“Must-Win” Against Rams
September 10th, 2014
You gotta love the urgency in the NFL, and the psychotic nature of its hardcore fans.
Even Lovie Smith, still on his Tampa honeymoon, heard boos rain down upon him in the first half of the season opener Sunday.
That’s the new NFL. Patience is old fashioned and no longer expected.
That’s what happens when a league does a great job engaging fans 365 days a year and helping the breath, eat and crap football. The Bucs, too, want you to live, “It’s A Bucs Life,” bleeding pewter and red and being fanatical about all things Bucs.
The typical offensive coordinator in the NFL lasts two seasons. Head coach lifespans are decreasing, too.
And that’s why Lovie and the Bucs face a “must-win” game against the Rams on Sunday at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. That’s according to the weekly Power Rankings of the Associated Press, and the dozen national NFL writers who vote.
26. Tampa Bay – If there’s a must-win game in Week 2, this is it.
So is it a “must-win” Sunday?
No. Joe’s not a lunatic, but if the Bucs can’t beat the reeling Rams at home with Derek Anderson a crappy quarterback, there would be little hope for meaningful December games.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:13 am
Well, if we don’t beat the Rams, what are our chances AT Atlanta, AT Pittsburgh, AT New Orleans? Start off 0-2, get lucky and win one of those games? So 1-4 or 0-5 makes the Rams game a must win if have playoff hopes
September 10th, 2014 at 9:13 am
Depends on who you ask. Not a must win as far as getting in to the playoffs. If ownership wants butts in the seats, they better start winning and not just winning ugly. I’ll be watching from a long way away so it’s not a must win for me but they better trot a winner out there soon if they want people to come out to the stadium. Tampa residents would be happy to go to the beach instead of going to watch a bad product and drop hundreds on it
September 10th, 2014 at 9:14 am
Of COURSE it’s a must-win game this Sunday. Going 0-2 to backup heading into a short week and long road trip would be disastrous for this young team and fan base. It isn’t just impatience, it’s the acknowledgement that 2 games under .500 after 2 home games is downright sucky!
September 10th, 2014 at 9:17 am
“…That’s the new NFL. Patience is old fashioned and no longer expected…”
IMO, I don’t think this is the case with Bucs fans. I think we are sick of being promised vast improvements, that this is not a rebuilding year, we are aiming for the playoffs, etc.
We get hyped up; we drink the Kool Aid. When you turn over half your roster, sign lots of FAs, get a great coach like Lovie, everyone buys in, therefor everyone is set up to be very disappointed if things don’t go as expected – which is exactly what the first game to open the season, at home, was. A total disappointment
September 10th, 2014 at 9:21 am
I cower at the thought of going to the game on Sunday…..PTSD
September 10th, 2014 at 9:25 am
I know some might think this is an overreaction, but if we don’t beat this wounded lamb’s team on Sunday, Bucs fans may already have to start trolling mock draft sites because we will no doubt have a top 5 pick come May of next year. The Rams got blown out of the building by a journey man QB last week. They are not as good as the Cam-less Panthers we faced last week. Two home losses in a row to two banged up squads would be devastating. SMDH.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:28 am
Hell yea its a must win! It isn’t going to get any easier. I mean the football gods finally gave us a chance. They gave the dog 2 bones to start the season off. They pretty much opened the doors to 2 wins for the start of the season. Honestly. ….who gets this lucky? Facing 2 $hit QB’s to start the season. And in typical Yucs fashion we will blow it.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:35 am
I was opposed to drafting a QB this year. Very vocal about being against it and would tell anybody who would listen why I was opposed. I’m onboard now. We don’t have the answer on the team now. McCown has face planted so far. If Glennon can’t beat him out then I’ve seen enough from him. We need better QB play and we need to do what it takes to get it
September 10th, 2014 at 9:41 am
Knowing the Bucs, when faced with what seems like an favorable situation to beat an opponent for a certain win, they find ways to lose this type of game somehow. I don’t know why, but I just got a sick feeling about this one.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:49 am
Exactly
September 10th, 2014 at 9:52 am
Last game was a must win also against a back up QB who hadn’t started in 4 years. Rams got smoked at home 38-6 so yes this is even more so now.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:52 am
Joe- “So is it a “must-win” Sunday?
