Bennett Follows Order — Like It Or Not
October 1st, 2012
“You run a blitz and it was just wide open,” defensive end Michael Bennett said of RG3’s run. “I knew myself. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I should run this play or not, but I did my job.’ I knew he was going to get outside. That’s what he does. The edge was too short. The whole defensive line slanted.” — Michael Bennett commenting on the defensive call when RGIII scrambled for 15 yards on the final drive yesterday, via the Tampa Bay Times.
The Bucs defense did not stand tall on the Redskins game-winning drive Sunday. Washington marched 56 yards in just six plays en route to the clinching field goal.
In the quote above, Michael Bennett appears to question the wisdom of the defensive playcall when Robert Griffin, III, put the Skins in field goal range with a 15-yard run with :38 seconds left.
Of course, players question coaching decisions all the time, but they rarely appear in the newspaper.
Given Gerald McCoy requesting defensive scheme changes before the Cowboys game, Joe wonders what the overal confidence level is on that side of the ball.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:00 am
It worked so well on Eli Manning and he has cement in his shoes.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:04 am
if it works why fix it….they kept them in check all 2nd half…wtf change it !! I think there is a learning curve for the coaching staff and they will get it together soon ..
October 1st, 2012 at 10:09 am
Actually, this is a good sign. It means Bennett’s instincts are developing. That’s all I read into it.
October 1st, 2012 at 11:19 am
It’s to early to read RGIII. Maybe he will Maybe he won’t. Same as it was with Freeman and Williams in 2010. Just because he did things one way in college does not mean he will do them all the time now. He has NFL coaches now.
October 1st, 2012 at 11:46 am
The whole d-line need to request scheme changes because it worked for Mccoy, didn’t he have 2 sacks that game?
October 1st, 2012 at 11:51 am
That Barber blitz on the play before was way worse than RG3’s scramble.Fred Davis catches a dump pass over the middle WIDE OPEN then rambles into FG range.
October 1st, 2012 at 11:56 am
They also had to be questioning it in the Giants game, when they knew Eli was picking up the blitz well. Geez, they picked Eli off when they faked the blitz and dropped into coverage. Which plan works better?
How do you not play some Tampa 2 zone, even sometimes? That’s the history of the Bucs. Tampa 2 zone would have won two more games this year. I hope Bennett and Ronde can do what Gmac did and meet with the HC and DC. These problems are fixable and there is time.
October 1st, 2012 at 12:09 pm
That whole last 1:30 looked like a Chinese fire drill. It looked like the coaches have been too busy coaching how to cause a fumble on a kneel down instead of what to do if we are actually ahead in the last two minutes. Piss poor coaching cost us that game for sure.
October 1st, 2012 at 12:45 pm
The game was lost in the first three quarters.
October 1st, 2012 at 12:46 pm
TBW…Joe
YOUR AUDIO ADS SUCk!!
October 1st, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Bottomlime, if Freeman was playing better we’d be winning. Sure the defense needs to play better, but they would have more rest if Freeman could stay on the field longer.
October 1st, 2012 at 1:21 pm
Why do we always go with people who have a damn learning curve. Tired of it.
October 1st, 2012 at 1:25 pm
It’s a brand new offense. Brand new defense. We’re 4 games into the season and we’ve lost 3 games by a combined total of 15 points. Last year we were losing by fifteen 5 minutes after kickoff. Things will get better and are already light years ahead of where we were last year. Of course there is a learning curve. Anytime you change an entire staff there is going to be growing pains.
October 1st, 2012 at 5:50 pm
@Bobby
Could not agree more, quit hitting the damn panick button. We have a rookie head coach, new systems all around, the learning curve is there, but it will disappear. If you are panicking, and looking for permission to drop you allegiance to Buc Football…ITS GRANTED! Go root for one of the NFL darling teams. Compared to last year, I am all in! Get your experience, build off of it, and kick some ass!!! This is not our year, but that doesn’t mean we are going to throw in the towel! As long as this team fights to stay in it I can put up with the curve all day long! Go BUCS
October 1st, 2012 at 7:52 pm
I’m not throwing in the towel but I am going to keep this real. We have coaches that appear to be having issues recognizing personnel strengths and weaknesses. We have some very talented young players that obviously not being used to the best of their ability, reminiscent of our Steve Young/Doug William days. A big part of being a successful coach at any level is knowing your players and play to their strengths.