Exploring Winning & Leadership
June 24th, 2016
Two ex-Bucs explore the winning of 2010.
The 2011 Bucs season ended with an epic 10-game losing streak. It was a five-game meltdown in 2012.
The national 2013 horror was an 0-8 start. The 2-14 shame of 2014, the Chase For Jameis, closed with six straight losses. Right now, the Bucs are riding a four-game losing streak.
Tampa Bay hasn’t been a winner since the glorious 10-6 season of 2010. The drumbeat of losing ever since has overwhelmed Bucs fans.
Lately, Joe has spent time exploring what made that excellent 2010 team tick. Yes, Joe yearns to revive feelings of Bucs happiness.
Last week in Jacksonville, Joe had extended discussion with former Bucs defensive tackle Roy Miller, a starting nose tackle on that 2010 team and a current starter for the Jaguars, and 2010 Bucs rookie receiver Arrelious Benn.
Joe asked those guys to name the Bucs’ locker room leaders of 2010. They didn’t hesitate.
Ronde Barber was that team’s top leader, per Miller, and Miller named four others: Davin Joseph, Donald Penn, Jeremy Zuttah and Kellen Winslow. According to Benn, Joseph, Penn, Quincy Black and Barber were the leaders. “Gerald McCoy was becoming a leader, too,” Benn added. He also cited Winslow for being an inspirational figure because of his work ethic.
Miller and Benn, however, first lauded head coach Raheem Morris for creating an environment allowing players to play loose.
So was the leadership important? Miller said Raheem created such a confident environment that “the veteran leadership pretty much took over the coaching.”
Joe will share more on the winning 2010 Bucs throughout the summer.
June 24th, 2016 at 11:23 am
Penn and Zuttah huh? Cut ’em. We don’t need them.
June 24th, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Kellan “rub one out naked on synthetic high” Winslow….Aka known as Mr Happy the leader of Funky Monkey patrol.
June 24th, 2016 at 1:13 pm
Chuckys team glazers flubbed that firing
June 24th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Kellen Winslow huh? Very interesting to hear.
June 24th, 2016 at 3:15 pm
In 2010 opponents had an uncanny ability to drop the INTs that Freeman was throwing.
June 24th, 2016 at 5:01 pm
I always thought Raheem was in over his head but he just so darn likeable that players played hard for him. Koetter and Smith will right this ship. I predict 9-7 this season.
June 24th, 2016 at 5:50 pm
so, what happened the following year? all the same leaders were around, ditto the coaching staff.
June 24th, 2016 at 5:51 pm
How many were there? Which way did they go?
I must find them, for I’m their leader.
June 24th, 2016 at 6:46 pm
Defense had rudd in the middle so the back 7 was pretty good. After that year foster took over and the rest is history. Plus Blount was a beast and the competition was pathetic.
June 25th, 2016 at 7:23 am
Raheem outright sucked. His hands off approach may have worked at first, but as soon as it sank in that players could do pretty much anything, they started acting up.
Talib was the most obvious example. Winslow, one of the “team leaders” even screwed the pooch.
People here claim Lovie was the worst, but in truth the worst was Raheem. He set the team so far back that it took years to even start climbing out of hte mire it was in.
Schiano said when he left that he left the team in better condition than what it was when he go here. He was right. It may not have been much better, but it was at least better than Raheem’s team. Lovie Smith, hated by most around here, is the guy who started this turn around. In his hands, we got the offensive unit of our dreams…even though his first OC bailed. Man was a miracle worker if you think about it without bias.
June 25th, 2016 at 7:24 am
And I’m talking about long term improvement of the players and team, not the wins vs losses.
June 25th, 2016 at 5:21 pm
I just remember he couldn’t spell Glazer.