Unclutch
December 17th, 2014Earlier this week, Lovie Smith declared the Bucs are “on the verge” of turning things around. He cited all the close games the Bucs have lost as evidence.
Was he spinning?
You damned right Lovie was spinning. You think a coach who is on the cusp of the worst record in the NFL is going to throw himself under the bus and take responsibility for such a poorly coached team, a complete and total “F” grade?
While Joe believes, at the end of the day, you are what your record says you are, and that the buck stops at the desk of the head coach. Still, Lovie does have a point.
Bucs preseason play-by-play man Chris Myers, of FOX Sports ,documented just how unclutch the Bucs have been this year offensively.
In games decided by 7 points or less this season the Bucs record 1-7 worst in #NFL @packers in such games are 5-0, see Ya Sunday from Tampa!
— Chris Myers (@The_ChrisMyers) December 17, 2014
In fact, the Bucs have lost eight games by one score. One of those one-score games was by eight points to the Bears, 21-13, a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but you get the drift.
If the Bucs could have won, say, six of those games, the Bucs are in the playoffs. If anything can demonstrate to Lovie Smith he needs a productive quarterback, it is this. If the Bucs had just an above average quarterback, you are looking at a January game. A playoff game.
And yeah, a rookie first round draft pick of a quarterback can play just as bad as Josh McCown has played of late, and unlike McCown have an upside.
December 17th, 2014 at 6:19 am
“You think a coach who is on the cusp of the worst record in the NFL was going to throw himself under the bus and take responsibility was such a poorly coached team, a complete and total “F” grade?”
Umm….yes? He is the damned head coach, and practically GM, who is responsible for most of the reasons behind our 2-12 record. Taking responsibility comes with the job. I don’t expect him to flat out call his team garbage, but something along the lines of “Our play this season has not been up to par and we need to improve a lot, and that is my fault.”
It’s great to have a positive attitude, but anybody, especially Bucs fans, who have watched the games can tell you that they are most certainly NOT on the cusp of turning it around. Remember, of all the teams with only 2 wins the Bucs have the weakest strength of schedule. This team has a chance to be competitive next year, but only if L&L play their cards nearly perfectly to make up for all the damage they have done.
As far as contention goes, I think our Bucs are a few years away from that, AT LEAST. And no, by contention I don’t mean making the playoffs with a losing record.
December 17th, 2014 at 7:06 am
We would have won at least half those games with Revis on our roster…
December 17th, 2014 at 7:22 am
PanthersSuck! Says:
December 17th, 2014 at 7:06 am
We would have won at least half those games with Revis on our roster
————-
Revis plays offense? $16 million a season and how many victories did he GIVE us last season?
December 17th, 2014 at 7:24 am
Joe, you could’ve replaced “Chris Myers” with “Brandon of JoeBucsFan” because I’ve been banging the same drum for the last month. This team has lost 8 games by 8 points or less…having a real NFL OC and QB would’ve done wonders for this team.
December 17th, 2014 at 7:28 am
If we just added draft picks and kept last years squad we could be in the playoffs.
December 17th, 2014 at 8:03 am
And we can rename “Brandon” to “Lovie Smith Nut Polisher”. Half of those 8 losses were blown leads by the defense. Yes the offense can play better but the defense this year has been anti-clutch, almost anytime the defense needed to make a stop it didn’t and the opposing team got it done.
December 17th, 2014 at 8:15 am
The Tedford situation is not Lovie’s fault, but keeping Arroyo as OC sure as hell is. I’m not even sure he was qualified to be QB coach, and you instantly elevated him to OC? What a disaster.
December 17th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Revis gave us more last season than Johnson and Collins combined.
December 17th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Shouldn’t someone be on the phone with Trestman?
December 17th, 2014 at 8:29 am
Woulda coulda shoulda…. at the end of the day 2-12
December 17th, 2014 at 8:33 am
I’d rather have Lazor. I’m not particularly impressed with Trestman’s work.
December 17th, 2014 at 8:36 am
Check Lovies Chicago staff turnover record…
December 17th, 2014 at 8:53 am
Noel Says:
December 17th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Shouldn’t someone be on the phone with Trestman?
Only Lovie, and that is too decide which basement they will hangout when they are both fired!!!
December 17th, 2014 at 9:06 am
The sooner the Glazer’s realize they are now 0-3 hiring coaches the better.
We’ll now have to endure at least 12 more months of pain with this guy.
Maybe the drop off in season ticket sales for next season will tell them something.
December 17th, 2014 at 9:06 am
Wondering what will happen in the offseason and draft, lovie can’t afford any mistakes this time around, Can he prove he is not a moron because right now that is only what I see..I was all for the hire and it really did not take long to raise my eyebrow with things like passing on hester and no qb competition crown the mccown on so on.. Well lovie time show us your not a moron, remember we will be watching..
