Early Bye Week May Have Saved Schiano
July 4th, 2013
Last year’s bye week, which came after a 1-3 start by the Bucs, may have indirectly saved Greg Schiano’s tenure with the team.
Most NFL players and coaches would suggest they would prefer to have a late bye week. That way, the team is more fresh for the stretch run and even if a team is not in the playoff race, a late bye means players can see light in a dark tunnel.
Last year, the Bucs had an early bye week in Week 5. In a recent NFL.com podcast with Dave Dameshek, Greg Schiano implied that last year’s bye week, coming after the Bucs started out 1-3, may have saved the season from becoming a 2011 Raheem Morris-like circling of the drain.
Dave Dameshek: Was there any doubt, starting the season 1-3 and some heat on you, college ways transferring to the pros, you ever thought, “I shoulda stayed up in Jersey?”
Greg Schiano: No, it was all good. We played some tough football teams and [the games were] close, but close isn’t good enough. We saw improvement. We thought things were going in the right direction. The thing that helped us was getting to that bye week and kind of regrouping as a team and as an organization and taking a deep breath and saying, “We’re close but how do we get over the hump?” Being able to play good football right after that was critical in the guys believing and moving things forward.
In retrospect, Joe can see how the Bucs might have imploded if not for that early bye week.
Imagine you had survived the purge, going from a lax coach to one who demands attention to detail. You put in all of that work and sweat and blood and toil and you look up and you are starting a season worse than the previous year, one that saw your coach run out of town just hours after the final game.
Joe could easily see how players would have checked out, thinking no matter what they did, the same terrible outcome was a near certainty.
This just goes to show that football is every bit mental as it is physical.
July 4th, 2013 at 8:15 am
maybe the entire nfl should take a week off with about 4-6 games left, that way all the teams rest up and we get great action in the race to the playoffs.
It would be a sad weekend for football fans, but if thye make the season longer anyway, it could help
July 4th, 2013 at 8:36 am
Since they have started implementing the bye weeks, the Bucs haven’t had a bye in Week 10 or later since 2008. In fact, the Bucs have had their bye among the first five weeks of the season in three of the last four years. It appears those late bye weeks are mostly reserved for teams that are considered media darlings. Like the Patriots who always seem to have a bye in week 9 and later. They are practically undefeated after their bye week and are well rested heading into the stretch run every year.
July 4th, 2013 at 8:38 am
Oh, and if we look back, our team appeared to be exhausted in the latter half of the season last year.
July 4th, 2013 at 9:12 am
I think it allowed the coaches to coach. With 4 weeks of football tape of the players and not other teams players running the Bucs plays, I think it allowed the coaches (except Cooper) time to get things straightened out. Get the details worked on. Honestly the first 4 weeks seemed like extended training camp to me. Going from Raheem to Schiano and new schemes on offense and defense was very difficult for a bunch of kids and very few veterans.
July 4th, 2013 at 10:07 am
Bye week phhhhhh please. I think it has more to do with the fact. That they just played team’s like the Giant’s and Cowboys. Then after the bye week they played bum’s like the Chief’s. It’s the Freeman era, that’s what they do. Should’nt even be on the field with the really good team’s. Yet almost a sure thing against under .500 team’s (if in playoff contention). This year is all about. Can Freeman beat elite team’s. Bottem feeder’s jump up and beat elite team’s. Why can’t we. Anything can happen within the division so don’t even bother with the (what about the saints and falcons).
July 4th, 2013 at 10:40 am
I like this schedule this year. No run of tough team’s like year’s past. Week 3 @Pat’s would be huge. Lose to the pat’s then the seahawks and it’s same ol same ol. Fighting for our playoff lives late in the season. With the fact that we just can’t beat elite team’s. Still hanging over our head’s. This year’s motto should be BEAT THE ELITE
July 4th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
apostrophes are for possessive, not plural.