FLOWERY BRANCH – Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith has the Bucs off to a 1-7 start in his first season with the franchise.
The Bucs have had some wild mood swings this season.
They were routed by the Falcons 56-14 on Sept. 18 and they then went out and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since, they've dropped four straight games.
Here’s what Smith had to say on a conference call with the Atlanta media on Wednesday:
Q: How will it be to have defensive tackle Gerald McCoy on the field against the Falcons for this game (He was out with a broken hand for the first meeting)?
A: That will help us a lot. We are a lot better football team (with McCoy). Any team would be a lot better with Gerald McCoy. He's the face of the franchise, a Pro Bowl player, a great player and a great leader. It's going to help us an awful lot. In order for us to make a run, we need Gerald out on the field and playing at his best.
Q: Your thoughts on your running game and how does Bobby Rainey fit into your plans?
A: Bobby did a good job for us last week. He's filled in well for Doug Martin while Doug has been down. We've kind of done it by committee a little bit. Mike James has played. I mentioned Doug Martin. Hopefully, Doug will be ready to go this week. We also have Charles Sims, so we have a few options. We definitely need to get that running game going.
Q: Are you close to a decision on the starting quarterback for this game?
A: We are pretty close. Yes, we are.
Q: Can you confirm the report that Josh McCown is the starter?
A: This is the case. Josh McCown will be our starting quarterback this week.
Q: How can you achieve continuity in the passing game by switching quarterbacks?
A: I think whenever you make a change at any position it has an impact. But you hope the impact won't be that much. That's just a part of it. Each week, very few teams have the same rotation each week. I know that the quarterback position is really important. . . .I just look at it as being able to get the best available guy in there and feel good about him being able to lead our team. That's where we are right now. Josh was our starter before he went down with an injury. He's healthy now. Mike (Glennon) did a great job when he was playing. We are just moving in that direction.
Q: How is the morale after a couple of tough losses over the past two weeks?
A: We are 1-7. So, most teams that are 1-7,there are not a lot of parties being thrown or anything. At the same time, we just have to look at how we've been playing. We've lost a couple of games in overtime. We've been very competitive most of the time. Which is a good sign considering what happened the last time that we played the Falcons. So, morale is pretty good. When you get a chance to get back in your division and play someone for the second time, you're excited about that. There will be a lot of excitement and a lot of juice at practice today.
Q: Do you expect your team to remember that the Falcons put up 56 points on them?
A: We definitely remember that. You don't forget games like that. It goes without saying. We remember what happened the first time around. We hope to be more competitive this time around.
Q: Was there any adjustment for you returning to coaching this season?
A: It's like getting back up on the bike again. You start a new season every year and so for me it came back to me fairly quick. It has been a whole lot of fun. ... you like being a part of changing the culture, but we're not there yet. In time we will get there.
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