Five Things
November 25th, 2024
Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving react to Irving’s 56-yard run in the fourth quarter yesterday. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
Welcome to Victory Monday! Been too long for Joe to type that. What a fun, cool game. Playoff hopes remain alive. Bucs fans, we have reasons to be thankful Thursday after watching that win. Fill your coffee mug up and let’s roll!
The Race To 10
All of a sudden, if the Bucs play anything close to like they did yesterday, a playoff berth doesn’t seem so ridiculous.
But that’s the trick. Can the Bucs keep up this pace of play? They’re going to need it.
In part due to the collapse of the Dixie Chicks, the Bucs are only one game out of first place. Yes, Joe knows Atlanta has the tiebreaker, but that only means the Bucs have to have a better record than Atlanta.
Making up a two-game deficit with six to play is possible. Not easy. Need help. But possible.
That’s what that game and the result has done for Bucs fans. Breathed life into a fanbase that not only was quickly giving up on the season but apparently wants a coaching change in January.
Ah, the sun is shining brighter today. The traffic thinner. The coffee more robust. The breakfast Danish sweeter.
That’s life in the NFL on a Victory Monday when playoff hopes are rekindled. Five more wins for a potential playoff berth, or perhaps a division title.
Defensive Duo Dominating
No element of the Bucs, with the exception of kick return, that had a bad game yesterday. Everything was clicking.
And so too was the interior pass rush from beastly Vita Vea and second-year fellow defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Those two are becoming a ferocious duo in the middle.
Vea looked like he was back in his famous high school YouTube highlights. He was just toying with people.
The time he sacked Tommy Cutlets, Vea absolutely freight-trained Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. It looked like a Road Runner cartoon when Wile E. Coyote gets run over by a train. Flattened. Hilarious.
Then there is Kancey. He chalked up his fourth game in a row with a sack. And the way he flew through the Giants’ offensive line to rock Tommy Cutlet’s world, Joe swore that was No. 99 for a brief moment.
Kancey now has four sacks in his last three games. And if you think about it, he’s just hitting the month of October. Remember, Kancey missed most of training camp, worthless preseason football and the first give games of the season.
So just now, Kancey is in regular season shape. And Joe thinks that is reflected by the numbers he is putting up. Kancey also contributed a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss yesterday.
So yeah Kancey is balling out and Vea is also taking advantage as teams can’t key on him and get away with it.
Oh, and Vea playing fullback on Sean Tucker’s touchdown run? Let’s just say that Giants linebackers didn’t want any of that smoke. LOL
The Liam Coen Effect
The Bucs had just about the perfect Mike Leach balanced offense. Joe already typed this, but Leach believed a balanced offense isn’t the same amount of runs and passes but all positions contributing equally.
That’s exactly what Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen did yesterday. Once again, Coen had an outstanding afternoon of play-calling. He was really on top of things.
Yesterday is yet another reason “this Joe” is pretty convinced Coen will be a head coach next year, somewhere, college or NFL. Coen is that good.
Quarterbacks and offenses make owners money. If Dave Canales — who seems to have the Stinking Panthers playing decent ball now — can get a head coaching job, so can Coen the way he has the Bucs offense humming despite dealing with major injuries.
The Return Of Mike Evans
It sure seemed like, hearing the words of Todd Bowles and Coen last week at One Buc Palace, that future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans was not 100 percent recovered from his hamstring injury. But just having him on the field made a difference.
You could see and even feel how the offense was different and lethal just because the Giants had to account for Evans. Joe is convinced Evans catching a couple of passes early really opened up the offense.
If the Bucs are going to make a successful run to the playoffs, Evans simply must be on the field.
Did Bucs Fans Take Over MetLife Stadium?
Joe wasn’t at the game. So Joe has no idea how many Bucs fans were in MetLife Stadium at the New Jersey Swamplands. But Joe sure as heck heard them.
It was the fourth quarter. Bucs rookie running back and fan favorite Bucky Irving just made his 56-yard run (with Baker Mayfield blocking for him 45 yards downfield). It was an awesome play.
Only way that play could have been better is if somehow Irving found the end zone.
Then, Joe heard it. For a brief second, Joe thought he was hearing things. Then Joe thought CBS was running a clip of Irving at The Licht House.
“Buh-KEE! … Buh-KEE … Buh-KEE … Buh-KEE! … “
It was clear as day on the TV. Joe wondered if there were so many Bucs fans that they outnumbered Giants fans. Joe doesn’t ever remember a visiting team’s fans taking over MetLife Stadium like that. (To be fair, Joe doesn’t watch many Giants games.)
