What Tampa Bay Buccaneers can learn from Ric Flair
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were completely embarrassed Sunday night against their divisional rivals- the New Orleans Saints- in front of the entire nation.
The Buccaneers were blown out 31-0 in the first half and things never got better from that point. Tom Brady threw three interceptions and his offensive line didn’t give him any help, either. In addition, the Bucs’ defense was unable to get off the field and made Drew Brees look as if he was 10 years younger. If that weren’t enough, the play-calling was about as suspect as it could come on both sides of the ball.
All of that being said, the Buccaneers can take a valuable lesson from this loss as their nurse their wounds and get ready for the Carolina Panthers next week from a larger-than-life personality, nonetheless- Mr. Ric Flair.
Flair, a prominent wrestler of the 1980s and 1990s, has been an icon in sports entertainment and beyond for many decades. Back in the days of him running as the world champion in the NWA and WCW, Flair made the catchphrase ‘to be the man, you gotta beat the man’ a popular slogan.
If there’s anything the Buccaneers can take from this game, it’s the fact that they’ve got to step up to the ‘Ric Flair’ of the NFC South division: The New Orleans Saints.
To be ‘the man,’ the Buccaneers have gotta beat the man
There were hundreds of analysts who were already crowning this Bucs team as the new favorite in the NFC. Tampa Bay was the favorite to win the game against the Saints.
But we learned something sobering Sunday night: The Bucs aren’t ‘the man.’ That title still belongs to the Saints.
If the Buccaneers are going to make a legitimate run at the postseason, they’ve got to change their mindset. They’ve got to step up to the level of their opponents and realize that they’re not the man. Just because Tom Brady is on your team doesn’t make you the favorite. It doesn’t make you anything.
You’ve got to go out and earn every single win. You have to win by playing every single play to the best of your ability. And the Bucs certainly didn’t do that Sunday night.
To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. The Buccaneers have their goal moving forward.
They won’t get to avenge the loss to the Saints during the regular season, but they still have a chance to refocus and potentially take on New Orleans in a playoff matchup a couple of months from now.
To do that, though, you’ve got to be ready for primetime. You’ve got be ready for a war. You’ve got to be ready to win on every single down. You’ve got to come out knowing that you’re not the man.
It’s time to put this loss behind them and move forward with an added confidence and mentality that hasn’t been there before.
And, In the words of the great Ric Flair: WOOOOH.