Chicago Bears vs. Buccaneers Talking Smack with The Pewter Plank

Nov 16, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith looks on from the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Buccaneers won 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, cutting to the chase sounds good. I don’t know how to even smack talk about a 4-6 team vs. a 2-8 team. Let’s just say our teams both suck.

 I don’t think Bears fans wish they still had Lovie Smith coaching the Bears, but I am sure Bucs fans do. If there was one thing that I didn’t like about Lovie Smith, it was his inability to scout talent. Whenever he was involved with picking players, we got Shea McClellin, Major Wright or Daniel Manning. I thought Daniel Manning was an excellent return man, but he was only okay as a safety. Major Wright was major wrong, and Shea McClellin is proving to be a bust. Lovie loves the athletic players, the ones who outshine during combine drills, but they don’t usually pan out on the football field. How’s it working out in Tampa with Lovie picking the players?

"Honestly, it’s hard to say since Lovie is mostly working with the defensive players that Greg Schiano added to fit his scheme… whatever that was. Ugh. Let’s not talk about him. Anyway, prior to the trade deadline, the Buccaneers traded away their 2012 first-round pick Mark Barron because he was playing poorly as the starting strong safety in the Tampa 2 defense. And now, we have Major Wright replacing him. No coincidence, I guess. It also looks like Dashon Goldson is falling out of favor and second-year pro Bradley McDougald is getting more snaps. Lovie is already making changes as he sees fit, so hearing you say these things makes me a little concerned. However, as a Tony Dungy disciple, Smith will get a pass for now because all we want is someone to replicate Dungy’s success when he was at the helm. Is there anyone on the Bears who gets a pass for having an off, or maybe underwhelming, season so far? Please don’t say Jay Cutler, please don’t say Jay Cutler…"

Don’t worry, I’m not going to say Jay Cutler. He doesn’t get a pass. The only guy I am giving a pass to is Jared Allen. He battled sickness earlier in the year and if finally starting to look like himself again. Other than that, nobody has any excuses. Everyone is injured and almost the whole offense returned from last year. The funny thing is that Jay Cutler is having a monster year when it comes to his stats. The problem is that he still turns the ball over. Lovie Smith is probably banking on that for Sunday, figuring that Jay will throw a few to the Bucs defense. I expect it myself. Jay Cutler has been careless with the football this year, and last year, and the year before that. He is a gun slinger and he will always throw into double and triple coverage. It is who he is. What do you think about Josh McCown so far? I personally think that Mike Glennon should be playing. He is the future.

"You think Mike Glennon is the future quarterback of the Buccaneers? So does Lovie Smith. I don’t believe him nor do I think he is correct in that assessment. This upcoming draft could have Marcus Mariota and even, dare I say, Jameis Winston. As for Josh McCown, to take a page from Dennis Green’s book, he is who we thought he was! He received a pretty big paycheck (two years, $10 million) after his solid stint filling in for Cutler. Did I forget to sarcastically thank you (and the entire team) for driving up his price? In my opinion, McCown is a placeholder for whomever takes the reins as the team’s real franchise quarterback. Much like his situation with the Bears last season, McCown has the pieces to be reasonably success in a pinch. He’s proving that right now. Things at the quarterback position will most likely look different (and hopefully improve) next season. Where do the Bears need to improve going forward?"