An Epiphany Of Another Sort
January 6th, 2011
Today is The Epiphany, but for many an Epiphany came about the past few weeks.
Bucs fans just a few short months ago were an irritable lot. Much of the angst came from the knowledge that few, if any, not even a hardcore cheerleader like Jaime Hanna, believed the Bucs had a prayer of reaching 10 wins.
Upon hearing Adam Schein pronounce the Bucs to be the leading candidate for the top overall pick in the 2011 draft and Bucs coach Raheem Morris referred to as “overmatched,” Bucs fans nearly drove into the Hillsborough River as they pounded their dashboards in rage.
While at work, Bucs fans shouted obscenities so loud they disturbed their non-NFL Network watching coworkers (women) who were immersed in the latest edition of ELLE while pondering the comings and goings of OctoMom and Kate Plus Eight Cake Donuts, upon reading Peter King explain on SI.com that the Bucs would win but two games this season.
What really sent Bucs fans over the edge, on the verge of canceling their internet accounts, was reading the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio, suggest the Bucs may only win seven games in three years.
But those in the national media have undergone an epiphany. Now the Bucs, finished with their race-to-10 but being playoff-less, are the toast of the NFL.
Schein loudly proclaims, as he reiterated with Morris again Tuesday, that Morris is the NFL coach of the year.
King believes the Bucs are the ninth best team in the NFL and gushes over Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman more than a nubile, scantily-clad college lass grinding into the wee hours of the morning amid thumping music at The Venue.
Earlier this week Florio referred to the Bucs as “great” and now Mark Dominik has convinced Florio that Morris should be the coach of the year. Below is a clip of Florio’s interview with Dominik today, and this link is an NBCSports.com video of the interview in its entirety, courtesy of Florio and ProFootballTalk.com.
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January 6th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Andrew Luck is staying….what a relief
January 6th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
It really makes my cockles feel good that the
national media is eating tons of crow about the Bucs.
Especially PFT and Peter King.
January 6th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
@Red Man – agreed.
@TheQ – couldn’t agree more.
Morris is deserving.
January 6th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Bet you 20 the Bucs will be on HBO Hard Knocks. If there is a camp.
January 6th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Don’t count me in with doubters or the haters. I said after the Draft this team was going to kick butts. I said before the Draft that they would have a winning team. My prediction was 8 to 10 wins, and never less, but actually believed they could get 12 or 13 once the season got under way. if not for a few $hitty $hitty calls by refs they would have had 12 or 13 and won the NFC South. My first wrong call was when I said they would go 4-0, but they lost to the Steelers. I missed that one. Once Raheem canned Jim Bates you could see things start to fall in place. Then Dominick totally killed it in the Draft and picking up the Free Agents along the way. On this Site, almost everyone was on board from the beginning except a couple of HATERS, that still hate, and we know who those little punks are, and they do too.
January 6th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Riddle me this, why does Tim Tebow have so many haters? Tony Dungy is Christian and doesn’t have hardly ANY haters.
Additionally, why does Michael Vick, a running QB with a low completion percentage, a convicted felon dog killer have soooo many supporters?
Same with Eli Manning, he actually won a Super Bowl too. Why does he have so many haters?
I don’t appreciate these double standards in this league.
If anything, Raheem can relate to Tim Tebow and Eli Manning far more than that of Mike Vick.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Buc You,
Simple answers. First, Vick brings excitement to the game. He is an exciting player to watch, and it is an entertainment business. People want to be entertained. Can’t say Eli is nearly as entertaining as Vick. Tebow has a shot at being as electric, but he’s not there yet. Second, people love a good underdog story. Vick being convicted, going to jail, and making a comeback is a “feel good” story for most people. Personally, I’d rather see these guys NOT get into trouble in the first place, but many people find the Vick comeback as “feel good” as Caddy coming back from two knee surgeries.
I don’t always agree with who people like or dislike, or their reasons for it. But it is the way things seem to be in our society today.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
@Buc You,
I couldn’t disagree with you more. First of all, Tebow is the most beloved football player in America. He has the number 1 selling jersey, and he is a rookie! That has never happened. They are completely in love with him in Denver. There are people that don’t think he will be a great NFL quarterback, because he played in a college system, and he has a wind up delivery (like Byron Leftwich). Those are not haters, those are people who don’t believe in his ability to be a NFL QB. I think they are justified concerns, but I hope he proves them wrong. I have never met one person that does not like Tim Tebow, and I don’t live in Florida.
As for Vick, in addition to what Bam Bam said, he is playing out of this world this year. He is either going to win the MVP or come in second place. Had he played a full season, there is little doubt he would win. He is 10 times better than what he ever was in Atlanta (thank God for us). He is the most dynamic QB the NFL has ever seen. People enjoy watching him play for that reason. I wouldn’t necessarily call that a supporter, but he is fun to watch. Also, I’ve never heard anyone say he wasn’t terribly wrong for what he did. He was. However, many people feel he served his time, and he shouldn’t be prosecuted every day of his life. That’s not necessarily a supporter either, but it’s not a hater either.
Manning is just plain boring. He plays boring, he speaks boring, he even looks boring. He’s so boring, he only had 1 reporter (a college student) attend a post game press conference this year. That doesn’t excite people. Nobody hates him, he’s just not the type of player to get excited about. Play wise, he did lead the league in INT’s this year, so there is some justification to people not thinking he is a great QB.
I know your point is directed at race, even though I’m sure you won’t admit it. That’s simply ridiculous. It’s funny how you don’t mention everyone’s favorite players, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. How many haters do they have? Not many. Every single player has some haters and some supporters, but there is no double standard that you are claiming. Open your eyes and your mind and you will see that you couldn’t be more wrong.
January 7th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I think Vick was lights out until a couple weeks ago, and then he morphed back into the same old Mike Vick. His O line couldn’t protect him and ran around like a scared rabbit making mistakes. I think Vick is highly overrated and has consistency issues like he did in the past. I pick the Packers to beat the Eggles this week, and the Packers suck. I believe the Saints will run right back to the Superbowl and get crushed by the Patriots. All of the talking heads spoke too soon about Mike Vick (IMO). He does not have near the poise of a Brady, P Manning, Brees, or even Freeman. Josh Freeman is about 2 steps away from being the best QB in the NFL.
Raheem, I’m sorry I ever doubted you when you picked him. I love the picture of Freeman’s stiff arm in Will Smith’s face pushing him away like he wasn’t even there. No QB has Freeman’s strength and physical ability. The guy will truly knock you on your @$$.
January 7th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
Upon hearing Adam Schein
pronounce the Bucs to be the leading candidate for the top overall pick in the 2011 draft and Bucs coach Raheem Morris referred to as “overmatched,”Bucs fans nearly drove into the Hillsborough Riveras they pounded their dashboards in rage.FTFY.
/I hate that guy.