It Isn’t Just Mike Glennon

October 6th, 2014
Lovie 0803

Lovie should use the rest of the season to determine which defenders on the NFL’s No. 30 defense should return

One reason Joe weeks ago decided the time is now for the quarterback of the future was to get Mike Glennon more work.

If he put in 13 more starts this fall, then the Bucs would have 26 games (including last season) of Glennon on tape to gauge whether he really is the quarterback of the future, such as the empty proclamations by Bucs officials suggest.

And, after 26 starts, if the Bucs don’t think Glennon truly is the quarterback of the future, then it’s time to go get another one.

And if Glennon proves to be the quarterback of the future, his 13 starts this year would give him a head start on next season.

Let’s face it, the remaining 11 games are all about next year. So too should the attitude toward the rest of the Bucs roster, specifically the defense.

Lovie is bound and determined to run his Tampa-2. It sure smells like he doesn’t have the horses to run such a defense. Otherwise, the Bucs wouldn’t be ranked No. 30 in yards-per-game, despite having some of the most talented defenders in the NFL.

So Lovie should determine what guys on the defensive roster cannot play his defense ,and then unload them quickly.

When Lovie talked about all the player movement last winter, he was fond of saying “We were 4-12.” Well Lovie, your defense is No. 30. So it seems like another housecleaning on the defensive side of the ball is in order.

The rest of the season should be an 11-game exam. Those who fail in Lovie’s eyes should be out.

57 Responses to “It Isn’t Just Mike Glennon”

  1. GhostofJohnGruden Says:

    Well JOE, if it “Smells” like what comes out of the hind end of the horse, that sums up our defense perfectly.

  2. WalkdaPlank Says:

    “despite having some of the most talented defenders in the NFL.”

    Seeing something I’m not?

    I only see LVD, GMC, and Verner with that status.

  3. lightningbuc Says:

    Funny, when the Bucs couldn’t rush the passer last year it was Schiano’s fault – now this year Lovie just doesn’t have the right guys yet.

  4. passthebuc Says:

    @Walkdaplank

    did you say Verner?

    Am I missing something?

  5. GhostofJohnGruden Says:

    You have to look at some what if scenarios.
    What If Glennon was named starter and we never went after Mclown? Spent that $10 Mil. somewhere else.
    What IF our O-line was not decimated like it was, maybe just pick up Collins and Mankins, Keep Zuttah and Penn and Joseph.
    What IF Lovie did not have this fascination with the “Tampa 2” and ran a different defensive scheme. So many decisions that could have easily gone another way and had a huge impact on this team and this season. Its a bucs life.

  6. Kevin#1 Says:

    Here are my biggest concerns from most concerned to little concern.

    Biggest Concern – Still play calling. Too many runs on first down…TOO MANY!!! If we had Marshawn Lynch I wouldn’t be so down on it but too many second and 9’s this season way too many. Saints record doesn’t matter we knew they would put up points against our defense…THEY DID and we just didn’t quite get enough. Although the play calling has improved week to week it must continue to get better.

    Defense – would be at the top of my list but Lovie will get it turned around eventually but it will take some time.

    Penalties – Can’t win when we are being ourselves

    Dropped passes – Our pass catchers drop WAY to many balls. Catchable well thrown passes. Maybe why we are still running so much on first downs???

    The one bright spot on this team is Mike Glennon. After the way he has been play calling still so young see enough to give him the startin job the rest of the season. If he continues on his upward swing then there is NO WAY I would take a rookie QB. He’s the best QB this team has had I’m my memory….

  7. WalkdaPlank Says:

    Only because Verner is by far the best DB on the team. Compared to other All-Pro’s…….not so much.

  8. bucrightoff Says:

    Verner is about half the player Revis is. Anyone who thought swapping them was anywhere close to even was very naive.

  9. NewTampaChris Says:

    Why won’t these coaches say, “Hmm, we don’t have the right personnel to run a Tampa-2, so let’s play something else until we get the right roster in here.”

  10. Robert7 Says:

    This defense takes a long time to master. They are getting better, but the play calling and game management still sucks on

  11. OneLove Says:

    @lightningbuc How is that funny!?! Yeah it was Schianos fault because he chose to ran those wack stunts and these are the guys he drafted and they suck! Bowers was a bust and the rest of our D linemen besides McCoy are average/below average at best.. I mean we had to sign Larry ENGLISH for Christ Sake!! HINT: That’s NOT a good thing!!!!!

