“You Learn A Lot About A Team When Things Aren’t Going Exactly The Way You Planned”
October 4th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht speaks.
The architect of the Tampa Bay roster, Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht, must have extra on his mind these days.
His team stinks. His head coach has had questionable usage of effective players, and his injured big-money quarterback has played like a rookie through three games. And today his most controversial offseason decision, rolling with an undrafted rookie backup QB, will be put to the test against the Packers.
Before last week’s kickoff against Minnesota, Licht was confident and philosophical on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
“You learn a lot about a team when things aren’t going exactly the way you planned,” Licht said. “We’re 0-2 and nobody in this building’s happy about it. But I do like the character and the leadership we have in the locker room. Nobody’s pointing fingers. Nobody’s panicking. We know we have to play better and finish games. I’m confident in this group. Now it’s about going out and proving it.”
Would Licht say the same thing again today at 0-3?
Joe thinks a little panic could be healthy for this team. Something needs to alter the collective mindset of this team.
October 4th, 2026 at 9:35 am
Why would a GM with a losing record and horrible draft choices be put in a ROH?
Brady’s SB doesn’t qualify him.
October 4th, 2026 at 9:39 am
You learn you don’t waste your time watching them anymore! But that all changes when the game comes on! Hahahahaha. Damn, so excited to see what happens today!!!!
October 4th, 2026 at 9:40 am
It’s great to be cool headed but we need a sense of urgency. It’s been a theme with these Todd Bowles team. Attitude reflects leadership.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:00 am
Dim Licht is as overrated as his oline. Change starts at the top.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:00 am
Boy would I love to know whether it was Jason or the ownership that forced the signing of Baker and Vea before it had to be done. What a foolish, silly and downright amateurish decision that turned out to be.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:02 am
He knows what the Todd’s hot seat feels like and he’s scared. If you bow 150 million of the bosses money you don’t stay employed for very long.
Can we get a quote from the Glazers? Still Love Todd???
October 4th, 2026 at 10:02 am
“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”. J. Wellington Wimpy (2026)
October 4th, 2026 at 10:02 am
The team doesn’t stink.
The QB has sucked.
Stop covering for Baker
October 4th, 2026 at 10:03 am
@Joe
Not trying to be “that guy” but it’s poor quarterback play through 12 games, not 3.
It’s important to remember why some of us wanted a prove it year for Manz….I mean Mayfield.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:05 am
Wouldn’t it be such a great story if JD plays lights out? 20-29 378 yards 3TD’s and 68 yards rushing and 1 rushing TD
October 4th, 2026 at 10:07 am
1) extending Mayfield 2) extending Vea 3) UDFA backup QB 4) selecting Jameis #1 – changing the collective mindset of the team starts with changing the GM – not at the end of the season – now
October 4th, 2026 at 10:08 am
@Marineinclermont it has been reported that the Glazers did push the issue and tell Licht to get Bakers contract done. Nothing has been reported about them being involved with the Vita contract.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:08 am
Recall Licht being interviewed before Game 1 and he was asked what he’s looking for from this season. “Wins!” was his response lol. Do think he stepped in front of todd last year and took a bullet by subtly alluding to the lack of talent on the team (though don’t think he actually believed that to be true). Have to think at this stage though, that after the past 5 seasons of the team’s mediocre underperformance with decent enough players, he’s at the point of telling the Glazers the truth. It’s beyond sad if they’re still deluded enough to think todd is anything other than what his record clearly shows at this stage.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:11 am
He likes the leadership in the locker room. What leadership you boob? This clueless bumpkin needs to be shown the door!
October 4th, 2026 at 10:17 am
No one is panicking. The team is their leader and that leader is Bowles. Staying calm is essential, regardless of the result.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:18 am
Time to consider that Coen and Mike Evans is the only reason Baker looked good.. without them hes lost and looks terrible.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:21 am
What’s he going to say today after we’re 0-4?
October 4th, 2026 at 10:21 am
“You Learn A Lot About A Team When Things Aren’t Going Exactly The Way You Planned”
Well, for the above to be true….. one would have to have a plan first!!!!!!
What was Jason Licht’s plan in the first place?
