Brutal Stretch Follows Colts
October 3rd, 2011
Joe’s not discounting Indianapolis and the glory of the Bucs returning to Monday Night Football tonight, but it’s hard not to overanalyze the schedule and other teams after a Sunday of watching the rest of the league perform.
If the Bucs take care of business and move to 3-1, this is what follows in October and November:
@ S.F. (3-1)
SAINTS (3-1)
BEARS (2-2) in London
@ Saints (3-1)
TEXANS (3-1)
@ G.B. (4-0)
@ Titans (3-1)
That’s a brutal stretch, especially with the 49ers game across the country on short rest no longer looking like the easy “W” many projected before the season. Plus the Texans and Titans appear to be having breakthrough years. (How about Barrett Ruud in the middle of the stingiest (fewest points) defense in the NFL?)
Can the Bucs win tonight and then manage a 4-3 record against that bunch? That would put them at 7-4 entering the final five games: two against Carolina, home for Dallas, and on the road in Jacksonville and at Altanta to close the season.
Yeah, it’s one game at a time and things change fast, but the Bucs have serious work ahead to set themselves up for a December run.
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:27 am
49ers, Titans and Bears should be wins. If we can pull off the Texans and one against the Saints, that leaves us 8-3.
None of these games will be easy.
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:42 am
LeGarrette Blount is having nightmares about facing Ruud every night , I’m sure . Bwhaahahahaha…
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:19 am
Its a tough run of games but we still have players bedding in and a young team overall that should continue to improve throughout the season. If we can come away with a respectable record from those games then it is a sign that the Bucs really are starting to go places. A win against the Bears would be especially nice..(!)
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:23 am
You’re right Joe, a very tough schedule.
That’s why in the NFL you have to approach it
one game at a time. So much changes during the course of a season,
from week to week.
But tonight? Monday Night Football is back in Tampa, an exciting night for sure!
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:28 am
@ Joe
I love the absurd picture of Trueblood. I’m literally cracking up at my desk.
Oh, and please lighten up on your “New York types” insults. There are PLENTY of Bucs fans up here these days!
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:34 am
@Flip Flopper Are you a “New York” type? Why so defensive?
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:50 am
@Mauha
If a New York type is someone that lives in Manhattan, then yes.
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:56 am
If we somehow manage to win 2 out of the 5 games in the middle of that list, we have a real good shot at the playoffs. Assuming we win against 9ers, Titans, Panthersx2 and Jaguars by default that is.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:05 am
Preach on Flip Flopper! Someone up her in NY has to represent the Rays when they play the Yankees and the Bucs when they….well are pretty much ignored by BSPN. I’ve tried to remind fellow Tampaonians that not all NY’ers or d*uche bags and (here’s the part that is hardfor tehm) not all Tampa people are perfect little angels. I lived in Tampa for 30 years wand was born at Tampa General, so don’t even tell me I don’t know how it is. I was there in the 80’s with the empty stands and the horrible team. But there was always 35,000 diehards there looking to savor that rare victory. Everyone needs to stop watching so much reality TV. Just because people on NJ Housewives bicker like idiots of the Jersey Shore freaks scream and act like children it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to. We’re all Americans. Get over it. Conservative, Liberals. We’re fighting each other, it’s stupid. Are we all alike? No. We’re individuals. Does that make us hate America or be anti-American? No, it makes us human beings. No two are alike and we must all get along or the great America train is gonna go right of the tracks. Bring the love not the hate. It’s only a sport for f*cks sake. No one will die if the Bucs win or lose. (Although my heart will ache greatly if they lose) Just lighten up people. GO BUCS!
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:08 am
@Flip Flopper That is clearly not what it means. Joe isn’t referring to the average citizen, which is why he peppered the statement with “Guess who cares about TV ratings? Maybe the 32 owners in the NFL, Roger Goodell, and perhaps a dozen suits at TV networks.”
