The Crow’s Nest: Looking ahead
http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-jameis-winston-jersey , the running game, and first quarter highlights Bring On The 1-4 Falcons! -
JoeBucsFan.comThe schedule gods are smiling upon the Buccaneers.Bad Running
Attack - JoeBucsFan.comThe Bucs running game is just not good.Ask Gary: What are
the odds Bucs’ brass survives? — Gary Shelton SportsEach week, the readers take
over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a
couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of
sports.Bucs First Quarter Report Card: Defense And Specialists | Pewter
ReportWhile teams would love their bye week to come at the true midway point of
the season, after a 48-10 shellacking by the Bears last Sunday, the 2-2
Buccaneers could use some time to clear their heads.Buccaneers Highlights: First
Quarter 2018 SeasonView highlights from the first quarter of the Bucs' 2018
season. In this Week 3 Hard Count, we’re taking a look at three teams who just
can’t seem to get it together.The Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns have been
perennial struggle-shows, but a 2017 playoff run for the Bills had fans hoping
there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Turns out, there’s just more
tunnel.Losing Ryan Shazier, falling to the Jaguars at home in the playoffs, the
Le’Veon Bell holdout, and now Antonio Brown’s actions. The Steelers have been
knocked off balance. Will they rebound?FALSE START: Josh Gordon’s one-game
return to the Cleveland Browns.One game. One catch. One touchdown. Seventeen
yards. This was Gordon’s triumphant return to the Cleveland Browns.Gordon’s
story kind of reminds me of Tiger Woods’. A story about an elite athlete at the
top of his sport - or at least at the top of his position - when personal demons
derailed everything. Then, following comeback after comeback after comeback,
everyone sort of stopped paying attention.Had it not been for “Hard Knocks”
visiting the Browns this season, Gordon’s story would have been even more
forgotten. It’s not like he didn’t grab headlines, because he did. But they were
fleeting headlines. The kind which stuck around for about a 12-hour period
before something more interesting came along and everyone forgot about it.A
friend of mine who is a Browns fan actually asked me during the pre-season,
‘Hey, did Gordon ever actually show up?’Yes, yes he did. And I knew that.
Because I Googled it as he was asking the question. I found a few articles about
his return. But nothing more.That’s about as peripheral as it gets for a 27-year
old receiver who once led the league in receiving.And his release from the
Browns for this latest, unconfirmed, incident got me thinking about other
players in the league who’s personal demons and/or personality got them cut or
shipped out.Guys like Chris Carter, Terrell Owens, and the like. Can Josh Gordon
still meet his full potential?Well
Ali Marpet Jersey White , yes. That’s the short answer.He’s on his way to New England. A team which frankly, just looks no fun to be a part of. Rob
Gronkowski could party during a root canal, Julian Edelman apparently had help
to get as hyped as he’s been, and Tom Brady is still the sad little bench-warmer
from a substandard Big Ten team on the inside.Outside of them, it just doesn’t
look like anyone is living their dream there in New England. The fans enjoy it
though.I don’t know if New England is going to be Gordon’s last stop, but when
his story is done and written, it may be the most important.He really doesn’t
even need to blow up the stat sheet for the Patriots for this change of scenery
to be successful. Just stay active. Don’t get suspended.Listen folks, addiction
is no joke. And I don’t know Gordon personally, so I don’t know what he’s
battling. However, I do know this, even Hall of Fame wide receivers wear out
their welcome if they can’t get their lives together.New England is one of the
least forgiving organizations when it comes to extra curricular activity outside
of gaining on-field advantages. If Gordon can’t make it work here, his problems
may finally outweigh his talent.OFFSIDES: Sean McDermott sees Hue Jackson’s
quarterback handling and raises the stakes.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsNobody
could possibly botch a quarterback situation more than Jackson did last year in
Cleveland, right? Wrong.Sean McDermott was hired to lead the Buffalo Bills
beginning in 2017. At the time of his hiring, he said his mind was set on
winning now. Doing what was best to make the Bills because,Which is why
McDermott decided it was a good idea to bench the NFL’s safest quarterback and
one of their team’s leading rushers at the time, Tyrod Taylor. In his place, was
fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman.Because it was what would help the Bills win,
now. Right......We know what happened when McDermott rolled Peterman out against
the Chargers. From that point on, it was Taylor’s team. The head coach had no
choice. And had he not pulled Peterman at the half against Los Angeles, he may
have been left in California himself.What did Taylor do? The quarterback who
wasn’t the right guy to help the team win now to sustain future success? He took
his team to the playoffs. Yes. The AFC is the NFL’s version of the NBA’s Eastern
Conference.Still, the Bills won. And McDermott was a hero. Nevermind the fact he
made decisions based off the type of quarterback he wanted, and not the best guy
for the job.So, after this success, how did the coach and general manager
Brandon Beane decide to build upon it? They traded it. To
Cleveland.Ok
Womens Chris Godwin Jersey , not all was lost. The team could re-tool with a handful of draft picks within the first two days, right? Nope. Instead, they
traded them all for two picks: Josh Allen and linebacker Tremaine
Edmunds.Edmunds is a solid linebacker prospect who could develop into a Pro Bowl
caliber player. Allen was incredibly inaccurate in college going against bad
defenses in a weak conference.I like Allen. Just not as a starter in Week 2 of
his rookie season. Or as the result of multiple trades in which a handful of
picks was converted into him on a team which just traded the only quarterback to
take them to the playoffs since Jim Kelly.This team is going nowhere, fast.
