It Wasn’t Just Steve Smith
January 25th, 2021
Her too.
Yeah, Joe has been rough on Steve Smith, the mouthy former Stinking Panthers wide receiver.
Joe’s been tough on Smith because Smith didn’t just pick the Bucs to be a one-and-done team in the playoffs, in December he demonstrably argued the Bucs would get “ran” from the playoffs and get seal-clubbed for even poking their nose into postseason play.
Whoops!
Well, Joe cannot be a hypocrite here. Someone else didn’t think much of the Bucs’ chances, though she was pretty cool about it and was using her Belicheats sources for a good chunk of her intel (so she said on a podcast shortly after taping her revealing segment this summer).
Dianna Russini of ESPN, who Joe doesn’t have one thing against, went on national TV to say with a degree of conviction that no way the Bucs would make the playoffs this season because park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking Bucs quarterback Tom Brady needed time to gel with his teammates.
Russini later said on the “My Sports Update” podcast that she concluded this based on conversations and texts she had with members of the Belicheats.
That stands to reason, as one of Brady’s former teammates made a complete stooge out of himself for what he said about Brady and the Bucs.
(Joe will have that tomorrow. It’s an all-timer.)
Anyway, enjoy Russini’s not so accurate forecast below.
If Joe is going to rag on Smith, Joe has to be fair and call others out as well.
Sincerely no offense, Dianna.
January 25th, 2021 at 12:04 am
Joe will have that tomorrow. It’s an all-timer.
…………….
I feel like Bart Scott right now! “Can’t Wait!”
January 25th, 2021 at 12:10 am
I would love to shut some of these talking heads up
January 25th, 2021 at 12:12 am
Someone from the Belicheats said Brady wasn’t gonna make it huh?? Surprise surprise, someone was butt hurt he left. Gotta say what you need to to stay relevant, and that’s all she was doing. I hope everyone keeps saying the Bucs have no chance so the Bucs can keep hanging bulletin board material and give that extra motivation. You don’t think Brady hasn’t stored all the stuff Belicheat has said before and after letting Brady go….. Brady is going to prove he don’t need ole Billy.
January 25th, 2021 at 12:12 am
I wonder how those feathers feel squarely stuck in her teeth?!
January 25th, 2021 at 12:18 am
Boogers face said it all 😂
January 25th, 2021 at 12:20 am
Haters gonna hate!
#Nfcchamps
January 25th, 2021 at 12:21 am
to be fair, she said this in preseason, steve smith said his nonsense after the bucs showed what they can do. but both were dumb takes
January 25th, 2021 at 12:22 am
Eat crow, loser. Next.
January 25th, 2021 at 12:38 am
SB:
“Tomorrow” as in Tuesday. It’s Monday morning.
January 25th, 2021 at 12:41 am
😂😂🏈
January 25th, 2021 at 1:10 am
You Do know I live in Montana right Joe.
January 25th, 2021 at 1:14 am
Do now!
January 25th, 2021 at 1:17 am
I’d much rather watch Dianna Russini go negative on Brady and the Bucs than Pekingese-Dog-looking Steve Smith.
January 25th, 2021 at 1:21 am
Tampa Bay. Its 101 points off turnovers in the regular season were the third-most in the league, behind only Baltimore (106) and Pittsburgh (105). But that’s still only 21% of the total points the Bucs scored this year. So 45% is a monster number. If it keeps up, you have to like their chances. If it doesn’t, they’ll have to stop the Chiefs with a defense that ranked a solid-but-unspectacular ninth in defensive efficiency in the regular season.
Eye opener here for some.
January 25th, 2021 at 1:24 am
🏈🍔
January 25th, 2021 at 1:26 am
LOL! Steve Smith has more feathers in his teeth don’t even Russini
January 25th, 2021 at 1:29 am
(Than)
January 25th, 2021 at 1:53 am
I guess it’s better than the ones who pick us to lose all the time but ride the fence and talk us up like we are so great until we are picked by them to lose again just to pretend like they didn’t when we win
January 25th, 2021 at 2:32 am
Don’t forget Cynthia Freelund… the biggest “yea, but” doubter of the Bucs all week
January 25th, 2021 at 2:40 am
Booger!!!!!! Love your reaction man!
January 25th, 2021 at 2:40 am
She now realizes that her Intel came from people that did not want to look bad for letting the GOAT out the Door. They know that they better tow the line in NE with BB. She really seems like another stat nerd, making a paycheck. GO BUCS!!!!
January 25th, 2021 at 4:07 am
Either this gal has aged like a sitting President or those pics are 10 years apart. 🙂
Good on you Joe for keeping it fair/real knowing you absolutely love the ladies in media especially.
January 25th, 2021 at 4:48 am
Cynthia Freuland is just a white-wine drinking algorithm with a skirt. Pay that robot no mind.
