Orange&Blue Skins Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Bandit Shirts and Gator Chomps BanditBall Returning With Spurrier MARTIN FENNELLY Published: Aug 21, 2002 ``Do they have some excitement for that game down there?'' The man on the other end of the phone Tuesday was gleeful. Steve Spurrier's joy was as wide open as his offense. Make no mistake. There is nothing preseason about Saturday night. Spurrier has spoken to Tim Ruskell, Buccaneers director of player personnel. Ruskell was scouting director when Spurrier coached the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Old times. ``Timmy told me they could sell 80,000 tickets,'' Spurrier said. After 17 years, Steve Spurrier returns to Tampa Bay with a football team. He is coming with his Washington Redskins and he is coming all the way. The curtain will rise. Count on it. Spurrier never made it to Tampa with his Gators. But here he is, an NFL coach, facing the team he once longed to run, matching offenses with Jon Gruden, the man, the offense, the alarm clock. Gentlemen, start your playbooks. Spurrier's last game here was June 15, 1985, a victory at Tampa Stadium against the Birmingham Stallions. Bandits days. Happy days. What a circus. What's changed? ``We'll come down there and pitch it around the field some,'' Spurrier said. ``We'll see what happens. Could be some fun.'' Sending A Message To NFL He's making $5 million a year. He decided on a house in Virginia far from Washington, D.C. There is no Beltway noose around his neck. Friends insist he looks and feels as good as he has in years. There are no recruits, boosters, BCS computers, Docketts or Alabama violations to worry about. He leaves the schmoozing to Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and the defense to Marvin Lewis. He has ball plays. He has ideas. He is pitching it around. ``We haven't done much,'' Spurrier said. ``We've got a long way to go.'' Still, in Spurrier's first exhibition, in Osaka, Japan, he sent shock waves across the ocean to NFL Nation when he went for it on fourth-and-one late in the Redskins' blowout of the 49ers. Scored a touchdown, naturally. ``I guess we've been doing some things that haven't been done much before,'' Spurrier said. ``Guess not everyone's happy. ``... Oh, it's human nature. Something different comes along. We ran into that at Florida. Not everybody's going to love you.'' He can't quite convince himself that a love of winning doesn't matter in the preseason. So the Redskins are 3-0, having scored 38, 37 and 35 points. The buzz keeps buzz-sawing along. Spurrier's players already get the message: This stuff can work. His enemies refuse to believe it. The NFL old guard swelled with pride when the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers' defense snuffed Spurrier's first-team offense Sunday night. It was the first speed bump for Spurrier. Danny Wuerffel and the Redskins couldn't score before giving way to reserves who won it, 35-34. ``I don't think it's going to work in this league,'' Steelers safety Lee Flowers said of Spurrier's system. Spurrier pointed to mistakes and poor field position. ``We were starting way back, and we didn't do much with it,'' he said. As for the Steelers: ``They're bragging now about how they shut us down. But truth is, anybody could have shut us out.'' He thinks there are college coaches pulling for him. He thinks there are pro coaches who respect him. Gruden, for one. Spurrier respects Gruden, even if his visors are too small. He respects Gruden's offense. But ... ``They're a little different from us, really,'' Spurrier said. ``I'm not trying to be critical at all of what they do, but they're different. Maybe they haven't opened it up yet, but we generally try deeper routes.'' God, we miss him. Tampa Always On His Mind Friends will throw a party for Steve and Jerri Spurrier in Tampa. Some of them always assumed Tampa would be Spurrier's NFL destination. It had been on his mind for years. ``Every season in Gainesville, when I'd start thinking about the NFL, I always thought Tampa was the place I'd want to be.'' He has been up, down, all around with the Bucs. Hugh Culverhouse wouldn't give Spurrier the Bandit the job. Spurrier wouldn't take the job in 1996. Bill Parcells blocked him this last time around. Washington called. ``It worked out fine,'' Spurrier said. ``I told Jerri we'd spent 31 of the last 37 years in Florida. Maybe it's time to try a big city, big market, big media, see what we can do up there.'' Being Redskins head coach goes a long way in Washington's marble halls. But Spurrier isn't in to being an insider. He recalled one schmooze moment. He and his family were at dinner with Snyder when a familiar face appeared at the table. ``It was Bernie Shaw, the retired, semi-retired CNN guy,'' Spurrier said. ``He came over. He had some advice. He told me that I should be myself. I told him, `Bernie, don't worry. Being myself is all I know.' '' The man has no illusions. ``The jury's still out on us,'' Spurrier said. ``I mean that. The jury is still out.'' But lock up the jury Saturday night. This will be fun. Steve Spurrier will be back in Tampa, pulling strings even from the other sideline. Don't you get the feeling he wouldn't mind putting on a show against the Bucs? For old time's sake? ``I'm excited,'' Spurrier said. ``I hope to see some folks in Bandit hats and Bandit shirts. Hope to give them some BanditBall to talk about.'' Bernie, quit your worrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange&Blue Skins Posted August 21, 2002 Author Share Posted August 21, 2002 There is nothing preseason about Saturday night This will be fun:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Why do you have to post this crap..... It's only Wednesday and now I'm so pumped for the game I can't stand it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc n Gator Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 I was pretty dang "gleeful" when I read that article this AM:silly: I can not WAIT for Saturday night.....will be in section 214 row S seats 1 & 2....Skin visor in tact.....oh I only weigh 104 so I'll just take seat 2:laugh: HTTR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbgator Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 SOS will bring his Bandit Ball Plays with him too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Buc n, I'll be in 134 (across from you, two sections closer to midfield, below the entrances), M 20. Wearing a Darrell jersey (red). Phhhht. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc n Gator Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Originally posted by Larry Buc n, I'll be in 134 (across from you, two sections closer to midfield, below the entrances), M 20. Wearing a Darrell jersey (red). Phhhht. . . . Larry, don't tell anyone, but at the end of the first quarter I'll stand-up and wave at you and then you wave back:cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 The game is going to be really fun. I just know Marv is determined to make up for the defensive laspes of last week as well as lay a smackdown on them for dissing him during the coaching interview. B Johnson and Sacked Johnson I'd do alot of audibles to running plays if I were you. Then again with the rotation at WR the second half may get ugly again for opposing team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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