No Heart
November 4th, 2018
No obvious sense of urgency late.
Joe was watching the game today with a hardcore Bucs fan who admits his wife all but leaves him alone on Sundays knowing her husband is so locked in on the Bucs that he wouldn’t even know he has a family for three hours.
When the Bucs had the ball late in the game with a chance to cut the Stinking Panthers’ lead to a one-score game, this Bucs fan was just screaming at the TV. The Bucs were moving the ball but this Bucs fan could not understand why Ryan Fitzpatrick was dragging arse after every play, seemingly oblivious to the fact the clock was fast approaching the five-minute mark.
The Bucs fan was begging for Bucs Bit-O-Honey-snacking coach Dirk Koetter to go to a no-huddle offense. That didn’t happen and the Bucs fan’s blood pressure continued to skyrocket every time he saw Fitz take his sweet time getting back to the huddle.
Joe fully understands where the Bucs fan was coming from. Time was critical. The Bucs acted as if they had the two-score lead, not the Stinking Panthers. Where was someone, anyone to holler “Hurry up!”
So the Bucs are in it to win it, eh?
November 4th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
The issue with this team is so much more than one or two players, the coach, or the GM. Everyone wants to take the easy way out and blame an individual person, but the fact of the matter is this is a total organizational failure, and it starts at the top. We’ve hit the reset button 3 or 4 times since the Super Bowl, all with the same result. That tells you all you need to know. We have to have a President of Football Operations – one who knows football. They need to knock on Derrick Brook’s door with a blank check. I believe our owners want to win more than us, but they just aren’t football people. We can get rid of every player, coach, and GM, and we will still have the same result until we change something at the top.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
NO QB
NO FIRE
NO TALENT
NO DEFENSE
…..take your pick JOe?
November 4th, 2018 at 5:11 pm
Did you ask Koetter why the season is already over, Joe? Maybe you will post the percentage chance of teams with a 3-5 record have of making the playoffs. I don’t know about anyone else but 7-1 seems totally within reason with this team and schedule. Only 10-6 gets you in this year.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:13 pm
Joe,
You should sent a fruit basket to the offensive line and defense. Their sucksge led to the whooping: both by points and Fitz got his ass kicked. What game were you watching?
Don’t pay D Smith
Fitz is all heart.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:13 pm
Fita Won’t admit it. But he got hurt during the game. A stinger or something close to it. He kinda lost his momentum there as if something was bothering him on that drive you speak of. He was clearly slower. NO EXCUSES though.
Hire Father Tony Dungy as Head of Buc Football Operations next year.
They had better start righting this ship before it..SINKS..completely.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
You are being disingenuous if you blame this game on Fitz……We have absolutely no running game….even when the whole world expects us to pass….we can’t run for more than a couple of yards on first down……
Without Fitz, we would have lost 56-14…..
November 4th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
The Bucs flip flopped defensive schemes for years by firing coaches and therefore never developed their players… sao they gave up on drafted players and never developed undrafted ones that didn’t fit the new schemes.
That is my biggest concern if we clean house.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
No heart should be directed the players who don’t want to be there! Fitz had his teeth knocked in all day and still managed to get the Bucs back within a score. He’s not the future burst saying he or most of the guys on offense don’t have heart? That’s low class and uncalled for.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
looks like i’ll be doing something else every sunday and instead watching this vomit of team play
……….that’s really said since I was looking forward to this season LAST DECEMBER :{
November 4th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Uh oh Fitz is on the cover of this one
Insert QB controversy in 3…2….1…
November 4th, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Now since the season is unofficially over
…..Dirk might as well play Jameis to see what else he can do????????
November 4th, 2018 at 5:16 pm
This was a bad article
November 4th, 2018 at 5:16 pm
I am tired of everyone thinking this offense is good. Breaking news it’s not people. The first half of this game offense was as bad as the defense. We get garbage yards when teams let up and feel sorry for us. When it counts offense or defense doesn’t show up. Offense can’t run and we have a guard number 77 that wouldn’t be on another teams practice starting each week. What’s elite about this offense.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:17 pm
How about doing something about this idiotic head coach who assembled this offense? This frigging team is cursed and I am not a religious person!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 4th, 2018 at 5:18 pm
In the first half they toyed with us…dominated BOTH lines of scrimmage.
