Buccaneers fire Lovie Smith

I agree. He did not have the type of talent he needed for his system the 1st yr or a QB. Once he got his QB and some key players for his system he actually made improvements. If they had of ironed things out a couple of weeks earlier he would of had his team in the playoffs. It's crazy that they fired him right as he was getting the team on track.

I think that if we had seen the type of progress from our team that TB saw this year; everyone would be excited about the possibilities for the next season. I know I would have. Could it have been better? Sure, it always can when you miss the playoffs. However, TB looked like a team that had finally started to turn the corner.

Feel bad for Lovie really. He starts to make progress and then they fire him....he has to be at home like.....WTF???

Analyst now list the Bucs job as the top HC gig available ahead of us. I don't know that HC candidates will agree. I think they look at what Lovie was doing with the team and say, Damn how much improvement did he have to make in order to keep that job? What if I go in there and only win 4 games getting my system lined out?? Jeff Darlington was actually saying the same things I am now. Well his way of putting it was: "Who in their right mind is going to look at the situation there and say yea that's the job for me? After seeing Lovie make progress, get very close to the playoffs, and still get fired. Why would a top candidate take this job? I do not know that any candidate will be excited about the chance to coach the Bucs. The one thing that MAY get a candidate in the door is a good young QB and talent on offense."

 

We would have been very happy with that record, 6-10. To think of it, if it wasn't for stupid coaching, we could have had that record. We blew away at least 3 wins due to dumb play calling in the 4th. That 1st game against the Jags and Colts, those were Ws.

 

The McDaniels thing is really just about his offense and his playcalling. He has had good offenses and keeps them going even when replacing great players lost in free agency. he really maximizes the talent on the offensive side of the ball...and that is what we are lacking.

Lovie on the other hand, is a defensive coach with a BAD defense and some bonafide talent on it ta boot. So what's his attraction? he went to a SB a million years ago and has gotten worse since?

I was surprised at the Lovie thing but I'm guessing it has more to do with not wanting to lose Keotter. He might be elevated to HC if that's the case. unfortunately, Lovie is the kind of guy we'd bring in to interview because he's been to a SB. I'd take Coughlin 100x before Lovie!!!

 

Agree. And I have no interest in Coughlin. That should tell you RIGHT where Lovie stands.

 

What's really bad is....Lovie lost his last job with a 10-6 record. WTF is going on with these people?

Chicago had a good thing going on and they fall into the gutter because they got rid of him. I believe Philly is doing the very same thing by firing Kelly. OK, so take the guy's GM duties from him, but he was winning there....until Bradford got hurt.

People seem to (selectively) forget his team just beat Tom Brady and the Patriots a few weeks ago, and had they won against the Redskins a week ago, they would have taken control of the division and made the playoffs...despite having a big question mark at QB.

 

Well maybe...maybe not. I said this before coaches are like players if you think there is a better one out there that could help your team you go get him.

Maybe they feel like there are better coaches than Lovie out there. I certainly think so.

 

They must have someone in mind they want to go after.

 

Yeah other than that it just makes no sense. It's a head scratcher for me. Don't get it at all.

 

I don't think Lovie would be a fit here, with us running a 3-4 scheme, and we don't want to have to switch schemes all over again, seeing how that set us back big time, last year.

But, as far as Tampa is concerned, he had them trending upward, and Lovie, at Chicago, had some of the most stout defenses I've seen. Not sure why it's not clicking for him, at the moment, but we don't know their injury situation. Key injuries really hurt our defense, this year. Not having McCourty and Derrick Morgan has been a killer.

Teams that pick first in the draft typically have not only holes to fill, but a lack of depth, as well. I think that is what has hurt us, most. The better teams in the league build good depth, so they aren't sucking wind when a key player is injured.

I think this was easily a knee-jerk reaction, and a foolish one. Same thing with Kelly in Philly. He needed a QB to fit his system, and I think he would have had it this draft, with Carson Wentz + some defensive playmakers. The Redskins were in much worse shape last year than the Eagles were this year, but they improved markedly. I expected the Eagles to draft their QB (Wentz) and to get back on top of the NFC East.

I'm still all in for Kelly, obviously. Can't deny the winning percentage as an NFL HC, despite all the criticism and naysayers, regarding his scheme.

 

I could understand this if there was some amazing name out there, who had tampa bay ties, but this may be the dumbest firing of all time. I'd take Lovie in a heartbeat.