“It Was Kind Of A Shock”

September 25th, 2017

Bucs RT explains.

In a way, Joe felt sorry for winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.

A guy works all week long to devise a gameplan that he thinks will win a game, and before halftime hits, that gameplan is about as worthless as used toilet paper.

Bucs veteran right tackle Demar Dotson admitted the Bucs were forced to do some things offensively because the team had no choice as the Bucs were collectively laying on their backs staring at the see-through ceiling of U.S. Bank Stadium.

“Minnesota did a good job of coming out and playing a tremendous game,” Dotson said. “We didn’t play the way we were capable of playing. It was kind of a shock we got behind so quick. It is kind of like throwing the gameplan out the widow because you are playing catch-up so early.”

The game almost had an eerie similarity to last year’s second game of the season. Like last year, the Bucs were coming off a season-opening win and traveled to play in a dome. And just like last year, when the Bucs were seal-clubbed by the Cardinals, the Bucs Sunday were alley-beaten by the Vikings.

Stunningly, a rather candid Dotson told Joe after the Arizona loss that many Bucs players thought they’d have it easy in Arizona after the way they took it to the Dixie Chicks the previous Sunday. When Joe asked Dotson if the same cockiness took root in the days leading up to the Vikings game, Dotson smiled, chuckled a little and said, “I hope not.”

15 Responses to ““It Was Kind Of A Shock””

  1. Lord Cornelius Says:

    The difference is last year the entire starting defense wasn’t injured and/or sick lol

  2. LakeLandBuc Says:

    They have a week to re-group and play the Giants and Pats. 2 games in 4 days, with a depleted roster. 14 more games without a week off, it won’t be easy. They have to Man-up , this separate the men from the boys, the pretenders from the contenders.

  3. FortMyersDave Says:

    Would not be surprised if a few of Dotson’s teammates read a lot of the press clippings about themselves, it sure as heck looked like they were not ready for the Vikes, almost as bad as the beating in the desert last year. Hopefully this year they don’t follow the beatdown with a loss to a beatable opponent like they did last year to the Rams but you get that feeling that the Bucs will find a way to lose to the Giants…..

  4. JabooBuc Says:

    If there was any good that came out of that game it was that despite all of the injuries and sloppy play by JW, they actually had a chance to pull close in the 4th Q. I know it’s been said a lot already, but this defense has real problems. Guys were wide open virtually every play. So…we have very little pass rush and a secondary that can’t cover. Does not sit well…

  5. Mo_Downs Says:

    Professional football is a battle of attrition. If all teams have the same training and planning then the difference is more often than not, team health.

    Having suffered many joint and bone injuries in my athletic youth, one number sticks in my head: “It takes 6-8 weeks to fully heal bone and joint injuries, period.”

    Rushing injured players back into action before they heal only endangers their long term careers. Thus: NFL stands for Not For Long.

    We all accept the reality of frequent injury in the worlds most injurious team sport. That’s why the players are paid so much.

    Many players end up with broken bodies and brains after their careers are over. Considering the cost of medical and physical therapy they face once their careers are over, they may not be paid enough.

    Rule changes don’t matter when the refs aren’t calling head hits. Yesterday was a prime example of the refs turning a blind eye to headhunting by the Vikings. Both Brate and Hump may have to take time off for concussion analysis. Meanwhile, the Vikings got away with slow murder.

    Sadly, the Bucs, despite the preseason hype, are faced with a rash of injuries to key players and even their back-ups. And, players are coached to “go after” injured players. So, players listed on the weekly injury report who end up playing have a bullseye on their backs.

    If the Bucs fail to reach the playoffs or even have a winning season, we can look to injuries, not coaching or poor FO moves to be the cause.