No. Joe’s not a lunatic, but if the Bucs can’t beat the reeling Rams at home with Derek Anderson a crappy quarterback, there would be little hope for meaningful December games.”
Isn’t this statement a contradiction if the whole point of the regular season is to make it in to the post season? Your take is confusing.
Must is a very strong word.–Joe
September 10th, 2014 at 9:52 am
Lovie got booed because of all his double secret squirrel speak about the Carolina game plan.
The Panther defense wasnt confused at all. But the Buccaneer fans were.
September 10th, 2014 at 9:56 am
It’s not a matter of Glennon beating McCown out. It’s a matter of McCown playing up to his hype. Lovie will be long suffering for his annointed starter, much like the fans have long suffered for a winner. Lovie knows McCown will play better, the fans just have’nt found out yet.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:00 am
They practiced in a parking lot trying to hide from what? Our owndefenseso they wwouldn’t see how terriblethey were iI guess.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:04 am
“Lovie got booed because of all his double secret squirrel speak “….you know I was trying to remember if Lovie has yet made an inspiring declaration about anything…I have serious doubts about his leadership ability and vision. I am completely baffeled about who he is and is he capable to lead ! He is a poor mans Tony Dungy…nothing more than a position coach/coordinator that needs direction from above….in way over his head.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Some of these comment are nuts, Joe! These fans are jumping off the ship after one week!! It was bad. Guys, we have nothing at QB. Nothing. Might as well be me, Joe, or yourself out there. But we’re willing to toss Lovie already?
Let him have a season or so after this one. Schiano ruined this team after years of Raheem. It’s going to take more than one season to put Humpty Dumpty back together.
We’ll get Winston or Hundley or Mariotta and life should improve. Just hang in there.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Joe
This team has talent but from the play of some they belong on the bench or cut them if the cost is right. The coaching staff needs to light a fire in them because they, for the most part (GMC & LVD had 8 or 9 tackles each) need that old song “Lite my Fire” instilled in them.
The ones not performing need to pulled in the first quarter and benched.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:20 am
Any wins between now and week 5 will be a gift.
Until the starters are set and get a chance to work with each other regularly and become a unit I am not expecting much.
Offense and defense.
This isn’t an offensive TEAM or a defensive TEAM until the lineups are set.
Only a group of players out there individually playing their position still trying to win a job while the season has already began. They can’t count on knowing what the guy next to them is going to do during the game because at this stage they don’t even know who is going to be next to them.
Once the starting roster is established things should improve in a few weeks.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:20 am
For years the local fans were able to call into 620 and talk to coaches and players live on Air.
This year (as far as I was told) they no longer will allow people to call in (like a man) and we have to tweet or text (like a little girly B!tch).
The host and player will then review the questions and determine which ones are feel good enough that they want to answer.
The Pussifcation of America continues.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:24 am
Must-Win?
Meh
But…
0-2 to start off
plus the fact that it would be 2 out of the 8 Home games lost
would not bode well for Buc Fan Morale
It is a 16 season
No need to panic
In hind site most realistic Buc Fans did not give the Bucs much hope against the Panthers when the schedule came out. But NOW after being stuck in the over Hype machine over the Summer where hungry for change BucFan had the Bucs going 16-0 and things got skewed after such an ugly few hours
September 10th, 2014 at 10:26 am
Maybe Joe needs to do a story of why Lovie has three of his sons as position coaches on this team? Did they get the job because they were the best, the cheapest, or because daddy was the HC?