  12. billy buckaroo Says:

    I hope they have a stat at the end of the year that shows how many first downs the other teams get when the bucs are in Tampa 2 compared to when they are in a different defense.
    Same players in both so should be an interesting end of season stat.

  13. Joseph Mamma Says:

    In today’s NFL, if a coach can’t adjust his scheme to fit the personnel he has, he’ll be fired before he finally get’s the right player’s to fit the scheme. It’s as simple as that.

  14. AJ Says:

    Why the long face Joe? No doubt losing those first two games at home. Put us in a hole we probably can’t get out of this season. But it has always been about putting in a system and players for the long haul. Lovie is here to get us back to the base. Everyone can agree that was the 3 game road trip from hell. Three very tough venues. With one on a short week which was a disaster. But going 1-2 on that road trip, very easily could have been 2-1. Has to be viewed positively that we are on the right track. And the Tampa 2 will take time to click for these guys. But when the lights come on, watch out. Cause now your starting to see an offense that can move the ball.

  15. slowbucs813 Says:

    Some people are pathetic, how can you want to run Lovie out of town already. We finally have a HC with a proven record he can get the job done and people b!tch because things are a little rough in his first season with a new team trying to teach them a new system. I understand being frustrated because we had two laughing stocks of NFL head coaches with no HC experience in Morris and Schiano we suffered alot of losses with those sad sacs but damn can you at least wait until year 2 before calling for his head. Please do real bucs fans a favor and hop off the ship now and go root for another team dont come back when we start winning

  16. OneLove Says:

    @slowbucs813 THANK YOU! Couldn’t have said it any better myself!

  17. BucfanBF Says:

    Our offense is much better with Glennon at the helm and I look forward to see continued progression from him.
    Defense is taking much longer and I wouldnt change the scheme as was suggested above just changes sake to try and salvage this season. What they do this uear should help them next year going forward even if we bring in some new scheme fit players.

  18. Brandon Says:

    The Bucs forced 3 Brees interceptions running the T-2 without a great pass rush. The Cowboys blasted the Saints the week before using the exact same defense and not a ton of talent to play with it… Dallas is doing very well in the defensive rankings. The Seattle Seahawks just won a Super Bowl using mostly T-2 principles. It’s not the defense, you freaking cave men, it’s the execution and the talent. This defense has 3/4 of a DL, 1/3 of the required LBs, and 1/2 of the required secondary. That adds up to having less than half the required players to run this defense well.

    And let’s face it, this team was NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY competitive in the entire first half of last season and most of the games in the second half and yet this season, we’ve seen 4 out of 5 times we’ve played.

  19. TAC Says:

    Arroyo needs to come up with something that gets the play calls to Glennon faster instead of Glennon left with about 3 seconds to snap the ball every play.

    The guy is not dumb, use him, and get things moving.

    Pick a running back to carry the majority of the load, and get things moving.

  20. TAC Says:

    The D looked better yesterday, and the secondary played much better. I wouldn’t give up on any of them yet, including Barron. They have to have time to learn how to play this D with each other.

  21. Touch_Down_Tampa_Bay Says:

    “This is their first year in a structured system. I know some of our fans, reading the comments, I hope they don’t expect these guy to pick up where we left off in this defense,” Brooks said on WDAE-AM 620. “We went through some growing pains to get to that success. These young men are going to go through some growing paints to understand that. The system they’ve played in thus far has not been as structured as this system requires you to be. So they’ve got to go through those playing growing pains, and the quicker they get past that, I think they’ll be alright. Obviously, the talent level, what they bring is tremendous.”

    Brooks knows Tampa 2 and football.

    https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=116048

  22. bucs911 Says:

    So what happens when half the defense is gone next year? The new players will have to learn the Tampa-2 as well it’s going to be a revolving learning curve.

  23. Touch_Down_Tampa_Bay Says:

    @bucs911 – No revolving door for players just coaches. We will fire Lovie and Co. and hire people of the streets. They seem to be more knowledgeable. smh…lol

  24. Touch_Down_Tampa_Bay Says:

    @slowbucs813 – Bravo! Perfectly said.

