Preseason Freakout

August 18th, 2013

It’s easy to tell fans to calm down and not take preseason games so seriously. But given that the NFL charges full price for preseason games after depriving fans of football for six months, it feels almost unfair to expect the common folk and media to shrug off what they see in August.

Edgy Brandenton Herald columnist Alan Dell examined what’s real and what’s not in the Bucs’ preseason, as part of his latest effort today.

Dell has his worries.

You can scream it’s only preseason and look who didn’t play, and you’re right.

But the Bucs defense was miserable, and Brady kept his offense vanilla with these teams facing each other early in the regular season.

It’s not time to hang anyone in effigy, and roses could bloom Saturday in Miami for Tampa Bay’s third preseason game, which coaches say is the only one that matters.

But some Bucs are running out of excuses.

Linebacker Mason Foster continues to look like one of the original three blind mice on pass defense. Ahmad Black lost his composure with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, which makes you wonder if his past marijuana issue indicates a problem. Tight end Luke Stocker looked lost and confused, and Da’Quan Bowers is proving he is just a situational player, which doesn’t help a questionable defensive line.

This was not toes-on-the-line, Schiano-discipline-ripe football. It was chaos, and the first-team offense does not escape blame because Pro Bowl guards Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph did not play. They weren’t around for most of last season.

Click through above to read the whole column.

Look, Joe gets the preseason freakout. Joe is a half a notch down on the Bucs versus where Joe’s mindset was in mid-July. However, a lot of that is based on the how the Bucs have practiced and how positional issues have materialized, not the tiny sampling seen in preseason — against two powerhouse opponents.

Breathe easy, folks.

63 Responses to “Preseason Freakout”

  1. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    Hey wait. Is that a miniature pitch fork in her hands? .. 🙂

  2. jeff Says:

    What does pot and an unsportsmanlike conduct have anything to do with that situation Friday night? I cannot take this writer seriously for making such a stupid statement. The bucs will be fine.

  3. BigSombrero Says:

    Yeah that was one of the dumbest things I have ever read in reference to Black. Complete nonsense. I would also add while Bowers hasn’t impressed, hes not looking as bad as some make it out to be. He still hasn’t proven anything either way, good or bad. It’s his third season, lets wait it out.

    Completely agree with Stocker though. He played pitifully all around and looked lost. Bad thing is most of our players, offense and defense, looked lost. And say what you will, preseason or not, most teams havent looked as out of it as we have. Maybe thats not cause for panic but its definitely not a good sign. Another troubling issue is the defensive scheme. Heavily criticized last season and they seem to be having the same exact issues. Would have though some of those things wouldve been improved.

  4. Bobby Says:

    This writer is another in a long line of hacks. For one thing, I watched the game and hardly thought the Pats ran a ‘vanilla’ offense. I was a little surprised at that comment. The Pats can show more in pre-season because it doesn’t matter how much you game plan for them, they are still going to score points.

    I didn’t think the coverage was really bad, I thought Brady was brilliant. Those passes were amazing into a lot of tight coverage. The thing I was disappointed in was the lack of pressure we put on Brady but I don’t know whether we dialed up much in the play calling. Didn’t see any LB’s blitzing like last week.

    The comment about Black was just hack journalism. You should never re-post this kind of garbage on your site Joe and give this hack a platform. It just allows him a wider audience to take a cheap shot at someone who really didn’t deserve it.

  5. Jeff Says:

    “Ahmad Black lost his composure with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, which makes you wonder if his past marijuana issue indicates a problem.”

    That does a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty have anything to do with him using pot in the past? How can this writer be taken seriously with comments like this???

    And another fact- THIS IS THE PRESEASON. This game has 0 to do with what will happen in the real games.

    Case in point. Does everyone remember when we would go like 3-1 in the preseason and then get pounced on in the reg season?

    This writer is just plain stupid.

  6. Buc1987 Says:

    “Preaseason Freakout”

    Yes Joe there is plenty of freaks around here.

  7. andres Says:

    This post was so dumb I freaked out.

  8. BUCSLEGENDS Says:

    STAY STRONG BUCS FAITHFUL !!!!!!!

  9. Andrew 1 Says:

    do what you do best sports writers… overreact.

