Many have been critical of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, and who can blame us? So far this season, the Bucs have pushed their record to an abysmal mark of 0-5, and the team ran their starting quarterback, Josh Freeman, out of town.
Although the team’s quarterback situation has garnered most of our attention, the team’s defense has been subjected to heavy scrutiny elsewhere. After all, the Buccaneers have scored enough points to win a few games, but their defense has been unable to hold down opponents.
At some point, someone was bound to lash out from within the organization, and that someone, according to Jenna Laine, was Bill Sheridan, the team’s defensive coordinator.
“What I want to invite them to do is join us. I get here about 5:20 [a.m.] every single morning, and they’re more than welcome to hang around here until about 11:00 [p.m.] for the first four nights of the week and they can help us put the whole game plan together.
“We’ve got all the free cokes you want in the building and we’ll be happy to take those suggestions on how we can better use Darrelle. Trust me when I tell you we painstakingly game plan how best to use all of our personnel not just Darrelle.”
Teams that lose football games are always subject to a dissenting fan base. That’s as true of the Buccaneers, who usually achieve mediocrity at best, to the New York Giants. Sheridan’s outburst may have been directed at fans, but that’s not where his statement was fueled elsewhere.
Consider, the Buccaneers are one of the least respected organizations in football, and that’s not an undeserved association either. Greg Schiano entered the league with concerns about his character, and whether he was the leak in the Josh Freeman drug saga or not, it doesn’t look good.
Other losing teams around the league are finding ways to stay positive. Every week, broadcasters give rave reviews to the Jaguars and head coach Gus Bradley’s ability to stay positive. Even with little hope of winning, the league’s worst team is finding a way to stay unified as a team and push forward.
That’s not where the Buccaneers are. The team’s coaches are beginning to lose composure, and there’s a general feeling I get when watching the team that the players are beginning to check out. The good news, at least following this season, is there’s a strong chance the Bucs will hit the reset button, meaning the Greg Schiano era will likely end, and Bill Sheridan will be out the door. Maybe then the Buccaneers will be able to use Darrelle Revis, and the rest of the defense, to fans’ liking.