    Some comments are so off the wall they are hilarious!

  25. slowbucs813 Says:

    @Touch_Down_Tampa_Bay I know right it has me thinking these guys or girls cant seriously be bucs fans

  26. Buccfan37 Says:

    Just because you are undecided on whether Lovie is a good head coach or not does’nt make you any less of a Bucs fan. Lovie is the coach for the forseeable future, I’m not against giving him a couple of years to right the ship and produce an every game competitor. Patience wears thin and the Bucs fans have endured their share of losing seasons, you just have to tough it out because better results will eventually materialize.

  27. Thunder Sack Says:

    “slowbucs813 Says:
    October 6th, 2014 at 6:40 pm
    Some people are pathetic, how can you want to run Lovie out of town already.”

    Bravo! I read some of these comments and they are childish reactions. We are seeing our team improve week by week. Lavonte had a hell of a game and took over play calling duties. Barron started becoming a factor in the pass game. GMC is still plugging away.

    I am enjoying this year even though we are losing. It will make the consistent winning in the future that much better.

    #LovinLovie

  28. Skyline Crew Says:

    I will say this. Glennon will have a bad game or two. All QBs go through it. I know I will read the comments on that day that say see told you so. Or read how we need to draft a QB. We don’t. Glennon is our future get used to it. We have way more concerns than QB position. Now I do believe we should draft a QB, but in the 3rd or 4th rd. We need a backup, right? Unless you want to keep cCown as backup.

  29. Bill Says:

    @slowbucs813 Totally agree great posts for real bucs fans

    Thanks

  30. BamBamBuc Says:

    Glennon should start the remainder of the year, no doubt about that. But those that have been, or just joined in on, claiming he is anything special leave a lot to be desired. If all we’re looking for is a mediocre QB, then fine. Glennon will suffice. Unfortunately, we missed out on Bridgewater. Don’t see much difference? Bridgewater, in his first NFL start against the Falcons threw for 317 yards (more than Glennon has in any of his 15 starts, he also won the game with 2 backup RBs, mainly throwing to a 4th round pick WR (Wright) and journeyman WR (Jennings). Similar to Glennon’s situation last year, but Glennon didn’t win until his 6th start, had his top RB for his first 3 starts, his top 2 WRs for his first 4 starts, and didn’t come close to the 41 points put up until his 7th start.

    Now, nobody knows if Bridgewater will return and continue to perform at that level, but Glennon has only won about 1/3 of his games, which would be about 5 wins per season. Hope everyone is happy with that. And if you’d like to say it’s a team game (and I would agree with that), you still need at least one, if not two, special players on each side of the ball that can elevate the team when times are tough. Glennon hasn’t shown he can do that but once in 15 starts. We have no one else that can on offense (like a Calvin Johnson or Adrian Peterson), so it comes down to QB. Without that QB that can elevate the team, we can expect 5 win seasons. Kind of like a Henne, Locker, Fitzpatrick, Weeden type.

    Unfortunately, we missed one opportunity because a guy had a bad “Pro Day”. I’m not sure any of the QBs available the next draft can be “that guy”. We now may have to wait a couple years to get a guy like that.

    Again, Glennon should start this year. If there is no real option in the draft, he should start next year too. It’s just too bad we hang our hopes on mediocre with a “team” around him. Every team has a “team” around them. Doesn’t make them better than what they are.

  31. Buc1987 Says:

    @slowbucs813 …Bravo and well said.

  32. BirdDoggers Says:

    It’s too early to think about retooling the defense after already seeing some turnover from last year. The players are still getting used to each other and what Lovie is asking them to do. Some of the players are young and still developing. But yes, by the end of the season, Lovie should know if he has the right players for his defense. I suspect changes coming at safety, possibly middle linebacker and more talent is needed at cornerback.

  33. Buc1987 Says:

    Bam…Glennon did not lose that game yesterday and I’m sure you’d agree that Bridgewater needs more starts before boasting about what we could have had.

    Then again…maybe you disagree judging by your apparent disappointment that the Bucs didn’t draft him.

