“Nicest Guy In The History Of Professional Football”
May 21st, 2016
Father Dungy might not appreciate this
Ronde Barber was on fire Thursday with all kinds of great takes.
Who could forget how he praised Tampa Bay for dumping its defensive approach and coach, and embracing a philosophy counter to that of Coach My Scheme.
While lauding new defensive coordinator Mike Smith on WDAE-AM 620, Barber said Smith was the nicest guy in the history of professional football. That’s a Barber quote on Smith: “Nicest guy in the league. Nicest guy in the history of professional football.”
Joe had to rewind that a couple of times.
Barber played for the ultimately good guy, Father Dungy.
He spent a lot of time with Lovie Smith, too, who largely was known as a players guy, even if they didn’t always play hard for him. Raheem Morris? He and Ronde were very close friends and Raheem was so pro-player it blew up in his face.
Nice doesn’t win games, and nice guys hardly have a lock on winning. But Barber’s comments really intrigue Joe. Barber doesn’t toss around those superlatives lightly.
Joe is very interested to see how Bucs defensive players react to Smith, who also is known for screaming and slamming headsets.
May 21st, 2016 at 10:43 am
Nice Guys finish Last
May 21st, 2016 at 10:48 am
He’s like a lady in the street, but a freak in the bed.
May 21st, 2016 at 10:53 am
Something tells me Mike Smith can put the hammer down when need be. Kinda like your dad, I see him as the ultimate father figure for a lot of these players.
May 21st, 2016 at 11:14 am
That IS interesting for Ronde to say that about Mike Smith.
Obviously its a good sign. Its a given that players will make some extra efforts for a coach that they genuinely like and respect.
May 21st, 2016 at 11:15 am
Nice guys get fired. Hope Smith does better than he did in ATL his last couple of years. His defenses got..trounced!
May 21st, 2016 at 11:17 am
Lots of guys are nice outside of the whistle. Being a nice person in general has nothing to do with how you are on the field. I was a hell of a nice guy off the field in college but took advantage of every opportunity I had to de-cleat defensive linemen that were wondering aimlessly down the field on long plays.
May 21st, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Ronde never played under Smith. No doubt he is a nice guy, but Ronde saying he is nicer than Dungy, is like thinking every body elses parents are nicer than your own.
May 21st, 2016 at 1:16 pm
As long as he doesnt try to stop grown men from cussing or getting amp’d up before a game.
May 21st, 2016 at 2:47 pm
lovie was ‘nice” , nice and easy to get rolled over!!!! And after the blowout loss lovie would nicely shake the other coach’s hand!!!!
May 21st, 2016 at 3:07 pm
You have to be a child, to believe that any old coach is going to intimidate any NFL player( other than Kickers and punters- who dont count)
If you think some coach is gonna walk in a locker room- and start screaming and hollering and these young, atheletic millionaires- then you are clueless as to the way the NFL works.
The NFL is quite the opposite. Coaches spend most of their time humoring the ego of the modern players- trying to get them to produce, Or “buy in”, to playing hard- in hopes of a championship.
It cracks me up, that some of you picture Coaches as some fear inducing figure- threatening their players into performing or else!!
Lol! Have you seen NFL players?
Lol
May 21st, 2016 at 3:36 pm
@capt tim
have to say Belichek and parcells didn’t take that approach.Tom Coughlin was kind of a hard ass also but also had ability to listen to his team leaders and toned it down and he gained the players respect for it.
May 21st, 2016 at 3:58 pm
This from PFT:
“Two days ago, someone placed a $9,000 bet at the William Hill Sports Book in the Tuscany Casino. The bettor took the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl, at 60-1 odds.
If the Bucs win it all, the payout will be $540,000.”
Alright, 87…you really are insane!
May 21st, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Mike Johnson Says
“Nice guys get fired.”
All guys get fired when they are coaches. Unless they retire.
May 21st, 2016 at 4:01 pm
@Capt. Tim
Jon Gruden came in demanding and hollering. He cussed players out his first year.
The result was a Superbowl.
That said…I prefer a coach who lands right in the middle. Nice when nice works. Mean when mean is needed.
May 21st, 2016 at 4:04 pm
@BucBonzai
Great find!!! That is crazy!!! But think of the pay out if lovie was still the head coach!! It would have been a $540,000,000 payout!!!!!
May 21st, 2016 at 4:22 pm
On a different topic… Joe’s mancrush QB, the one who Joe would’ve dropped the first pick on, isn’t doing too well…
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/johnny-manziel-appears-shockingly-thin-partying-las-vegas-article-1.2643925
May 21st, 2016 at 5:22 pm
That’s some high praise from Ronde for Smith, though it may have differed had he played under him.
May 21st, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Bonzai….lol nope. I said next season. Not 2016. but 2017.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be SB Champs in the 2017 season.
Insane, yep.
May 21st, 2016 at 8:17 pm
I’m okay wit nice long as he’s capable of going ballistic when necessary.
May 21st, 2016 at 8:28 pm
The deadliest people I have ever met were nice guys off the field of battle.
May 21st, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Pete Carroll is one of nicest coaches in the league and has one of the most successful teams in recent years. It’s not all about jumping around and cussing like a fool or being nice but it’s more about understanding your players, earning their respect and adjusting your coaching style based on your players.
May 21st, 2016 at 9:21 pm
GMC is nice….on the field.
May 21st, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Joe is trolling Bucs fans at this point.
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:07 am
Note to Rod Munch..I thought you had figured it out by now..This website is a troll. Just take a composite of the articles and the responses. Kinda sad. But like the saying goes, it is what it is!
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:09 am
Good to c that OneLove is still alive here.
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:09 am
The article Just hints of Lovie. Yet..Buc Realist..pees all over himself. Kinda sad dude. Get help.
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:12 am
Gruden cussed- but not at the players directly
If you can remember that far back- that was a problem the players had with Gruden. They said he was nice to their face, and backstabbed them later
Several players that left, all accuseed Gruden of being Two faced, and of out right lying
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:14 am
Parcelis cussed at players- but he was a the last of his kind
May 22nd, 2016 at 3:36 pm
Ditka.