  6. adam from ny Says:

    i kid you not – but maybe time to bring up joe dirt…he can lead these candito asstitos…he might not be able to cover for crap in the passing game but he can yell and lead like a mofo…and with kwon out the defense looks more like kwonton soup…mccoy is a dude with no real tude…oh wait he put on a show for hard knocks so now he got game?…nah bee we see thru ya…he’s not a true leader by nature…a few estrogen injections and he’d be a thick woman…

    let me stop…i love my bucs and mccoy…and why has robert ayers been so quiet going all the way back to hard knocks…he used to be that vocal yokel ready to whip moes into shape like a boss…we need more of that

  7. Baz Says:

    Why are we throwing playbooks at widows anyway? Haven’t they dealt with enough? 😉

  8. Alfred B Says:

    Simple as this!! They can man up in still not make it to the playoffs!! We basically battling Carolina saints Vikings packers redskins cowboys rams lions eagles!!!! were 1-1 in our conference if we fall to giaints season is over. We gotta tank to get to the next level that’s just the truth!! Mike about to cost money and I’m not to sure about Winston being the franchice quarterback! Alexander not really a complete football play yet! David ain’t been the same since that jets game he messed up to begin the season. McCoy miss to many sacks over the years that could of won Tampa games!! D line sucks on the road in that’s just the truth games be to dam close at the end home and away!! Not only that that city as far as fans can’t wheel them to a victory like packer fans patriot fans falcon fans!!! That dam stadium on dale mabry is poop!!! wtf are they making the fans sit in the hot Tampa sun!!!! That will forever be a problem with new bucs fans in prior fans that sun just don’t sit well with the 15 20 30 40 year olds in that’s a fact!! I bet you the glazers won’t sit in them bleachers a whole game I’m very sure they won’t!! So why make the players in fans????

  9. sorryitriggeredyou Says:

    They’ll be ok. Defense will heal up eventually. Just have to hold water until then. They’ll be fine. They’re a good team.

  10. Mike Johnson Says:

    SHOCK…You kiddin me? If we don’t find a pass rush? How does 1-3 sound as a SHOCKER!!! Why we could feature our Bucs in Boris Karloff’s comeback series, Buc THRILLER!!

  11. Pickgrin Says:

    Allfred B. says:
    “if we fall to giaints season is over. We gotta tank to get to the next level”

    LOL – Over react much?

    so 1-2 is the end of the season?? No chance of going 9-4 the rest of the way with a talented team that regains its health?

    I say we come back and win the next 2 games at home. Giants and Pats are both beatable – especially at home.

    Sure hope the “stick carriers” as a whole haven’t gone whimpering into a corner or worse – pointing fingers and throwing tantrums like so many nancys here posting on JBF are doing today.

    We need it to be very LOUD at Raymond Jameis Stadium next Sunday and Thursday. Our injury depleted team will feed off the fan’s energy and rise to WIN both games if we just show them that we believe in them and are behind the team 100%.

    Time for team and fans to shake that last game off and concentrate on what can be done THIS WEEK to help reach the playoffs. Its a long season folks.
    1-1 is hardly the time start panicking or spouting BS like this player – that player – the coaching – the GM, etc suck

    We looked like world beaters vs da Bears and bottom dwellers vs the Vikes – the truth lies somewhere in between and leans much closer towards a “good” team as opposed to a “bad” team talent wise.

    Shake it off people. There is business to attend to. I guarantee you that was coach K’s concluding message to his team following film study this morning.

  12. Buc Fan South Tampa Says:

    Almost like watching the Steelers-Bucs game in 2010, when it was the fourth quarter when we (our backup Charlie Batch no less) converted a third down. Sad, sorry, worthless excuse for a game. Hopefully they all understand it and get their mind right….its going to be a long season.

  13. Rod Munch Says:

    Dirks big half-time adjustment was to come out and on 1st down… run it up the gut. Yep the same thing he’s done for the last year on almost every 1st down. At halftime in the game thread I said Dirk will come out on 1st down and run it up the gut, the team will go 3 and out, the Vikings will then score and the game is over-over.

    Guess what happened… Amazing adjustments by Dirk, he must have spent 35, heck maybe 40 seconds, thinking about what he was going to do.

    Dirk has to get better – and I’m not sure he can. He was so good in 2015 when he was in the booth and only had to worry about the offense, but as HC he’s a terrible play caller is super predictable. With that said the first two games this year have been so up and down I’m not sure what we take away from it, when we finally get a game that is close past the first half then we’ll know what, if anything, he learned from last year.

    But in any case you can by default always expect Dirk to run it up the middle on first down when the game is anything close to close, it’s as sure as a thing as the sun coming up tomorrow.

  14. Jimmy T Says:

    Alfred B, u r not sure Jameis is the franchise QB? R u INSANE! I stopped reading ur post when u said that! He IS OUR QB for the next 12 yrs. get used to it

  15. LongSeason Says:

    I now see this as a 4 win team