  34. Ur mom Says:

    Next year huh. I’m close and I’d love Mariota, but this year isn’t over. Bucs will win at home this week. Evans and Sims back after the bye. I still think they might string us along a while longer. I see a team SLOWLY coming together. 7-4 or 6-5 rest of the way. BTW the officials freakin blew yesterday. I even saw McCoy hollering at the official after the away from the play hold on LJ. Worst call I’ve seen this year by far. That was a 3rd down stop. Or the c-hair Collins lined up to far back. The officials were junk, the color guy was an absolute tool and camera work was putrid. How many times did you see sh!t that you wanted to see replayed from a different angle and nothing, not a mention on McCoy tip pass. Didn’t say a peep about that fumble err dropped pass that didn’t even get a look from the booth. Bucs were the better team yesterday, that being said scoreboard and that’s all I have to say about that.

  35. Skyline Crew Says:

    Well according to Bam you to throw for 314 yds to be elite. If you throw under then you are mediocre. Brady has had a ton of mediocre games then. Sorry, but that is poor rationale.

  36. Skyline Crew Says:

    Same for Wilson as well.

  37. SteveK Says:

    Glennon is going to develop into a franchise QB. I just hope he gets the opportunity to develop in Tampa.

    Look at the Tom O’brien/Dana Bible QBs in the NFL currently:

    Phillip Rivers
    Matt Ryan
    Russell Wilson
    Mike Glennon

    I have been a Glennon supporter from the beginning, mainly because of the doubters proclaiming he had “no chance”.

    If take Glennon over Bridgewater. Bridgewater is not big enough to take the NFL’s physicality.

    Keep doubting MG8, he will continue to prove the nay sayers wrong.

  38. Skyline Crew Says:

    Wilson is a great QB. Do you know how many 300 yd games he has had? 3 total in his career. Now are you going to say he is mediocre?

  39. Ryan Baker Says:

    “The Remaining 11 games are about next season”………. So too said Jon Fox (And Elway for that matter) when the 2011 Broncos (1-4) were down 16 points at halftime against the Chargers and they threw a Guy named Tim Tebow into the Fire. Little did they know that he would quarterback that team to the divisional round of the playoffs.

  40. Ryan Baker Says:

    Just Sayin!

  41. Destinjohnny Says:

    It’s going to take 2 ultra solid drafts and guys coming up in the system for us to be consistent winners. We don’t have the horses 6-10 if we are lucky we need 2safety’s – two linebackers -de – corner – guard tackle and Vincent Jackson isn’t getting any younger so we need a wideout. We can win a few games but we will never be in the hunt.

  42. Zam Says:

    Ah the good ole days when we could get 4 wins.

  43. Hawk Says:

    Passing yards per game is a meaningless stat. Especially by itself. Joe Montana has a career average of 211 yds per game(didn’t have his first 300+yd game until his fourth season). Big deal. Is someone going to say he was “mediocre”? Most ‘Old Time’ Buc fans remember Doug Williams. If Glennon has a ‘cannon’, then Doug had a Howitzer. His deep passes were his strength, but his fans might be surprised to learn that his nine years, in the NFL, yielded him a 193.2 yds/game average. IOW, one stat is worthless… and sometimes even a whole stack of them is nothing more than paper and ink. And heaven forbid you start comparing QB stats. That, my friend, is a very slippery slope. But if you like stats, those are some you might want to look at.
    And a QB will ‘usually’ being be putting up a lot of yards because, (a) they have little/no running game, (b) they are trying to catch/keep up with a fast-paced opponent, or (c) that is the strength/scheme of their offense.

  44. DB55 Says:

    Hawk

    It’s a different game today. Those guys had running games and safeties could kill receivers. Today 250-300+ is expected.

  45. Buc1987 Says:

    Right now at this exact moment. I’d take Glennon over a rookie Mariota or Winston and I’m a Nole.

  46. P'cola Buc Says:

    Perhaps we could have both. Keep Glennon AND draft a Mariota or Winston. Then we will see real competition. McCown seems to be the “real thing” as a QB coach anyways.

  47. HorseForce Says:

    Whatever happened to speed in space?

  48. biff barker Says:

    The T2 handicaps am offense to some degree. They have to wait for the ball watching their D bend and not

    Oh wait…

  49. Aaron Says:

    I’m with bam – Glennon needs to start the rest of the way. This thing will play itself out. If Glennon keeps improving then we’ll win enough games to take us out of the top QB derby. No way, we win 4 games or less and we say Glennon is still the guy.

