Geno Hayes Says Bucs Aren’t “A Soft Team”
October 20th, 2010
When the Bucs have the ball run down their throats for weeks in a row, and on the heels of many games in 2008 and 2009, it’s hard not to view the defense as soft.
Former Bucs offensive lineman Ian Beckles, co-host of The Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620, was flat out calling the Bucs defense “soft” following Sunday’s gashing at the hands of the Saints.
Beckles singled out Gerald McCoy as extra soft, and explained that the Bucs are running a defense that calls for undersized players, but when soft meets undersized that makes for the ugly results the Bucs are experiencing.
During the Buccaneers Radio Network Total Access show on Monday night, also on WDAE-AM 620, linebacker Geno Hayes, without being prodded, went out of his way to say the Bucs aren’t soft while explaining the problems with the run defense.
“It’s all about us killing ourselves,” Hayes said. “It wasn’t something that [the Saints] were doing, you know, really just going down our throats and forcing like was were just a soft team. It wasn’t that. It was really us being out there and not making the tackles that needed to be made and not being in the gaps sometimes. And just really getting a little lost in the adjustments as far as making checks and things. But other than that, it wasn’t anything they did that was real big.”
Now Joe’s not sure how “soft” is defined. But surely the Bucs aren’t the opposite of soft.
If Hayes is correct (and Joe hopes he is), and the Bucs were merely lost and clueless at times and not soft, then that means the run defense should be fixable quickly. That would be a good thing and something fans should look for on Sunday against the Rams.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Well, Steve White basically said the exact same thing. Ian is just trying to get ratings.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:13 am
White said the same thing Geno is saying, is what I meant…
October 20th, 2010 at 10:17 am
When Ruud got his face stepped on by a 4th string running back; that seemed pretty soft to me. You could almost hear him laughing as he trucked for about 20 yards.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Alot of the front seven might just be inexperienced and confused, but Ruud is soft and Geno is too small, and that has alot to do with why our run defense sucks.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Oh and hands on hips while sucking wind; heads down with a defeated look (tail between legs) in the first quarter!! Maybe soft is too strong to describe the D, but not on this day. They gave up before the game even got going! Complete Mental breakdown!
October 20th, 2010 at 10:23 am
They are not a soft team! they just have some soft players.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:25 am
When a soft player is team captain; it spells doom for the entire ship!!!
October 20th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Barber is only a 180 (at the most) and he has more balls then most of these guys. Very tough scrappy dude!!
October 20th, 2010 at 10:28 am
“SOFT”…… That last game made the defense look more clueless than it did soft!……. Completely Clueless!
October 20th, 2010 at 10:34 am
I got an idea, force the other team to wear their dark home jerseys in the hot florida sun that will surely soften the other team up, wait what’s that you say that never works and it makes it look like the away team is playing a home game in our stadium, wow I guess you are right. In all seriousness can we stop wearing white at home. It’s a stupid trick that never works, lets play our home games in red lets have some pride!
October 20th, 2010 at 10:45 am
I watched the game again last night (don’t know why I subjected myself to that, but…) because I wanted to see the plays Steve White broke down. Of course, I got to see the whole game in the process and found it really interesting that while the Saints were drive blocking for runs, they’d double up a DT to the 2nd level, then peel off an take on our LBs every time. The Saints RBs were not getting touched until the were at or beyond the line of scrimmage. One play the FB couldn’t even find someone to block until he had gone 2 yards downfield. That’s how well they were blocking. Admittedly, our guys were not getting off those blocks to make the tackles. GMC reached an arm out on one where he was close, but couldn’t wrap him up.
Meanwhile, when we were on offense, very rarely were the blocks at or beyond the LOS. Usually our line was in our own backfield. Our RBs were having to avoid tacklers a yard or two deep, resulting in plays for a loss, no gain, or only 1 or 2 yards. The few times we did break a decent run (Huggins had a nice run, Caddy had an 8 or 9 yard run, etc), the line held at the LOS and even got to the 2nd level to block LBs.
This is the 3rd week in a row I’ve seen our O-line being “handled” by the defense, getting pushed back and making it impossible to run the ball. On the other side, it very much looks like the guys are in the right gaps, just not getting off of blocks or missing tackles.
To me, this says it’s not the RBs in the run game, it’s the line (Joseph got burned against the Saints in the run and pass blocking). It also says the guys are where they’re supposed to be on defense, but they’re young and still learning how to shed NFL level blockers to make a tackle. Some of the longer runs, the LBs came up to fill the gaps at the line, but the blocking was SO good by the Saints, when the RB made it past the line, he was free into the secondary. There was good hustle though, I saw Price make a tackle 15 yards downfield, and Stylez hustling downfield after getting blocked out as well on another play.
October 20th, 2010 at 11:05 am
No, the Bucs are soft. When you’re last in the league in run defense, you’re soft. It doesn’t matter WHY it’s happening. Stop talking about what the problem is and fix it. Show some progress. Jeez!
