Pass Defense Made Booger McFarland Sick
November 5th, 2012
Former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland claimed he became ill watching the Bucs pass defense Sunday against the Raiders.
As beautiful as the Bucs offense was yesterday, as exciting as Muscle Hamster Doug Martin was going all Gayle Sayers on the Raiders, the Bucs’ pass defense is equally obscene.
This is nothing new this season. Whenever the Bucs play a decent quarterback (Eli Manning, RGIII, Drew Brees), the secondary is simply scalded for yards at an alarming, frightening rate.
The Bucs’ pass defense was so unnerving, it made former Bucs star Booger McFarland, co-host of “The Booger and Rich Show” with Rich Herrera on WHFS-FM, sick to his stomach.
“All that I ate yesterday I nearly tossed up watching that pass defense,” McFarland said.
In short, McFarland said Bucs coaches are putting the Bucs cornerbacks in no-win situations with too many blitzes and asking the corners to accomplish what they physically cannot do.
“You can’t put these guys out on an island” on so many blitzes, McFarland said.
But the Bucs are in a pickle. Eric Wright likely will be suspended shortly and be gone for four weeks ,so it appears your Bucs starting cornerbacks are E.J. Biggers and Leonard Johnson with — brace yourself — Myron Lewis as your nickel, as Brandon McDonald is getting healthy.
Yes, Joe knows Stanford Routt was released by the Chiefs today. Don’t expect the Bucs to sign him. He has a heavily expensive option in his contract and quite frankly, Joe doesn’t know about a guy getting cut from the worst team in the NFL.
Would Routt be an upgrade (if cash was not a factor) over Lewis? Well, yeah, a $12 lawn chair from Wal-Mart would be an upgrade over Lewis, who looks completely and totally lost in an NFL defensive backfield. At least there would be a remote chance a receiver would trip over a lawn chair.
November 5th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Joe – If Routt passes through waivers then we would be able to sign him for market value. This would probably be the league minimum. Part of the reason he was cut is he is battling a hammy issue and the Chiefs need to replace Glenn Dorsey so they signed a DL. Not saying he’ll be the coming of Revis to TB but anything is better than Lewis. Heck – I’ll take the league minimum and play better.
November 5th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
“In short, McFarland said the Bucs coaches are putting the Bucs cornerbacks in no-win situations with too many blitzes and asking the corners to accomplish what they physically cannot do. You can’t put these guys out on an island” on so many blitzes, McFarland said.”
I’m going to go against the inevitable calls for less blitzing and leaving our corners out on an island. Why? If we sit back we’re toast. We have ZERO pass rush without the blitz so even average QBs would be able to pick us apart (as opposed to only All-Pros continuing to pick us apart lol).
Until we get better personnel in the secondary and get our pass rushers back, heavy blitzing affords us the opportunity to even the playing field and, sometimes, dictate what offenses are going to do to us. They know they can’t run on us. We know they can’t run on us. So the only other way to attack us is through the air where opposing QBs are forced to stare down the gun barrel and make throws in these tight windows. The cumulative effect of that pressure is going to keep getting us turnovers and getting the ball back to our ball control offense. Keep doing what you’re doing Coach.
November 5th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Our corners will develop and we are getting prett damn good penetration from a weak D line (except mccoy & bennett)
This is like the giants defense….it will develop…and look how many rings they have.
Also, I don’t really care how many points they put up as long as our offense of scoring 40 points a game. After decades of defense…it’s pretty damn fun to watch high scoring games!
November 5th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Yeah our corners may develop but not Lewis. He’s been developing for years and it just isn’t working. There isn’t a scarier thought then having to field that trio of corners. Johnson is playing well but I’m not sure he can hang with top wideouts. Biggers cannot play one on one with wideouts but he’s forced to in our defensive scheme due to having to blitz to help an inconsistent d line get pressure.
We’re in trouble but I don’t think Lewis would start over McDonald at least. He’s not much better but he is better. we will have to address corner in the offseason but not much can be done right now. We just have to hope our offense can keep putting up 35 or more because this secondary isn’t getting any better.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Joe,
So how do you really feel about Myron Lewis?
November 5th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
hey that lawn chair can get called for pass interference joe lol cant just trip wide receivers, but maybe they will want to take a seat and wait for myron lewis to wake up from whatever dream he is having about playing in the nfl.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
@Santos
The lawn chair it allowed to occupy the space. It’s the WR responsibility to get around him within the 5 yards allowed. I thought about Lewis a safety but I’m wondering about all the bad angles and miss tackles he would have.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
A two-man front will do the trick….let them run on us…at least it will take them longer to score!!!
