Poor Play Selection On Fourth Down Late
November 7th, 2010
Josh Freeman should have plunged up the middle on the critical fourth-and-inches call the Bucs failed to convert late.
OK, it’s fourth down. Inches to go on the Dixie Chicks-2. Late in the game. A first down sets up first-and-goal inside the one. A good push and the Bucs tie the game up and maybe take the lead, pending the extra point.
There are all sorts of plays to call there. Part of the reason Arrelious Benn was drafted was his physical ability to fight defenders in the end zone. Mike Williams has already made great catches in traffic in short distances. Kellen Winslow has done the same thing.
The Bucs have a huge quarterback who is the size of an offensive lineman. Already earlier in the game he was used on just such a play.
Of all things that could have been called. A draw play, a pass play, a quarterback draw, a roll out… Greg Olson calls, no, wait… a ca… ca… ca…. counter.
A counter???
With all the weapons to use, with all the plays to call, a counter is called? Really? Joe can understand Blount up the middle, but a counter?
Run your quarterback up Jeremy Zuttah’s arse! Freeman’s a monster, let him go for it.
Yeah, Joe understands this is nitpicking. But Joe heard all about Williams and Benn since the day they were drafted in large part because of their ability to battle defenders in the end zone in the red zone. Joe has seen Winslow pull off these plays. Joe has watched Freeman pick up short yards when needed.
Use them!
And Olson calls a counter play???
November 7th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Should have not mattered. They got the first on third down. I dont believe a single close spot went the Bucs way that whole game. Hell I don’t recall them bringing out the sticks to measure any of the close spots. I dont recall ever seeing a game like that where the zebras didn’t measure anything.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
shoud have used the play action roll out from the Rams games
November 7th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I agree, but Morris has to throw the red flag on that 3rd down. He used a timeout anyway. Morris has to take the blame for this one.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Yeah the fix was in a 9 point dog and The Buccaneers still covered without the help of the zebras this would be a sure win. You have to have time outs to ask for a measurement. When these guys get more playing time together they’re going to be dangerous.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Think it loses fault all game they were almost at 0 on the playcock
November 7th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
i agree w/gitlvr why didn’t they measure that, @ that point in the game,you have to measure!
November 7th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
i agree wit you joe run freeman on a sneak you are more likely to get spot on that call. i dont understand how on third down no measure and then on fourth same thing. looked liked blount got first down on 3rd down rush. oh well move on and take it we will see dixie chicks again.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
The media can’t have it both ways.
We took the falcons down the wire. So…
Either the Bucs are better than everyone gave them credit for…OR the Falcons aren’t that great.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
@tj Tom Brady brings the clock to zero Peyton Manning brings the clock to zero whats your point. This is a young team playing a ton of third string players who have no gametime snaps and came within inches of beating Atlanta 2day This team showed a ton of promise 2day on both sides of the ball.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
True at leroy but if we would have hurried and got to the line then we would have had a challange. ALso my point is I was holding my breathe every play cause it was almost a zero as matter of fact on the 1 yard line we did get a penalty. We need to get the plays in quciker
November 7th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
How many timeout this year have we burned instead of having them at the end of the game. Manning and Brady rarely get delay of games
November 7th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
I don’t know if it was really that bad of a call. Ok, it didn’t work, that’s bad. But if you look at the earlier 4th and inches that Freeman ran the QB sneak, he barely made that. The Falcons were keying on which direction Freeman turned and crashing that side. A counter can get them to crash the wrong way and open the back side. Unfortunately, they had good contain by a DB on the backside. I’ll take that matchup 9 times out of 10. Blount vs a DB???? Yeah, that should be a TD. It wasn’t a bad call, just a call that didn’t work.
November 7th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
tj… Manning runs no huddle 90% of the game. They get to the ball when it’s spotted, he calls out the play, and they can snap it anytime. They just usually wait til the play clock gets inside of 5. As for Brady, I’ve seen him call timeout to avoid delay penalties plenty of times. Usually it’s not something that hurts them, when they don’t need the timeouts because they’re winning.
