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New Bucs coach Lovie Smith continued his massive press campaign by joining the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio, on Pro Football Live today. Watch the NBC Sports video below.
Carl Nicks’ NFL days may be done.
The Bucs had high hopes when they signed stud guard Carl Nicks as a free agent prior to the 2012 season. Then before the season began, Nicks developed a nasty case of turf toe.
That year he played seven games on the toe, which Joe saw with his own eyes; it was swollen to at least twice normal size and was cherry-red. It was gross. Even after surgery, Nicks confessed the toe wasn’t close to being back to normal and stated it was something he would deal with the rest of his life. [read more]
Devin Hester as a No. 1 receiver was one of Lovie Smith’s failed experiments, notes a Chicago scribe.
Can Lovie Smith build a championship roster and raise an offense from the dead?
Those are really the only two things Bucs fans wonder much about these days. Why? Because Lovie’s track record in those areas is questionable.
Lovie is a proven, strong head coach, far better than what Bucs fans have seen since Chucky was fired, but there should be legitimate skepticism amid the euphoria, as Chicago Tribune columnist David Haugh pointed out today. [read more]
Life wasn’t all bad under Greg Schiano. Well, maybe it was, if you just look at wins and losses, but new Bucs head coach Lovie Smith digs a little deeper.
Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 this morning, co-host Tom Jones asked Lovie to share his thoughts when he watched the Bucs during the second half of the 2013 season. [read more]
Mike Alstott weighs in
The A-Train, Mike Alstott, was among the ex-Buccaneers in the house yesterday when Team Glazer unveiled Lovie Smith as the 10th head coach in Bucs history.
Alstott had all kinds of great things to say about Lovie, and the two men, who clearly hadn’t seen each other years, embraced and talked about getting together as the crowd thinned out.
Joe asked Alstott if there was a time or moment when Lovie was a Bucs linebackers coach that let Alstott know Lovie was head-coach material. [read more]
Moments after Lovie Smith’s opening news conference, and Lovie’s intimate chat with media, Joe sat down with Buccaneers Radio Network and WDAE-AM 620 voice Ronnie Lane to talk about the new regime. Enjoy the podcast below.
Joe explains why Lovie “is a step ahead of the game.”
Peter King talked cornerbacks with Lovie Smith
So many have misconstrued Joe’s take on Darrelle Revis. Joe’s not lobbying to ditch the guy. It’s not Joe’s $1 million-per-game, and the Revis is a great player.
Offenses clearly avoided Revis in 2013, and his Pro Bowl nod this season, without a ton of fan votes, helps illustrate the respect he commands. But the question, ‘Is Revis worth it?’ will come up every offseason because Revis has no guaranteed cash in his contract. Every year is a contract year. [read more]
Steve Duemig, the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, scored an exclusive with new Bucs head coach Lovie Smith this evening on WDAE-AM 620. And Joe’s got the full audio below. Enjoy.
New Bucs commander Lovie Smith has signed off on the Bucs locking down 12 players to futures contracts, which typically go to NFL hopefuls and former practice squad players.
Here’s the list issued today by the Bucs: [read more]
A glimpse into his mindset
During a candid moment this afternoon, Lovie Smith metaphorically dropped his pants and revealed a philosophy about winning in the NFL.
It was no surprise, but it was still telling. Lovie is a defensive-minded head coach to his core.
He explained just how far a great defense can take a team.
Jeff Tedford has Lovie Smith’s confidence.
After Lovie Smith, the 10th Bucs coach in franchise history, had his introductory press conference, Lovie made his way to the press room for a more laid back and casual give-and-take with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club. [read more]
Lovie Smith shared intimate time with media after his One Buc Palace news conference today, and Lovie stressed his time off last year was very much about research.
One thing Lovie researched was finding his next offensive coordinator. [read more]
Lovie Smith wants all ex-Bucs like Derrick Brooks to visit One Buc Palace frequently.
It was a lovefest at One Buc Palace this afternoon, a homecoming of sorts.
Why, Joe thought it was a bunch of Middle Eastern clerics meditating he heard the word “home” so much and so often. [read more]
Lovie told Joe that Mike Glennon has “great pocket presence” and more
Dressed in a fine navy suit this afternoon, Lovie Smith stood before media and shared his admiration of Mike Glennon the quarterback and talked about key leadership characteristics from the QB position.
Joe asked Lovie to detail the promise he sees in Glennon. [read more]
Hours after it was learned Lovie Smith was going to take over the Bucs in the wake of the firing of former commander Greg Schiano, an erroneous report by Adam Schefter claimed Lovie had hired former Bucs defensive line coach and current Dallas defensive assistant Rod Marinelli as his defensive coordinator.
Sadly, this report was at best premature and at worst, flat wrong. [read more]
When the Bucs announced that Lovie Smith was their guy, the 10th coach in Bucs history, a number of NFL pundits and Bucs fans concluded — with bad math — that since Lovie runs a Tampa-2 defense, stud cornerback Darrelle Revis is SOL because he is not a zone-coverage guy but a press-man guy. [read more]
One reason Lovie Smith decided to accept the position as the 10th coach in Bucs history is because it’s home.
Though a native of Texas, Smith made his bones as a NFL assistant with Father Dungy and the Bucs in the 1990s before he left for St. Louis to become the Bucs defensive coordinator. [read more]
It’s no rebuilding process for new Bucs boss Lovie Smith.
Speaking for the first time as Bucs head coach today, Lovie says he “likes the foundation” in place with the Bucs and says it’s ready for the Bucs “to make a quick climb.”
Lovie said the Bucs will be “relentless” and he wants “athletes at every position.”
Stick with Joe all day for the latest on Lovie’s first public day on the job.
