Sullivan Remembers “The Good Ol’ Days”

October 30th, 2013

With Mike Williams on injured reserve, Vincent Jackson will get every last bit of attention from opposing defenses. It’s a huge challenge for Mike Sullivan.

Now that Mike Williams is out for the season, life is about to get tougher for Bucs’ No. 1 wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

Joe asked 0ffensive coordinator Mike Sullivan today about how difficult he expects things to get for the Bucs’ offensive star. Sullivan said the challenge will be great and it includes a challenge for Sullivan to be as diverse and unpredictable as he can with Jackson.

It won’t be like the “good ol’ days,” Sullivan said, referring to the heyday of the Bucs’ ninth ranked offense last season.

“That’s a great question. Because often times, especially when Mike was healthy and some of the things that were particularly taking place last year, where that was a nice luxury. Because if teams wanted to, you know, go ahead and roll coverage to Vincent, then they had 1-on-1 coverage with Mike and that opened him up. And then all of a sudden you got the run game working so now they wanted to bring down an extra defender and now we got single coverage, you know, the good ol’ days.

“But the bottom line is that we will need to do things with him. Fortunately, Vincent is very, very smart. He”s an extremely hard worker, has the versatility to be able to move around into some different spots. And that’s the challenge; we got to make sure we’re moving him around, so we can give him the best opportunities to get some of the 1-on-1’s.”

This will be something watch on Sunday. It’s a great chess game for Sullivan to find ways to outscheme the Seahawks and set up Jackson for success. There’s no question Jackson will get all kinds of attention. Even if Jackson has a big day, there’s little doubt the Bucs will need someone else to step up on the offense.

51 Responses to “Sullivan Remembers “The Good Ol’ Days””

  1. BirdDoggers Says:

    How does this offense go from 4,000 passing yards and a 1,000 rusher in 2012 to an offense that a high school defense can figure out? Something isn’t right and I don’t think it’s all on Sullivan. The lack of a TE might be part of it but the offense seems to have Schiano’s fingerprints all over it.

  2. ShutTheBucUp Says:

    I think Sullivan has proven that he sucks at the “chess game”. Seahawks will probably take it 34-10, with our sole touchdown in garbage time.

  3. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    I can’t see giving Sullivan a pass….Its easy to blame Schiano for everything wrong and he deserves credit for most…somehow Sully is sliding under the radar. If Scbiano has be heavy-handing the Offense everybody would kn0w and that would be getting out.

  4. Chef Paul Says:

    I don’t know if it’s the losing or what, but even Jackson is getting on my nerves. Seems like every single game he has a drop at a crucial time that hits him right between the eight and the three.

    I’m probably just bitter from it being Halloween and not having a win under our belts yet.

  5. Adam L. Says:

    You’re horrible, Sullivan. You are a nightmare. Doug Martin is lucky to be on the bench waiting for the house to be cleaned.

  6. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    0-7….Some are looking for draft picks…I’m looking for silver linings….What else can we do?

    How about the emergence of Tim Wright….perhaps Mike James….Chris Owusu
    Maybe Steven Means….

    With injuries to Martin & Williams….what else can you do?

  7. Chef Paul Says:

    TBBF,

    My thought with Sully is I’m not sure to blame him or not. He should deserve some blame, but I keep picturing this on the sidelines:

    Schiano: Run it up the gut Sully.
    Sully: But we just did that 6 times in a row and had to punt twice.
    Schiano. Then don’t run the same play, dummy. Just run it up the gut. I don’t care what play you run as long as its up the gut.

    Then Schiano in his press conference saying. ” Yeah, Sully has free range of what to play. I just take out the plays I don’t think will work, and he does the rest.”

    Of course I could always be wrong, that’s just how I’ve always imagined it in my little noggin.

  8. []_[]Buc Says:

    Yo TBBF did you see my post in the last thread?

    On topic: The “good ole days” were an anomaly.

    Sully’s scheme is too predictable.

  9. Biff barker Says:

    Chess game? We’ve not gotten past checkers.