  10. SeanyMac in SC Says:

    The pre-season is about evaluating players. 90 will be down to 53 quite soon and to give them all a fair shake, the staff is giving them the snaps needed to see what they are all about under game time situations. I would gladly go 0-4 in the pre-season to get the best 53 on the field.

    This “sky is falling” attitude is laughable to me. Calm down!

  11. Brandon Says:

    The Bucs starters whipped the Pats starters last season 23-7 in the preseason. Though I didn’t like what I saw, I’m not overly concerned. And once the season starts up, nobody will care.

  12. Justin Says:

    Jeff, totally agree with you. What kind of a mind connects a positive MARIJUANA (how long ago was that now?) test with a personal foul in a pre-season game? If you’re trying to say that the guy has character issues, so what. Half the guys in the league have character issues.

    Clearly a journalist looking to stoke the smoldering embers of disgruntled Buc fans enamored with a head coach that couldn’t win the big game.

  13. Buddha Says:

    Last year’s Preseason results:

    Eagles 4-0 Three blowouts. Everyone’s pick to win the east

    New England 1-3

    Atlanta 1-3

    Minnesota 1-3

    THESE GAMES MEAN NOTHING! Look of you wnat to risk all the injuries we’ve suffered the last three years, then go on put all the regular guys in there. Blow out the last two games and head into the season with a Mash team.

  14. TAC Says:

    Good Lawdy…now the euphoric pot agenda crew is in an uproar. Maybe Eric Holder will check on this writer. I own some doper stocks, so save your comments, could care less as long as you all buy the weed, brownies, and whatever else they can cook up to sell you. $$$$$

  15. MadMax Says:

    Tell em @SeanyMac….haha, cant wait to see us against the Jets. Hopefully all of our starters are healthy and playing.

    I will say though that Im a little concerned about Freeman so far. Glennon knows how to pump fake and get rid of the ball sometimes…..just saying 🙂

  16. teacherman777 Says:

    The pot reference was ridiculous.

    This writer is a moron.

  17. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    There has to be more adequate, serviceable options out there for the following players (via trade or waiver wire)

    (Garbage Pail Kids)

    TED LARSEN (C/G)

    NAJEE GOODE (LB)

    ADAM HAYWARD (LB)

    ANTHONY GAITOR (DB)

    AHMAD BLACK (DB)

    KEITH TANDY (DB)

  18. Bobby Says:

    I thought Najee Goode made a great play on the ball in the end zone but it just took a freakish bounce back into the receivers hands and it was a terrific catch by the receiver to keep his concentration. Still a fan of Gaitor’s. I think he’ll be a special teams player. Black had a real lapse on the one TD. I don’t think Larsen is going anywhere as we need him for depth. Same with Hayward. Tandy will probably go for sure. We’ll see soon.

  19. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    @Bobby

    After looking back on a the last few games last year (+2 preseason games). Larsen is a half decent Center-But he can’t hold the point of attach, on one on one match ups.

    It’s been two coaches now-that have both said that (Raheem & Schiano) you can scheme to cover up guys deficiencies. But you won’t know what you’ve got -until you see him in one on one match ups (Larsen is an epic fail in one on one’s)

  20. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    excuse my post..smh

  21. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    ^^^

    You should ask Dominik If you could be the Directer of NFL Scouting. I mean look at all the money you would save them in salaries.

  22. Stanglassman Says:

    I was just watching Ronde on Fox and hoping he would do better because I know he can but he seems so nervous but he blew it again. 🙁

  23. Biff Barker Says:

    If anyone thinks Foster can actually cover or if you can actually count on Stocker to be contribute something, then, this Bud’s for me.

  24. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    @Buc’n Junkie

    Yeah, because I can’t come no where close 2, the phenomenal job our personnel dept has done the last 5yrs

  25. Bucfever40 Says:

    It took a while before I decided to come to joe-wonderland since the last game, I thought maybe there’d be some great articles I could be missing….hardly. I know joe has a job to do, and for the most part, he does it well, but as predicted, I get the same old “Mayday, mayday, the Buc ship is sinking”, I’m reading how bad the starters played, while remembering how last year, our starters completely outplayed NE’s starters by a mile, even our no.1 picks Barron and Martin looked great, but even then I knew better….it’s just preseason for God’s sake! In 1982, the Bucs looked pretty darn good with our new QB Jerry Goldstein, going 4-0 in that preseason, which was also the year that taught me not to get over hyped over preseason success as the Bucs went on to win a whopping 2 games that year, talk about a let down! At the same time that year the Washington Redskins looked woeful in the preseason going 0-4, only to go and to win the SB!! It doesn’t mean jack-spit what happens this time of year, and it also doesn’t mean if a player is struggling in August, that he’s going to suck by December! Look, I understand agitating certain subjects can create better ratings, it gets people talking and so forth, but this team needs more fans to show up and support them, this type of negative press will only leave them with a bad taste in their mouths, reading all these articles makes it seem like there’s just NO hope! C’mon joe, get with the program and sprinkle in some positive stories before the fans start a mutiny!