CBS cameras showed, not too long before Irving’s run, Giants fans marching out of the stadium. Had Giants fans all cleared out by the time Irving made his run?
Joe hasn’t seen Bucs fans take over visiting stadiums like you might see with Steelers fans or Cowboys fans or Packers fans or Eagles fans or sometimes Bears fans. The closest thing Joe ever saw to that was at San Diego in 2016, when it appeared 70-80 percent of the seats — from the front row up to the very top — behind the Bucs bench at Jack Murphy Stadium were Bucs fans.
So if there were any Bucs fans that made the trip to New Jersey are reading this here post, let Joe know what that scene was like.
Regardless, to hear Bucs fans holler loudly for Irving was very cool.
November 25th, 2024 at 5:13 am
Toss your Cheerios everywhere if you love under 500 teams! The master of getting a team back to average is at it again!
November 25th, 2024 at 5:32 am
One thing we seemed to be sweeping under the carpet is the ball security. It was bad. Baker fumbled twice and lost one of them when we were in field goal range. Tucker fumbled one at the goal line and was lucky Baker reacted fast and fell on it or that was 3 points down the drain and 7-0 instead of 10-0. Baker fumbled it at midfield on the TD drive to make it 17-0 but luckily it went out of bounds. Finally Irving fumbled it late, thankfully when the game was already out of reach with 7 minutes left in the quarter and then was benched for the rest of the game.
We got lucky, a better team may have taken more advantage of that. 4 fumbles in one game is not a good look.
November 25th, 2024 at 5:50 am
Another “Thing” …
Todd Bowles Again Embraces an Absence of Rational Thought
By the early to middle of the fourth quarter this game was clearly over. When Mayfield was injured after a fumble, the Bucs could have taken three knees and a punt the rest of the way and still won the game handily.
After the injury Baker went into the ubiquitous “tent” and must have been declared ok to return … IF NEEDED!
Whether you love or hate Trask, this was not about him, it is about a coach with no brains. No matter who the backup was, he should have replaced Baker at that point, for experience and common sense.
Yet Bowles sends Baker back in with everything to lose and NOTHING to gain.
And this, in addition to numerous coaching errors from previous dysfunctional thinking, is why I submit my vote for Todd Bowles for dismissal, and the sooner the better!
November 25th, 2024 at 5:59 am
There were definitely not a huge percentage of us there. I was in the east end zone, and there were maybe 75 of us in the 100 level from my section to the goal posts. We were decently represented for a road game, but there’s no way that we were even 10% of the total. It wasn’t that we were so loud, but that the giants and their fans were so flat. No big plays, nothing to cheer for. It was like being at a funeral. Most fans we talked to were disgusted and pissed that the organization is blatantly trying to tank. Lots of people wanted Lock over Cutlets, and a favorite bathroom chant from the Giants was “Shad-deur San-ders!” Felt kind of bad for big blue…. but at least the Red team looked great. Go Bucs
November 25th, 2024 at 6:16 am
Joe, I was not there but we were watching from Fort Bragg NC and thought we heard the famous Tampa and in return BAY. We will be at the Panthers game next week in Charlotte if you’re going to be there let your fans know if you plan to be there.
November 25th, 2024 at 6:26 am
We represent up here in the northeast! Good job bucs fans !!
November 25th, 2024 at 7:15 am
@Mark. Yes, spot on. We were fortunate we were playing a bad football team, because typically this Bucs team doesn’t leave much room for error.
I think the Bucs are going to have to earn every bit of the remaining half of this season. Saints looked revitalized after firing Allen. Regardless, even after Peyton and Brees have long gone we’re they’re still a problem for us. Dallas and the Panthers now have me worried. Canales is looking very competent over there in Carolina. They moved some of their talent from last season (Burns) and even some of it this season before the trade deadline and they punched the Chiefs right in the mouth yesterday. Spags defensive, which is supposedly the strength of the Chiefs team this season allowed Carolina to hang 30 pts on them. We stay healthy, I think we can run the table. There isn’t one team remaining, even the Chargers that are better than us talent wise. We just have to play sound mistake free football.
November 25th, 2024 at 7:23 am
I was at the game yesterday. Yes. There was a large contingency of Bucs fans. But the Giants fans were VERY QUIET all day. And their stadium announcer is NOTHING like Tampa’s he’s quiet, he isn’t excited and does nothing like what we do to rile up the crowd. They don’t do a “Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrd doooooooooooooown” or anything like that.