I think a lot of it today had to do with the crowd noise in the dome. Freeman could barely hear Olsen, even covering the ear holes on his helmet. Too bad we can’t get that kind of crowd noise at RayJay to affect opponents.
November 7th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
I don’t agree with you Joe…I just heard Blount say they called a dive and he tried to bounce it out because there was no hole.
The play call was fine. I think it was actually Blounts fault and a good play by the Falcons. He probably would have scored if he hit the hole harder and didn’t shuffle to the side looking for a better route.
This team makes it’s mistakes but is always entertaining.
November 7th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Hind sight’s always 20/20. The one thing I didn’t agree with on the call was the fake to Roy Miller of all people.
November 7th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
First off its not their fault with the timeout. They had a problem with the headset communication between Olson and Freeman. Otherwise that whole debacle doesn’t happen. It was just bad luck. And there was nothing wrong with the call. Legarrette Blount is going to get that first 8 times out of ten. No reason to second guess that call. If they call a sneak and it doesn’t work people would whine “why didn’t they just line blount up behind Lorig and pound it in there”. Nothing wrong with the call. Blount versus a DB and the DB made a good tackle. You cant win them all but Blount will win most of those short yardage encounters.
November 7th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Did anyone notice that the refs screwed up the spot of the foul on the Benn interference call?
Ball should’ve been placed on the 6 or 7 yard line… 1st and GOAL.
Not blaming the loss on the refs, but they sure did flub some things today. Especially spots…
November 7th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Several issues there:
1. Ra and Olsen needed to get the play in timely fashion so a TO was not burned.
2. They should have DEMANDED a measurement be taken on 3rd and 4th down.
3. They should have challenged the 3rd down ball spot.
4. JOE hit it on the head. You got a BIG group in… don’t counter and let the defense react quicker: go right at them. IF Blount follow the lead block he could have leaped right into the end zone.
Oh well, it was a good showing against an elite team. I remain impressed by the young guys on this team. They will get better and better.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
I agree it was a not the right call. I thought QB sneak for sure. They only needed one foot to go. Blount could could have put forth a better effort. He makes good plays at times but I’m not sold on Blount and fumbled the ball on the last play, but being 4’th down didn’t much matter.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Greg Olsen should have called a play. That spread the Atlanta defense.
Freeman in shotgun, receivers on both sides of the line and Caddy in the backfield. Freeman could have rolled to his right and either flipped to Caddy, ran it in himself , if open or pass it. The Bucs offense is really effective when Freeman runs. The D has to respect it.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
If the play worked, Olsen would have been a genius. We had our big package in, to send a message that we will run the ball down your throats. It just wasn’t Tampa’s day.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
I hated the call no matter if it was supposed to go outside or inside or sideways. Freeman should QB sneaked plain and simple. It was inches to go and he probably picks it up easily. There has to be blame on Olson, Rah or Freeman on the time management issue. Headset issue-give me a freakin break. People have hands. They can certainly use them to relay a play in. That’s a joke that people are letting them Olson/Rah off the hook because of that. The Bucs should have taken the lead there. But I didn’t have a lot of confidence in the Bucs D to stop the Falcons, so we will never know.
November 8th, 2010 at 1:19 am
QB sneak, A FREAKIN NO BRAINER, with our QB, he’s NEVER been stopped in this situation. Imo, the play, or non-play, that lost the game. WTF is this guy Olsen thinking.
November 8th, 2010 at 2:21 am
Wow. I love how every play that fails is second guessed to high hell. If that DB makes a Barrett Ruud like tackle on the play Blount drags him for the first and no one says a single word about it not being the right play. 90% of the time that play will get the Bucs 1 foot and a first down. There is no guaranteed to work play in that situation or any other.