  26. Andrew 1 Says:

    ^^^^

    AMEN!!!. I agree with you 100%

  27. BucoBruce Says:

    @ Bucfever40 Im with you .Joe I need some good thoughts.

  28. BucoBruce Says:

    Glennon is the next Brady!!!!!!!!!!!!Tampaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  29. Nysrqbuc941 Says:

    I live in the manatee – sarasota area and read both news papers daily alan dell opinion don’t count for for crap and both news papers are worse then the secondary from last year I have replayed the game multiple times and it seemed as if the refs had it out against the team it was a hard fought game in the long run and was valuable experience to the young players on the team and if he thinks they were gonna win anything after pulling your starters on defense the first drive he shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a computer or news paper

  30. Kevin Says:

    Surprised to have seen them pull our starters before the end of the first quarter with other teams playing them through the first half. Interesting. Is Schiano planning on playing our starters against all the practice squad guys in pregame4?

  31. BucsQcCity Says:

    People generally don’t panic when they know the identity and strength of their team but in 2013, what’s the Bucs strength? Defense? Offense? You tell me..

    Also preseason isn’t about taking a starter job. Glennon will and should not start on week 1. Preseason is about evaluating people and then decide how much time a starter have before he gets benched when he sucks. I’m rooting for Freeman but stats like that in week 2 won’t give him a lot of slack

    Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
    D. Brees 14/18 202 1 0
    M. Ryan 8/15 97 1 0
    C. Newton 8/17 112 0 0
    J. Freeman 2/3 8 0 0

  32. GTDigger Says:

    If you can link one of Dell’s columns where we says anything favorable about the Bucs I’ll kiss your ass

  33. Tye Says:

    Am I the only one that noticed many teams played their best QB the whole 1st quarter and JF played only 2 series…. One would think with JF having so many ? and faults that the Bucs would have played him more to get the reps….

    Makes me wonder if they are trying to keep JF from showing the fans that he isn’t any better though the HC and GM had claimed he is!

  34. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    Bucfever40

    I agree with you. They don’t care about rallying the fan base. Happiness and feel good stuff is not sexy like doom and gloom, it don’t sell.

    It’s like a car accident.

    If it’s just a little fender bender, that’s under control, people will look but move on. (no real story here)

    If it’s a gory accident involving fatalities, people will stop and stare.
    (and it’s all over the news)

  35. Scotty in Fat Antonio Says:

    They were not going to play Freeman more than a series or two with the likes of Larsen and Remmers on the OL. Hence all the sacks.

  36. Buc1987 Says:

    @Bucfever40 …you are right 85% or so of the articles are negative. Maybe that’s just the way it is though. Maybe it’s going to take a lot of winning for it to stop. I expect to click on JBF tommorow and read another couple of negative articles again. Sapp was asked a question the other day on NFL network. “What will it take for the Bucs to win the NFC South?” His answer: “An act of God.” He then went on to berate Freeman and say it all lies with him. That he has to step up. The dude next to him quickly corrected him by asking Sapp another question. “Who was your QB when your Bucs won the SB?” Sapp answered : “The Bull”.
    The dude then asked without letting Sapp answer.”What led your team to the SB the QB or the defense?” Sapp kind of nodded as if he understood where the dude was coming from. The dude then went on to say “the Bucs D needs to step it up this year with the pass rush and the secondary and everything will fall into place.” Pretty much meaning people need to stop blaming Freeman. In Joe’s eyes like he has already stated Shaun King led the Bucs to the NFC Championship game. As if King was the deciding factor.

