Another Lovie Castoff Shines

September 11th, 2017

Another confusing Lovie move.

Man, oh man. And folks wonder why the Bucs are still digging out of the dungeon.

Yeah, it still drives Joe to drink when he thinks of how former Bucs coach lazy Lovie Smith wanted no part of competent if not star players, concluding these players couldn’t play for him.

It began with Darrelle Revis and continued with Donald Penn. Jeremy Zuttah was also traded away but one player who Lovie also couldn’t deal with has quietly had a nice career since leaving the Bucs.

It seemed linebacker Jonathan Casillas got off on the wrong foot with Lovie. In 2014, Casillas, a starting linebacker, didn’t make a preseason road trip to Buffalo for breaking unspecified team rules. Maybe that’s what triggered Jeff Tedford’s heart issues at that game?

Later that season, the Bucs traded Casillas to the Belicheats where he played in eight games, started three and won a Super Bowl ring.

The following season, Casillas went to the Giants where he has started 22 games the past two years and started last night against Cowboys. Giants players voted him team captain this season and last.

Last night Casillas played quite well. He had five tackles, one for a loss, and a quarterback hit. Not too shabby.

But no, Casillas, just like Revis and Penn and Zuttah before him, couldn’t play for Lovie. And some folks still wonder why Lovie is coaching in the middle of the Illinois cornfields now.

The more Joe thinks about it, the more Joe is convinced Lovie was virtually stealing money from Team Glazer.

Lovie, to Joe’s mind, did three things right in two years with the Bucs. He hired Jason Licht, he hired Dirk Koetter and he signed off on drafting America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston.

33 Responses to “Another Lovie Castoff Shines”

  1. Phil Says:

    We have to remember that we owe Lovie a lot. Without his horrible coaching and terrible personal decisions we would have not been a position to draft Jameis.

  2. Defense Rules Says:

    Casillas came here for the same reason so many others came here in years past: For the money! Don’t blame him a bit, but I’d rather have players who we draft & develop like Jameis, ME13, Ali, Donovan, OJ, GMC, Kwon, Will, etc. They’re growing up with this T-E-A-M & are totally committed to it. They’ll undoubtedly all get their payday, and they’ll deserve it because of their performance on the field. Coach Koetter may have been around a long time before getting here, but he’s kinda grown up with the T-E-A-M also, since this was his maiden HC gig.

  3. Rrsrq Says:

    Lovie also recognized that Kwan was a starting MLB even though they had signed Bruce Carter

  4. Nutterbuccer Says:

    What about mason foster, been holding it down in Washington, would of been perfect at SAM linebacker past few years.

  5. Buc4lyfe79 Says:

    AGREED on the 3 things lazy lovie “coach my scheme” “I don’t believe in making adjustments” “Tenneessee ready” Smith did during his time here in Tampa. And they’d be the absolute only things he ever did right…hey even a broken clock is right 2 times a day.

  6. Blake_bucsfan Says:

    I would hardly call 5 tackles, in a game where you got dominated, “shining.”

  7. D-Rome Says:

    Careful Joe, you might stub a toe kicking that dead horse.

  8. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    Speaking of cast offs, Russell Shepard had a TD in his first game with Carolina. Not worked up at all about that. The only player I wish we never let walk over the past few years is Michael Bennett. He’d be perfect for us right now. I guess Dominick never heard that you can’t have too many pass rushers. Oh well.

  9. Ed Says:

    Give me a break, Coach Smith, is no longer here. What about this G..M who has wasted several second round picks on junk players. This G.M. and backstabbing coach has been given the most money to work with in Buc’s history, and what have we won. Coach Morris, won more games with bottom line budget players then these two backstabber will ever win in one season.

  10. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    Ed, Backstabbers? What the hell are you talking about?

  11. Anthony Says:

    What’s the point, Joe? Who would you have Casillas replace in the bucs???

