UnRealistic Expectations: Don’t Expect Bucs to Dominate for Years Apr 19, 2014 12:25
Most people in the business agree; Tampa Bay will turn things around with Lovie Smith as new Bucs head coach. His being part of the Tony Dungy tree and his experience in Chicago tells us that with that alone we can expect the Bucs to compete in every game next season and beyond. But during the hey day years under Dungy, the Bucs did more than just win. They were consistent winners; each year you went into the season not wondering if the team was going to make the playoffs, but how far they could get in the playoffs.Each year it seemed, the Bucs were stymied by a 3-4 start to their seasons for one reason or another. Other than the first year (96- 1-7) and the second (97- 5-2) the Bucs began their years with 3 wins and 4 losses without fail. Once in 2000 it began with a 3-0 start and a fall to 3-4, in 1998 it was the opposite with 1-3 start and a climb to 3-4. In any event, the Bucs would struggle to reach the playoffs and rarely make it with a solid record that would enable them to play at home throughout the playoffs. In fact after the ’97 season the Bucs played only 1 home playoff game out of the 4 played.Regardless though, you knew the Bucs would make or compete for the playoffs each year because of the dynamic core group of players on the roster. While some star players were only with the team for half of their run, like Hardy Nickerson or Simeon Rice, both Free Agent pick ups, a majority of stars for the Bucs were drafted by the Bucs. John Lynch (93), Warren Sapp & Derrick Brooks (95), Mike Alstott (96), and Ronde Barber (97) were picked by the team and raised into NFL infancy by the team.Today’s Bucs have only one player left over from the 2010 draft and before, a draft that only occurred 4 years ago. Those 2007-2010 players should be growing into stardom, becoming players in their prime. Instead the failures of the Bucs front office are the main reason why the Bucs had to go deep into free agency to pick up talent instead.So while the Bucs may and probably will win under Lovie Smith soon, they will not be dominant like the old Bucs were until the 2012 and up crop of Bucs players will come into their own and develop the core group here. You may see 9-7 and even 10-6 seasons for a few years, but don’t expect any 11-5 or 12-4 campaigns, those are reserved for dominant teams, which the Bucs will have to wait to become one. http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/unrealistic_expectations_dont_expect_bucs_to_dominate_for_years/16259728?linksrc ="story_team_tampa_bay_buccaneers_auto_module_head_16259728"
