Lovie Did His Homework
March 13th, 2014
No coach wants to watch other teams play, unless they are prepping for an upcoming opponent or watching their kids play. Coaches want to coach.
After the Bears waved goodbye to Bucs coach Lovie Smith following the 2012 season, Lovie decided he was going to do some soul-searching, some self-scouting, toss ideas around with fellow coaches and come back ready to rock and roll for the 2014 season.
He just didn’t know it would be with the Bucs.
One thing Lovie got ample opportunity to do was to watch football games both in person and on the couch, day and night. Several players caught his eye, and he noted their skills for his next coaching gig.
Wednesday at One Buc Palace, four of those men were sitting next to Lovie himself, being introduced as new members of the Bucs. Much of the credit for those players coming to the Bucs was that Lovie had done his homework.
“Again when you have a year off, you have a lot of time to watch a lot of video and watch a lot of different guys,” Lovie said. “I did have a chance to – and not in detail the way Jason was able to, but I knew about them, all of these guys have a reputation and there’s a reason why, not only the Buccaneers but others wanted them. We knew about their reputation and their play over a period of time and we got a chance to really finalize that in these last couple of weeks had an opportunity to watch them more closely and do a little more amount of research and just knew that they were guys that we wanted to add to our football team.”
Part of the reason Team Glazer swung and missed on their last two coaching hires is that they waited to make a regime change. In the case of Greg Schiano, it was because they wanted to do due diligence and research, and other teams got the jump on Team Glazer in hiring more attractive candidates, thus, only leftovers were available — and leftover assistants.
This time, after the Bucs went 0-8 to start the 2013 season, Team Glazer wasted no time in its coaching search. The fact that Lovie was already doing his homework for a return to the game was icing on the cake.
This time, setting the agenda instead of following in the trail of other teams, is paying off for Team Glazer.
March 13th, 2014 at 7:43 am
I don’t know of many coaches that could win with the “rockstar” at the helm. Look how this win now, chalk full of Pro-bowlers, team captains, and free agent champion team is getting gutted! A team cannot have success unless they draft well. This team still has a long way to go to prove it can win and sustain wins!
March 13th, 2014 at 7:44 am
I know you hate the Ocho, but here is a great article about McCown, speaks to the idea of having either Glennon or a rookie QB competing with Josh…sounds like a great player that we just added in more ways than on the field.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago-bears/post/_/id/4690983/mccown-deserving-of-opportunity
March 13th, 2014 at 7:54 am
@The_Bucs_Realist
We got rid of Revis and Joseph how is that “gutting” the team? The rest that left were all back up players? We also re-signed Gorrer Meredith Carr Casillas(All Dom Guys).. If you don’t like Dom then just say it.. No need to try to spin it just because we are signing free agents.
Btw pretty sure Lovie and Lichts method this offseason was the same as Dom by signing marquee free agents(MJ, Verner, McCown sadly)
Oh and Dashons contract doesn’t look so bad now that Whitner Bethea Ward and Byrd have been signed.. Just saying in general
March 13th, 2014 at 8:12 am
Phillip,
Realist is just being real abut the “likability” of Dom’e work. It’s effing heinous.
He struck out worse than Greg Vaughn did for our Rays. Helluva nice guy though.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:13 am
“This time, setting the agenda instead of following in the trail of other teams, is paying off for Team Glazer.”
And you know this how? At present, Team Glazer has a 34 year old career backup as “the starting person”, who, in order to afford, jettisoned one of the best corners in the league.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:26 am
I’m very curious about the Brandon Myers signing. With all the time off and opportunities to sign other depth type players moving forward….why Myers. Hopefully Lovie & Licht know something we don’t.