    We don’t get this stuff on JBF. Most likely we’d get Sapp’s comment only. The negative. Now I don’t put too much stock in anything Sapp says usually. Probably because he predicted Josh was going to be NFL MVP prior to the 2011 season. I’m not looking for Joe to sugar coat things for us, but there is positive stuff out there where people are saying other things besides it’s all Freeman’s fault. I guess we just have to find it ourselves, because that’s not how Joe operates. Hell if Joe was in charge of selling tickets RJS would be more empty then it already is.

  37. Buc1987 Says:

    Fairweather Buc Fan in it’s purest form :

    SacBucs Says :

    He shood sound down with thaat weak sauce coaching from college. The whole team will be tired by mid season. Find a real defensive coordinator. Demote dom to asst. Wateva!

    Tell Schiano thi$ the PRO$ that elementry school pop warnerway of coaching aint flying. Bill sheridan defense is suspect.

    I wont stress off the bucs ever again until we get a real organization.

    Im sick of being the Raiders of the NFC or the wizards of the NBA. I will not spend my money on season tickets until we have a team worth a dam.

    Meredith and Carimi looked better at tackles then our starters.

  38. BUCSLEGENDS Says:

    Bucs1987, I just found JBF this off season and I must say I like your style ! you and a few other commenters seem to be true BUC fans. It’s our team and always will be, it doesn’t matter to me who plays… I JUST LOVE OUR TEAM !!!!!!! I’m not much of a point counter point kinda guy so i’ll leave that up to you and a few others !!!!!!!! GO BUCS !!!!!!!

  39. BigMacAttack Says:

    I just can’t get upset yet. It would be nice if Freeman looked better, but Glennon is getting better, not there yet, but better. Just gotta keep the Faith and take it as it comes. I hope we do well.

  40. BigMacAttack Says:

    Man I used better 3 x in one sentence. What a moron, I should go to work for that paper in Oneco.

  41. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    At least the word better is a positive word. 🙂 ^^^^

  42. chris Says:

    Joe,

    I know it’s a bit early to start panicking, but watching the first two games, this team, as a whole, does not look ready to contend for a playoff birth. The depth in the front 7 is in question. The QB position is a question mark, and the pass rush is a question mark.

    I’m not worried about the o-line because 2 of those 3 Freeman sacks, he failed to check into a quicker play to get the rock out of his hands and held the rock too long.

    The defense didn’t even come close to touching Brady, and outside of Clayborn-McCoy, our dline is a huge “??????????????”

    Not Worried about foster and David. However the depth is questionable as well.

    People laughed at the Prisco-Walter football prediction of 5-11 or 6-10. But to be honest, it can very well happen.

  43. Matthew Says:

    No NFL super bowl (sans a year ending injury to a star) has ever been won or lost in a preseason football game. Anyone insinuating anything else is a fear monger or a dope. If the Buc’s full strength starters struggle in the first couple of weeks they’ll be plenty of time to whine and blame & call for change but getting upset about meaningless games with make shift teams/vanilla play is silly. Ask the 0-16 Lions how their perfect 4-0 preseason helped determine their regular season success.

  44. Buc1987 Says:

    @BUCSLEGENDS ..Thank you. I truly mean that. It gets tough sometimes. Sometimes I just don’t even want to come to the site. I hate to have to get into fights with other Buc fans over this and that. I am VERY opinionated. It drives my wife crazy, but I guess after 20 years she’s used to it. Yes I’m a true Buc fan. I used to joke about it like this saying there is really only about 5,000 of us out there that stood by them through the crap years. I guess if I say I’m a true Buc fan though, then I can’t be a realist or only see the good things in the team. That’s not true. I can be damn critical about MY Bucs. As evidenced in the live chat Joe had up running while the game was on Friday. In my mind I really do call it like I see it. So I pretty much take other people’s thoughts into consideration, but if they don’t even come remotely close to how I’m thinking at the time. I blast them one. I’m trying to get that under control lately, by trying to just read people’s comments and not reply. Sometimes I can do it. Sometimes I can’t. Passion man. Passion is what I have when it comes to this team. Passion like no other Buc fan can imagine. Like no other crazed Steelers, Raiders, or Eagles fan can imagine. So when I read something like what you wrote I truly do appreciate it. Sorry so long. I do like to ramble. Thanks again.

