Optimism Not In The Majority
September 7th, 2011
"It's only a matter of time, little guy."
Joe polled his readers the other day to see if they thought the Bucs were a playoff team in 2011. Only 47 percent were believers of the more than 1,000 responses. This surprised Joe somewhat. Joe thought the total would come in about 55 or 60 percent among the rabid Bucs lovers on this site.
Reading and listening to various media takes about the Bucs, it’s nearly universal that the pundits don’t believe the Bucs will improve where it counts most this season.
Another man in that group is eye-RAH! Kaufman, NFL writer at The Tampa Tribune.
“I think they might take a bit of a step back this season,” Kaufman said on the The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM yesterday. The Bucs “snugly fit into that third [place] spot” in the NFC South.
Joe believes fans and media are looking for more of those “signature wins” talked about ad nauseum last year. Beating Atlanta at home this month will go a long way toward changing perception.
September 7th, 2011 at 9:19 am
I think they have the ability to stay at or improve upon 10-6 as long as the reports continue to doubt them. Keep these guys yumble–young and humble.
September 7th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Of course optimism is low. They lost alot of talent and experience, and made no moves to improve or replace what was lost- unless you count the punter( I actually thought Malone showed promise). Yes, another good Rookie class, but so did alot of teams. Time will tell. I want to see the Bucs in the playoffs this year. I hope they do! Great young talent all over. But they didn’t give us much to get excited about this offseason- unless you have a punter fetish. Still have my fingers crossed- Josh is the man! But I’ m skeptical this year. And pissed! They should gave made a few moves to get us in the playoffs!
September 7th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Oh, and Ira sucks. He should move to Boston and write about his team- the Patriots
September 7th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Every year people predict how NFL teams will finish, and every year all they do is copy the standings from the year before. Maybe they add ONE new good team.
This despite the fact that each year about 5 poor teams become good ones, and 5 good ones fall into the bad.
Fact is we don’t know who the surprise team of the preseason is. We will know more in a week!
September 7th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Amen, Capt. Tim! (we could’ve, would’ve, should’ve spent some money on some FA’s like CB Joseph, or a beast OL) Show me the Money, Jerry!!
Here is a hypothetical for you:
Say the Refs get the Lions game “Winslow Pass Interference Call” Correct, and the Bucs go on to be 11-5.
The Packers would still be 10-6 and out of the playoffs, and I am sure that they would not be #1 on the Power Rankings. The power ranking system is almost as much of a joke as the BCS.
September 7th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@Capt.
What “talent” did we lose? Yes, I understand we let Cadi and Ruud leave. But Cadi was relugated to 3rd down specialist of which Earnest Graham fills that void with equal talents. Ruud?? We’ve debated that to death. He’s extremely knowledgable, but equally soft.
The team gave you two DE’s that are showing great disruptions in the backfield. It gave you a middle linebacker that actually delivers the hit rather than receiving the hit. If you have been watching at all, you may realize that it gave you a 7th round gem of a CB in Gaitor that may step up to fill Rhonde’s void when Rhonde decides to hang them up. It gave you two new defensive line coaches that actually know what they’re doing and are bringing out the talent in our defensive line that was left undeveloped. i.e. Bennett.
Instead of chasing old, cut or let go from another team talent that they would have to over-spend to get, they stayed true to the plan and now have the money to re-sign Freeman, Williams, Blount and others. Thus keeping this team playing together for the next 4, 5, 6 years.
How in the world, as a Buc fan, can you possibly claim to not have anything to be excited about?
September 7th, 2011 at 10:30 am
lmao I love that picture caption
September 7th, 2011 at 10:36 am
It is all about the lines this year I think. Can the OL be serviceable? Have we turned the corner on our DL? If the answer to both those questions is yes, then we’ll have a great season. I’m not sure the answer to either is yes, but I have high hopes and voted yes in the playoff poll just now (missed it the first time).
September 7th, 2011 at 10:54 am
1Bucfan- yaaa! They gave us a draft class!! What unbelievable great luck!!! And we think they are all future hall of famers!! Even though half if them are on the practice squad !! Yippee!!
Guess what? Every team has a draft class. And every team thinks their rookies are all gonnna be Hall of Famers.