  12. JonBuc Says:

    Do we blame Licht at all or is it all Lovie Dovie? I heard a highlight of Russell Shepard catching a bomb from Newton just now. Licht didn’t feel the need to retain him. Licht is a good scout but the jury remains out on his GM prowess. Seems like the Glazers agree. Big, big year for Jason…or maybe LichtsOut.

  13. 1sparkybuc Says:

    I If Bennett had stayed, we wouldn’t have WWinston.

  14. stpetebucsfan Says:

    ED

    You should change your name to “glass half full Ed”. What and absolutley asinine post.

    You totally ignore all the great picks Licht has made and concentrate on the few failures. What the hell is wrong with you. Seriously you had to really stretch the point as to being paper thin to get in a dig. What makes you hate the Bucs so much. Are you a Falcon or Saints fan?

  15. stpetebucsfan Says:

    Wait a minute… I think I’ve figured it out…”Ed” is one of Lovies’ kids…you know the nepotism that wrecked this team.

  16. TheCollegeBuc Says:

    He also took some starters out in last game of 2014 to win the race for jameis!

  17. Rod Munch Says:

    Lovie was tasked with tanking to get the top pick – i mean he literally threw games so we’d lose. I don’t get how any real Bucs fans still don’t realize that. Lovie was a success.

  18. BigHogHaynes Says:

    Try putting all these negative, disrespectful lazy LOVIE hate speeches away and concentrate on why in 2017 this team will struggle to be mediocre again…and no it won’t be and can’t be blamed on lazy LOVIE! Joe you should try using some other term to describe LOVIE other than lazy, it carries a racial overtone towards Coach LOVIE that I don’t like, the only person stealing money this year is FITZ!

  19. Joe Says:

    Try putting all these negative, disrespectful lazy LOVIE hate speeches away and concentrate on why in 2017 this team will struggle to be mediocre again…and no it won’t be and can’t be blamed on lazy LOVIE! Joe you should try using some other term to describe LOVIE other than lazy, it carries a racial overtone towards Coach LOVIE that I don’t like,

    Lovie was a HORRIBLE coach. This is not even debatable for anyone with a shred of common sense.

    The only one putting racial overtones on Lovie’s incompetence is you. If, as you imply, Joe has some issue with a man’s ethnicity, then explain in great detail why no one in the local Tampa Bay media has defended Jameis more than Joe.

    Joe has also, in the past, defended Donovan Smith despite public outrage and Donald Penn when Bucs fans couldn’t wait to run him out of town. Joe also to this day screams about the Bucs letting Michael Bennett go for no good reason. Since your world revolves around skin color, you notice a common denominator here between Jameis, Donovan Smith, Penn and Bennett?

    If you had a piece of a brain, you’d be b!tching about Raheem getting fired. At least Raheem had a winning season. Instead you defend a total incompetent and fraud which makes you a total tool.

    So Joe should focus on 2017? Sure, totally agree. And a significant reason why the 2017 Bucs are in the spot they are in is because of the insane decisions lazy Lovie Smith made. And yeah, if you cannot coach up a Hall of Famer like Revis because he doesn’t fit your beloved system, then yeah, you are lazy. Or incompetent. Or both.

    Yeah, Joe calling out the guy with the second-worst home record of this sorry franchise is racist. Guessing Joe is also racist for pointing out Doug Martin is suspended?

    If you still have a problem with one of the worst coaches in the history of this sorry franchise being fired, then you either need to hide in a closet or find a shrink. This just in fool: Lovie isn’t coming back. Deal with it or find another site to troll.

  20. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    BigHog, you don’t want Fitzpatrick here, and I know it has nothing to do with him being White. I’m glad Lovie is gone, and it has nothing to do with him being Black. I’m sure the Glazers feel the same way. We’ve had the most Black QBs and Head Coaches in the league. If the Glazers were making decisions based on skin color that wouldn’t be the case. As for Culverhouse, he was a POS. You can take shots at him all you want. Also, I took the “lazy Lovie” comment as a shot to his unwillingness to change schemes, not one about racial bias.

