“Who Are We?” Asks Derrick Brooks
October 10th, 2014
The Bucs have taken fans through one hell of a rollercoaster ride this season.
Tampa Bay has found stunning ways to lose, from record blowouts to fourth-quarter choke jobs and more. And their one win? A shocking upset with a fourth-quarter comeback.
Bucs icon Derrick Brooks is as uncertain as most fans as to what this current team is all about.
“You look at our football team and you’re like most fans and you ask, “Who are we?” Brooks stated on WDAE-AM 620 Wednesday, during his Tampa-2 show with Steve Duemig.
“You know, are we the team that appears to be worn out when you get to overtime and give up a significant amount of rushing yards and a rushing touhdown to end the game. Or are we that gets out and takes advantage of turnovers and can get in the lead and sustain it?
“I still say we’re still trying to find ourselves. One thing that I do like about this team, they make no excuses. And that’s a direct correlation from the head coach — leadership down.”
Joe disagrees slightly with Brooks. The Bucs aren’t a bunch of whiny excuse-makers, but Joe’s still heard plenty of excuses being shared. Joe’s heard more talk about the effects of injuries from Lovie Smith than he did from Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano. Joe’s also heard defensive players talk about how things are getting better, but in reality the defensive product in on the decline.
Regardless, Joe really only cares about wins and losses, and smart personnel decisions.
As for the question, “Who are we?” Joe can answer that — a 1-4 football team that’s winless at home and winless in the division. That means, sadly, that this season is already all about next season.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:14 pm
I see us getting back to .500 in our division this year. Yes I see us winning our last 3 division games. But as far as overall record who knows because that loss stung sunday
October 10th, 2014 at 12:17 pm
“Joe’s heard more talk about the effects of injuries from Lovie Smith than he did from Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano.” – I think that sums up what worries me the most about this group. Excuses and double-talk.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Pass the duchie on your left hand side.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:30 pm
We’re going to be .500 again this season. By week 9 well be .500 and in the running to win our division. Mark it down.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:31 pm
Don’t worry Joe, we will go on a 7 game winning streak and then be right in the hunt at 8-4 with four left to play. Go Bucs!!!
October 10th, 2014 at 12:33 pm
And please don’t give me crap about how talking about injuries amounts to excuses. It is obvious when a coach is explaining cause and affect versus excuses. Lovie is 100% correct that injuries have affected our defense, we have still played bad football and probably should have won three of the four we lost but we didn’t and right now we are 1-4….but that seven game win streak is about to start.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:33 pm
I look at it from a different perspective when it comes to mentioning the injuries. I don’t look at it as an excuse, but it’s just reality. Every single one of us thinks “oh sh!t, GMC & Mason Foster are going to be out, we’re in trouble”, so why is it not okay for it to be on the coach’s minds too? This is why coach’s don’t like to say much to the media and/or fans, because everything gets blown out of proportion. Now if Lovie came out and said something like “we are losing games because we are having so many injuries”, that’s different. However, he’s just stating the obvious – that we have had players out and we need to get them back.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Who are the Bucs?
That’s incredibly simple, as Bill Parcels says: “You are what your record says you are…”
Who are the Bucs? Simple — a 1-4 football team.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:49 pm
3 picks off Brees no matter how they came are a positive to me. I think 2 of them came off of pressure. So I think they’re getting there, I really do. I’m actually not worried at all about this season. The NFC South is weak. Some dude on sirious radio said 8-8 might win the South. I don’t know if he’s right, but I’m ready to find out.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
If the games were only 5 mins long we’d be the best team in the NFL but since games are 60 mins I think we’re more like team cialis.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:53 pm
No disrespect but who am I listening to a HOF player vs a fat hacker on a keyboard. I think the HOF knows just a littlte bit more. To suggest otherwise is just disrespectful.,
October 10th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Whoa, who pissed in your cereal Joe? “The defense is on the decline?” No, the defense is not on the decline. They did give up a lot of passing yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The defense is improving with every game.
I felt like the reason for this loss was a gassed defense, and Brooks all but confirmed it for me with this quote.
October 10th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
No disrespect ya fat hacker!
October 10th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
A team without enthusiasm.
Licht shows up when something good happens but the rest of the time you don’t see him
Lovie is available but never addresses any possible coaching problems, which him and Licht put together, always only players
This leadership is not portraying a positive attitude.
“its not my fault” by the leaders is not going to inspire the players
Both Licht and Lovie need to come out and say they screwed up too and re-assess some of their personnel decision- players and coaches
Inspiration starts at the top
October 10th, 2014 at 1:04 pm
billy buckaroo Says:
“Licht shows up when something good happens but the rest of the time you don’t see him.”
He learned that from Dom on his way out.
October 10th, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Joe, if we go 7-3 we have a good chance of winning the division.. All hope is not lost yet!
October 10th, 2014 at 1:07 pm
Sorry 7-4
October 10th, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Considering there is nothing at all that suggests the secondary isn’t still one of the 3 worst units in the NFL, 7-4 is a pipe dream. Seriously, QBs are completing passes at over 75% against the Bucs defense. That’s historically bad. Until that changes winning 5 games total might be difficult.
October 10th, 2014 at 2:36 pm
No doubt it’s an uphill battle, but I do think it premature to count us completely out just yet…..A lot can still happen, despite the divisional record. A win this week, (which I see Pat Yasinkas is predicting!) at home would surely inspire the fan base!
October 10th, 2014 at 8:23 pm
I feel like there have been more excuses by this year’s coach than I ever heard from Schiano who REALLY did have injury problems!