Its this type of player (depth) that will make a huge difference in our success.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:33 am
@Stevek
Okay if that’s the case lets go back and look at the last 2 years archives on this website and see the joy and excitement over signing the following players… Jackson, Nicks, Goldson, Revis.. He also signed team friendly contracts where their guaranteed money is up usually after 2 years in the case they don’t work out or get old(Penn, Joseph, Koennen, Revis, Goldson, Williams, VJAX, Nicks before restructuring)… Now lets go look at who he drafted and undrafted rookies the last two years since Eric Stokes got here(From SEATTLE)…(Banks, Wright, Spence, Barron, LVD, Martin, Gholston, Means, Glennon, James) Pretty sure all these guys have talent(Glennons a great back up 🙂 )
Now lets take a look at people Dom brought in and Schiano couldn’t find a way to use or use correctly(Gilberry, Selvie, Bennett) along with (Means, James until Doug got hurt, Revis, Bowers, Clayborn)
All I’m saying Dom put talent out there and ya we had some unfortunate injuries the past two years(Nicks, Joseph, Williams, Bowers, Martin, Crabtree, Clayborn, James)
But I’m thinking its more a product of bad coaching and scheme than anything else.. Which its still on Dom some because he picked Schiano but he doesn’t get paid to coach guys
March 13th, 2014 at 8:35 am
And then he signed one of the best corners in the league……at 25, who doesn’t have either a bad knee or a 16 million dollar contract. Brilliant exchange.
The career backup had 13 td’s to 1 int last year. Not saying he can do it for a season because he hasn’t before, but Gannon never did either till Chucky worked his magic.
The more I read about Josh, the more I like him. Out of the game coaching high school, on a UFL squad, clawed his way back. That shows something to me.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:35 am
I believe Team Glazer will learn from past mistakes with hiring coaches, their staffs and GMs. Hopefully, they won’t need to make those decisions for a long, long time. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this confident in the direction the organization is going in. Enjoy the ride – GO BUCS!
March 13th, 2014 at 8:42 am
And Dom didn’t really over pay for Revis… He literally just signed for 12 mil with the Patriots.. Think about that for a second.. 4 mil less to play for the PATRIOTS! You know the same team that is ALWAYS in the hunt for a Super Bowl and the only discount they got was 4 mil? The same team that won’t overpay for a player and would rather let them walk(Seymour, Talib, Welker and countless others that I can’t remember)
Goldson is making about the same as the other premier Safties in the NFL right now(Weddle, Byrd, Ward, Whitner, Bethea)
Mike Williams same as Amendola territory
Nicks making top guard money because before injuries he was the BEST interior lineman in the NFL hands down.
Vjax making what other number 1 WR are making and he has earned every penny.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:47 am
New England didn’t give up a 1 and a 3 to get him, and they already have the pieces in place for a run.
Far different than dominik’s idiocy.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:56 am
Ir ia possible that both GMs were right on the Revis issue…Dominick was trying to improve the worst pass defense in the NFL thinking that he had the players up front to get the job done. After the Bennett exit, Bowers & AC underperformed.
Licht is right to clear the 16 mil to bring in the pieces necessary to build the team going forward.
Lovie & Licht could cut Revis because they didn’t bring him in.]
The lost draft picks are very unfortunate but that’s history. Looking positively…we have a 3rd instead of a 4th in this draft.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:04 am
@philip
Seymour did not walk he was traded to the raiders for a 1st round pick.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:04 am
It’s funny how people who “know” that Glennon isn’t any good after just 13 games as a rookie, are impressed by a guy who is now on his 8th team, not to mention his UFL days when he wasn’t even good enough for the NFL.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:04 am
@Eric
Revis wasn’t a Free Agent last year the only way to get him was through trade.. He would have been a bargain if we would have actually kept him for more than one season but when you have bad coaching that leads to a 0-8 start and a 4-12 season after a terrible finish to the 2012 season then you usually don’t get to keep your job and the new regime didn’t want him at that price its that simple..
Not all on Dom but you feel like you need a SINGLE person to blame instead of you know poor coaching, poor coaching personnel decisions, schemes, players being forced into a system not building a system around the players, injuries, under preforming players, and some on Dom for signing players.
It’s a 1st and 4th now btw..
March 13th, 2014 at 9:04 am
Totally agree. With both Raheem and Schiano, the new hire came late. So these first-team NFL head coaches needed great assistants and got crap. Glad the Glazers moved quickly here. But let’s face it – our drafts have been so bad that besides a handful of starters, the cupboard is very bare.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:05 am
@TBR
Yes because he wasn’t going to be re-signed… He signed a contract right after that or the following season..
March 13th, 2014 at 9:05 am
I don’t have a prob with either GM on the Revis thing…it just hurts to have tossed a 1st & 4 th in the bown , for nuttin.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:06 am
bown=bowl, sorry
March 13th, 2014 at 9:08 am
Bad coaching to be sure contributed mightily.
However, Dom had five years and the team was awful. Plus he had a heavy hand in selecting said bad coach.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:09 am
@Eric
He selected one coach… He didn’t hire Raheem the Glazers did because some thought he would be the next Mike Tomllin..
