Den Of Depression

December 5th, 2019

Solving the curse.

Joe has dubbed the stadium the Bucs call home “Den of Depression” because of the sorry home record the Bucs have had in the post-Chucky era.

And Joe catches a lot of hell about this because some folks, both fans and employees of the Bucs, think calling the stadium by this moniker means somehow Joe is waving a magic wand over the crib and cursing the grounds, never mind Joe has never and will never take a snap, block, tackle, throw or catch a pass there.

No other NFC team has a worse home record since the end of the 2008 season. And no other NFC team has a longer playoff drought than the Bucs. Coincidence?

Want to know one reason why this franchise has so often wet its pants since jettisoning Chucky? Look no further than its rotten home record.

This habit of barfing on the field at the Den of Depression has continued this year. Despite the Bucs still mathematically in a wild card hunt, the team has won but one home game and it is December.

This decade-long inability to defend the home turf was a topic for Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians yesterday.

Arians noted the Bucs play OK on the road and have to “learn to win at home. … Sometimes [for] teams it’s easier on the road than it is at home. It shouldn’t be.”

Joe isn’t sure how you repair that. Arians once quipped he was starting to think the Bucs needed a shrink because they practiced so well but that didn’t often translate to good play on Sundays.

Maybe another task for the shrink should be to find out what it is about playing in the Den of Depression, where the Bucs more often than not look like they are playing with a hangover.

34 Responses to “Den Of Depression”

  1. Hodad Says:

    Winners win at home, and on the road. We used being on the road as an excuse for losing early in the season, and now BA is saying sometimes it’s easier to win on the road? Depending on the opponent most TB home games are road games because we have more of the other teams fans then our own. Indy doesn’t travel well, and coming off two wins maybe we have a home crowd Sunday. Just keep winning, and they will come.

  2. Kord Says:

    People just need to show up, I’m flying down for the Texans game. Have not been to a game here in 16 years, saw Bucs play in Dallas old stadium, az, Seattle and sf and man ray jay is sweet. Think they are finally turning a corner, I hope the fellow fans do too and start supporting them again

  3. Danny Says:

    I’m coming down for the Indy game this weekend. Agreed people need to show up and actually create a home field advantage.

  4. D-Rome Says:

    Fans and Bucs employees need to understand it’s not your job to help the team out with positive articles and putting out a supportive message. That’s what Buccaneers.com is for. In an online group there was a poster that was ashamed and embarrassed by the question Ira asked Bruce Arians about Jameis’ future. One this season is over the question on Jameis’ future is going to be the biggest and most important question to ask. Why wait till Dec. 29th? It was a fair question and fans want to know. Arians’ answer was very telling on how he really feels about Jameis’ play.

  5. tmaxcon Says:

    D-Rome

    Jameis is not going anywhere despite the derangement syndrome most fans have. Jameis is Tampa’s Trump hated by half the world yet going nowhere guranteed

  6. UKBucs Says:

    Home record has been horrible for years! Hopefully we will start to turn the corner over the next few weeks. We’ll be there for the season finale vs Atlanta! #gobucs

  7. D-Rome Says:

    tmax, I agree that he’s *probably* not going anywhere but he’s the thing: If the Bucs already knew that then he’d be signed to a multi-year deal already. They simply don’t know yet.

  8. Joe Says:

    That’s what Buccaneers.com is for.

    Indeed!

  9. Loyaltotheend Section 312 Says:

    Don’t blame the fans they are a reflection of the team that kicks them in the nuts on average of 10-11 times a year

    Only stupid people would blame the fans for the awful home record!!!

    Don’t let the media like Ira and others complaining about the attendance get you down. The media doesn’t pay to park or get into games

  10. tmaxcon Says:

    Den of depression started the day sapp left… vince young of Tampa 55 and ronde started the losing trend at home passing the torch to cancer93 who took giving up the booty at rayjay to a whole new level….

  11. TampaTown Says:

    Kord:
    I too have been to multiple away games in other NFL stadiums. I am constantly telling everyone here they have no idea just how good they got it. The weather, the stadium, the parking, the tailgating, we are the best in the league in my opinion. If I had to point to one bad thing- the food and beverage options and variety inside RayJay su¢k.

  12. tmaxcon Says:

    TampaTown

    Clearly you need to get out more pal…. bucs facilities were nice when the 1 year wonder underachieving has beens moved in 2 decades ago. Rayjay is closer to a landfill these days than a top stadium. Everything about glazers is minor league…..

  13. Bama2k19 Says:

    The whole “den of depression”, “americas qb, probowler Jamis Winston” and calling Peter King a list of 200 adjectives is idiotic… We know you’ve been using the terms for years. You think it’s clever, but it’s not.

  14. AKickInTheBucNuts Says:

    Are the Bucs players staying up too late at night for home games at all the strip clubs?

    Just a thought.

  15. ColBucFan Says:

    Playing with a hangover…

    Maybe there is something to that? I wonder what the itinerary is at home vs away? Maybe they should put the team up in a hotel at home with curfews!

