“Either everything goes downhill, or you find a way to make things right” – JoeBucsFan.com

Some NFL players know all about losing and what forms it can take.

The Bucs have a few guys on the roster who played through The Lost Decade. Whether they want to admit it or not, bad teams often go in the wrong direction late in the season. Bucco Bruce Arians was open about it.

Another guy who speaks freely about the phenomenon of a collapsing team is Bucs receiver Sterling Shepard. He arrived this year after eight years with the struggling Giants.

Shepard reiterated yesterday how much he appreciates the Bucs’ culture. Shepard loves the work ethic and consistent approach that doesn’t make players hang their heads.

He said the experience – the Giants’ experience – tells him the Bucs are on the right track to do strong.

“Unfortunately, I lost a lot of games against New York,” Shepard said with a smile. “But you know, I saw things going in one or two directions; Either everyone goes downhill or you find a way to make things right. And with this team, that’s the mindset, that’s the mentality. “We’re going to get things going. We’ve just got to keep stacking the days and stacking the practices.”

Joe has no doubts about the Bucs’ drive and mentality. The mental toughness? That’s another story.

Fans will learn a lot about the Bucs in the final five games of the regular season. If they can’t play consistently good football now, against mostly weak opponents, why should we expect this to happen next year with the same leadership?