talib, Quincy, Geno, Adam, etc. etc.
None of the above had a thing to do with the Raiders, except some helped stomp them in the Super Bowl!
And Nick, of course I am blowing my opinions out of my azz, just like everyobody else! But i think a four year rebuilding plan is a bit much!
August 20th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
What is also ridiculous is the proven coach we had couldn’t develop any young player, couldn’t draft for crap, and completely obliterated the team that a once unproven coach built.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Whoops, I meant Kirk, sorry sir.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Eric, when setting goals, you set reasonable goals. Winning the Super Bowl next year is unreasonable. Making the playoffs in 3 years is reasonable. I don’t understand how 3 years in the Modern NFL is unreasonable
August 20th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Eric, the Storm are playing for the AFL title. If you squint really good, the uniforms look like the Bucs 🙂
August 20th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Two Division Titles and three winning seasons in the last four years of Gruden was “complete obliteration”.
Patently absurd.
Now last year, THAT was complete obliteration.
August 20th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Eric,
Let’s say for arguments sake, that the Bucs steadily improve through this season and the next (which I believe will happen) to eventually be a young playoff team with a “long window” so to speak……..
What will you have to say then?……..
Will you be around to say anything?…….
August 20th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
DRB,
Sure, I will be right here.
If the bucs go 3-13 again will you be?
August 20th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Yep…….
I’m a Bucs fan.
August 20th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
DRB- great post and great points ! You and sensiblebuc are the voices of reason!
August 20th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I got my tickets, I’m going to the games, and if we win I’m happy and if we lose I’m drunk & happy.
I told a customer yesterday we can’t work this Saturday because we’re going to the Bucs first home game and I have to start drinking at 7AM. She replied “Isn’t it a night Game?” I said “You’re right it is, I have to start drinking at 7:30AM.”
August 21st, 2010 at 9:05 am
great attitude bigmac:
you are going to need lots of alcohol to enjoy this season as a bucs fan, if you drink enough you might be able to understand what rah is saying!