October 20th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Joe I have searched Websters anf fournd the definition of soft—
“A player who plays middle lineback and refuses to step up into the gap or make any kind of play behind the line of scrimmage. Usually seen running defenders down from behind.”
Next to the defnitiion I was surprised to see a picture of Barrett Rhud!!!!!
October 20th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Speaking of soft why did we never let Jermiah Trotter hit the field? Maybe he was washed up but Barrett Rhud must go! Take your contract Barret and run some money down from behind.
October 20th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I really think you will see Quincy Black as our Mike next year. He played that spot in college and the hype out of One Buc this summer was how well he understands the defense and the game. He is fast and physical. Rah is always trying to get him on the field with that crappy 3-3-5. Make him the mlb and you can have him on the field all time…Maybe Dekoda Watson as the SAM?
October 20th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Raheem Morris is terrible.
October 20th, 2010 at 11:34 am
What a gap?
October 20th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Hey Joe if Sabby is a ‘goat’ then what’s that make Barrett Ruud?
How about the Pillsbury Doughboy? or Mr. Softy?
October 20th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
You just KNOW that this defense will see plenty of Steven Jackson this next game after that last game…..
October 20th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
And probably Kenneth Darby who was once a Bucs!
October 20th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Derrick Ward is averaging 7.94 yards a carry and 3 touchdowns with the Houston Texans.
And when Ruud goes, he’ll most likely get 100+ tackles on a defense that will be ranked better than the Bucs against the rush.
And you guys will have yet another scapegoat in the making by that time.
It’s the coaching dummies.
October 20th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
“And probably Kenneth Darby who was once a Bucs!”
Man I know. I just saw how he has a better average than Carnel.
What would you say if Kenneth Darby runs for 75 yds as the backup HB???
October 20th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I still recall someone mentioning how John Stinchcomb was successfully blocking two Buc defenders at a time.
October 20th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
LOL, a rookie running back named Ivory ran all over Tampa last week. Imagine what Steven Jackson is going to do Sunday ?
October 20th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Who is Steven Jackson?
October 20th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Buc you,
Yeah with runs-after-the-catch like this, Darby will light us up! LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uy5uOjzFks
October 20th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
These things just aren’t “fixable” in one week of practice. Whenever you hear a coach/player say they need to look at film and make “adjustments”, just know there’s no adjustment coming.
Two years ago we kept hearing about adjustments to the run defense during the final games. Adjustments never came. Last year we kept hearing about adjustments to the pass defense. Adjustments never came. Only a complete scheme change back to Tampa 2 made a difference, but that’s a whole lot more then an adjustment.
The Tampa 2 depends on quick LBs, quick means small, small turns to soft when teams dedicate to the rush. Even during SB run, between the tackle backs like Duece and Bettis ran over the Bucs.
October 20th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I guess I’m not in Oklahoma anymore!
October 20th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Does no one here really listen. Our base defense this year is a 3-3-5. You don’t get sacks from a 3-3-5, you don’t stop the run effectively. It is built to either take away the pass, are get turnovers. Raheem knows our young tackles will struggle. He actually pulls Hayes in coverage also. He is confident our secondary can shut down the other team, and get turnovers when they get impatient. He gives up the run. Most teams lack the patience to drive 14 plays to score. They will get penalties, fumble. Somehow fall apart. It’s making other teams play to our strenght, and it’s pretty smart. Even after saying we are running a 3-3-5, I can’t believe how many people still have no clue what that means! Or are still blaming players for not stopping the run, or getting sacks! It again proves that most people on the radio or posting really have no clue . Absolutely none!
October 20th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Ahh, people! As Raheem and others have said, we aren’t running the Tampa 2. That is a 4-3-4 defense. Really, we are playing a 3-2-6 defense, with 6 DB’s and 2 linebackers. Easy to run against, hard to throw at.
October 20th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Wow, we have a new defensive style………….one that cannot stop the run or rush the passer.
Awesome!
October 20th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Hey Buc You…Come clean, you are Rahdom right?
October 20th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Capt Tina says weren’t running a 3-2-6 or a 3-3-5?
Methinks Tina is drinking too much Morris-Ade AGAIN.
Yeah that’s a great defensive plan let another team run the ball up and down the field at will but we’ll stop their passing game!
Really then praytell how did Brees get those balls to his receivers last Sunday.
DOLT!!!!!
October 20th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Tina darling wrote, ‘Even after saying we are running a 3-3-5, I can’t believe how many people still have no clue what that means! Or are still blaming players for not stopping the run, or getting sacks!’
I can’t believe Tina even understands what she writes at time. So who SHOULD we blame, if not the players, for stopping the run or getting sacks?
Capt Tina are you saying we should blame the defensive Co-ordinator instead?????
October 20th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
When looking at Raheem’s defensive unit the word “soft” does not come to mind. The proper word would be “liquid”. Sort of like Tugboat Timmie’s brain!
I think Raheem missed Tugboat Timmies part about “stop the TD passes”. Don’t worry though, Timmie. You probably know more about defense than that amateur does. That should stroke your Ego. Lol