Changes Are Brewing For Buccaneers

We’ve hoped for it. We’ve asked for it. Finally, it looks like there are some serious changes coming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s been a point of concern for nearly a decade now. The Buccaneers have been a stagnant, sub-par peaking at mediocre franchise. Mark Dominik ran through head coaches the way George Clooney ran through girlfriends. Big time free agent signings flopped like the reboot of Fantastic Four. There was no consistency, no accountability, no stability in any facet of the franchise. Whether that was front office, coaching staff, or roster, nothing worked in unison.

Now, having said all that, we’re still feeling the effects of that today. We’re on our third head coach in five years and a general manager who finally has the control a GM should. But what does that all mean?

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It means that, finally, the tide appears to be turning. The ship appears to be righted. The Bucs, my friends, are on their way.

As we saw with the Austin Seferian-Jenkins situation, highlighted here, Dirk Koetter isn’t putting up with any crap. Now, that’s not in a Greg Schiano “toes on the line” sense, but more of a holding players accountable sense. Koetter wasn’t going to let ASJ get away with anything, so we can be sure he won’t let anyone else get away with anything, either. It’s his second season with these guys and he knows what their tendencies are, their shortcomings, their weaknesses. Koetter is going to push each and every player to their limit to get the best out of them.

I mean, isn’t that what a head coach is supposed to do?

Let’s take it one step further. Pro Bowl linebacker and team captain Lavonte David is beginning to show a little swag. Even making quite the bold prediction;

Now, do we really believe this can be the best defense in NFL history? I know I don’t, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they believe it. That they work for it. That this defense can look at each other and say “No. This team isn’t going to beat us. Not today. It doesn’t matter who they have, we will stomp them because we have each other.”

This defense hasn’t had any kind of swagger, or confidence, or belief in themselves in years. Now, with guys like David, Kwon Alexander, and Gerald McCoy, and the additions of guys like Brent Grimes, Robert Ayers, Noah Spence, and Vernon Hargreaves, this team knows they’re on the cusp of something special. It’s a matter of putting it all together.

What this all boils down to is something we have talked about on this site numerous times. Other sites and podcasts have said it repeatedly as well, but no matter how many times it’s said doesn’t make it any less true. It’s about changing the culture. Losing and mediocrity has infected this team long enough.

We saw the beginnings of the culture change with Winston last year. The guy single-handedly willed the Bucs to at least two wins. He doesn’t accept losing. He lost more games his rookie season than he had the rest of his life combined. He doesn’t know how to lose and, therefore, doesn’t accept doing it on the biggest stage at the highest level.

Think about it; the only thing this team knows right now is losing. They can’t get over that hump. Under Koetter, with Jameis taking the reigns, with leadership on both sides of the ball, the culture is changing. Losing isn’t accepted any longer. The players aren’t going to finish a game, losing again, and go into the locker room with that “well, we knew that was coming” attitude.

It’s over.

The changes are here. Finally. You can see it on their faces, hear it in their voices. It’s time for the Buccaneers to reclaim the NFC South. Soon, they’ll reclaim the NFC. It’s not so crazy to think this core of young players can’t be that new nucleus to reclaim the Lombardi Trophy.

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