  16. tmaxcon Says:

    AKickInTheBucNuts

    Dont blame Tampa’s best known tourist attractions for the glazers incompetence…. strip joints are the heartbeat of the city… . Maybe bucs should have halftime lap dances

  17. Jay Molina Says:

    Perhaps the Bucs should keep the Bucs at a hotel like on road games the night before a road game. That seems to keep them focused. To quote AKickInTheBucNuts that would keep them away from Dale Mabry on Saturday night.

  18. John Sinclear Says:

    If the Bucs do not win the remaining home games, rename it the Arena of Anguish !

  19. DooshLaRue Says:

    tmax talking about derangement syndrome…… how fitting.

  20. tmaxcon Says:

    DooshLaRue

    Im the only realist here….. hardly deranged…. another failed season another failed regime another decade of rebuilding…. where was i wrong?????

  21. Danny Says:

    1. The Bucs do stay in a hotel the night before home games (or at least they did under Gruden and previous coaches).
    2. RayJay is a really nice facility, no clue what you guys are talking about in terms of the stadium. Plan ahead and eat in the parking lot and enjoy a beer. If you buy food inside you didn’t play ahead.
    3. The games are not expensive. You can find a parking pass for $10 on any ticket resell site and tickets on gameday are like $20 on Stubhub/TM.

    Felt like I need to poke some holes in the poorly constructed arguments above

  22. Tampabuscsbro Says:

    Pretty much the stadium is good by quite a few standards. It’s more so the football being played in it is poor. Don’t trash on the facilities themselves.

  23. TampaTown Says:

    Tmax:
    I see your up to your old trolling ways as usual. Notice you didn’t mention another stadium that’s better probably because you’ve never been outside of your Mother’s basement. Try MetLife stadium in NJ where the Giants and Jets okay. Though brand new in 2013 (I attended the first NFL game there) it is a total $hithole.

  24. unbelievable Says:

    Sorry guys, I’m the one who p!ssed in t max’s cornflakes this morning. That’s why he’s having such a meltdown.

  25. TampaTown Says:

    Unbelievable:
    We all thank you for that

  26. TampaTown Says:

    Unbelievable:
    Thank you for pi$$ing in tmax’s cornflake. I appreciate you.

  27. pick6 Says:

    it’s a vicious cycle. losing = apathetic fans = sorry home crowds = discouraged players = less resilience = more losing

    and on it goes. bucs need to break the cycle with their play. they are a roughly .333 winning percentage in those 11 or 12 years no matter where they play

  28. Dapostman Says:

    Bucs play better on the road because they know the local yocals will be selling their game tix to the opposing teams fans. Not a real home field.

  29. Bobby Says:

    It’s Raymond Shame Stadium.

  30. Bobby Says:

    My bro-in-law is a Redskins fan and wants to rename their turf to FedUp field.

  31. adam from ny Says:

    at least big nasty is always in the house !

  32. View from 132 Says:

    I had season tickets for all of Dungy and Gruden…. $25k worth. If the Bucs want me back…

    1. Quit blaring ads at me like I’m in a giant version of visiting a nearly deaf Uncle that just bought a new TV.
    2. Tell the fantasy jackoffs that rooting for some players on the other team is NOT how you watch live football.
    3. Tell everyone to put their phone down. It’s a few hours away from the world. At least it used to be.
    4. Get rid of the replay reviews and TV timeouts. The game has no flow to

  33. View from 132 Says:

    … it live anymore.
    5. Find another DBrooks. This kid White may be it. Too soon to say.
    6. Win.
    7. Find an enemy. It was fun back then because of Barry Sanders, Favre, Randy Moss and Kurt Warner. Top tier Hall of Fame competitors that we had a 50/50 chance of beating on a given visit to Tampa.

  34. RoadDog Says:

    Its simply a reflection of the years of disingenuousness from the Bucs Organization towards it s fans – from everything to the ackjass decisions to more than DOUBLE the prices of the games folks are more inclined to want to pay to see (“Did you REALLY need to make $80.00 Tickets $180.00 for the Giants game … Wouldn’t a modest $125.00 been enough?”) to those ‘Peter Pan’ @ss looking uniforms you’ve got them playing in. The Fans have been pooped on by this Organization and LEAGUE for well over a solid decade, and they/we have simply aren’t willing to contribute to it.

    JFTR … We went to the Giants game, and managed to relocate to better seats from the Nosebleeds to in front of the Pirate Ship once they realized how few folks not wearing Big Blue were actually going to pay $180.00 and lowered the price, and also went to JAX last weekend to see them carve up the Jags. The Bucs Org needs to take a look at what they’ve done TO and AROUND TIAA Bank Stadium to get some ideas for what this place has the potential to be. They’ve got multiple entertainment & engagement venues inside the Stadium, and now even have attached the Amphitheatre to their Budzone as an added venue for folks to watch the game. Not saying we need an Amphitheater … But both inside and around their Barn there is an atmosphere that encourages engagement … “And not just the ‘Come leave us your Money and go Home’ vibe that permeates RayJay these days!”

    The Patriarch wasn’t as brazen in his quest for dollars as his siblings … But this New Generation of Glazers needs to think more about their actual Fanbase, and invest BACK into the intrinsic Thangz that used to make coming to RayJay The Place TO WANT To Be In again!

    (“And Did I Mention Those ‘Peter Pan’ @ss Lookin’ Uniforms Need To Go?”)