Uninspired, unimpressed, unamused Well Bucs fans, welcome back to the retro Bucs, circa 1980-90’s. Only thing that’s different here is that the uniforms aren’t a lovely popsicle orange. In keeping with the retro feel you should all find a nice large paper bag under your seat in the small box marked “Emergency kit box”, you’ll also find a copy of the Superbowl season DVD and a bobble head F.U.A.T. Old hands should know what to do with the bag, those newer to our cause, well, cut to holes for your eyes and then wear it. So who, I hear you ask, am I? My name is Yucko Buco, and I’ve not shown my ugly bagged face since Coach Dungy’s first season. I’ve lived through some rather gloriously woeful seasons and seen some pretty fruitless coaches come and go. For a long time I was run out of town, but, last season I made a quiet return. Uninspired All season long there has been evidence that inspiration has locked up shop and deserted the Tampa region. It all came to a head when Simeon Rice, after a particularly inept last minute loss, blasted Coach Gruden about his lack of motivation. Well, motivation comes in two forms, and if the players can’t motivate themselves to perform then perhaps they should be looking for a new job. At the end of the day, whether or not Coach G has motivated his troops he’s not the one actually playing. Does he fumble the ball, throw the interception, drop the catch or miss the tackle? No, of course he isn’t. Yes there is a motivational problem in Tampa, but it doesn’t squarely lie at Coach G’s door. There are other culprits here. The finger pointing should only start when each and every member of the Bucs organisation has a good, long, hard look at themselves. And that starts from the very top. Leadership begets motivation. Unimpressed Where Coach G does come in for some criticism is his dubious choice of trying the quick fix routine. A lot of fans were not impressed with the off season signings and departures. John Lynch went to Denver and with it went a good proportion of the Bucs leadership. Yes Lynch was not at his prime anymore, but if anything his attitude and ability to motivate would have been a good rock to stand upon. Others left too, Warren Sapp to Oakland, Keenan McCardell to San Diego after a protracted greed induced holdout, Meshawn Johnson to Dallas. In some cases it was the right thing to do, Keyshawn had made no bones about the fact he wanted to go and so he was rightly traded, Warren Sapp is past his prime and his play in Oakland this year is a testimony to that. In other cases it wasn’t necessarily the why but the how. The John Lynch and Rich McKay debacle rests squarely with the higher echelon of management. And there is one word for it. Crass. In short order the Bucs have gone from being a premier run organisation to a two bit penny and dime one. It has left many Bucs fans scratching their heads, how has a successful team suddenly gone downhill so quickly? Unamused For that you need to look to the top of the heap. Malcolm Glazer. For a good proportion of this season the Glazers have been concentrating on football, but of the wrong variety and in the wrong time zone. Instead of addressing the woes that his Bucs had found themselves in, he has concentrated in antagonising a good proportion of the Manchester population. Wake up and smell the coffee Mr Glazer. Manchester United, its Manager and its fans don’t want you, and if the debacle of what has happened to your other sports franchise is anything to go by they are completely correct. Get your house in order in Tampa first. The fans in Tampa and the rest of the world are not amused. At all. Nick Mort January 2005