  21. BigHogHaynes Says:

    I didn’t use the word lazy Joe did, and I’m going to guess he’s smart enough to know what the hell I was implying ..but he chooses to go off about all this other racial BS! All I’m saying is the term lazy is an insensitive term at the least! Joe knows that, I assume he has been in this business for a while now but hey your president is an insensitive Jack Ass too and a racist, I’ve never had a problem calling a spade a spade! No matter his color Fitz is not a good football player period!!

  22. Realbucfan941 Says:

    Yes big hog, he is smart enough to know what you’re implying. Problem is you aren’t, since you can’t comprehend why he’s calling Lovie lazy.

  23. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    BigHog, everything bad that happens to Lovie isn’t because he’s Black. The Joes don’t talk smack against Lovie because he’s Black. Stop with this nonsense. Yes, Fitz sucks. I’m White, He’s White. I Don’t give an F. I don’t want him to ever play a snap. Winston is Black, I’m White. Don’t care. I hope Winston is the last Buc QB I ever see play. Honesty, BigHog, I like you, but you gotta stop calling everything bad that happens to a Black man racist. It’s just crying wolf and takes away from when something IS racist.

  24. j Says:

    Actually Lovie IS coming back to Tampa!

    This Saturday vs USF. Can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve this time. I love watching Lovie look up in the sky as the game invariably gets away from him. Lovie was lazy. He made up his mind on a handful of skilled players before even getting on the field with them. Most are still playing at a high level years later. He is the worst sort of leader you can have, one who thinks he is smarter than he really is.

  25. RayJameisStadium Says:

    The only one putting racial overtones on Lovie’s incompetence is you. – Joe
    Spot on Joe.

    We know want you meant.

    In Jason, Koetter and Jameis we trust!!!

  26. Joe Says:

    Lovie was lazy. He made up his mind on a handful of skilled players before even getting on the field with them.

    Bingo.

    All you need to know if that two of the guys mentioned in this story Belicheat had no problem using for a Super Bowl-winning team, another starts for a playoff team and the fourth did start for a playoff team.

    But, nope. Couldn’t play for Lovie. Instead, let’s go get Ghost Johnson and Stewart McClown and Anthony McClown.

  27. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    Joe, as you like to say: BINGO! We all like to argue between Lovie and Licht, who had control of the roster. The Glazer kept Licht and fired Lovie. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who was to blame. Unless of course you think the Glazers fired a great coach because he’s Black and kept a horrible GM because he’s White. Who would think that? Cough, BigHog, cough. Sorry, that phlegm must be getting to me, cough.

  28. BigHogHaynes Says:

    Joe got cheer-leaders today, drop the lazy term, it is derogatory, that is all I want to say!! No implications,…Realbucfan941 my comprehension level my not be on par with a Yale graduate…but I damn well can run with a Trump Univ. grad, lazy LOVIE has a different conotation than LOVIE is lazy because and if you can’t comprehend that ….keep reading you’ll hat there!

  29. Joe Says:

    Joe got cheer-leaders today, drop the lazy term, it is derogatory,

    Lovie setting this franchise back years with his horrible player evaluations and rotten coaching was derogatory.

  30. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    BigHog, are you saying that Black people are lazy? That hasn’t been my experience. Sounds like you have a racial bias more than most White people I know. Get in the 21st century and not assume that things mean what you think they mean. The Joes aren’t racist, and you going on and on about it is really annoying. Come on, can’t we just talk about F’n football. Go on a CNN chat room if you want to start $hit.

  31. BigHogHaynes Says:

    I didn’t say he was racist, I asked him to drop a term that I deem offensive to Black people but I know enough that Joevwill refuse my request…..an to fill a request by BuccaneEric75..Dalvin Cook looked really good tonite!

  32. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    BigHog, yes he did.

  33. Chris Schiefen Says:

    What about Mark Barron. Wade Phillips is figuring out a way to use him. And I’m still peeved we let Swearinger go.