  10. MTM Says:

    “This will be something watch on Sunday. It’s a great chess game for Sullivan to find ways to outscheme the Seahawks and set up Jackson for success.”

    Unfortunately for Buc fans the Seahawks are playing chess and the Bucs are playing checkers. 41-13 Seahawks and 7 of those Buc points come in the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter.

  11. Young buc Says:

    We are at tick tack toe level

  12. Chef Paul Says:

    Awesome!!

    We got 2 posters predicting a touchdown in the second half. If that happens, it’ll be two weeks in row. That’s called progression fellas.

    Oh I guess I’ll be ok with Schiano staying the rest of the year if we can manage that.

  13. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Chef Paul

    You could be right….we all know what a strong hand Schiano has with everything….and he’s easy to blame and easy to hate….but Sully is OC and the Offense has declined significantly…mostly due to the O-line, penalties, drops, playcalling, being behind, predictability, lack of a running game, lack of depth, lack of speed, injuries and…..we can add Schiano.

  14. Chef Paul Says:

    LOL Wow that’s a long accurate list. I hope it doesn’t get any longer

  15. []_[]Buc Says:

    Alright TBBF I can understand the cautiousness as I would be the same way if some new username just popped out of the blue and started posting at me jajaja.

    Just thought you would like to know “your partner in crime on these boards”

    Did see your message that he was missed, just looks a little different is all 😉

    On-topic I am have feeling we are going to beat those seachicks!
    I’m hoping Revis shows Sherman whose the best CB in the league.

    Just Lavonte shows Kuechly who the best LB was!

  16. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    []_[]Buc

    Glad you noticed…..welcome….good to have some optimism even if its more like wishful thinking….I was thinking we had a chance against the Shehawks…when I watched them vs Rams…but then I realized they will be at home against us.

    I’m just hoping everyone catches whatever LVD has.

  17. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Chef Paul

    You can add a couple more to the list….MRSA & George Bush!

  18. []_[]Buc Says:

    Thanks bro

    It’s that “hope” you talk about so often.

    Even though I still hold to it being bittersweet if we indeed win being as to how that puts us further from Mariota.

    As horrible as we are playing it’s going to be hard to take the 1 pick from the Jags.

  19. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Here is a bit of humor….we could all use some.

    My nextdoor neighbor is a huge Falcon fan…..He came to me and asked “what do you do as a fan when the season is lost?”
    I told him….”I don’t have much experience with that sort of thing, I’m a Buc fan”……then I went on to give him this advice.
    “I don’t advise rooting against your team but I do advise you rooting for the Saints & Panthers”….he said “why in hell would I root for them?”
    I told him ” If they win their draft position will get worse”….

  20. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    []_[]Buc

    You can just hope for the win….root for the win….watch the loss and accept the consolation prize….whatever it is….will probably be no worse than # 4….proabably 3….most likely 2 no matter what we do…..but to aspire to that….hell no!!!

  21. []_[]Buc Says:

    Jajajaja

    That’s good stuff TBBF

    And I hear ya bro, sticking to your guns per usual.

  22. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    []_[]Buc

    Like the moniker…..makes it hard for some of the idiots to respond to you….

  23. []_[]Buc Says:

    LoL

    []_[] know it

  24. SKelly Says:

    The good ole day’s seemed to stop about the middle of last year when Josh started to sputter. Sully slides under the radar becuase the coach is such a lightning rod. The problem is, we are such a mess that its tough to evaluate who has done a good job. Are we to believe that Sully and Bostad forgot how to coach in the off season? We just have a black cloud floating over 1buc.

  25. Chef Paul Says:

    Ha! I know your dirty little secret. Don’t worry I wont tell anyone. I would hate to keep looking for another public relations director. God knows this team needs one.

