Are Bucs at must-win already? For Lovie’s sake, yes
Lovie Smith’s Bucs have an 11-game home losing streak. Jacksonville has an 11-game road losing streak. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By Martin Fennelly | Tribune Staff Published: October 10, 2015 at 04:17 PMThis will be the most important game of Lovie Smith’s Bucs head coaching career.It sounds absurd. It’s only the fifth game of his second season and it’s against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and chances seem remote that the Glazers, who have been coach-firing dervishes in recent years, want to go down that road during a season.This will be the most important game of Lovie Smith’s Bucs head coaching career.Don’t even think about losing this game.Lose to a fellow 1-3 team? Lose to Jacksonville? Lose your 11th straight home game as Tampa Bay head coach? Be 1-4 heading into the bye week, a full two weeks for noise to grow in the system? Oh, will it grow.Don’t think about coming out sluggish, which nevertheless is a distinct possibility, since these are the Buccaneers who have scored six points in the first quarter this season, and had months to prepare for their season-opener, but had their doors blown off by Tennessee, and with a rookie quarterback handing out turnovers as if they were candy.Lose this game and how can the Glazers not begin rethinking Lovie? I’m not saying he gets the boot with a loss, but it might decide the next step.I can hear gears beginning to turn, the Glazer phone lists updated.“Hey, I forgot — this Jersey number, is it for Parcells or Schiano?”It’s a big game, at least as bad games go.Lovie, fellas, give us a sign. Something, anything.Jacksonville has an 11-game road losing streak. The Bucs have an 11-game home losing streak. Something has to give.Final score: Bucs 10, Jags 10.It’s easy to see the darkness if the Bucs lose. It’s easy to see 3-13, maybe even another 2-14, even with a game against beatable Washington (as if that matters with the Bucs) on the other side of the bye. November looks bleak: at Atlanta, home to the Giants and Cowboys, at Eagles and Colts.You try and find a win in there.Lose to Jacksonville and the flying coffin begins to taxi onto the runway.And the Bucs haven’t even begun tanking games yet, like they did in last year’s finale, their ticket to Jameis Winston, who at present is paying out in gold nuggets.But stay tuned.One NFL head coach, Miami’s Joe Philbin, has already lost his job this season. By the way, the Dolphins lost to the Jags in Week 2. It should be noted that Miami players had all but staged a mutiny.That’s not the case in Tampa. But we’re getting down to sheer numbers when it comes to Lovie’s Bucs.The losses are mounting.They’d better not mount against the Jaguars.How can the Glazers not be on the verge of freaking out?How do the rest of us not start to wonder if Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter could man the helm (guess he should covert some third downs first).Or wonder about Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, who was Jameis’ quarterback whisperer in college.It might sound like crazy talk, but what’s crazy anymore?If the Bucs lose, especially if they lose badly, someone will have to put the noise to rest and say something. We’ll take the best available Glazer.Here’s some not so crazy talk:This will be the most important game of Lovie Smith’s Bucs head coaching career.