Lovie only has two sons on staff, just one is a position coach. –Joe
Im not jumping off the ship, Im sick and damn tired of losing. We haven’t had a competitive season since 2007-the Jeff Garcia era. Seven years ago. A kid born that year is now in the second grade, a barrel of bourbon aged that long is ready to sell, the first Transformers premiered, that’s a long time to be irrelevant.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:27 am
“Must is a very strong word.–Joe”
So is lunacy, especially when you yourself agree that postseason hopes are slim without a win. Just saying…you can’t have it both ways.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:34 am
Just read that since 1990 when they expanded playoffs to 12 teams, there is only a 12% chance of making the playoffs after starting 0-2.
And I bet its like 1% if it was playing against 2 backup QBs their 1st 2 games, lol.
So must win? Pretty much
September 10th, 2014 at 10:44 am
Of course it’s a must win against…. Who’s their quarterback?doesn’t matter because if I have to ask then yes it’s a must win because sadly no one believes in this team nationally but after last week it’s for good reason
September 10th, 2014 at 10:45 am
How is it not “must-win”?
Dropping to 0-2 pretty much means your season is done. Also, beating a 3rd string QB is always “must-win”.
But so should have been beating Derek Anderson…
Ugh.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:46 am
The sad and unsaid part of the “must win” notion………IS the implication that the following 4 games will most probably be losses….dismal…dark….
September 10th, 2014 at 10:56 am
Well on the bright side we did win the SB in 02, I spent my first 30 yrs in detroit and to this day we never made it to the super bowl let alone win it.. It has been pretty sad since 02 though.. I say GET EM GOING LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THEM THERE BUCS OH YA..
September 10th, 2014 at 10:57 am
I said earlier that it’s a “MUST WIN” especially against the third QB.
OBW, what is all this NONSENSE about playoffs for the Buccaneers?
Unless they win the division, there will be no playoffs for another other team in the NFC South that does not win the division.
Period.
September 10th, 2014 at 11:09 am
I just hope Tedford does not keep using the LEFT and A Button play from the Tecmo Bowl Playbook….I honestly question even the arm strength of “Tears of McCown” at this point. Glennon has way better of an arm but if our offense plays like it did last week, we will have shades of the 1979, 2000 games against the Rams and lose 9-0 or 11-6.
This is a must win….Period!
September 10th, 2014 at 11:19 am
The Rams game won’t be that easy. They still have a very good defensive line; in fact their whole defense is not that bad. If the Bucs have a hard time scoring against their defense it could be another long day. If you think the Rams are not going to come in here motivated you are sadly mistaken. They played a miserable game last week themselves.
September 10th, 2014 at 12:21 pm
If u ask me the season is over if we cant beat derek anderson how can we beat any1 else that is a playoff contender! I think we need a qb and a pash rusher znd those are the two hardest positikns to find in the nfl middle of the pack is the besg we can hope for… but why we need to suck to get winston or mariota forget middle of the pack!
September 10th, 2014 at 12:30 pm
Listen, yes…it was Derek Anderson but he played one helluva game. Those throws he made were right on the money and the offensive game plan of the Panthers was brilliant. I’m not upset about the defense, it was the friggin’ offense that was ‘offensive’.
September 10th, 2014 at 12:46 pm
I was one of the fans booing!
September 10th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
I think if you start 0-2 in NFC against two backup quarterbacks, the season’s over….. again…. already.
Quite frankly after that pathetic display last week, I think it’s already over.
September 10th, 2014 at 3:41 pm
If we oose sunday we are officially Raheem’s Bucs again, Getting lit up by the likes of Matt Moore, chris Redman, and I can’t remember if it was drew stanton or shaun hill
September 10th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
I would normally so no it is not a must win BUT after what we saw this past Sunday I think it is or we could find ourself 0-5 real easy and we could loose our savior Lovie.
September 10th, 2014 at 10:25 pm
On the better side of things hello winston or marriota!