As far as I am concerned, Jason Licht is a Balloon Head and the Glazer Family are the Matriarchs of the Balloon Head!
SMH
October 4th, 2026 at 10:25 am
He will say “ It’s Todd fault and rookie QB”, on to Pittsburgh ( for another L)
October 4th, 2026 at 10:26 am
@can-we-get-rid-of-licht-now-please
Winston and Marriota were going #1 and #2 for quarterbacks that year.
Every team that needed a quarterback would have taken one or the other at #1. Whichever was left would have been the next QB taken. We just happened to have the #1 pick.
In my opinion we wouldn’t have been any better had we taken Marriota.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Dub , obviously Coen and Big Mike helped but the line actually blocking helped too,,, maybe JD can use his legs to get away ,,, Baker was good under Canales , Great under Coen , so so under grizzz and not great under Robinson so we know he can play great w right coach,,, look across the sidelines for our next coach LaFluer on hot seat so if we beat him today it’s great for us ,,, also look to the early game , Stiechen is on the hot seat too
October 4th, 2026 at 10:30 am
What character and what leadership????? Haven’t seen either in 2 plus seasons. JL has to go too
October 4th, 2026 at 10:34 am
while todd’s poor performace as a HC has definitely deserved criticism, unfortuntely think he’s also become the poster boy of have far the standards of ownership have fallen since Brady left. The area carried a ton of pride being Bucs fans during those years, and that pride has been slowly stripped from those fans each passing year under todd, while ownership sat idly by and refused to demand excellence. Do think most of the fan anger is actually directed at them, todd is just the face that we see on a day to day basis that reminds us of their apathy. However, going out with a sub .450 career win% will be a true indicator of what a poor/mediocre HC he was during his career.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:40 am
We already know the answer to that. This started last season at the bye week. What happens? The team folds under pressure. How many times last season did the defense give up scores at the end of the game? I don’t remember too many times where the defense dug in and held off the other team. They play soft and fold. That is who this team is. I have no idea why specifically. You would have to be in the locker room to know for sure. But the fact of the matter is that this team folds under pressure. 3-28 was the showcase example that will stick around for years.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:45 am
Todd could take some notes from a 2nd year HC in Dallas:
“According to those in the room, Schottenheimer took accountability for the Cowboys’ late-game loss last Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro.
Schottenheimer’s point was that if a coach is going to hold players accountable, he must apply the same standard to himself. As one person in the room noted, real leaders lead from the front.”
“Schottenheimer told reporters that he is “man enough to take mistakes.”
“I make a lot of mistakes,” he said. “I’m certainly not perfect. … I hurt our chance to win that game, and I’ll be better.”
Being as insecure as he is, think todd would choke to death before he would utter those words.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:50 am
I’ve been saying it months.
Fire Licht out the port-side cannon along with this coaching staff.
Time to hit the reset button.
October 4th, 2026 at 10:50 am
Lol, this is so stupid…..THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED!!!! Backup after back up after backup…..a bunch of laziness going on here lately….reel it in, just say it….
SEASON IS OVER!!!!!
October 4th, 2026 at 10:51 am
Why does this team go through this every year. We suck for 20 years and win a superbowl. Here’s to another 2 decades of poop before another positive opportunity
October 4th, 2026 at 11:03 am
People need to remember how Bruce Arians left the Bucs. He announced his retirement 4 weeks before the draft. I don’t know that I have ever heard of anyone ever doing that before. Regardless, I firmly believe that this was NOT an accident. He arranged this to essentially force the Bucs to go to Bowles by retiring when he did. “I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed”. He also said the succession mattered more to him than another Super Bowl. What were the Bucs supposed to do 4 weeks before the draft? Thats cheap and frankly, despicable. I can’t imagine that the Glazers were super happy about that. Then Arians hung around as a consultant? What did he tell the Glazers? I’ll help out if I am needed? Which was nonsense. He was never going to interfere with Bowles.
Ring of Honor for Bruce Arians? No. He should leave town in shame and take Bowles with him. Jason Licht can play chauffer for them and escort them out.
Thanks for the Super Bowl! See ya!
