10 Things We Think We Learned - Bucs vs. Falcons I Week 3 2014

It crossed my mind to turn off the game. I would have if it wasn't my job to write about this team today. I will admit it now, I was fooled by the hype. I was bamboozled by Lovie's declaration that they wanted to win now, that this isn't a rebuilding project. My brain knew that believing in Josh McCown was a fool's errand, but my heart said "Hey Mr. Brain, Lovie knows what he's doing. Maybe McCown will find a magic elixir and be a late bloomer."

I wondered what I'd write for 10 Things today other than, "1. The Bucs suck, 2. The Bucs really suck, 3. The Bucs are horrible."

I'm not going to do that to you, my fearless reader. You're here reading these articles because you care about this team. We're all embarrassed by the performance last night. There's nothing we can do about it now. You just have to move on.

Did we truly learn anything yesterday? Absolutely.

1. I heard driving in this morning fans calling for Lovie's job. No, that's not going to happen folks. As ugly and terrible as last night was, there is no way the Bucs are going to pull a Browns and do a one-and-done with Lovie Smith. No, coach Smith will be given the time to build his program here in Tampa Bay. His five year contract says so. Schiano got two years, but trust me he was fired for the fiasco off the field more than the team's on the field performance.

I think we all believed the so-called experts and analysts when they told us that Tampa Bay has a lot of talent on both sides of the football. No, they don't. They may have a guy here or a guy there but overall this is a terrible football team. Schiano didn't hold the Bucs' talent back. The Bucs' lack of talent held the Bucs' talent back.

Make no mistake, this is a REBUILD. We know what it is now. We need to accept that and let Lovie build his team. His track record says if we give him the time he needs, he can return the Bucs to relevance. It's just not going to happen overnight.

It's clearly why when L & L came in, they decided to nuke this roster from orbit. After all, it's the only way to be sure.

2. Josh McCown is what we feared he was. A backup quarterback. If we know anything about Lovie, we know he hates changing QBs mid-season. He'll stubbornly keep rolling McCown out there until it's clear the Bucs are completely out of it. Newsflash to Lovie. This season is over. We're out of it. Time to hand the ball to the kid.

Sure, Jeff Tedford has been down for the count. Maybe things will get better when the actual offensive coordinator calls his plays instead of Marcus Arroyo trying to make chicken salad out of...well, you know. But frankly, I don't care if Chip Kelly or Sean Payton is calling the plays. You can't have a QB who keeps putting your team in horrendous situations.

McCown was brought in because he was brilliant under pressure last season. They brought him in to be the "game manager". Instead, he's gone full Jack "The Throwin' Samoan" Thompson (look that one up, kiddies).

Nope. I've seen enough. Coach Smith should have seen enough. Give the kid the ball. At least the one thing you can say about Glennon is he will try to push the ball down the field and get it to his playmakers. He's also pretty careful with the ball. Either the Bucs will discover they have a quarterback or they'll be in a great position to get one in the draft next year.

3. The other thing bandied about on talk radio this morning is, "Is the Tampa Two dead?" No, of course not. It is as relevant today as it has been since the 1970's. If you don't have the players to execute the defense, the good passing teams will pick you apart. Period. But the Tampa Two was pretty damned good in Chicago in Lovie's last season...and last I checked, Lovie wasn't out five years. He just missed last year.

If you don't have pass rushers. You're screwed in this defense. If your linebackers constantly hit the wrong gaps (I'm looking at you Johnathan Casillas and Dane Fletcher) You're screwed in this defense. If your linebackers can't pick the right guy to cover or get sucked in by play action (same two), you're screwed in this defense. If your safeties can't read the QB or cover worth a damn, you're screwed in this defense.

If you have the players to execute the defense, the defense can be dominant. Ask the Seahawks. When Richard Sherman plays man, he's very human. Put him in Cover 2 or Cover 3, have a pass rush like the Seahawks and safeties like the Seahawks, Sherman can be the playmaker he is and your defense will dominate the league.

I know its been three games and he's been hurt for most of them, but I'm calling it now - Michael Johnson is a bust. A bad signing by Lovie and company.

There's also something to be said for timing. The Tampa Two is not an easy defense to learn. In Tony Dungy's first season, with two future Hall of Famers (and potentially two more) on the field, the Bucs gave up 25 points a game in their first five games before the team finally figured it out and understood what Dungy was trying to get across. Many fans called for Dungy the same way they're calling for Smith. Many believe his defense wouldn't work.

Lovie's first stint in Chicago started out the same way. His first year in Chicago was a defensive disaster. They had games of surrendering 30's and 40-burgers. Many fans called for his head, said his defense would never work.

I'll admit, I thought with the return of the Tampa Two with two key kogs in Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, the Bucs were ready made for this defense. They probably still are. It doesn't mean it's not going to take some time.

4. I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen as complete a loss as I did last night. Offense. Defense. Special Teams. Coaching. There was NOTHING postive. Nothing. In this day and age in the NFL, you don't see stuff like this.

5. What's thoroughly terrifying? The Falcons are an awful defensive team. Downright putrid. Their defense forced four turnovers (not including Devin Hester's strip of Mark Barron) and sacked Buccaneer QB's 3 times while limiting the offense to just 217 yds. No, that's not the 85 Bears out there, folks. That was the Atlanta Falcons, a team that gave up 472 yds in each of their first two games.

6. I think Bobby Rainey had a chance to take Doug Martin's job but fumbled it away last night. Rainey's propensity to not protect the pigskin is going to limit his opportunities, which is a shame because he's a hell of a runner. Someone needs to teach the kid to "eat the ball". Where's Schiano?

7. Speaking of the former Bucs coach, didn't this game look an awful lot like the end of his tenure? He was probably in his Tampa home chuckling. "Buc fans wanted me out, there you go. I never lost like that." No, he just lost 41-0 and 42-17.

8. We learned why the Bucs don't get many nationally televised games. THAT is why. At the same time, America learned why there's so many empty seats at Raymond James Stadium.

9.Tweet of the night. (Sorry, running out of things to talk about).

The current situation...#TBvsATL pic.twitter.com/2FfBBDuYOg

— JennaLaineBucs (@JennaLaineBucs) September 19, 2014

I had a few gems myself but none of them were family friendly. Okay, maybe this one.

NFL to @NFLonCBS. "You have to take a Tampa Bay gm." CBS "We don't want one." NFL "You have to." CBS "Fine, give us their gm against ATL. At least those are competitive."

— JC De La Torre (@jcdelatorre) September 19, 2014

10. I learned hockey season starts in a couple weeks. Go Bolts.