  45. PRBucFan Says:

    1987 I found that post you were looking for..

  46. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    @BUCSLEGENDS

    Right On! ..being a fan, a Buc fan should be unconditional. These people who say that they won’t be a fan unless, are fair weather. They don’t know what it means to be a fan. If they could imagine what it was like to live through some of the worst Buc football in history like myself and so many other older Buc fans they would appreciate what being a fan really is. I’m still here and I love my Bucs. …..

    Unconditionally ..if I would’ve thought like them, I would not have wrote this!

  47. Buc1987 Says:

    PRBucFan…lol I know I saw that. Thanks. I found it too the next day. Right below the friggin article I was commenting on.

  48. Buc1987 Says:

    @Junkie and then they put the word Buc in their screen names….and spit out garbage about this and that and if the Bucs don’t start doing this… It all makes me want to pull what’s left of my hair out.

  49. Buc1987 Says:

    I mean I really do wonder if this crap goes on with other team’s fan sites. I highly doubt that a guy named SacEagles runs down his team like that. Philly sells out even when their team is 4-9. Philly fans don’t threaten to not go to games if and or whatever. Hell the Eagles were 4-9 last year and look how many of their fans showed up to RJS. The Eagles fans are the reason why the game was not blacked out. Jimminy Christmas and people wonder why I’m so on edge with everyone in here???????????

  50. Buc1987 Says:

    …..And Adam L the season ticket holder that says he has no faith in this team won’t get back to me about buying some of his tickets off of him. I mean if I have season tickets and I have no faith in my team anymore. I’d look to sell some of my tickets. Gas and parking ain’t cheap. I’m looking to save the guy some money.

  51. BamBamBuc Says:

    Yes, this “crap” goes on with other teams… reason being, when preseason games start (or even before that in training camp based on “reports”) fans seems to think they’re all of a sudden NFL scouting experts. It becomes “Wow, I saw ~this~” or “They did ~that~”, “~This~ guy is good (or bad)”… because fans think they understand what’s actually going on.

    Look, I understand football. The positions, many of the plays, the techniques. What I don’t “know” is what the coaches had in mind (that’s why it’s “in mind” because they didn’t come right out and say “this is what the plan was in that situation…”). We don’t know who made the mistake, the WR or the QB… the CB or the SS. We don’t know how they drew the play up. We don’t know what the coaches wanted to accomplish (base plays at live speed, adjustments to game situations, or simply see the backups play to know who we keep). We can’t read their minds (and reading their “looks” is just stupid), yet we think we know everything there is to know as fans based on a TV broadcast of a preseason game.

    Every team will have fans saying “this guy is great” or “that guy should be cut”, “we’re going to the Super Bowl” or “we’re getting the first overall draft choice and ~so-and-so~ is the best player to come out since ~insert favorite all-time NFL player here~”.

    So, sit back, laugh at all the speculation, grab a beer and enjoy. The regular season, where games actually mean something, is starting soon…

  52. Buc'n Junkie Says:

    Well just like the old saying goes. Winning cures everything!

    People are getting aggravated because expectations are so high and the team hasn’t shown any progress so far. …and it doesn’t help when local media creates controversy and gets everyone chomping at the bit. 🙂

  53. Buc1987 Says:

    @BamBam …true about what’s going through a coaches mind, because I’ll tell you one thing Schiano is a tough nut to crack. I think he wants everything kept top secret. He seems cautious with his words at all times, so I can’t figure him out. Maybe that’s his entire strategy throughout. I mean people in here were saying he was pulling D starters out in the 1st series vs the Pats. I did not look at the tape, but if that’s true. Then that’s just how I think he is then. Top secret. No one is going to get a good look at anything. I don’t know if it will work, or it does the players any good. I just have to trust him and I do. I will say this for the guy. I trust him more than I trusted Ray Perkins another college turned NFL coach. I trust him more than Steve Spurrier’s debacle in D.C. I’ll leave at this. I trust him as much as I trusted Tony Dungy.

  54. Buc1987 Says:

    @Junkie…your right as well. Expectations are high and if the Bucs don’t go out in a pre-season game and look competitive. Expectations are lowered and I guess with good reason. It is pre-season which people forget. I mean the Bucs 1st team O was moving the ball effectively against the Ravens. The first team D was doing well too against the Ravens. It wasn’t until the starters were pulled when everything went to crap.