  26. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @SKelly

    I agree….Sully’s personality is really laid back and he is very soft spoken…hard to pick on…..I wouldn mind him being my “PR” man. A narcicist is easy to dislike once he shows his spots…and that’s what happened to Schiano….that an losing.
    Dom is another one who is flying under….where has he been?….trying to hide. Having sushi with the Glazers…

  27. []_[]Buc Says:

    Lol that was a good one Chef jajaja!

  28. Capt. Tim Says:

    Sullivan is in no way responsible for this offense.

    Joe has posted- right here- multiple times- that we are running the Rutgers offense. This beats no resemblance to the giants offense.

    So many times this has been stated here, that’s its hard to believe anyone could possibly have missed it. Try archives- search “Rutgers offense.”

    It was obvious last year- that was our scheme, it sucks- and that was the beginning of this endless losing streak. Interrupted only by a win over the falcons- who were resting everyone for the playoffs.

    It’s a childlike offense, two Recievers . No TE, no backs in patterns.

    Ineffective in Small college ball. Futile here

  29. WalkdaPlank Says:

    “Good ‘ol days”??? You mean the days when you didn’t look like Greg Olsen calling the plays? Oh let me guess, run on 1st, screen on 2nd, checkdown on 3rd. Next, run on 1st, checkdown on 2nd, overthrown or dropped pass on 3rd? Or the good ‘ol days of 7-9? Well, to be honest I actually miss those days, at least the Bucs were competitve and you could hear the name Schiano without hearing the word “fire” in the same statement.

  30. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Lieutenant Tim

    You are absolutely wrong….vs Carolina Glennon used 10 different recievers and 12 passes went to RBs and 6 went to TEs that’s 18 out of 30 passes….not to WRs

    And if you wish, I’ll be happy to go back a couple more games that show more of the same.

    The fact that Joe posts we are running a “Rutgers” offense doesn’t make it that….Sheridan has said he is running the “Coach’s defense…but Sully has never claimed he is running Schiano’s offense…

    I challeng Joe to show that we are running a Rutgers offense rather than just claiming it.

    Get your facts straight

  31. WalkdaPlank Says:

    @Cap – Yeah it seems we are the NFL version of Rutgers University. That’s Schiano’s scheme not Sully’s. However, to say an Offensive Coordinator is “in no way responsible” for the offense is a little inaccurate. Just like the players, Sully and the other coaches have to learn and adjust to the playbook as well. This guy is getting paid big bucks to make this offense look good. And with all the tools he has its puzzling why our offense sucks. Maybe now its a little more excusable with all the injuries plus a rookie QB and Donald Penn past his prime, but we haven’t looked good since the beginning of the Schiano regime, that was when teams started to figure us out and we have sucked ever since.

  32. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    And….Lietenant Tim….if you want to be demoted to Private Tim…just keep posting fiction..

  33. WalkdaPlank Says:

    Actually, I believe the next line in demotion is a PFC then a Private lol.

  34. Andrew 1 Says:

    yep… we definatly need a “PR” guy right about now, o well what you ganna do jajajaja. lol

  35. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    If anything, we have totally abandoned the “Rutgers” offense….as Joe likes to call it….I have yet to see anyone explain exactly how it matches Rutgers or differs from the Giants…..

    We hit 9 different recievers vs Atlanta & 10 vs Carolina
    We dinked and dunked all over the place.

    This is what Schiano said when he was first hired.

    “On the field what is it going to look like? Great defense, win the special teams battle, and be a physical offensive football team that takes shots down the field,” Schiano said. “Take shots down the field. It is very hard to go 12, 13, 14 play drives”

  36. []_[]Buc Says:

    Sullivan runs it and has claimed it’s his.

    If it’s not, he’s a liar

    He’s just as horrible.

  37. BucFanForever Says:

    Back in the good ole days, they could still only manage to win 1 of the last 7 games.

  38. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Just checked the Rutgers/Houston

    In losing 49-14 the Scarlet Nights ran 41 times and passed 31 times…

    The Bucs in losing to the Panthers 31-13 ran 48 and passed 51

    Now that’s a small sample…but at least last week…we didn’t run an offense anywhere close to Rutgers.