    The rules in today’s NFL make it easier for QBs. Glennon just doesn’t inspire greatness to me. Yes, I’m setting a high bar, Atlanta has Ryan and I’m not sure they will ever win anything. Dallas has Romo, San Diego has Rivers, etc…I’m up for drafting a QB because it’s the equivalent to a lottery ticket. That once in a generation QB covers up an average oline, missed tackles on defense etc…so when I say draft a QB it’s because I want to try to find the next manning, brees, luck, or brady. Glennon screams avg to me – I hope he proves me wrong.

  50. Hawk Says:

    @ DB55
    Lack of a running game is the fault of the team, not the rules. The rule change on ‘hits’ (safties, corners, and LBs), though, has certainly changed the game.
    But, I believe my contention on ‘why’ most QBs have big games is still valid. Their are only five QBs who have a 300+ yds/game average so far and three are on losing teams. The other two (Indy and Denver) are designed to be passing(first) offenses.

  51. buc4lyfe Says:

    Can’t have a roster full of rookies and expect to be any better, can’t afford to keep signing big free agents. Were such rebuilding again. Sorry lovie your in for atleast a couple of rebuilding years

  52. Hawk Says:

    There/Their. My apologies to the spelling/grammar police. A check, for my fine, is in the mail.

  53. Greg Schiano Says:

    You guys sent me packing but that is ok…you stated I was a HC without NFL experience…no NFL coordiators….blamed that whole Freeman freaking out mess on me..but I have broad shoulders.

    What I don’t get is the free pass or should I say the “Lov-ie Fest” everyone is putting up with. This mess has been a joke from day 1!

    First: 10 million on a QB who can’t pass gas!

    Second: Took a receiver in the 1st Round when you could have had Johnnie Football…OMG even I would not have screwed that one up!!

    Third: Lovie has NFL experience and could not win in Chicago with better talent…..If you could pry the big dog’s lips off his but for 10 minutes, a realist would say Lovie goes 11-5 or Lovie goes bye bye!! No excuses…he has NFL experience…sat in his basement doing something with Tedford and this is where game management and time management come from?

    I was bad a time management…..what is Lovie’s excuse? All we heard was the Defense was golden with Lovie’s brilliant mind…all we had to do was work on the offense. Well there Mr. Big Dog….the Offense seems to be the part that is starting to click and maybe we should hire a Defensive Coordinator??

    No excuses….all everyone had last year was excuses. Lovie had time off and had it all figured out according to the Big Dog! Well….okay….Lovie goes 12-4 or Lovie is no more!!

    I keep hearing about talent level….Well there were 2 games at the start of the season that a good coach would have won. The players were close but bad game management and stupid penalties cost 2 games. Last Sunday was another game that an established, experienced defensive coach would have found a way to win. The offense did its job…well the offense did a better job.

    NO MORE EXCUSES TAMPA BAY. Lovie has won no Super Bowls….so either he coaches better or he packs his bags. No more excuses.

  54. Panhandle Buc Says:

    Please, please, please no Winston! Glennon is now and the future. I will still bet you 5 bucks Lovie puts McCown back in. I like Lovie. ..I want to give him time. His inflexibility annoys me. I hope he gets to say “I told you so” to me.

  55. John McKillop Says:

    @bambambuc, the minnesota vikings have a head coach with nfl experience and norv turner as oc. Glennon had greg schiano last year and no quarterback coach because he didn’t believe that pro quarterbacks needed one. The oc was not very good either. All of those things in place make a difference for a young player especially a qb. You will see glennon progress, develop and mature this year, and be an even better quarterback next year.

  56. ddneast Says:

    This is Dallas’ second year in the Tampa 2. First year under Kiffin not so good. Second year under Marinelli is much better.
    Before we blow this team up because of losses to Saints and Falcons who are notoriously good at home, let’s wait till the two teams get to Tampa.
    Falcons drubbed us pretty good last year in Atlanta and we spanked them when they came down here. Saints beat us in last few seconds last year with Freeman who had at best, an average game.

  57. iamkingsu Says:

    I actually think Lovie is doing a hell of a job “now’. Since Mccown is out of the picture we see eye to eye. I admit I wanted lovie gone but that was only because he was hitching his wagon to McCown even after he blew 2 games.