    Fast forward to the Pat’s game. It was the exact opposite. The starters looked like crap on both sides of the ball. Then the 2nd string come in and start moving the ball and scoring. It gives fans a false sense of reality and they don’t remember the week before. It is ONLY pre-season. Oh how I wish I could just go into a coma for the next 2 weeks.

  55. Buc1987 Says:

    Okay g’night. I’m done rambling now.

  56. PRBucFan Says:

    That writer lost all credibility when he tried to insinuate black’s unsportsmanlike penalty had something to do with his pot history?

    What an absolute tool lmao

  57. Eric Says:

    Preseason means something to Bellichick. Even with the great Brady he always turns him loose in preseason action to get his rhythm going and gain confidence. Remember when McCoy was slobbering all over him when the pats destroyed us in preason a couple of years ago?

    Apparently our staff thinks we won the Super Bowl last year and we can kinda coast and turn it on when the regular season starts. No need to work Free much.

    Got my doubts. Well see soon enough.

  58. Eric Says:

    Sheep always get a little edgy when the regular season closes in. Relax.

    I agree preseason means very little and the piss poor play so far may mean nothing.

    Hasn’t really altered my expectations which were low to begin with.

  59. HawaiiBuc Says:

    My favorite preseason/regular season record Detroit Lions 2008: 4-0 followed by 0-16

  60. scubog Says:

    Bucfever40: I’ve brought up the Jerry Golsteyn pre-season accolades many times as an example of why one should completely ignore pre-season games. While the games may have a little more credibility than a typical practice session when evaluating players; it’s the entire Training Camp, much of which we don’t see, that determines a player’s fate. You, like me, realized many years ago that coaches are putting players in specific situations to see how they respond, not to create a mismatch to improve the chances to win the game. Back in the old days, we actually had our best chance to win the pre-season games and often did. Fans couldn’t wait to see Randy “Why not Minot” Hedberg. As it turned out, neither could the opponents. Win or lose, I pay little attention to the result as the past has proven there is no correlation to the regular season. Just don’t get anyone hurt.

  61. Paul Says:

    During the season, we’ll scheme to cover for any bads that we have out there, but PS is about people winning their 1 on 1’s. I didn’t see much of that during the game.

  62. Capt. Tim Says:

    Um- you stay calm. I think we have a ton to be concerned about.

    What do you look for in a preseason game?
    If you know what is important- you look at your team. Forget who we play. In the preseason, all that matters is your team.

    The concerns? In year two of this coaching staff, our starters cannot run these plays correctly. Across the board, the offense had mistakes in running the plays about 80% of the time. There was at least one player who was confused/ misdirected on nearly every single play.

    The defense was only slightly better. Probably about 70% of there plays were not excited correctly.

    If they were lined up against NOONE- the plays were executed wrong, from the snap.
    The few that were executed correctly, we were out skilled/ out talented. Go back and watch the game- the patriots were laughing. According to the press in Boston- the Patriots dominated our guys all week- and spent quite a bit of time laughing at the Bucs.

    After 6 years of rebuilding- we can’t line up, and all run the same direction??!?

    Forget the Patriots. If they had just broadcast our team, lining up and trying to run our plays- it would have been far more embarrassing. And I’m talking about our starters!! Not the scrubs, who the patriots disrespected by running the most basic sets you’ll ever see on a pro( or even college!) ball field.

    We looked like we stepped on that field for the first time, as a team, for that game.

    Don’t worry about Freeman. If he has a Brain in his head- you will never get him to put his name on a contract here.

    Yeah, I’m worried. Alot. We have the talent here to be good team.
    Something obviously isn’t working.

  63. Bucfever40 Says:

    scubog, tell me about it, back in the day the preseason was really (it seemed) us Buc fans got to taste victory, we were probably the only fans in the NFL that would go ape-spit over a td that covered more than 15 yards or an interception return for 6! There’s always been excitement and high expectations before the regular season started, and Buc fans would fill that big sombrero even after the Bucs played dead the previous year, but today’s Buc fan is less patient, and I can understand why, it wasn’t that long ago the Bucs won a SB and the division several times before and after that, so they are conditioned to a better brand of football, back then, our SB was beating the Bears, it didn’t seem to matter what happened after that! lol But I can tell who the old-schoolers are on here, mixed in with some newer ones that have the same passion (PR BucFan, Buc’n-junkie, Buc1987,scubog,BamBamBuc and others)