December 17th, 2014 at 9:07 am
Close games are decided by coaching as much as a QB. It time to either send lovie out to the pastures or bring in a DC that swears and an OC thats competent.
December 17th, 2014 at 9:29 am
maybe keeping arroyo was lovie’s way of tanking for the top pick in the draft and a way to also have an excuse…he saw just like we all did what kind of trash he had at quarterback in the preseason so when his offensive coordinator went down im sure the talk started and it went something like this….my calling is defense and we’ll always have a great defense, once that happens where are we gonna get a quarterback, pay big time money or play out the season and get a top pick, whats it gonna be glazers, pay big money for a maybe or draft a maybe that wont hurt your pockets so much…..
lovie isn’t worried about you or the fans or the media because he’s not totally vested in florida yet, it’s his first year and hiring arroyo to run this offense is basically the equivalent of having joebucs do anything football related for the bucs other than write about it, it would be a total disaster if you had to do anything but write about the bucs trust me, media and fans only criticize but that’s because that’s all you can do, no one sitting at home has a solution that hasn’t been thought of, no one has a reason for the season that hasn’t been thought of…..lovie doesn’t have to tell you that his team is tanking for the top pick especially if he needs his players to play hard. I am sure this guy knows he’ll have a top defense next year and needed this draft to start off his regime in tampa
December 17th, 2014 at 9:37 am
Arroyo has given L&L the perfect shield to protect themselves in the offseason as they can blame 75% of the team’s issues on offense related issues though special teams were very below average all season as well. Lovie will hand out a bunch of pink slips but I hope the Glazers pull a bit of his power away from him; perhaps making a move at the GM position and bringing in a G that answers to them not Lovie as this past year L&L earned an epic fail on the FA front and for the Tedford fiasco!
December 17th, 2014 at 9:38 am
Listen I concede that offense has been the made problem but the defense couldn’t hold a lead either. And while I concede they have been playing better recently…at long last…this defense sucked every bit as badly as the offense through at least the first half of the year.
I wish I could remember which game but one of them had me to the point of throwing crap at my TV. There were three separate times when the Buc defense couldn’t get off the field with 3rd and 20!!!
During the first half of this season this team put a defense that had more trouble getting off the field on 3rd down than any I can remember. They would play well for two downs get 3rd and 10 and then the lack of rush gave opposing QB’s time to slice and dice our secondary.
Again I’m not saying our offense doesn’t suck. A new QB and 2 decent OL and an NFL calibre OC could change that in one offseason.
Now how about the defense? They may have risen from the totally embarrassing stage of the Dixie Chicks rout, but they’re still only competent at best and nowhere near playoff level yet.
This defense, especially if they keep Lovie’s schemes, will not be elite until they add another rusher to the DL. Somebody who is NOT currently on the roster. And then we have to pray GMC can stay healthy all season.
Think about how great Sapp was along with Brooks and the rest they made a good defense. But after they added Simeon Rice’s rush to the mix they became an all time great defense and truly elite.
December 17th, 2014 at 9:47 am
SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!
December 17th, 2014 at 9:47 am
With an ‘average’ O-line the Bucs would have had an ‘average’ run game, and therefore would have been in the mix for the division title. Can Lovie ‘build’ an average O-line?
December 17th, 2014 at 9:48 am
BTW can I steal the Buc Optimists thunder a bit.
The very thing that makes me so upset with the Bucs this year gives me the most hope. The coaching this year has been even worse than the talent level. Many of these “unclutch” losses have occurred because of mental breakdowns not because another teams players simply overwhelmed ours.
IE. A cleanup of the coaching staff could do wonders. We are not that far away on offense. IF Dotson is the real deal at LT and I believe he still has plenty of upside, we only need to come up with an adequate RT…doable..maybe even on the roster already and then draft at least one stud guard and they can be found after the first round. Get your QB.
Then hire NFL QUALITY COACHES…especially at OC!!!
We have to spend draft choices to get the QB and guard. But we DON’T have to worry about where we draft to find an NFL caliber OC.
Yeah I know I know….who has faith that Lovie has the ability to find a talented OC and even if he id’d one what makes us think any decent NFL OC would coach for Lovie? Gotta believe!!!
One QB…One NFL level OC…two OL and the offense will be fine.
December 17th, 2014 at 9:52 am
MariotaOrWinstonOrWalkdaPlank Says
“He is the damned head coach, and practically GM…”
Not even close. I doubt Lovie negotiates contracts, works out trades and manages the salary cap.
He chooses his draft picks and has final approval on free agents. That’s hardly a GM. All coaches do that.
December 17th, 2014 at 9:58 am
meh Says
“The Tedford situation is not Lovie’s fault, but keeping Arroyo as OC sure as hell is. I’m not even sure he was qualified to be QB coach, and you instantly elevated him to OC? What a disaster.”
They really didn’t have a lot of choice. There was no one good available, and Marcus Arroyo was at least familiar with the offense Tedford had been installing.