When we finally showed up it was waaaaay too late.
@Hawaiian Amen brother. Blow this motha up but I’m not talking about cleaning house other than Licht and Koetter…they should both be gone Monday. As for the rest…there’s enough time to get rid of them. Bring in Derrick first as you suggest.
He already knows the Bucs very, very well. As Jimmy Johnson loves to say it’s easy to say let somebody go but who do you have to replace them? Derrick would know who needs to be first to go and who he might use as fill ins till he gets HIS players, GM and coaches.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:18 pm
This is a super talented offense and it’s being wasted!!!!!!!!!!!
November 4th, 2018 at 5:19 pm
I’m not Fitz fanboy, don’t hate him by any means but I’m not in the Fitz is God camp either, but I didn’t really see him playing slow there. You had just over 5 mins, he’s getting killed on every play since the Panthers are blitzing and hitting him since they know the Bucs have to go down field, and I think he was worn out. I know personally I wasn’t thinking anything about them playing too slow, I was just thinking why is Dirk punting the ball inside of 5 mins down by two TDs.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:19 pm
From a previous post…
OH!!! One other very KEY ingredient
That entire team has to be on the same page with the desire to win and the PRIDE of ownership in their level of play
Sorry to say, there has only been one brief period where the Buc’s showed that key ingredient and it ain’t now!
November 4th, 2018 at 5:21 pm
The Tampa Bay Storm says all you need to know about Brooks involvement. No!!
November 4th, 2018 at 5:21 pm
Ditto Hawaiian Buc – The problem is the Glazers. They should do whatever it takes to bring Rich McKay back as President and give him sole authority to hire every key position in the organization from GM to trainers. Unless and until they remove themselves from operations we will continue to lose. Period.
The reason I say McKay is because I don’t even trust the boys to hire a janitor. At least McKay has ties to the area and team and has experienced nothing but success for 20 years, learning business from Arthur Blank.
The dream scenario would be them selling the team to Vinik, but sadly, that won’t ever happen.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:23 pm
Fitz loses game when defense gives up 42 points= Blame Defense
Jameis loses game where defense gives up 42 points= Blame Jameis.
Bucs fans are just as clueless as Dirk Koetter and Jason Licht.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
And if you don’t think this is an organization thing. Look at the Saints, Rams game now.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:26 pm
They really need to start a total rebuild as soon as this season ends. Whether or not the find a way to win one or two more games this season, the team is a train wreck. They need to try and trade anyone that has four or more seasons in the league. I love Mike Evans, but he is gifted and would fetch a nice draft pick. Winston and McCoy should also be traded if there is even a market for them. This team needs to go into complete rebuild mode and try to accumulate draft picks. No need having an elite reciever like Evans waste his prime years with a crap team that is going through yet another rebuild. Load up with draft picks, hire a president and GM that have the ability to guide this team to better days. It will probably take another five years or more, but what they have right now is garbage and it isn’t going to get better with what they have now.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Fitzpatrick looked like a white Jameis Winston today.
1. Can’t hit D. Jackson
2. Only throws to Humphries
3. Holds the ball too long.
Fitzpatrick dinked and dunked his way to 4 TDs.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:29 pm
Gosh I think I sound like that fan. Sometimes I wonder why I care so much? I’m not sure if it’s because I played the game myself or my grandfather had deep roots into the game…Why is it some of us fans care more then the guys playing the game? You can’t tell me these guys were prepared. And quite frankly who needs to prepare them? They should have it in their blood like me and the other Bucs faithful. Or is it the game is just a show and not a war anymore? Gone with the defensive days. Maybe we should all reconsider what we want to see football represent. Down with the sickness!
November 4th, 2018 at 5:29 pm
This is indeed a garbage article. Fitz got his ass kicked and left it all in the field.