I’m starting to sense a pattern from last few articles maybe. One Joe is very comfortable with The Goat title, and the other likes his Peter King / Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains…..titles.
January 25th, 2021 at 5:12 am
No matter! The Bucs were indeed embarrassed by an XFL QB on his second start in the NFL during their first playoff game against WAS, barely pulling that one out. Thank goodness they did, and then they started playing UP to other teams, not DOWN which had been the case. A prominent Bucs player is even on record in December as saying the Bucs weren’t a playoff team in the way they were playing. And they weren’t. Take all the naysayer talk as a wake up call…as so many have been right in the past. Enjoy the position the Bucs are in, and the let the doubters come around on their own. Let the 12 year olds make hay over it. The Bucs are going to the Super Bowl, so let them jump on for the ride…or not!
January 25th, 2021 at 5:23 am
Booger had the look on his face like…..this broad knows spit about football.
January 25th, 2021 at 5:30 am
She has man-hands!
January 25th, 2021 at 6:22 am
Shoot! We have so-called “fans” on this site who just wanted to see the team fail to prove their point.
These two aren’t fans and they get paid for their OPINION.
Bucs vs Chiefs! Super Bowl baby!!!!
January 25th, 2021 at 6:34 am
The heck with her. Stop being nice to her because she has a nice face @Joes. Screw them all for hating on the Bucs. The can eat a bag while we eat Ws.
January 25th, 2021 at 7:43 am
You guys noticed S. Smith was not on air last night ? I wonder if there is something in the air???? Either way Go Bucs!!!!
January 25th, 2021 at 7:56 am
Would love to see/hear what Booger was thinking
January 25th, 2021 at 8:03 am
I have seen that with every W this postseason, the media or talking heads, speak more on the team we eliminated rather than give credit to the Bucs. That’s okay! Keep fueling the fire. Today we celebrate but tomorrow it’s back to work. We have to bring a complete game to beat the Chiefs. LFG!
January 25th, 2021 at 8:13 am
At least her analysis is reasoned. Steve smith is just a loudmouth and he literally says things that are not factual on nfl network. It isn’t just the Bucs but he does hate them and it’s so biased. Him and Michael Thomas need to learn to STFU!!!
January 25th, 2021 at 8:28 am
@Fojo. Exactly. Brees had a bad game. Packers coaching lost the game. They just don’t want to give the Bucs credit. Next up is there is no way Bucs can beat KC. Eff em all…
January 25th, 2021 at 9:21 am
She went on a limb and looked like a fool
Stupid assumption
Should be fired no basis no facts
What an idiot
Boogers face was great though
January 25th, 2021 at 9:22 am
Even some know nothing , Hall of Fame voting , Alcohol guzzling , chicken wing destroying pundit named Ira Kaufman also picked Green Bay. So if you could please rag on him as well that would be great(tongue firmly in cheek).
January 25th, 2021 at 9:28 am
join the table with ndog,realist,lamarcus and eat crow!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 25th, 2021 at 9:55 am
I mean. her premise was right.
Our offense DID come out flat. She just guessed wrong on how soon we would put it together.
(im still not seeing the consistency i would like to in the playoffs. )
January 25th, 2021 at 10:32 am
danr…..typical Bucs fan.
They just knocked off 3 division winners on the road…and what do they say?
(im still not seeing the consistency i would like to in the playoffs. )
Welp…you poor thing I wish it was better for you.
January 25th, 2021 at 10:55 am
It must be hard for former players with actual knowledge of the game to listen to any sports reporter who has never played give these ‘hot takes’ that turn out to be absolute garbage. Booger’s face was priceless though.
January 25th, 2021 at 10:57 am
@Buc1987 — Nice!
There are “Bucs fans” who would bitch if the Bucs never punted in a game they won but had to kick a couple field goals. Balanced perspective is rare.
January 25th, 2021 at 11:17 am
Poor thing works for worthless ESPN, what do you expect?
January 25th, 2021 at 11:50 am
The head shake from Booger was beyond priceless!
January 25th, 2021 at 2:17 pm
NFL journalism is so, so poor.
There are exceptions – the Around the NFL crew are pretty good – but most of it is tired trope, followed by tired trope. They were genuinely sad when the weather was ok at the weekend. Because they’d been tellin a tale all week that the forecast didn’t justify.
It is NOT compulsory to mention that the Bucs are the first team to play a super bowl in their own stadium as the intro to your article. Nor do you have to mention Brady’s age.
You could say that a White is a monster, Succop has solved a long-standing problem or that Godwin, David and Jones are massively underrated. Maybe show some respect to the best team in the NFC.
January 25th, 2021 at 4:57 pm
Let the disrespect continue. It’s all bulletin board material.
January 25th, 2021 at 7:39 pm
I was wondering when this was coming. She’s cute, not obnoxious like Smith and Wright, but she was ever so wrong.