Almost two decades of Buccaneers futility is a lesson in this truth. Change coaches and philosophies every two or three years and sign a flashy free agent to satisfy the fans. Grab the headlines and not the future. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
.” Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Unknown
It’s a wonderful feeling to know exactly how you want to get to where you are headed and it’s fantastic to have a vision for your path to success. Having that vision is an enormous part of the battle, but what happens when your plan doesn’t seem to be working?
Flexibility and creativity are necessary for any team to succeed, but change was actually the constant in Tampa. The Buccaneers kept setting a brand new plan and those plans always seemed to be yielding results that weren’t satisfactory. What were they to do? They were always confident in their current direction. Giving up a particular vision may be tough, but reassessing and looking honestly at the plan was necessary.
The Struggle
The struggle came with each new coach bringing in a different coaching philosophy. One year it was a 4-3 defense, and the next year came a variation of the Tampa 2. Jason Licht was drafting each season to satisfy a different philosophy. Two years later, a coach with a different philosophy was trying to coach players drafted to play a different style of game. Licht was in an essence of drafting for a schizophrenic coaching situation and the process was repeated over and over with consistent (and horrifying) results. Finally, the Buccaneers brought in a coaching staff that was going to coach to the players specific skill sets instead of trying to cram square pegs into round holes. The staff was not built only for today, but it was built for the future. Bruce Arians came with a whole new philosophy…stability.
Falling In Love
Have you ever known someone that fell in love and that relationship continues to be an absolute disaster? Finally, after far too many tragedies, fiascos, and heartaches, that relationship ends. Hallelujah! Then a year or two later, the two parties bump into each other at a coffee shop or party and they are convinced that this time will be different. How does that usually go? This is how it was with the Buccaneers for years. They would run into the idea of a coaching change, and fall in love with that idea and the relationship with coach changing was sparked anew.
It is admirable to be committed to a course of action, but sometimes a person should probably BE committed because they just won’t change course. It is the definition of insanity all over again. There is a verse in the bible that actually says “…as a dog returns to his vomit, so does a fool to his folly.”. Hey don’t blame me for the graphic visual. I didn’t write it.
The Wake-up Call
Learning from past mistakes is not a sign of weakness. Sometimes it is just time to change course. Sometimes spinning your wheels gets you nowhere and just creates a lot of very smelly smoke.
The Buccaneers changed course and they became committed to the players they drafted while bringing in free agents to enhance the drafted players. These weren’t just splash signings to sell tickets. Even Tom Brady is an example as he is expected to more effectively use the drafted offensive weapons. The Buccaneers are doing the right things for now. Eventually they WILL have to change course and the team will have to adapt.
The Welcomed Change
It took the Buccaneers a long time to face the truth to move into the future. Stability and commitment to their players is a welcome change and change was very very necessary.
That’s how I see it From the Cheap Seats.