October 4th, 2026 at 11:05 am
He’s probably thinking he should of retired with Arians and stayed on the golf course every day with Bowles and Leftwich and been GM of the tee box.😂
October 4th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Baker got his bag and flopped. Get him out!
October 4th, 2026 at 11:05 am
What team?
October 4th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Too bad John Lynch is in SF. Love to see him as GM
October 4th, 2026 at 11:08 am
TWO KINDS OF PAIN….THE PAIN THAT HURTS AND THE PAIN THAT ALTERS!!!!
Apparently, we dont know how to alter
October 4th, 2026 at 11:08 am
If they’re going to stink…stink out loud. Keep losing to leave little to no doubt both Bowles and Licht need to go. They may even earn the rights to Jeremiah Smith for doing so.
I’m kicking off my campaign complete with billboards today:
Licht’s Out in 2026
This oughta upset the Joe who wrote this post. Sorry about that.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:12 am
^this isnt on Jason, but go ahead and stay low iq in thinking so
October 4th, 2026 at 11:14 am
Jason should learn a lot more today when the Bucs go 0-4. Actually he should have learned last year. Instead he kept Bowles and didn’t learn a thing. At least next season he will be gone along with terrible Todd and Zac the OC that calls plays like he is on crack. No more hyping rookies that should not be starting in the NFL.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:15 am
MadMaxine Licht…stepsister to The Jason Licht…gets tuff and stuff while driving around her Subaru. Makes sense…
October 4th, 2026 at 11:16 am
This isn’t on Jason? He’s in charge. PERIOD. You don’t get to the big chair and say “it’s not my fault”. Grow up. He’s not the head of drafting. He’s not the head scouting. He’s in charge of everything and therefore, responsible for everything.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:17 am
This game is different than the other games
The guy that causes most of the stench will not be playing
October 4th, 2026 at 11:18 am
Remember the year that we drafted James and Marriotta came into town with Tennessee and we literally gave up every play on defense
That sucked lol
October 4th, 2026 at 11:19 am
The $165 million disaster will be on the sidelines
That alone improves our odds of winning
October 4th, 2026 at 11:23 am
Signing Bowles to an extension gets Licht the axe. With those decisions he limits the options ownership has to make changes. His job is to give ownership what they need to make money. They have a fanbase in revolt. They get out of state ticket sales to bolster their attentance and that smooths out the revenue. If it weren’t for revenue sharing on TV money this would have already produced changes.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Things are going fine. Trust the process and enjoy the games.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:28 am
GLAZERS KEPT TODD!!!!! MY GOSH….dudes, get it together already!
October 4th, 2026 at 11:43 am
If you watch a Buccaneers game through the lens of like an old episode of The Three Stooges. The games are actually amazing. 100 percent comedy.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:43 am
You learn a lot about yourself getting punched in the nose. Some lie down, some fight back. The Bucs did not fight back last year and it looks like more of the same this year, so far.
October 4th, 2026 at 11:45 am
You also learn you need a new GM to set the team back on the right track
October 4th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Baker being sacked 11 times in 3 games is unacceptable by every measure. The offensive line has been purely offensive so far. Baker has been a little off but he’s getting creamed out there. He had a beautiful pass to Hurst that should have won a game and a beautiful pass to Godwin that should have won a game. I think we are blaming him a bit too much and not protecting him **nearly** enough!
October 4th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Licht needs to be fired just as much as Bowles.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
@ Mad max
Can you please clarify for me exactly what your opinion on this team is?
You seem to bounce back and forth like a mental patient in a padded room.
Are you happy with the current state of this franchise?
If so – what are you happy about?
I am seriously curious and trying to understand your POV…
October 4th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Joe are you going to use the RoH reference when you report Licht’s dismissal at the end of the season? Do it! I think you should!
October 4th, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Well, we’ll see how today goes with the rook. If JD does well JL is going to look like an idiot for resigning BM or a genius for acquiring JD. They do worse its time to clean house.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
2 out of three losses are all Baker. This ud rookie qb will light it up if receivers are as open as they were last week. As for Boweles he has zero personality. He must have ice water in his veins lmfao
October 4th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
The season is over see ya next year..
October 4th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
Did he resign?
October 4th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Absolutely! He built a Super Bowl winner. Unless you are going to go full revisionist history and try to claim Mark Dominik built a Super Bowl winner, Licht should get that honor!