  39. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Hey guys….the Schiano hate reached a crescendo and has calmed for two reasons…..Freeman’s performance (or lack there of) and it is a forgone conclusion now that he will be fired.
    Why Freeman’s performance….I believe much of the hate toward Schiano was based on the perception of how he was involved with outing & ousting Freeman…and now that everyone has seen that the Freeman benching and cut was likely very justified….some heat is off Schiano.

  40. BucfaninMi Says:

    The good ole day, that one time.

  41. BigMacAttack Says:

    And no F#€ks were given on this day.

  42. stevek Says:

    Hey Joe (not Mr. Isbitz, a fellow Steve),

    Great show today with the Big Darrell Dog, you mentioned something along the lines of: “Typically GM’s get two coaching hires, and Raheem was not hired by Dominick so Dominick deserves to stay….Drafts have been better the last two years.”

    I appreciate both your insights, and am grateful to share such a haven of public opinion and all things Bucs. REAL Bucs news, thank you for not being into BS or sugarcoating.

    Your applied logic to Dominick retaining his job:

    – NFL GMs typically get to hire 2 head coaches

    -Raheem was not hired by Dominick, thus allowing Dominick another HC choice, should Schiano be fired

    Joe never has said Schiano should be fired. Joe has said Schiano won’t get more time without winning. Joe has said Schiano hasn’t done enough to return. Big difference. –Joe

    – The last 2 drafts have been better.
    ________________________________________________________________

    Questions for you Joe:

    -Why does Dominick get the opportunity to hire two head coaches, while Schiano can not even have one opportunity to get a franchise QB?
    -How can Schiano be 100% liable for the Bucs woes, in terms of being the only one to get the ax? Dominick is 24-47, zero depth, and he let 9 sacks a year ago walk away for peanuts, all the while not replacing a 10 sack guy since Simeon Rice.

    – How is Schiano more at fault than Dominick?

    1) It’s really not that hard of a concept. GMs and head coaches have different jobs, different roles. And every GM-Coach relationship is different. All Joe has ever written or said is that Dominik’s performance is not as bad as many have made it out to be. It’s also pretty obvious that three of Dominik’s first five seasons operated on a limited budget with an inexperienced head coach that he didn’t hire. Granted, Dominik made mistakes big and small. No question. Joe’s documented all of them. But there’s no dispute that the Bucs came into this season with a talented roster, albeit with some holes and failed gambles. But they have underperformed to the talent level. That’s undeniable, and that’s on the head coach. Also, as Joe’s pointed out, players who are not superstars that are brought in and released. That’s on the head coach. Teams don’t cut players in camp that the Coach wants on the roster. That gray area of accountability gets lost sometimes. You can’t properly evaluate a GM on his record alone, as many fans like to do. Again, Joe’s never called Dominik a great GM. –Joe

  43. Capt. Tim Says:

    Tampabaywhatever

    Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong ?
    How stupid has ” winning with Glennon ” campaign proved you to be?
    You were guaranteeing playoffs- once your hero took the reigns!! You and your recently banned buddy- the ” glad he’s gone, missed by no one” troll PRbuc!
    You really thought a talentless rookie was gonna win? You were clueless there, pal. Just like I said when you proclaiming your Glennon love.

    Could you have been more wrong.

    Now, apparently your reading skills are as poor as your skills at assessing players! Everyone here- but you, knows that it’s Schianos system- it’s nothing anyone would even debate- who has read any post here over the last few months! Or listened to Sullivan!

    Lmao! Oh, here’s another bulletin for you!
    The world is round!!!
    You need to spend less time Staring at your Glennon poster, and more time actually learning a lil bit about football.

    Because if you knew what you were looking at- no one would have to tell you it’s the Rutgers system.
    Anyone who knows anything about football, would know by watching!

    “Winning playoff games with Glennon- this year!!”
    Lmao!

  44. Capt. Tim Says:

    Walkdaplank,
    It’s the schemes Schiano brought here with him. The last 8 games last year, John lynch often pointed out that defensive CBs were waiting at the spot where Jackson/Williams would break and run to!