Cadillac was “just” the third down back? That’s a pretty important damn job. He also reset the WRs and Backs when Josh audibled. We looked all preseason- haven’t found anyone to do that job yet. Giving it to Graham- he didn’t win it.
I don’t care what you say about Ruuds talent. I watched the Biston deed for our game against the Pats. They were laughing about how Brady was screwing with our defensive signal callers. They pointed out how we got caught shifting( usually the wrong way) during the snap. Get used to seeing that happen all year- Ryan, Breeze, Manning , Etc can’t wait to test young Mr. Foster or Mr. Black and their diagonostic skills and play calling- something neither has done before.
Cady was a great Blocker. Graham and Lumpkin can’t block. Now we have Winslow( who doesn’t block) and two rookies also in on the blocking packages as TEs. I promise you, Josh Freeman will miss John Gilmore. 2 Rookies?? Get the red toro flags out.
Yeah, and thaws not even all the places we regressed. This team should have gotten better, as we have a franchise QB to contend with. But we didn’t. We lost guys we didn’t replace, and experience you can’t replace. All the while sitting on one hell of a big stack of money.
Yeah,I love this team. But I expected more from them than I got this offseason. No reason we couldn’t have brought in a vet TE( Zachary Miller), an experienced 3rd downback( Dozens), and An LG and RT. It just doesn’t make any sense not to
September 7th, 2011 at 10:56 am
i really think this preseason was a poor indication of where this team is at. these first four games will be very telling. i think the coaching staff held back alot during the preseason and try to put out very little film for other teams.
September 7th, 2011 at 11:35 am
They win the division THIS YEAR!!
September 7th, 2011 at 11:36 am
But hey, that’s ok. People doubted them last year and it motivated. Let people do it again this year… Maybe next year people will believe and they will crack 55,000 in season tickets
September 7th, 2011 at 11:57 am
I truly love all the , let’s be champions by buying the broken down, over priced, cut from another team because of “salary-cap” reasons Dan Snyder want-to-be fans that are out there. It has been proven time and time again that you don’t buy championships. You don’t buy lasting contenders. What has Dallas won in God knows how long? What has Washington won? Nobody maximises their salary cap with more free agent plug-ins than those two teams and it has gotten the squat!! Now, this year it is the Eagles. They go out and sign every swinging veteran free agent they could find that would cause any of their fans to be overwhelmed with elation. They will not even win they’re division! Half of the sports pundits or already laying their grounds for jumping off the Eagle bandwagon.
A true team concept, playing as one well tuned machine, in harmony and together as one unit is what wins championships. You don’t buy that. You build it. I for one am enjoying the ride and enjoying watching a lasting contender be constructed from the ground up. When Phili is facing 1/2 of their team hitting free agency again next year, because they signed them all to 1 year deals, Tampa will be 1 year older as complete unit moving ahead together and re-signing their young talent to long term deals.
September 7th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
I didnt doubt them last year. Quite the opposite, I predicted they would win 8 or 9 games, and got swarmed by the haters. By the way, I was greatly outnumbered defending the team last year, and the guys who are arguing with me now where no where to be found!
September 7th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I don’t think they will take a step back unless you’re talking about their win/loss record. As far as the quality of their play, I think they will be better. Just look at the defensive line for won major reason they will be better. Their receivers will likewise be better.
The problem is that their schedule is going to be tougher and all teams will be less likely to take them lightly. So a lower record does not necessarily mean a worse team, just more difficult conditions, especially for such a young and inexperienced team.
But if they do end up with a worse record, at least it will give the haters something to crow about. Everyone knows how they love looking for reasons to be right even if the actual details don’t support their proclamations.
September 7th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
I was here C apt Tim, and you were more fun back then. It is what it is, you knew whaty was coming, just deal with it and root for your team. You are starting to sound like Thomas at times. We know you are upset that they let Ruud and Williams go, and that they let a few other vets that really did not contribute much last year go. We also know you wanted a new LB and a couple linemen. You have made it very clear. Now gface the facts that the team is here and start rooting for them. Go back to typing like a pirate if it will help, but I think that bugged Joe a bit. Threaten to make people walk the plank. All of that was more fun than all this bitching.
September 7th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Detroit win
@Minn win
Atlanta win
Indy loss (if Peyton returns)
@San Fran win
New Orleans win
Chicago win/loss
@New Orleans loss
Houston win
@Green Bay loss
@Tenn win
Carolina win
@Jax win
Dallas loss
@Carolina win
@Atlanta loss
With the Chicago game being a swing game, the Bucs go 10-6 or 11-5.
