BigTexas18
Hall of Famer
1. You currently are 1 of 4 teams tied for the best record in the NFL at 7-1. The next team in your division is the Falcons at 6-4. How do you feel your team has done so far this year? Are they performing above or below expectations you had in preseason, or is it right where you thought you would be?
Record wise the team has performed exceptionally well. Our expectation since taking over in Tampa Bay has been playoffs so even with this record we know that until we're in the playoffs nothing has been accomplished. We make sure our whole organization, from the owner all the way down to the waterboy, goes into every week with the mindset that nothing is given to us in this league and we need to put the work in to get the win. Just last year in this division we saw the Falcons start 6-1 and then drop 6 straight games so we know what can happen if we start getting lazy and overlooking teams.
2. You have had some big hits on defense losing 2 key players. LOLB Daryl Smith is out for 7 more weeks with a broken collarbone, and Brent Grimes is lost for the year with a torn pectoral. Even with those injuries your defense is ranked 3 in the NFL. How have the guys asked to step up taken the pressure? With Grimes getting a huge injury at the age of 33, what do you feel his future is with this team or the NFL?
Grimes and Smith are both big blows to the defense but we've managed all season essentially without Grimes as he went down in week 1. Smith just went down last week and both games were against Atlanta which I think is saying something but 2 wins is probably saying more. Hargreaves III and Robinson have done a fine job at corner, they were the next guys up and they've certainly been big parts in our record. Right now Jeremiah George is probably getting the start for Smith this week and we've been spending extra time with him all season with the mindset that he might be our replacement next season but he'll have to step in ahead of schedule and see what he can do. As far as Grimes' future goes, he's still got another year on his contract and we have every intention of him being on the roster next year.
3. Anaylists expected Winston to have a bigger year so far. Currently, he has 1,352 yards with 7 TD and 6 INT. Many expected him to put up 25+ TD's. Is Winston struggling or is this offense more centered around the run? Martin is having a decent year with 713 yards and 7 TD's despite his 2 fumbles? Was the run something that was focused on coming into the season, or did it just happen as the games went on?
You could say this is a run heavy team. I'd be lying if I said that we came into the year expecting us to be this run heavy. Martin and Sims III are both huge parts to the offense and so far Winston just hasn't had to put up big numbers. We still have full confidence in Jameis and he's still fully capable of going off in the upcoming weeks.
4. You're only loss this year came to the 1-8 Raiders which was their only win. Your team was heavily favored in this game, but only managed to score 6 points. What was the downfall here? What do you think was the main contributing factor for the lack of offense in a unit that averages 20.8 points per game?
As cliche as it sounds, you gotta give a lot of credit to the Raiders defense. They came into that game ready and didn't let us do anything on offense. We probably overlooked them heading into the game that week and from that point on the mindset about how nothing is given to us, that I mentioned earlier, has been an even bigger emphasis in practice. When it comes down to it, they were ready and outplayed us. We need to make sure that doesn't happen ever again.
5. With a standout record, you know people are going to start talking playoffs. What team would you most want to face, or not face in the playoffs? Do you think your team has it in them to bring a championship to the bay? The fan base is really loving this run this year with the new owner at the helm.
Like I've mentioned, we know we haven't accomplished anything this year until we clinch that playoff spot. If this team get the job done and gets us there, I don't think we're afraid of anybody. This team believes that they can beat anyone as long as they put the work in and stay ready. Siege the day is what we've been saying and that's what we'll continue to do.
Anything else you would like to add?
No Comment at this time.
Well there you have it! An exclusive insider from the Buccaneers owner, Jeremy Dugan, aka JerseyBorn. I would like to thank Dugan for sitting in with us today, and look forward to seeing where you take this team! Be sure to keep up on the Bucs latest news and posts in the official Tampa Bay Buccaneers team page.