October 4th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Stpetematt … ‘Baker being sacked 11 times in 3 games is unacceptable by every measure. The offensive line has been purely offensive so far. Baker has been a little off but he’s getting creamed out there. I think we are blaming him a bit too much and not protecting him **nearly** enough!’
Baker, being our franchise QB, is gonna get kudos when the offense does great and he’ll get blamed when the offense sucks. He’s been the starting QB for the past 54 straight games, and our record with him is 27-27, not counting the 1 win & 2 losses in the playoffs. That’s the very definition of AVERAGE. And average QBs aren’t worth $55 mil a year. Heck they’re not worth one-third of that even in these inflated times.
Baker’s got 2 wins & 10 losses since the BYE last season. He hasn’t been ‘a little off’. He’s sucked big-time, and he’s made everyone else look bad in the process. Granted his OLine looks just as bad as he does, but I for one expect a LOT more out of this OLine. Maybe it’s marginal coaching that’s at fault as so many believe. Maybe it’s that these players are just happy to get their pot of gold and haven’t ‘bought in’. I don’t know what the problem is (or problems are), but they need to be fixed … FAST. Now’s not the time to panic, but a sense of urgency would be nice.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
@winny, good one….you happy now that i responded to your destituted nowhere comment? Im happy im a celebrity in your mind 🙂 keep feeding me
October 4th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
How do you figure? Yes, the Glazers have the ultimate say in all decisions, but it is Jason’s job to consult them, apply his “ROH” football knowledge to their business model, keep a pulse on coaches and players and preemptively adjust (like a trade deadline move, firing the SP coordinator midseason in 2025, not hiding during annual slides…).
Think of JL like a financial advisor, except instead of advising the Glazer’s on investments, his duty is to advise them on football. He doesn’t appear to be bringing any advice to the table other than what he is spoon fed by his HC (hence success with Arians and below average with everyone else. He is passive, untimely in his response to team needs, and clearly does not have the pulse of the locker room [” I am that man”- NOPE, “Braswell will shock the world”- NOPE, extended Todd’s contract- NOPE, drafts some low character players who only seem motivated by money, not football, then proceeds to pay them and they immediately tune out-NOPE, Has yet to oversee the development of a QB (he gets a pass with Jameis) or even acquire a respectable backup-NOPE, Aguayo, Braswell, JTS, small and injury prone players…. ].
You are hanging your hat on Evans (ran from him), Godwin (a savvy GM would not have broken the piggy bank for an injured guy), Marpet (got out of dodge asap), Wirfs (fell in his lap), and the Arians/Brady effect. When you are the top dog, you are responsible for all of it. Turds roll downhill, not uphill, and if there is ONE MAN who has had the ear of the Glazers to steer them away from Bowles, that man should have been JASON LICHT
October 4th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Joe Says:
October 4th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Joe are you going to use the RoH reference when you report Licht’s dismissal at the end of the season? Do it! I think you should!
Absolutely! He built a Super Bowl winner. Unless you are going to go full revisionist history and try to claim Mark Dominik built a Super Bowl winner, Licht should get that honor!
—— ——-
Of course it wasn’t Dominik, ya silly goose.But
It was mostly BA’s leadership and assistant GM’/head of recruiting Tom Brady.
Licht may have greased the skids in both his skivvies and the operational component. Much credit to Licht for begging Bruc to come to Tampa.
Dominik and Licht had identical losing percentages prior to BA’s arrival. Lavonte David and Gholston were from the Dominik days/daze.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
@Mari_ we’re done, its over. I love that you pay so much attention to me though, kind of uncomfortable, but its all good…..and of course im mental, you just now figuring it out? lol
October 4th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Honorary PHD!
For everyone on the Bucs bandwagon!
October 4th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
@Chi, no argument here with the whole Glazer thing…they gonna do what they do…but looking back the past two years, WHEN ALMOST ALL OF US was calling for todd to be let go, somethings up. I dont want to call it a soft tank, but maybe thats what it is, and if so, in the state of absolute chaos that we’re in…oh well, may as well ride it out.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
@ Mad Max
“I love that you pay so much attention to me though”
LOL!