September 7th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Ibucfan-” all the broken down , over priced has beens”. You mean like Simeon Rice? Keyshawn Johnson? Brad Johnson? Ken Dilger? Roman Oben? Keenan Macardell? Etc, Etc, that we signed and won the last championship with? I can tell you’re new around here, and don’t know much about Football, so I’m gonna take it easy on you,
You see, we actually WON the SuperBowl here! Not that many years ago! And we did it with some really good players we drafted, but mostly with Free Agents we signed over a Two year period- over half our starters! We did NOT win the SuperBowl with a bunch of Rookies and First year players. NO ONE has EVER won a SuperBowl with a team of 2nd year players and younger.
Soo, before you start telling me the evils of Free agency, get yourself a quick education, by studying the Make up of OUR championship team
And just because I disagree with the moves made this year, doesn’t mean I’m not a fan. Not only do I drink the Koolaide, a year or two ago, I thought I owned the Koolaide stand! And it got egged pretty regular right here! I was labeled a homer for believing this team would be a winner last year! Yet oddly, I was right. And I’m telling you this year we took some back steps. This time, I hope I’m wrong. But don’t act like you are “superFan”, cause I notice you weren’t even on the Band wagon til we were winners! And if we go 7-9 this year, I bet you hope right back off again.
And I’ll still be here. Defending the faith, til I die, Or Joe Bans me.
September 7th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
McBuc- yah, yer right! I’m done bitching. I think it’s cause I’m in Virginia- state Tax, 4 months of breathing thick smoke from a swamp fire, earthquakes, then a hurricane- Geez, no wonder I’m grumpy!
I gotta get back to the land if Bikinis, clear blue water, and Buccaneer football! Think that’d do it! Think it’s Bikini withdrawal that’s doing it!
September 7th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Neither optimism nor pessimism will have the slightest effect on the Bucs’ season. It will all come down to whether the offense can keep the pace they established toward the end of last season and whether the defense is improved. Everything else is just fluff and hot air.
September 7th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
FlboyinDallas- ain’t that the truth! But it gives us something to talk about til Sunday!
September 7th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
The biggest knock on us that I keep hearing besides the “signature wins”, is us being beneficiaries of the schedule last year.
Well according to all the pundits last year we were only supposed to win 2-3 games still. They all knew our schedule when predicting this last year or they didn’t do their jobs. How many signature wins could we have gotten with that prediction.
I guess they all had to find something to complain about when we started 4-2 and made everyone look foolish almost instantaneously.
If a team goes 10-6 in their second season of a complete overhaul, I don’t care how easy the schedule was. ATLANTA and NEW ORLEANS basically had the same schedule we did last year and I don’t hear the same being said about them to the point that we hear it.
Despite being way behind the Falcons and Saints in terms of the state of our organization last year, we still finished 3 and 1 games behind them respectively. And we were a 4th and 1, and a 3rd and 20 away from probably beating the Falcons both times last year. Not to mention the Detroit game.
We did this all last year with one of the leagues worst pass rushes and signs are that’s only going to get better. We also had one of our best offensive years in history last year. A QB who finished with 25 tds and only 6 ints (15 td’s and 1 int in his last 8 games with a QBR of 108.5) and finished 2nd behind only Michael Vick in rushing yards last season.
There is young talent across the board who are only going to get better, and we’re not at least optimistic about this season. I’m loosing hope…Hello L.A.
September 7th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Lie.
And btw, they addressed the loss of Ruud with Foster. See, that’s what most teams do…they replace old guys with young guys.
Ira is an idiot though…on that we can agree.
September 7th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Pete- exactly what part of what I said are accusing off being a lie , Pal
September 7th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Four Fingers, right on man! Right on! What is a “signature win” anyway?
September 7th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Capt Tim…No worries mate, when the season starts I hope your fears are put to rest. There were only a hnad full of us drinking the Koolaide last year, and you indeed owned the stand. Time to bring the Koolaide dude crashing through the wall and…maybe we need to add vodka!