March 13th, 2014 at 9:23 am
@phillip
The rockstar had a hand in hiring in OC that got fired in the middle of the preaseason and a DC that got fired half-way thru the season. He was in way over his head, and that was just the start of all of his mistakes. There is a reason the Lovie got rid of the entire front before he got here.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:32 am
@TBR
No Idk where you read that or why you would think that but the Coach signs his coordinators… Wouldn’t make sense for a GM to say you have to have these coordinators?
Seriously you guys gotta stop hating everyone that leaves Tampa for one reason or another.. And putting full blame on people when its an entire organization to blame from the Glazers to hiring Dom from Dom hiring Schiano to Schiano hiring his assistants and players..
March 13th, 2014 at 9:46 am
To all bucs fans. Remember we went 7-9 with no name secondary. You ppl think that one CB will win a championship??? It takes the front 4 to somehow be able to at least breath on a QB for ANY CB to be effective. Even revis. Look he had an ok year, and honestly that pick in the Monday night (which I saw in person and was one of the most memorable nights of my life) was a toss and a given for him. You ppl don’t know a thing about football if that move is giving you nightmares. I GUARANTEE that most of you including JOE are gonna eat y’all’s words when we won ten and FINALLY make the playoffs. SAVE THIS OR AT LEAST REMEMBER THIS COMMENT JOE CAUSE ITS GONNA HAPPEN!
March 13th, 2014 at 10:00 am
Anyone who thinks Revis and Joseph are the end of the cuts are sorely mistaken…
March 13th, 2014 at 10:09 am
Why are people excited about the 5 signings. It shows how easily swayed people are by spin. The Bucs gave 43 million to a DE that has only one season of performace. Last season finished with 3 sacks. They gave 10 million to a career back up quaterback who has moved back and forth from 7 teams and coaching HS football. Signed a DL from Seattle that was cut prior to the 2013 season and was only brought back to due injury. Signed a back up tight end. The only decent signing was Verner, but he is a step down from Revis.
I know we are only in the beginiing stages of the changes to the 2014 Bucs, but let’s be honest none of these signings improve the team, except for depth.
If the bucs draft a QB, Glennon will be gone as Lovie won’t keep 3 QB’s and it will take 3 games into the 2014 season to hear the fans want Teddy, Manziel, or Blake become the starter.
I was excited to see Lovie back In Tampa, but so far I am not impressed. Stop believing the spin.
March 13th, 2014 at 10:15 am
I know we are only in the beginiing stages of the changes to the 2014 Bucs, but let’s be honest none of these signings improve the team, except for depth.
——————
And depth is the whole point to free agency. Not Franchise changing transactions.
March 13th, 2014 at 10:21 am
The problem with Dom, was there was no depth, now team L & L have built depth by virtue of bringing in staters and last year starters make decent depth. That’s how Dungy built the team, if somebody left, the next man up rarely missed a beat.
March 13th, 2014 at 10:25 am
I agree that adding depth is important. But we are paying too much for that depth. Not impressed
March 13th, 2014 at 10:29 am
Glazers wish they stayed with Gruden. He was a horrible 9-3 until a tired team lost in December. This will make the Glazers feel better, Lakers paid Kobe 30m for 6 games. They lost most of those 6 and he wants to play 2 more seasons. At least Mevis played in 16 games, not very well but at least he played.
March 13th, 2014 at 10:40 am
Biggest swing and miss by Dom was drafting mike glennon.
March 13th, 2014 at 10:58 am
nd we better find another safety. Goldson is one hit from being suspended for the season. The NFL is done with him.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:00 am
I think Mike was a good selection in 3rd round. He will be a NFL QB. Smart, big arm, tall. He will fit with a team that likes the typicl drop back passer.
Lovie likes a more mobile QB.
Biq question. I hope we sign a few OL, because we let Davin go, Nicks will never play a full season.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:01 am
Imagine if Lynch had to play safety with the current rules.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:03 am
^
And
March 13th, 2014 at 11:05 am
Goodbye Penn- Collins just signed
March 13th, 2014 at 11:15 am
@ Mike J
I know but others follow the new rules. He refuses Cut him he gives up to many yards .
March 13th, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Mike J negative much , jimmy christmas give the new coach and GM at least one year before your not impressed.