I would imagine the goal was to create as few waves as possible.
Had the QB played better, and the OL protected him a little more, we probably would have won 9 games. Defense would not have lost as many games, because they would not have been on the field as much.
But I think making Arroyo interim OC, without knowing if Tedford was coming back or not, was the only call they could have made. Can’t really blame them for that move.
You CAN blame them for hiring Arroyo in the first place, a move I spoke out against when they hired him.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:03 am
StPeteBucsFan Says
“We are not that far away on offense. IF Dotson is the real deal at LT and I believe he still has plenty of upside, we only need to come up with an adequate RT…doable..maybe even on the roster already and then draft at least one stud guard and they can be found after the first round. Get your QB.
Then hire NFL QUALITY COACHES…especially at OC!!!”
Dotson isn’t the real deal. Hasn’t even proven himself yet. I think Mankins is, but he needs better talent on each side.
And you are forgetting the center position…the most important spot, because our current guy cost us three games this year.
Imagine that. Our Center, when it comes down to it, cost us the playoffs. Assuming that had be not caused two fumbles and a safety (at clutch moments), our QB would have won.
Mind you, I’m not saying we would have won those games has we a better Center…just that his screw ups were the main reason we lost them under those circumstances.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:10 am
Hawk Says
“With an ‘average’ O-line the Bucs would have had an ‘average’ run game, and therefore would have been in the mix for the division title. Can Lovie ‘build’ an average O-line?”
Good question.
This off season we will find out. Will he have the same problem that Dungy did, being too loyal to his coaches, even when they suck? Or will he be willing to fire and replace them? It worked out for Dungy (mostly) but these coaches are just really bad.
I think Jason Licht needs to put his foot down. I understand he is a first year GM and Lovie is considered a golden child (at the time of his hire), but the honeymoon is mostly over.
Jason needs to make the moves himself. Fire the QB Coach/OC, the Offensive Line coach, the Defensive Coordinator and the Special Teams Coordinator.
Throw Lovie a bone by bringing in Rod Marinelli as DC/Asst HC.
Offer a qualified (not from college) OC a very good contract, one that will make him happy enough to turn down HC jobs if he does well, and let him hire his own QB Coach and OL Coach. Let him have the first 3 picks of the draft for QB, Center and Guard.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:13 am
Having a competent QB would unquestionably improve our ability to win close games. We all had that same dream about a #5 who won games for us in the 4th. Then we all subsequently woke up from said dream.
So a QB, yes. A new OC will also likely help. No offense to Arroyo, who is like a pilot with a couple Cessna flights under his belt and then is suddenly thrown into an emergency 747 flight loaded with important diplomats during one of the biggest storms in recent memory, but there HAS to be plenty of properly qualified candidates available.
However, let’s not kid ourselves – even with a shiny new QB and an OC with a name to get excited about, we will still sometimes end up in close games boys. For you guys who still don’t believe that Lovie’s brain is indefinitely on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, there is going to come a day – provided he stays, which by all accounts he will, when we are in a legitimate playoff hunt and your beloved HC will have no more excuses to cover his proven, repetitive, stubborn, incompetence!
December 17th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Lovie sounds soo bad, almost rah morris bad. Do you know we are playing in the worst division the nfl has ever seen since going to 4 divisions in 2002?
Derrek Anderson twice, Austin… an undrafted fa making his 1st start, a bears team that has totaly quit. If we were playing close games against the pats or seahawks… ok, there would be some positives there, but this years team is a total embarassment – coaches included.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:27 am
Noel Says:
December 17th, 2014 at 8:16 am
Shouldn’t someone be on the phone with Trestman?
Are you serious? Much better talent then the Bucs have offensively and they are putrid. No way don’t touch that stench please!
December 17th, 2014 at 10:37 am
Richard Williamson’s Buccaneers could have been 9-7 under the same metric.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:58 am
Has there ever been a more bumbling unprepared OC in NFL history???? Bring on Jagozynski? Where was that guy with no experience when you need him.
December 17th, 2014 at 11:03 am
I heard yesterday on 620 Joe state that Tedford offered to come back part time and Lovie turned him down??????????? Why Lovie why???? So instead we let a teenager who has never driven a car crash our offense into the rest of the NFL. Wonderful. Just another infamous chapter in Buccaneer ineptitude. I hear about Cleveland fans but has there ever been a more poorly run franchise in the history of sports?????????? Daniel Snyder couldnt screw up this team any worse.
December 17th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
Yeah but the Bucs are sitting presently with the top overall pick. That’s pressure.
December 17th, 2014 at 1:56 pm
we probably needed fewer than 6 such wins for a division title. had we just held off the falcons and saints once apiece, the entire division would be at least within a game. i guess i have to give raheem morris more credit than i once did for getting 10 wins against a pillow-soft schedule now that i’ve seen lovie squirt out 2 wins against an even poorer slate of opponents