As for Myron….maybe the spotlight will finally get him cut…
November 5th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
I just don’t get what Robert is looking at. Myron Lewis has 0 interceptions for his career. 3 years and only 3 passes defensed. Stop the madness! Routt had more int’s last year than all 3 CBS do right now. Tampa fans should DEMAND that Dominik work out a deal with routt. You think Detroit isn’t calling him right now? This piss poor cb play can not continue. last in the league on pass defense, and the looming wright suspension dictates that Tampa to after routt. Joe how can you not want to go for him? Are we just going to give up the season like we did Talib?
November 5th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
If we signed routt for one year that would make us a lot better, I think he would fit in the system very nicely and he would be playing for a roster spot and contract next year making him better. Then with routt, Johnson, wright or biggers on the outside battling for their spots. . . would not only bring competition and the want ta not get beat but it will also make them better players and teach them no one is safe. Put ronde in the slot, black and Barron at safety would make things much more easier in Tampa especially if we want to win now. Then draft corners this off-season and put em through the grind until we have a set group that we can roll with and be successful no matter the various blitzes and coverages. But Lewis has to go.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
You have to Love Blitzin Bill Sheridan. Now, if his guys could only GET to the QB, we would not have these problems.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
KT:
It’s difficult for Joe to see how a guy who couldn’t help out the worst team in the NFL could help the Bucs. Second, isn’t Routt’s contract pretty ugly from a team financial standpoint? So Dominik should grossly overpay for a guy who couldn’t cut it on the NFL’s worst team?
It’s early November. There is no cavalry that is going to rescue the Bucs at this point, sans Anthony Gaitor. The secondary is what it is. Time to come to grips with it. Now it’s up to the coaches to coach these guys up like Bryan Cox has the linebackers and Bob Bostad has the offensive line.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
@KT
Tampa will not sign him unless he clears wavers. If he clears wavers he will most likely look for the best contract on the best team. Patriots are in that boat as best team, so like Eric Wright they will have to throw more money than usual at him to get him to sign.
November 5th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Routt is one of the worst corners I have ever watched. That being said he reminds me exactly of Lewis but instead of just getting flat beat he grabs the jersey or commits PI in some fashion, if the rockstar is smart he will not he call Routt’s agent because this guy is no upgrade
November 5th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
I hear you @joe and @sneedy, but isn’t being cheap what got the bucs in this situation in the first place? While I would not grossly overpay for him, I believe the bucs would do good to offer 1 year with some Incentives. If you are cut from the worst team in football, it would do you good to re evaluate your worth and work out a deal to play ball again. The idea that Lewis will develop is absurd. And with wright being gone soon, routt might be worth a slight overpayment. Just my opinion. I saw routt play in Oakland and he is certainly not as bad as what we have right now.
November 5th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Dominik already over paid for one corner now people want him to over pay for another? That makes as much sense as drafting 2 defensive tackles in consecutive rounds. I can predict the Bucs first two picks this year CB and CB, it’s the Dominik way.
November 5th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
I imagine that will be the way they draft but you say concede this year with the way the offense has started to produce?
November 5th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Maybe it was the amount food that Booger ate that almost made him vomit. lol.
November 5th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
I think we will se Ronde back at corner Very soon, we are Much deeper at Safety.
November 5th, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Despite all of the panic among the peasant class, I don’t see the Bucs making any changes with their CBs unless by injury or suspension. What is out there on the market isn’t significantly going to improve the team. Remember that any new guy like Routt walking in off the street will take a few weeks to get up to speed, even at a position like CB where intelligence isn’t a necessary requirement for the position (see Claiborne, Morris).
Everyone in the building knows that they’re getting torched in the secondary right now, but there are two things working for them. First, they are lighting up the scoreboard on offense, making teams have to come from behind. This, combined with the lights-out run defense that they are playing, is forcing teams to become one-dimensional. I’d rather be in this position than having teams run all over the field, controlling the clock and making the offense play catch-up.
So the Bucs will have to play Bobby Bowden ball for a little while – don’t beat anybody, just out score them. Lets face it. If the Bucs games end up 42-32 for the rest of the season, the team will get a LOT of press coverage, as high-scoring games are exciting. Don’t we talk a lot about the Bucs not getting national press coverage? Well, they’re getting it now, and that coverage is NOT talking about the cornerbacks getting torched.