Defense. No blame should go anywhere other than there.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:30 pm
Bucs Fan Since ‘76 – McKay was fired after Gruden got mad that McKay wouldn’t sign Andre Rison and went behind the scenes to the Glazers and said it’s McKay or me, and the Glazers, having just put a ton of resources into Gruden, choose Gruden. It’s really where everything fell apart. After that season when Gruden had full control he completely tore the team apart to rebuild it in his image, so out was Sapp and Lynch, and in was big contracts to Charlie Garner and every injured 35 former good offensive lineman he could find.
McKay isn’t coming back to Tampa, I figure he’ll probably end up being the next commissioner of the NFL in fact.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Hawaiian Buc Says:
November 4th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
—————————
Go back and look at the history of this franchises’s founding. The fans raised the funds to buy the franchise. They got royally screwed by the NFL owners back then. The “elite” scared up a South FL yahoo named Culverhouse and gave him the franchise.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Joe, I was doing the same exact thing. Ronde Barber eventually said something about the slow pace. It was nuts. Koetter needs to go.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:32 pm
Coaches think fans don’t know enough and comment from ignorance. I’m 57 years old and have watched a LOT of football. Season ticket holder in NJ for the first half of my life, Bucs fan in Tampa since 1992.
I keep the Red Zone channel on a second TV when the Bucs are on. With other teams, I consistently see the occasional free rusher putting pressure on the QB; this NEVER happens with the Bucs. I see interceptions caused by hurried throws. I can tell when an offense should be in hurry-up mode and they are not. I know that someone should have contain and that receivers should not be wide open.
This team is a dumpster fire, poorly coached and playing badly, too. It’s obvious, and I see it clearly.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:33 pm
I just got off a conference call with the Glazers, who officially named me All Knowing Guru of Football Operations.
So I went to work.
I’m OK with the HC and offense. I may consider a different OL coach for 2019.
I’d put Licht on notice he has some huge rocks to move.
I would completely gut the defense, coaches and most players.
I would not bring Winston, McCoy, David, Gholston or Grimes back for $$$ reasons. Too expensive for too little return. I would not resign Alexander for big $$$, nothing more than a make-good dealio (if he takes it) unless the new DC says otherwise and makes a solid case.
Cutting those guys frees up a metric ton of CapCoin to rebuild the D from the shortest blade of grass up.
I woulod bring D Jackson back, and start taking a long look at Griffin to see what he brings to the QB position. This offense does NOT heed a superstar, just a smart guy who takes care of the ball.
I’d be a major player on FA for D players, and my draft would be ALL D with one RG.
If this defense was just *average* for the NFL, the Bucs are 6-1.
If I fire the HC and staff, I have no guarantee the O can achieve to the current, record-setting O can maintain their level of high play.
It is absurd to expect ANY NFL offense to score 40 points every week to win, or judge ant QB who doesn’t meet that number every week.
The Bucs problem is not Winston. The Bucs problem is defense.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:33 pm
Rams & Saints two teams with their acts together. The difference between these teams and ours (besides some talent) is passion for the game! When you draft too any check cashers and not enough players who live to play the game what you get is the Buccaneers of the last 10 years! These guys making it to the NFL is like winning the lottery and quitting youtpr job.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:34 pm
Joe,
Swaggy Winston is done. Accept it. Trashing Fitz is not the answer. You’re better than that.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:35 pm
Rod Munch Says:
November 4th, 2018 at 5:30 pm
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F######k Chucky Gruden. His brother Jay is making winners out of the Washington Whatevers. Jay has always been a better person and coach than his blowhard older bro.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:35 pm
(I hate posting on a smartphone, manly fingers on tiny keyboard make for typos…)
November 4th, 2018 at 5:37 pm
The way the Bucs D lets teams have their way with them, a no-huddle or hurry-up just gives the opponent another opportunity to score.
I kinda understand the pace.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:37 pm
Burn…it…down
November 4th, 2018 at 5:38 pm
Agreed Cobraboy. Except for the last statement of Winston not being the problem. He would have thrown picks left and right today. But yes, Keep Dirk and the offense intact. Blow the defense up.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:38 pm
orlbucfan – I know the history of the franchise and that’s literally not the history at all, not even close.
I rarely quote Wikipedia but in this case it’s fairly accurate.
