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Mac & Bone Show - Ira Kaufman Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And when we got to get Bucs information, we go
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: to the man that's going to shoot us straight bone.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: He's not going to sugarcoat it. He is Ira Kaufman,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: legendary NFL writer, writes for JoeBucsFan.com there in Tampa. And
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: he joins us to talk Bucs here on the Mac
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: and Bone Show. Ira, how you been, man? What's going on?
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Gentlemen, it's 55 degrees here in Florida. There's panic in
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: the streets. We don't know how to handle it. Are
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: you guys going to be nice to a wounded animal
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: that's coming into Charlotte?
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Man, I hope no.
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: We may serve it some barbecue along the way.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: I hope not. My goodness.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Not only are they 1-5, guys, in the NFC South
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: basement looking up at the Panthers, but this is a
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: pattern that goes back to the middle of last season.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: for whatever reason, nobody can figure it out. Something must've
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: happened during the bi-week last year. They were six and two.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Then they went two and seven. They didn't make the playoffs.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Now they're one in five. That's three and 12 gentlemen. Um,
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: there's no team in the league. That's worse over 15
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: games than the bucks right now. So it's all unraveling.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: The fans are screaming for the coach's head. Um, I
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: think Mayfield's going to play him, put it about an 85%
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: chance you're going to see Mayfield. Heck, he wanted to
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: play last week against Pittsburgh. But I think two franchises
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: going in the opposite direction are meeting on Sunday.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: Ira, how close do you think it is for the Bulls, Aaron,
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: and would a loss to the Panthers do it, or
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: is there a little bit more time to go for
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: them since Baker did get hurt?
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: No, I think it would be over by maybe, you know,
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: 4-15 on Sunday. I mean, let's be realistic. They're not
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: going to make a change in the middle of the season.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: The owners have never done that. They fired a lot
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: of coaches, but they've always let the guy play out
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: the strength. So I expect that to happen. But essentially,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: the Bucs season could end Sunday. Maybe four games back
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: in the lost column of the Panthers, and the odds
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: are they wouldn't make it as a wild card at 1-6.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: So that would be it. Not a lot's going right
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: for the Bucs. They're in close games, but they don't
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: know how to finish. They had a 10-point lead against
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: the Browns at home. They lost. They had a 13-point
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: lead in the fourth quarter last week at home. Pittsburgh,
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: they lost. They lost four straight home games, guys. I mean,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: teams don't do that. So they're only wins on the
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: road on a Thursday night against Dallas. You know, they
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: played a really good game. I'm a little surprised the
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Panthers are only three-point favorites. I don't know how you
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: guys look at it.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we were talking about that earlier. They got the
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: home advantage with the three there. But, yeah, it seems
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: like it should be higher than that.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: No doubt. I think so. I mean, Canales is doing
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: a good job. They seem to be a team on
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: the rise. defending division champs. They played well in the
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: playoff game. Things are going well. I think the best
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: thing they ever did was bench Bryce Young. And at
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: the time, it was a tough call. You don't know
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: how a young guy is going to respond to that.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: They could be disillusioned. You might lose the guy. But
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: it hasn't happened with Bryce Young. He plays better and better. And,
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: you know, they've got a great young receiver. And the Bucs...
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: They have not done a good job replacing Mike Evans.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: I mean, Mike Evans is in San Francisco. He's doing well.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: And whether it's his experience or his know-how or his
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: rapport with Mayfield, they haven't replaced him. Ed Buka, who
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: had a good rookie season last year, not quite as
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: good as McMillan, but really good, close to 1,000 yards.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: He hasn't done much. Chris Godwin looked great in training camp.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: Everybody roots for the guy to come back. He's had
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: two terrible injuries. He's healthy, but he's not doing much.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: So the Buck offense, if Bucky Irving, who I think
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: is the catalyst for the Bucks, he ran wild in Dallas.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: That's why the Bucks looked really good in Dallas. And
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: he disappeared last week. So I think that's the key
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: matchup for the Panthers on Sunday. putting the clamps on
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Bucky Irving, who's very shifty.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: Ira, a texter wants to know, what part of Florida
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: are you from? You don't have a southern accent like
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: a lot of Floridians do. I've heard that accent in
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: Florida a lot. I used to live in Fort Lauderdale, Ira.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: I tell people I'm from Nebraska, but it doesn't work.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Good old Brooklyn, New York, my friend.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: There you go, baby.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: New York.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: There you go. You are not alone. You are not
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: alone down there in the state of Florida. Ira Kaufman
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: is with us, JoeBucksFan.com, telling us essentially how bad it
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: is in Tampa right now. I still have this, though,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: respect for Baker. Like I said, he's 6-1 against the Panthers.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Lord knows he had a miserable time here, so he
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: seems to enjoy if he can beat the Panthers. Do
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: you not feel like... desperate team, Baker Mayfield will kind
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: of reinvigorate them with energy. Could you not see a
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: scenario where that happens and they play spirited on Sunday?