Unless you are one of the few overly rich “New York” suits who give a crap about TV ratings, he wasn’t referring to you. If you are, well, GTFOH.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:11 am
lol “…. the great American train is gonna go right off the tracks”. Hello? Where have you been? This country derailed 100 years ago.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:30 am
@Mauha
Clearly? Well, that’s complete BS. How do two words (New York) that denote a state and city CLEARLY demonstrate Joe’s meaning? But fine, let’s say that was his meaning. He’s still insulting the New York area by looping in these supposed types with the name of the state I (and many other Bucs fans) live in. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that I asked Joe to “lighten up” on the insults, it’s not like I launched into a tirade (as I am doing now). However, your dismissive tone was irritating enough to provoke me.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:34 am
Can we just worry about winning tonight’s game before we start worrying about the next 7-8 weeks? Tonight’s game is NO GIMME. Hell… even Peter King is saying we will blow them out at the end of his Monday Morning Quarterback article. Everyone else seems to be picking the Bucs to win as well. KOD I tell you….KOD!
So…you know what that means, we will probably be blown out at home…on Monday Night Football. Making Painter look like the second coming of Johnny Unitas and Joseph Addai look like Jim Brown.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:45 am
First off, I dismissed your notion in print, not tonally. I wrote everything out leaving nothing to guess. No tonal interpretation was necessary.
If certain people in New York are an insult to New York, how is that Joe’s fault? They are a specific type of people. TV people. They run out of that city hence why they are ‘looped’ with that city.
If that was a tirade, its no wonder those “New York types” are running that city lol(just giving you a hard time now)
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:01 am
Flip Flopper:
Joe was specifically targeting the New York suits who only believe there are five teams (maybe) worth worrying about due to the almighty TV ratings, standard journalism practices be damned. That’s why Joe explicitly stated how there aren’t 50 people whose jobs depend on TV ratings.
There aren’t too many suits in, say, Macon, Ga. or Kearney, Neb. that are able to influence network TV programming, much less, for example, Chicago. Why? TV/advertising suits are based in New York where the networks/advertising agencies are based, hence the phrase “New York-types.” They sure aren’t living in Kansas City.
Joe’s guessing that in your line of work you are not a programming executive at ABC or an advertising honcho at DDB on Madison Ave.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:57 am
I’d rather have a stretch of games like that, than to have a stretch of also-rans with an average of one win apiece. At least we’ll know what this young team is made of as a result. Looking forward to finding out.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:59 am
And that Trueblood photo looks like he’s enthusiastically filling his Depends with everything he can muster. Hope he didn’t blow a ‘rhoid in the process.
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@Mahua: The written word very often has tone (as your post did), if you think otherwise, I’d suggest you read an Op-Ed or a novel sometime.
@Joe: You’re right. I’m sure there are very few decision makers in media in LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc..
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@Joe: I forgot to mention that the network by which you seem to think defines manhood (NFL) does most of their broadcasting out of LA, but those guys don’t care about ratings, right?
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Flip-Flopper:
Feel free to document the last time someone got canned on the NFL Network because of ratings.
The only people that care about NFL Network ratings are based at the NFL headquarters and where are they located?
(Hint: The street address is on Park Ave.)
The point is, and Joe will not have any further comments about this, the miniscule number of people whose jobs are determined by TV ratings (again, 50 maybe) does not remotely constitute the gross amount of coverage about TV ratings for sports. And those same suits (i.e. sports and advertising executives) live and work in the greater New York area.
Sorry that this disturbs you so.
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Joe’s opinion of New Yorkers has always been on par with the stereotype.
Joe’s wrong about his TV ratings and 50 people’s jobs notion.
Joe’s often wrong about many things outside of football.
Joe’s often right about Bucs football.
Joe’s a good guy.
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Btw, BSPN headquarters is located out of Bristol, Connecticut.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Man, there are definitely no “gimme” games on that schedule (I’m sure Thomas is waiting in the wings hoping things go bad). I can’t believe the NFL gave us a cross country game on a short week, but then again I can (and I’ll be at the game). Freeman is going to need to go back to last years form for us to be successful. I think he will, hopefully starting tonight.