November 25th, 2024 at 7:30 am
JA Says:
November 25th, 2024 at 5:50 am
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You sure are quick to hop on the blame-Bowles bus. Did it ever cross your mind that perhaps Mayfield was raising cain with both Coen and Bowles not to bench him? Plus, I’m sure he got a shot in that tent (painkiller). Baker is paranoid about being benched which is stupid on his part. I hope he realizes it before the trip to Charlotte. We do NOT need him carried off the field on a stretcher. The fumble bug needs to be eradicated too.
November 25th, 2024 at 7:38 am
Hopefully he’s our head coach and we don’t screw ourselves. Bowles is fortunate to have an easy schedule ahead he can’t coach against other good teams
November 25th, 2024 at 7:46 am
Coen is our coach of the future. Not Todd not Bill but Liam.
November 25th, 2024 at 7:56 am
If we can beat the Chargers we sweep all 6. Bucs beat 3 good teams. Eagles 9-2, Commanders 7-2, and lions 10-1. Lost 3 close ones to good teams Chiefs 10-1, Ravens 7-4, And Falcons 6-5. I know the Giants are terrible but if we can play that way less the fumbles we can win out and be 11-6.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:01 am
Orlbucfan——
So what if Mayfield was “raising cain”?
When Mahomes does the same with Andy Reid, Mahomes loses.
Why? Because Reid is the coach and Mahomes is the player.
What does it say about a coach who allows players dictate their own agenda?
When the chain of command breaks eventually the whole system breaks down.
Truman fired MacArthur and Ike suspended Patton.
Why? Because they were leaders who were not about to let those with their own philosophy dictate policy.
Granted, my analogy is a bit extreme, but its meaning is spot on.
If Mayfield would’ve become seriously injured after returning to a meaningless set of circumstances, it would’ve been all on Bowles for being a weak leader.
Is that what you want in a head coach?
November 25th, 2024 at 8:19 am
Soft schedule or not, winning out is a tall order. These are all pro teams. Kansas City almost lost to Carolina. And almost lost to us (sorry for the back handed compliment). And given Sunday, yadda yadda. We’ll need to be prepared and have passion every week. And I know it shows great character, but we don’t need the most important position on the field running out and throwing blocks.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:20 am
Loved hearing the Bucky chants….imagine how he felt.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:22 am
“”Whether you love or hate Trask, this was not about him, it is about a coach with no brains. No matter who the backup was, he should have replaced Baker at that point, for experience and common sense.
Yet Bowles sends Baker back in with everything to lose and NOTHING to gain.””
Bowles needs to be replaced by Liam Cohen after the season or we’ll lose the one good coach we have on this staff.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:24 am
Joe can you post the All 22 view of Baker running 45 yards down field to catch up with and block for Bucky??
November 25th, 2024 at 8:35 am
Probably 30% Buc fans, loud and proud all game long. But still want Todd Blows fired
November 25th, 2024 at 8:37 am
Actually, it was the Giants fans chanting Bucky. That’s how disgusted they are with their situation.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:53 am
The extra week off was obviously huge for Baker , way more pep in his step and zip on his throws. Simply cannot risk Baker late in a blowout that is decided. Perhaps Ira can nail Todd down as to why it is so necessary to have Baker in there risking his neck?????????????????????? and the season.
November 25th, 2024 at 8:55 am
@ Sean G: Yes there were also Tampa ➡️ Bay chants heard on the telecast. I wasn’t there yesterday but have been to every other Bucs vs Giants/Jets game played in Met Life. You wouldn’t think so, but there is a huge contingent of Bucs fans in that area.
November 25th, 2024 at 9:25 am
all eyes know those cutlets got parmesean’d !
can someone pass me the grated cheese please
November 25th, 2024 at 9:48 am
JA Says:
November 25th, 2024 at 8:01 am
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I have a real simple question for you: How long have you been a Bucs fan? That goes for quite a few others on here.
November 25th, 2024 at 9:51 am
I was at the game yesterday at MetLife, and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Bucs fans tailgating in the parking lot and in the stadium. It was a great showing—awesome to see so much support for the team on the road!
November 25th, 2024 at 9:52 am
Hey Joe, what about the offensíve line? They were stellar! Baker had all day to throw against a good defensive front.
November 25th, 2024 at 9:54 am
If the current head coich is in the way of keeping Coen, it’s a very simple solution. You keep Coen. Jason and the Glazers know this. It’s an easy decision, like deciding between an old dried up hamburger or a beautiful chateaubriand from Berns.
The current head coich will have Bryce Young looking like Mahomes. The Cover Who defense was very visible in the second half yesterday.
Done.
November 25th, 2024 at 9:54 am
Very cool! Thanks for sharing man.
November 25th, 2024 at 9:57 am
LOL In which way? 🙂
November 25th, 2024 at 9:58 am
Interesting.