September 7th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
McBuc, I agree . Despite my few concerns, I can’t wait to see Freeman and that offense hit the field! And that Defensive line is Gonna grow unto something fierce! With McCoy focused strictly at DT this year, I expect him to become a monster. And I am all about Adrian Clayborn! I think he will be a franchise DE. I’m can’t wait for the season to Start! What was that drink Joe invented last year, cheerleader sweat and tequila? First round of “pom pom bombs” on me at Kickoff! It should be a great year!
September 7th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
@Capt Tim
I’ve been sitting in those stands since day 1, sitting on pure concrete in the south endzone of the old Somb of which my father helped construct. Don’t tell me about bandwagoners.
As for our superbowl win, you named every offensive player that contributed minimal to that win. It was the defense that was drafted and kept together that evolved into a powerhouse. Rice was added as a pass rushing specialist that conritbuted, but 99% of that defense was drafted. Who scored more touchdowns in that game? Offense or defense?
You build a lasting contender through the draft, period!
Oh, and no where in my post did I ever claim that you “are not a Buc fan”? So don’t get your drawers in a wad. I said that, “as a buc fan how can you not be excited?”
After reading your post I now have found the answer. You are hear just to look for an argument. You must be a bored individual to actually try to antagonize people into an argument with you. Good luck with your future endeavors. Your meaningless chatter will be ignored by me from now on.
September 7th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
I really liked Joe Jurevicius. He was a class guy and made some key plays. Even Brad “the stiff” Johnson was clutch when he had to be.
September 7th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Lmao- “minimal contributors” WHAAA? The quarterback, RB, Both WR, The TE,The LT, the RG, the De, Sam LB, The Free safety, and the Left cornerback we all “Minimal contributors”?? And I know I forget a few!! DUDE!! The “evils of Free agency” is how we were able to win the Game! The defensive players we drafted were Sapp, Macfarlin, Quarles, Brooks, Lynch, and Barber. 4 of those guys were the core of a great defense. But almost half our starters on Defense, in the SuperBowl, were FAs. I wasn’t picking an argument, but if you are gonna start with “Dan Snyder wannabe fans”, you should at least have a clue about how things have been done around here! You may gave sat on Concrete in the ole Sombrero, but you weren’t around when we won the SuperBowl- or you’d have some questions, just like I do. Dominick was on Staff when we won the SuperBowl. He knows you won’t win a SuperBowl without bringing in Free agents! Do the math!! If all 7 picks every year become starters- every friggin one- it would take 4 years to draft your starters, and you’d still need more guys for special teams. The average career in the NFL is less than 4 years. You’d Lose some of the first crop before you had your team built!!
But thats fine. It’s allll good. You started an argument, but had pretty weak stuff to back it up. It’s a tough site! Weak stuff don’t fly around here very long.
And just when I was getting in a good mood!!
September 7th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
BigMacAttack- me too! Always had love for Simeon Rice. He was so quick off the snap. I liked MacCardell alot to- really a great WR. Man, that was a great team. I love the team we are building now. It’s the most fun Buccaneer team I’ve ever Watched! Last year was a last minute, nail biter every week! I remember being afraid to leave your seat in the Fourth quarter- Josh always seems to have a miracle with a minute left.
It is kinda depressing how things have turned around here. Now Free agents are talked about like some kinda desease. Some of my favorite Bucs came here as Free agents! And I tell you, the falcons and Saints sure don’t have s problem with them. If we make up ground on those two, then I’ll think we are really on to something.
September 7th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
The pessimism about this team is the product of many factors, including the majority belief that the 10 wins were 4 or 5 wins artificially high.
This general pessimism is also reflected at the box office, and coincidentally Forbes published its annual list of team value. Most teams value increased.
The largest decrease in value of 5%, that is correct sports fans: Rah’s Rookies, your bucs.
This is a stinging indictment about the current state of the franchise. Missed playoffs will equal major changes or no fans.
September 7th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
I think the Bucs will improve dramatically over last season in terms of their play, but I think the competition they’ll face this year will be tougher and even though they’ll be a better team, they’ll win fewer games.
September 7th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Still waiting Pete
September 8th, 2011 at 10:01 am
@Thomas 2.2- You speak the truth as I have come to know it through my perception as well as many other fans… This is the Season to put up or shut up… They worked so hard to try and convince many they are building a good team but only their play on the field throughout this Season will show their TRUE colors whichsoever they may be!