Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

It's a Bucs Life: Time to Lay Blame?

With the Buccaneers game tonight against Carolina on the NFL network, I have a Question: How did a team with so much potential get in the position to potentially become 0-7 and who is truly at fault for this disaster in Tampa?

  • Glazers/Ownership
  • Freeman, Glennon/QB
  • Mark Dominik/General Manager
  • Bill Sheridan/Defensive Coordinator
  • Mike Sullivan/Offensive Coordinator
  • Greg Schiano/Head Coach

To start with, I don’t blame the Glazers all that much. Have they done Bucs fans wrong in the past?  Yes. But over the last two years they have stepped up, bringing in Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson, Carl Nicks, and Vincent Jackson. Now we can argue how well those players have played and if they are being used properly, but you cannot deny the Glazers have spent a ton of money on the Bucs recently. Their one big mistake was hiring an unprepared and arrogant Greg Schiano.

Josh Freeman let the team down, there are no two ways about it. His accuracy, confidence, and decision making over the last few years have all left something to be desired. But I’m not here to bash Freeman because he’s the only one on my list not with the team and to be honest, I think the team has bashed him enough for all of us. He fell apart in Tampa, and the Bucs have moved on. You cannot blame Glennon for anything – he’s a 23-year old kid who was drafted out of North Carolina State with the 73rd pick and has only played in three NFL games. The bright side is that his QB rating is going up each game – 55.7 vs Cardinals, 84.7 Eagles, 90.7 Falcons.

Mark Dominik – There have been moments when I like him and moments when I hate him. I will say this: when they fire Greg Schiano, Dominik needs to go with him. My biggest problem with him is an old one. After the Bucs 10-6 season the team did not keep the momentum going with bringing in free agents. I blame him for that.

Bill Sheridan, I don’t like nor dislike him. I feel like Schiano keeps his hands all over the defense, perhaps too much. Sometimes I don’t know if its Schiano or Sheridan making a bad decision. However, YOU NEED TO PLAY DARRELLE REVIS THE RIGHT WAY. Just line him up against the other team’s best receiver and let him do what he is best at: taking that wide receiver out of the game.

Even before they benched Freeman I said this: Mike Sullivan’s play calling is one of the biggest problems with the Bucs. I don’t like it and it’s ineffective. The Bucs are 31st with 398 yards per game and 31st with 87 points scored. Really, his play calling is not even in the same league with some of the other teams. The Broncos have 298 points this year, thats 211 more than the Bucs. I blame Sullivan for a lot, I think Doug Martin is hurt because the way he was used. You have Martin running down the field trying to catch a ball over a CB twice his size. Bad play after bad play has been called this year and that’s on Mike Sullivan.

Greg Schiano – Oh Schiano, I’ve been waiting on this one. The team record speaks for itself.  The Bucs are 0-6 at the moment and Schiano’s head coaching record is 7–15 (.318). Raheem Morris head coaching record with a worse team was 17–31 (.354). Oh yeah, Morris did have that 10-6 year. I could pontificate here and go on and on about how he’s arrogant, self serving, egotistical and has no business coaching a NFL team of grown men. But what troubles me more than the losing, is that while the Bucs have had losing teams before, there was always more optimism around the club. The Bucs have had coaches who have lost the locker room before, but I don’t think Tampa has ever had a coach lose the fan base like this before. So the fans don’t like him, we read the players don’t like him, and we know the rest of the NFL doesn’t like him, why is he still here? In all, I think Greg Schiano is the worst thing to ever happen to the Bucs. I think he is to blame for all the leaks and rumors. Schiano said under Morris the Bucs were a “laughingstock of the league.” What does that make the Bucs under you, Schiano?

Tonight Tampa will play a 3-3 Carolina Panthers team.  If they manage a win tonight, will it fix everything? No.  Will a win make the fans feel better? Yes.  Will I still be calling for Greg Schiano’s job if the Bucs win? Yes.

I hope that Tampa can pull out a win, I am a Bucs fan for life. The fans and the Team need tonight. #ItsABucsLife

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