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: I understand your point. Well taken. Certainly, Mayfield's always got
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: a chip on his shoulder. Always. A perceived slight uses
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: it to his advantage. However, the facts remain that since
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: the middle of last season, which was the collapse, the
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: 2-7 finish, and the first three games this year that
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Mayfield played, so that's 12 games. He hasn't played well. Now,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: when the bye week hit last week, yeah, they were 6-2,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Mayfield was an MVP candidate and a real one. He
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: was playing that well. He was pulling games out in
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: the last minute. You know, two, three of those wins
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: came in the last minute. He was playing great. And
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: then something happened. When they needed him the most down
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: the stretch, he didn't step up. He didn't. They did
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: beat Carolina, right, in the final game. They thought they
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: might get into the playoffs, but it didn't happen because
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: they needed help. They needed help. And the Panthers ended
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: up getting in. Mayfield has not played well since the
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: middle of last season. So now he's got the big contract.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: They're calling him the $ 55 million man here in Tampa.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: And a lot of Buck fans are thinking that the
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Bucks were premature in giving him that contract. Maybe let
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: him play out the year and see what kind of
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: season the Bucks have. Now they're stuck with him. And,
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: you know, next year there's a lot of– there's some
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: good quarterbacks in the draft next year, and the Bucks,
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: you know, are kind of tied in with Mayfield. So
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: it's a tough situation. He needs a good finish, Mayfield.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Maybe he can start Sunday in Charlotte. But a lot
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: of things have to go right, I think, for the
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: Bucs to win this game.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: One quarterback that is playing well right now, it's kind
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: of turned over the last year of where Baker was
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: and where Bryce Young is and now where Bryce Young
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: is in his development, Ira. What do you think of
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: Bryce right now and the fact that he's even involved
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: in MVP discussions?
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: I think he's a young quarterback on the rise. There's
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: no other way to look at it. He's making good decisions.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: He's not turning the ball over. You know, look at Mayfield. Now,
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: the first game this year, they're on the road in Cincinnati.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: He loses three fumbles. Mayfield, three.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: Lost.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: Not fumbles. Lost fumbles. And you can't win a game
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: like that on the road. And they didn't. You know,
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: they were competitive, but they didn't. And, you know, and
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: then they played teams like Minnesota, Green Bay. pittsburgh last
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: week by the way guys by the way and i
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: know it doesn't come across on video but i was
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: there and i don't think i i've been doing this
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: a long time yeah i don't think i've ever seen
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: a team uh a visiting team take over a stadium
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: like like the steelers did on sunday now i know
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: pittsburgh fans travel we know.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: We know the feeling sadly yeah.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: It was kind of embarrassing um now florida's a funky
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: market you guys know that yeah um You know, the
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: Miami Marlins, they don't have much of a home field advantage.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: The Tampa Bay Rays don't when certain teams come into town.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: But the Steelers took over that stadium. And when Pittsburgh
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Rodgers was mounting that comeback in the fourth quarter, all
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: those terrible fouls were waving right in our faces.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Oh, God.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: I've been there before.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: Glad to hear it happens elsewhere.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that happens a little bit in Charlotte, especially
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: when the Panthers are not having a good season.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: I don't think it's not happening this week. It's not
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: happening this week, Guy. I have a feeling Buck fans
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: aren't going to invade Charlotte.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: We got taken over by Vikings fans one time. It
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: was unbelievable.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: And, you know, Canales is a guy that you've got
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: to root for because I got to know him a
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: little bit here in Tampa. He was only here a year. But, boy,
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: what a genuine guy. And the players respect him. They
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: play hard for him. He doesn't get too high or low.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: And in contrast, uh Bowles looks like he's uh you
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: know coaching uh for his last season here no doubt
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: no doubt he's now he's now under 500 five years
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: as Buck coach under 500 that doesn't look good you
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: know and winning a division at eight and nine which
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: the Panthers did last year that you know to me
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: that's not a great accomplishment it's not And I think
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: this year the difference is Carolina is going to have
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: a winning record.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: I feel like that, too. Although for us last year,
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: we definitely celebrated. It was a great accomplishment. But we
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: stunk for about a decade, Ira. You know what I mean?
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: All right, brother.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Well, hey, we appreciate you. You always shoot us straight.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: Although we did get one text here. 980 number says,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: Ira does this on your show every time. He bashes
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: the Bucs. He has me feeling so confident. And then
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Baker Mayfield kicks our rear end. He said he's rope-a-doping us.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: They think you're rope-a-doping us, Ira. Oh my God.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: Here's my response to, uh, here's my response to your test. Three,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: three and 12. It's three and 12. And so it
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: looks like they're in a death spiral. Uh, we'll, we'll
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: see what happens. Nobody thought they would win in Dallas
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: and they did. So, uh, it's all on the line
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: for the bucks on Sunday. Um, They've got to let
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: it all hang out. And this new offensive coordinator, Zach
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: Robinson from Atlanta, he's got to take everything he's got
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: in his toolbox and throw it out at the Panthers. Yeah,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: that's true. What he's doing right now is not working.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: That's true.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: All right, brother, always good to catch up with you, man.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: Thanks for the time.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: All right, guys, catch you later.