Lovie Smith Needs To Inspire Hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were flat out embarrassed for the second time in less than a month and the reset button has to be pushed at One Buc Place. Now on the bye week, it’s on head coach Lovie Smith to find something that inspires his team — something that prevents this season from being a total disaster.
Leading up to September multiple analysts predicted the Bucs to be atop of the NFC South. A new coaching staff was put in place and improvements in key areas of the roster led everyone to believe that explosive big plays would be happening on a routine basis.
It’s tough to pinpoint exactly where it all went awry for the Bucs, but there are plenty of options to choose from in those first two games. Was it Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers where they couldn’t get it done against backup quarterback Derek Anderson? Some will point to the second game where it wasn’t a backup quarterback, but a third-stringer in Austin Davis who led the St. Louis Rams to victory in Week 2. How could we forget Bucs rookie wide receiver Mike Evans crying wolf with an injury at the end of the same game against the Rams, only to have the final 10 seconds run off the clock by rule and negate a chance at the winning field goal?
Since that loss to the Rams, the Bucs have gone 1-3 with two of those losses being some of the worst in modern NFL history. In the 56-14 drubbing at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 18 and Sunday’s 48-17 loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens, they were outscored a combined 73-0 before the second half kicked off in each of those games. They say things can only get better in Tampa, but if they stick with the same offensive line schemes and Cover 2 defense, it’s hard to say that with a straight face.
Tampa is desperate for a winner like they had in 2002-03, but the team hasn’t given much hope to believe that the future will be bright once again. This is why Raymond James Stadium is filled with other teams’ fans on a consistent basis. On Sunday, a sea of purple and black apparel could be spotted in every section throughout the stadium.
Florida is a great vacation spot, and with the Bucs being 29-57 since 2009, opposing fans feel confident that they can sit back, relax in the sun and watch their favorite team beat the Bucs.
Alan Walsh is a Blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh. “Like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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