Despite the fact it had a roster capable of challenging for a playoff spot less
than ten months ago. Now, all of the sudden, rebuild is the theme. One year ago,
it was not.In July of 2017, following McDermott’s hiring, Matthew Fairburn of
NYup.com posted an article surrounding the coach’s opening statements to the
media after being hired. They were disturbing.The coach spoke about the
importance of leadership, and gave no hints as to how he would lead the team.
Then, Fairburn mentioned how McDermott was busy bringing in guys who fit what he
wanted.Leadership, ladies and gentlemen is skill, not a chart. Everyone can be
great if given the exact people who fit your mold. Sean McDermott didn’t think
Tyrod Taylor fit his mold as a quarterback. Apparently, winning and keeping the
ball wasn’t enough. Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman fit his mold. And it’s led
the team to an 0-2 start, one touchdown pass, four interceptions, and being
outscored 78-23.It’s ok though, because as McDermott says about building on top
of the winning the did in 2017,Last year, winning now would lead to sustained
success. This year, tearing it down and starting over will lead to sustained
success. Bills fans seem to be behind McDermott. Which is good. But honestly, I
think it’s more out of necessity than anything, because most teams who see their
playoff quarterback run out of town for a record setting turnover machine
wouldn’t be so supportive.The coach will get some time to prove this madness is
leading to something. Good luck to him, but from where I sit
Chris Godwin Jersey White , I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.FREE PLAY: A must-win for Pittsburgh in Week 3Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsAt one
point in the 2017 season the Pittsburgh Steelers lost four games in a row to the
Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. Some
questioned whether the team had enough in them to pull it together.This year,
it’s taken only two games to bring up the same questions. There are some
differences though.Last year, Le’Veon Bell wasn’t holding out during the losses
and teammates weren’t publicly speaking about how his actions are disrupting the
team. Antonio Brown didn’t suddenly disappear without a trace following the
first loss. Finally, the team didn’t lose - symbolically - to the Cleveland
Browns to start the season.In 2016, Ben Roethlisberger considered retirement. In
2017, his confidence was visibly shaken after a five interception performance
against the Jaguars, the same team which knocked Pittsburgh out of last year’s
playoffs.Thus far in 2018, he looks inaccurate, unfocused, and has connected
with star receiver Antonio Brown just over half as many times as he’s targeted
him. (18/33)Following his absence from the team, and subsequent return, Brown
had this to say according to NFL.com’s Herbie Teope,He continued by saying,While
the words carry meaning and AB is one of my favorite receivers, hes’ not at work
everyday. Because he missed Tuesday. And all it’s done is add to the storm
clouds sitting over the Steelers right now.Which is why winning this Monday
Night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is absolutely the top priority. And not
in the normal way where every team goes in planning to win. No, this team HAS to
win. Or they may very well implode and leave a large black and yellow crater in
the middle of Pittsburgh when they do.Every loss only hardens Bell’s holdout.
Every missed pass from Roethlisberger feeds Brown’s frustrations. We’ve seen
fighting from the team against Cleveland and fighting among each other against
Kansas City. The star receiver has run away - even if he did come back - and the
star quarterback has doubted himself or thought about walking away all together
twice in the last two years.Most of these battles seem to be internal, but if
the Steelers lose to the Buccaneers, we may not see any more fight out of this
team at all.