In 1972, Culverhouse had a handshake deal to buy the Los Angeles Rams from owner Dan Reeves for $17 million, only to learn that Reeves later sold the team to Robert Irsay for $19 million. When Irsay then traded teams with Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom, Culverhouse sued, claiming that the others had conspired to prevent his purchase of the team. An out-of-court settlement guaranteed Rosenbloom’s aid in getting an expansion franchise for Culverhouse.[9] The opportunity came two years later, when the league expanded to Seattle and Tampa. Culverhouse was offered the Seattle expansion franchise, but declined it due to his residence in Jacksonville.[10] Philadelphia construction company owner Thomas McCloskey was originally awarded the Tampa franchise, but soon found the business arrangement to be different than what he had expected, and backed out of the deal.[11] Culverhouse was then awarded the franchise by the Art Rooney-chaired NFL Expansion Committee, ahead of Fort Lauderdale furniture chain (and future Boston Celtics) owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.[12]
November 4th, 2018 at 5:39 pm
It looks like everyone is getting fired… not just Licht.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Rod Munch – I know, but the boys should try. They are not capable of hiring the right people.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:39 pm
All of Tampa is sniffing Fitzpatrick’s beard and getting high. It seems fitz can do no wrong. He throws a pic and it’s all good. Gets his passes batted at the line and it’s all good. We loose the game and it’s not his fault. Because we have no D or run game.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:40 pm
Hawaiian Buc, although I agree with most of your analysis, I take exception to one thing. The Glazers, at least Bryan and Joel have a very good understanding of the game. It’s grown over time, no doubt and we spent a good deal of time talking with Bryan awhile back at a game. He’s a very intelligent gentleman and he studies his team deeply. He understands players abilities and even assignments much more than anyone would think or that they let on to. They 100% have the pulse of the team as well as the vast majority of fans. We know how bad it is right now organizationally and believe me that they do too. I hope they make a move but I fear they may not because the coaching/GM carousel they have been on hasn’t produced either. I feel bad for them and they’ve been totally taken advantage of by both players and managers. It looks to me as so many are there now solely for a paycheck.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:41 pm
orlbucfan – And I agree with you on Jon Gruden, he destroyed the team because his ego wouldn’t let him have guys around that got the spotlight. So out was Sapp, Lynch and Keyshawn (although in fairness getting Joey Galloway was actually the better end of the deal) all so we could build that west coast dink and dunk offense that would lead the Bucs to a SB, as opposed to people saying he only won it with Dungy’s team (which he did).
November 4th, 2018 at 5:47 pm
@ The Real Malloy: even if Winston threw a bunch of pics, which he most likely would have, giving up 42 points…and it could have been MUCH worse…would still lose games.
He ain’t worth the $21 million for 2019 when HE is not the difference maker. That cheese needs to be spent on D. And cutting the high-priced dead wood on D is necessary.
I have never loved and hated the same team as much in my life.
This offense is jouyous to watch, even when desperate. Yeah, I’d like to have a better running game, but the passing game makes up for it in spades.
And I wanna see what Griffin has. He’s been an understudy for years and the coaches speak highly of him. He was impressive as the #2 in pre-season (yeah, yeah, I know: preseason.) But he’s HERE, and he knows the system and players.
Griffin reminds me of the guy who goes up to a cigar store indian and says “How.” The indian replies “chance.” The guy asks “Why do you say ‘chance’ when I say ‘how?’ I thought indians say ‘how.'” The indian replies: “I know how. I want chance.” Griffin needs a legitimate chance.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
First interception, not sure if Evans ran the wrong route or Fitz thought he called something different. Whatever the play, Evans pulled up when Fitz thought he was going to keep going. The second interception was late, underthrown and trying to do too much when the odds were stacked against them, especially not going to a hurry up offense being down by 14. Fitz played a good game and was under pressure 90% of the time. The Panthers were all over him today, threw a lot of different blitz packages together and few if any were blocked well. Fitz hung tough today and put up 28 against a very good defense with almost no run game. The Bucs faced numerous downs that were in excess of 10 yards LTG. Fitz did his job today better than everyone not named OJ or Adam. Truth
November 4th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
Cobra
I like Koetter but he’s got to go. His teams are just too undisciplined and it’s not just JW…what a struggling rookie on a losing team did today was inexcusable.