November 5th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
This is a work in progress and you should take the good with the bad. I see a HUGE improvement from last years D.
We have been competitive in every game played this year. This will be adressed in the draft. Maybe we can save money and not have to use FA’s.
Remeber Round 4 picks have been the magic number for the Dom.
November 5th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
where’s the like button Teddy lol
and I never said I like Myron Lewis….but you throw a guy in like 2 plays a year and don’t expect they are going to go after him. c’mon….let’s see what he can do…..it’s not like their not burning the other CB’s….it’s the blitzing with no safety help against very good QB/WR that gets us burnt. and if not move Barber back to CB, but I do not see that happening.
and who they hel said 2 man front??? you want them to eat the clock and not give us time to score? I am much happier with a 2 minute long drive ending in a bomb than a 12 minute drive that gets our D tired and our O cold.
November 5th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
@Joe. Horrible reason to not want a player. Just because he is on a team thats struggling doesn’t mean he cant help us. If Revis was released by the Jets(I know its not ever gonna happen) and they were 0-8 would we still not want him…..
November 5th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Leave it to Booger and Rich to make a win feel bad. How ridiculous!! They’ve been harping for 3 shows that they disagree with cutting Tslib and that by making that move its telling the players we don’t want to win this year. It’s bad enough hearing all the negative crap after a loss but I’m going to enjoy this win like I did last weeks. I believe our offense is something special and can cover for our bad secondary till they have time to figure it out, whether that’s this year or next. Booger needs to chill and come down from his high horse. Relax and enjoy the teams success and continued growth.
November 5th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Joe, while digging up information on Routt and why he was released, I found out a couple things…first, the fans in Kansas City are upset over the move to release Routt… and some of them are even shocked. They use the term “solid” in his overall performance, and that perhaps he was merely a scape goat. Lets just say judging Routt and the fact that he was cut from the worst team in the NFL, perhaps isn’t entirely fair considering the organization as a whole is an absolute train wreck. Second, they play 3-4 defense in KC, and supposedly Routt is 4-3 corner.
Point is, for the money KC offered him, both over the 3 years and his guarantee 4 million up front, they must of thought something of him, right? Some guys just need a fresh start elsewhere. Love to see him playing in a Bucs uniform.
November 5th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Brad, I had the dame response as Booger. The game shouldn’t have been close. The coverage was pretty bad.
November 5th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Gus:
Think about it a moment: Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel are fighting for their careers. If they don’t think Routt can help them, exactly why should Dominik — or Bucs fans — think Routt can help the Bucs? That’s dumpster diving.
November 6th, 2012 at 12:15 am
Hey Routt isn’t the best corner in the league clearly, but he is way better than that joke they call Myron Lewis! If they can get him cheap enough and get rid of Lewis in the process i’m all for it! As much as we have been shredded all year anything at this point is an upgrade at corner.
November 6th, 2012 at 2:23 am
Routt isn’t that bad in coverage I mean just look at the game against the bucs. He played well our guys just played better against him. We are just starting to click and could be pushing for the playoffs and I see NO reason not to shore up the one and only true weakness on our team even if it costs the owners some money I mean they did go all in this year in free agency…..
November 6th, 2012 at 3:29 am
Joe at this point a pedestrian coming off the street is an upgrade to our secondary.
November 6th, 2012 at 8:42 am
I get it, Myron Lewis is a bad corner. It’s not like Eric Wright is any better. At least Myron Lewis is cheaper. It doesn’t matter who we have at corner when they are forced into man coverage every play. We would need Darrelle Revis for our pass defense to work.
November 6th, 2012 at 11:17 am
Routt is junk.
I was 3 rows back during the Kansas game and both Jackson and Williams ate his lunch all game long. The only time he was close enough to take a PI penalty was when Williams took the ball away from him on the 70 yarder.
He is terrible. Not Myron Lewis terrible but not worth picking up either.
November 6th, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Look at the worst four teams in pass defense in 2011 according to NFL.com:
29. New York Giants (9-7, Super Bowl Champs)
30. New Orleans Saints (13-3, NFC South Champs)
31. New England Patriots (13-3, AFC Conference Champs)
32. Green Bay Packers (15-1, NFC North Champs)
Why can four teams with a combined record of 50-14, all division champs and including the two Super Bowl representatives, be the four worst in the league at pass defense?
Because they all had dynamic offenses that made teams play from behind.
So why all of the complaining? Frankly, I think that’s some pretty damn good company.
November 6th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Let’s be real, Wright is better than Lewis.