    That means they know the offense so well, that they know on each play, where our WRs are running to!

    That shouldn’t happen at the pro level. All teams learn each bothered tendencies. But to know the exact play? Lynch was amazed. I was surprised Tampa fans weren’t up in arms about it!

    And Schiano changed nothing. Absolutely nothing!

    That’s why our offense looks so inept, despite having some real offensive weapons. Schiano doesn’t use them to their strenghts. Like Darrelle Revis- he forced them to adjust to his system

    Which doesn’t work, and every defense knows.

    It’ll be amazing if we win a game. The only chance we have, is if the lil fuhrer shuts up, and let’s Sullivan start running a pro style offense.

    Or, TampaBayBucFan thinks we can win- if we start Dan Orlovski!!
    “Offense with Orlovski” he thinks Dan O can win out, and take us to the playoffs!! No, really!! Lol

  45. []_[]Buc Says:

    Blah blah blah

    Same old garbage Timmy

    Get your facts straight Ms. Cleo

    That’s Couch’s slogan

    And how many time have I told you to get over Freeman?

    As many times as you deny it we all know your just bitter and lashing out because Glennon at his worst is still better than your boy Free Free!

    Lol sure glad PR’s gone 😉

  46. Capt. Tim Says:

    If you are Pr, then you ignorance will soon get you tossed again
    Can’t fix dumb

    Oh, bought your Playoff tickets yet?
    Lmao

    I admire the ability of you to look that stupid, will all your many personas, and yet continue to raise the “clueless poster” bar,
    Without any concern about your previous ludicrous and uninformed post.

    Most people would proceed cautiously- after looking that foolish!

    Not you! Just lifting the stupid level to new heights.

    Again- try reading the post” Rutgers offense” that was posted on Wednesday, two weeks ago.

    That way- even all of your clueless personas can figure out what everyone else here already knows

    – that Schiano runs the Rutgers offense, and you are a Glennon Troll with knowledge of football.

    ” I promise you, we will be in the Playoffs, if they will start Glennon!”
    Lmao!!

  47. []_[]Buc Says:

    Blah blah blah Ms Cleo

    Bitter isn’t better Timmy

  48. []_[]Buc Says:

    Same old Rutgers offense garbage

    Over and over and over and over

    Sully must be a liar

    Jajajaja

    Nothing you say can be taken seriously you already went back on your word once. It’s worth next to nothing.

    A couple nights ago you were going on about everyone of is being “passionate fans” and blah blah blah and the next moment you are throwing all kinds of insults about the same people.

    Like I said, we all know your just bitter that Glennon at his worst is still better than Free Free. No matter how much you deny it.

    Bwahahaha

  49. jo mama Says:

    Tampabaybucfan is my new hero.

    I thought for sure we were going to win last week.

    without williams and a decent tight end or a running back, glennon is going to have a hard go of it. Hopefully glazers will take this into account.

  50. k1ngadroc Says:

    @capt. Tim – Bucs beat Atl last year legit and dirtybirdz didn’t rest anyone for the playoffs. I remember JJ and Gonzalez making plays late in the 4th… That game is the reason why we had some excitement a out this team going into the off-season. Did you miss that game?

  51. mvermulm Says:

    Capt, apparently you haven’t read all of the quotes from Sully where he states that the WR routes are option routes that mimic the NYG offensive schemes. I find myself completely unable to read most of what you write anymore, as it’s always filled with incorrect statements. For six games in the middle of last season our offense worked against bad defenses (KC, NO, MIN, OAK, SD, & CAR), and that was it.
    The input that Schiano has is the same as every head coach in football: when they like a certain play in a certain situation, they’ll tell the OC or DC to find something like it to run. Many former Bucs players such as Brooks and Becht have said that Dungy used to do the same thing all the time. Your hatred for Schiano is clouding your judgement, and that is becoming more and more apparent. For all of the other readers on this site, please give it a rest for a bit.