How was discipline last year with Swaggy and the others. How many brain dead penalties do we get every year?
Licht should go as well…looks like he whiffed on the #1 pick in the entire 2015 draft and the ENTIRE 2018 draft looks like it may bust as well…but hey…Carlton Davis may get smoked in coverage but if he does have a good play he’ll run his mouth like he’s a star or has ANY credibility in this league.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:52 pm
@Hawaiian Bucs: I love Mr. Derrick Brooks, but there is nothing in his football resume that shows he knows how to build a team. He did a poor job with the Storm (RIP), not that the Storm compares with the NFL.
He should be hired on a management track, however. As a man he can be a leader right away to some of these knuckleheads, as he learns how to run a large organization.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:53 pm
St Pete BF, I agree with everything you said. 100% spot on.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:56 pm
@SPBF: well, I am tired of cleaning house. If the O also sucked, I’d be all for it.
And I think “discipline” vis-a-vis football is Old School history. The kids today are not disciplined in their personal or football lives, and if you crack down you are accused of all manner of PC crap, not to mention the NFLPA filing a stack of butthurt complaints.
The Bucs are not the only team in today’s NFL unable to force “discipline” on their players.
November 4th, 2018 at 5:58 pm
I can’t watch this $hit show anymore. So depressing.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:08 pm
Joe knows quarterbacks :” fitz has no heart. “
Quote of this year.
Jameis throws 10 ints in 3 games against 3 of the worst defenses in the nfl (bottom 3 of 5 with bucs in the mix of course ) Atlanta /bengals/browns
Fitz throws for 4 tds. Gets his ass kicked. Sets a Bucs records for throwing 4 tds in 3 games this year.
Did fitz have a good game is up for debate. Do I think fitz is future – nope. He is sure fun to watch. Say what you want about him, but to say/imply he has no heart …makes you look like a baby who is not getting fed. Your poor Jameis on the bench. Classless is the best word to describe you obsessive joe. You don’t root for the Bucs. You make excuses for one player. Shame shame shame
November 4th, 2018 at 6:09 pm
Good point Hawaiian Buc. The 49ers recognized the same thing and brought in John Lynch. I think that will pay dividends in the long run.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:14 pm
Bird nailed it.
Shame on you Joe. Like if it was Jamies, he would have sprinted there.
Our qb position sucks and we as a team suck. It is what it is but to point the finger on FitZ is just sad.
I am no Fitz fan We have no qb again.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Carolina has a good team, even a chance for a Bucs win wasn’t in the cards dealt today.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:25 pm
I would have been just as mad as that fan but I just couldn’t stomach anymore of this team. I gave up after 45 minutes which is becoming commonplace under this fool of a HC.
I find it much more enjoyable to do yard work while Gene Deckerhoff botches his calls in the background.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:27 pm
But this isn’t the first time Dirk’s team was not prepared to run a quick offense………We have run out of time quite often.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:28 pm
Well, the Joes do have a lot of emotions invested in Jameis Winston, so I understand why the fanboi love.
But to say Fitzpatrick doesn’t have heart is a pathetically inaccurate statement.
November 4th, 2018 at 6:29 pm
Koetter and probably Licht gotta go. They haven’t developed a single player they’ve drafted. Koetter’s offense is too predictable and overly focused on splash plays with no balance. The problem is the owners, so more than likely us true bucs fans will continue to endure the punishment of this lost organization
November 4th, 2018 at 7:12 pm
No Heart? Are you sure this wasn’t supposed to be the title of the running game failure article you never post? We will be looking for it. Remember when you tried to sell the fan base on Doug Martin being the problem?