Dude – you have the majority of comments on this article bud…
You’re like a half naked liberal woman who demands you stop “objectifying” them.
Stop being a dingus.
October 4th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
im not a liberal mari, lol
October 4th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
I rarely post, but some of you are all over me when i do…lol, its all good, just calling it out….keeping things in check
October 4th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
@ Mad Max
Perhaps not.
But you definitely crave the same attention as one…
What color is your hair?
Is it green and purple?
October 4th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
who cares….lets get on with this game….but yeah, i share your sentiments…green,pink and gray…oh, and purple, just to color your mindset of me that you so obviously love to do…wink, wink
October 4th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Teammates learn a lot more about one another in a rough stretch as well. We’ve got a good amount of new faces and my hope is we’ve lost enough to start to season to know how to NOT lose at a team.
I’m big on players being held accountable, knowing how to hold eachother accountable and having the collective maturity to self correct as a group. Might take more than just this game today, but it’d be good to see signs of life. I don’t care about urgency nearly as much as I do about consistency between the lines. Where what we see matters just as much as the stuff we don’t see as spectators.
First team to 20 points wins.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:00 pm
You learn about your GM as well. He say around did nothing to help at trade deadline last year. What’s he doing now to help? Nothing! We are 2-10 in last 12 games. I’m a Todd Bowles fan love the guy but this entire staff should have been fired after Cleveland game.
When they stopped running Bucky on that last drive they showed they have no idea how to win. Bucky was gashing them 2nd and 3 and they threw three straight times. If they hand the ball to Bucky 3-4 more times we score and win that game.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Joe, without Brady all Licht built was a house of cards.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
Even Joe gave up no game day thread lol
October 4th, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Blaming Licht for the Mayfield, Bowles and Vea extensions means you’re not paying attention – that was 100% Glazer driven. Why did Vea and Mayfield’s contracts suddenly get done when the Glazer sibs show up?
And HC decisions are always Glazer decisions.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
BucsFan81 Says:
October 4th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
Even Joe gave up no game day thread lol
Ha!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
Jalon already realizing this won’t be easy with the o-line we have. Lol!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Is this JBF’s last day on the interweb? Will Joe open “Joe Packsfan.com?”
October 4th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
all good…i gues this is the game thread lol….Come on D!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
We still can’t tackle. Check. Lol!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Is this the new game thread, lmao
October 4th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Missed tackle, missed tackle……flaccid coach….nothing changes!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
Run run pass. Too much pressure punt. Classic Bucs
October 4th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
3rd &:2 for Bucs O is like 3rd & 30. And now missing tackles on D. Gotta love that coaching it better.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Anzalone still can’t play coverage. Check. Lol!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Yeah 4th down!
October 4th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
Now the bucs are fired up! Let’s score a TD.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
No game thread?
Anyone doubt this will be a ‘Get Right’ game for the Packers?
October 4th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
They gonna have to let JD play. They gonna put into a box, run 3 times then punt, that will doom us.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
Joe, why is there no Game Day thread? Well, I guess this article will be our game day thread today. Even Joe is off his game.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
Got lucky on the drop
October 4th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Joebucs fan is at the game today?
October 4th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
That guy only had one leg in bounds
October 4th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Like I said, lots of ints in college. Almost fumbled. Sad
October 4th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Defense already looks lifeless
October 4th, 2026 at 1:42 pm
Otton is absolutely an awful player.
October 4th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Come on Joe, give us a look behind the curtain!
October 4th, 2026 at 2:38 pm
It’s time for Jason licht to walk to the plank!
October 4th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
The reason no one was panicking in the locker room is because they’re all getting paid and have given up on playing hard for this dead man walking coaching staff.
October 4th, 2026 at 3:05 pm
The bucs must draft a quarterback in the first round
October 4th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Is Bruce Gradkowski available? How about Luke McCown?
October 4th, 2026 at 4:20 pm
Please stop calling him “Ring of Honor GM”. He is a hindrance, not a hero.
October 4th, 2026 at 5:29 pm
The Glazers…who decides their legacy? Would Malcolm have agreed with their management? Their hiring? As has been said here multiple times, don’t expect a midseason change. It’s not their style.