November 4th, 2018 at 7:15 pm
@BigMac,
Maybe they do have an understanding of the game. However, they don’t have an understanding on what it takes to build a winning team. That is painfully obvious. Look at all the disfunction from this organization over the last 15 years. We got rid of Gruden, well after the season where all the possible coaches were gone. They brought in a guy who partied with the players, and talked about players taking off their underwear and putting their faces on people. Then they hire a militant college coach, and contract MRSA. Then they bring in Lovie, who hired his family, even though they couldn’t coach pop warner. Now they have Dirk, who looks to be lost. Not to mention the Josh Freeman situation, the Jameis Winston suspension, the countless great players we’ve gotten rid of for no good reason, and the record setting horrendous defenses we field year after year.
They need someone who has coached or played in this league at a high level, and who knows who can play/coach and who can’t. He wouldn’t be the GM, but he would oversee the entire organization. It’s the only way to turn this thing around, because what we’ve been doing isn’t working. We aren’t going to hire the right coach, and even if we do, he will be to Tampa what Bill Bellicheck was to Cleveland. The teams that win consistently all have good leadership, and I mean above the coaches. Until we change that, we will continue to be Cleveland South.
November 4th, 2018 at 7:15 pm
Cobra
Beg to differ on the discipline…not on the difference between today’s young players and yesterdays, I agree…but I’m not talking about making them run gassers or screaming at them for punishment.
I’m simply talking about taking them out of the game. Pretty much that’s what is going on with JW. If he hadn’t been out carousing and gotten the suspension this would be a different season….he’s gone after officials…started fights with players that got his star player suspended…all manner of self indulgent behavior and he’s NEVER paid for it till this year. At least JW was a #1 pick and has had folks looking the other way and making excuses for his boorish behavior since high school.
Carlton Davis hasn’t EARNED the right to run his mouth especially after ONE play when the guy who he was taunting used and abused him. He would have been out of the game for the remainder if I was coach. He was lucky that was a dead ball foul after the play…at the wrong time he could have negated a change of possession…as it was he cost us valuable field position when could least afford it.
The major leverage today’s coaches have is not yelling or screaming…it’s who gets the PT. If I was coach and guys did truly brain dead stuff they would pay the price in PT. If it hurt us short term we’d get it back long term.
November 4th, 2018 at 7:25 pm
This Is probably one of the dumbest takes I’ve ever read by Joe. Fitz had his bell rung in this game. He has plenty of heart and no quit in him.
November 4th, 2018 at 7:47 pm
“@Hawaiian Bucs: I love Mr. Derrick Brooks, but there is nothing in his football resume that shows he knows how to build a team. He did a poor job with the Storm (RIP), not that the Storm compares with the NFL.”
————–
I’m not saying he should build the team. I’ve said specifically he shouldn’t be the GM. Think of him as the Tom Coughlin, John Elway of Tampa (even though Elway is essentially the GM, his strength hasn’t been on the GM side).
November 4th, 2018 at 7:54 pm
Joe, I’m aghast at your implication that Fitz has ‘no heart’ (because he wasn’t going no-huddle?). I’ll tell ya who has no heart … the OLine & the DLine. BOTH of them really sucked big-time today. The OLine didn’t block for beans (and got Fitz killed on several occasions), while the DLine not only didn’t pressure Cam Newton, but they had no clue how to stop the Panthers’ rushing game. IMO, if your beasts in the trenches stink, your team’s gonna stink. If you want to accuse anyone of playing with no heart, look in the trenches. Benenoch has an excuse (he’s just bad) and so does Vea (he missed all of training camp). But the rest of them on the OLine & DLine? Sorry but they don’t have any excuse for playing as poorly as they have been. They’re all veterans who just keep embarrassing themselves game after game.
November 4th, 2018 at 8:13 pm
Cobraboy, you surprised me in this thread. Sounds like when you’re talking about gutting the defense, you’re talking about REALLY GUTTING THE DEFENSE. I don’t blame you one bit (I don’t see that much to build around either), but it’s impractical to think Bucs could rebuild the defense in 1 or even 2 years, even if we focused our drafts on defense (if we were lucky, we might get 5 starters in 2 drafts … and they’d be green just like our current Secondary).
After what I saw today, my gut tells me the Bucs won’t be relevant for 3-5 years (probably closer to the 5 actually). Saints, Panthers & Falcons have some pretty decent talent, while we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel in most position groups. The Bucs defense obviously sucks, but our OLine needs work & our RB stable is close to bare. Our QB situation is in shambles right now. We’ve got several good, high-priced receivers & that’s about it. I wouldn’t keep Koetter but I would keep Monken (if he wanted to stay) … the rest of the offensive staff isn’t getting the job done. The defensive staff needs to be fired en masse … this year’s defense is light years WORSE than last year’s defense, and that was nothing to brag about. Once Licht’s finished with all the firings, they need to fire him too, as well as his scouting staff. This group is just getting worse and worse.
November 4th, 2018 at 8:35 pm
Soft practices – Soft team ! Pretty simple ladies and germs.
November 4th, 2018 at 8:54 pm
Joe,
So in the article about Fitzpatrick being the starter next week, you feature a picture of second-string winston.
In the article “No Heart” you feature a picture of Fitzmagic.
You should work harder to show your bias. Someone might have missed it.
Do you regularly look into the mirror and whisper “Mrs. Jameis Winston” over and over again?
November 4th, 2018 at 9:33 pm
@spbf: I agree about Davis. That almost killed the Bucs and he needs to just cool it. Dumb, dumb play.
The kind of discipline I’m talking about is football stuff: stay in your lanes, be where you are supposed to be, don’t overrun or overreact, etc…in ADDITION to personal behavior.
I sense a lot of frustration on the defense. They have to be tired of going in on Wednesday for a game plan install, practice it for three days, do a walkthrough for a day…then get the ball shoved down their throats on Sunday…for the 8th consecutive game.
This s#!t gets old. I just thank the Football Gods for giving us an entertaining offense. But I don’t know which is worse: a world-class defense with a pathetic offense like the late 90’s, or an Air Coryell-esque team with a stellar offense and crap D. At least in the 90’s the game was close and you always felt the Bucs had a chance.
Fact is I never pencilled in the Kitties for a win in the first place, and predicted a 42-27 score. I thought they’d miss a PAT.
@ Defense Rules: Yes, I mean really gut the entire defense. There are a couple of keepers, and one to sign on a prove-it deal (Alexander.) Get rid of the Big Buck players who are officially dead wood and retool like Licht did for the offense.
It’s such a shame to see this incredible passing game go to waste. And I, for one, don’t blame Fitzpatrick at all for the loss. He’s balling. Contrary to the Jor’s opinion, the entire team needs to show his level of heart.
November 4th, 2018 at 10:07 pm
Hawaiian Buc, all good points. I feel it’s unfair to call us Cleveland South because the Browns have very good D line. They’ve had better drafts, trades and acquisitions than thee Bucs in recent years. I think their problem absolutely was the coach. We are worse than the Browns. How did the Bucs actually beat them? Crazy. I know what a positive guy you are. I used to be. It really sucks the position they’ve put us all in. There really isn’t anything positive we can say other than Howard and Hump were money today. What a mess.
November 4th, 2018 at 10:30 pm
Anybody else notice Mike Evans loafing his way through this game, guess he has checked out too.
November 4th, 2018 at 11:22 pm
Fitz, Hump, Howard, Godwin all showed heart. The rest of the team surrendered in the first half
November 5th, 2018 at 12:50 am
That was after the helmet to helmet on Fitz during his run? No wonder.
November 5th, 2018 at 1:46 am
Painful to see SOO many ignorant fans refusing to see how Koetter has LOST this team..you can’t play qb carousel, NO OTHER FRANCHISE WOULD, while your run game is hot garbage and your defense Swiss cheese..blame Jameis. He’ll haunt you, like, the Babe did Boston…and fitz has heart…just LITTLE talent. He’s not HALF the qb Jameis is…reps don’t matter now? Go back to being TOTALLY irrelevant, Bucs..You think fitz benches wentz after the sb if he’s in philly?? Nah because he loses to Atlanta…This is why MY EAGLES ARE A REAL TEAM and dirk Fitz&co. are front running losers
November 5th, 2018 at 1:48 am
And Fitz would’ve lost to the BROWNS…GET ready for a Dumpster Fire!!!! Lol!!! You asked for it…now sleep tight