Goat Of The Week
September 16th, 2013
No, this is not a new regular feature by Joe. Instead, it is getting to be an appalling weekly missive that Joe hopes ends next week.
Every Monday, Olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading Peter King of theMMQB.com and SI.com offers a “Goat of the Week” for a player/coach who delivered the biggest choke job of the NFL weekend.
Last week, sadly, King correctly fingered Lavonte David for his mind-numbingly stupid penalty that cost the Bucs a win.
The ugly trend continues this morning;Â King crowned Bucs commander Greg Schiano with “Goat of the Week.”
Goat of the Week
Greg Schiano, head coach, Tampa Bay. The choice Schiano had to make with 70 seconds left in the fourth quarter and a 16-14 lead over New Orleans, with a 4th-and-3 at the Saints’ 29, in a game in which neither team had any timeouts left: He could have punted and pinned Drew Brees at the, say, 10-yard line with 64 seconds left. Brees would have needed maybe 60 yards to get into Garrett Hartley field-goal range. Or he could have the August waiver signing from Buffalo, Rian Lindell, try a 47-yard field goal. If Lindell made it, the Saints would have had to drive for a touchdown to win the game. If Lindell missed it, the Saints would get the ball at their 37- and need 30 yards to be in field-goal range. Schiano decided to try the field goal. It was shanked. Brees went 54 yards, sweatlessly, to the winning chip-shot field goal as the clock expired. Bad decision by a coach under fire.
Now Joe doesn’t know that Schiano is under fire. But with more stunts like this, he will be and should be.
If Schiano soon cannot break his 0-5 streak in games decided by a field goal or less — 0-5!!! — Schiano should be raked over the coals.
Pardon Joe for a moment while he returns to CVS for more Nexium.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:26 am
It is baffling to me how crappy the playcalling has been in general. If I were watching this team objectively (which is impossible for me to do) I imagine I would say that the coaches are TRYING to get their franchise qb to fail.
At first I was not on Free’s side, but after seeing his play, and the retarded playcalling, I realize that yes, he needs to play better, and YES the coaches are setting this team to fail.
It sure looks that way, anyway.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:27 am
The biggest mistake was running on 3rd down and 6….we should have rolled Josh out for a very high percentage short pass or Josh could run if necessary. That would accomplish the same thing..eating the clock and would have had a better chance of securing a game-ending first down.
Punting on fourth down would run the risk of a touchback and would have automatically created only a field goal necessary to win. I think a better option would be a fake punt or just simply trying to make the first down with either a run or short pass…..
September 16th, 2013 at 9:28 am
Start Glennon coach! No need to keep a crappy QB you dont trust in the game. Though I agree with the decision. Force Brees to score a TD to win. How was Schiano to know the kicker would miss? Hind sight is 20/20. Anyone suggesting he should of put the ball in the hands an ignoramus QB with a history of turnovers (who had 2 ugly turnovers in that game alone) are the Freemanite nut huggers… It was a good call that was obliterated by the missed kick.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:29 am
Interesting that King is saying we should punt. Of course unless you pin Brees really deep (like inside the 5), punting could be the worst idea. A touchback does you nothing, and obviously its not that hard to drive 60 yards with Drew Brees.
But if the FG is good, the way our defense stood up all day if the Saints go anywhere close to the endzone they weren’t gonna let it happen. The only choices should be FG or go for it. Punting seems pointless.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:29 am
I guess Freeman should of disregarded the play call and threw for a first down … Lol
But seriously , don’t GIVE the ball back to the other team . Especially drew Brees ….just dumb
September 16th, 2013 at 9:30 am
Again, if the coaches thought Freeman could have secured a first down, they would have called his number.
Think about it.
This happened a few times last year as well.
If it isn’t obvious the coaching staff does not trust Freeman, Joe has an optometrist you can visit.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:33 am
I dont have a problem with the attempting the feild goal. I do however have a problem with running 3 straight times when 1 first down wins the game. If you dont trust freeman then sit him.
If youre not going to sit him you have to let him at least have the opportunity to succeed or fail on his own.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:34 am
I just detailed this on the prior thread, but Schiano’s biggest mistake there was not lining up and trying to draw them offsides while draining the clock on 4th and 2. If they give you the penalty you win the game right there — you absolutely have to give yourself that chance.
In terms of other mistakes, I think it’s also not using your full offense on the last 3 downs. You have to be willing to pass there (maybe play action?) and that’s two weeks in a row where Schiano was simply not willing. As long as you pull off the next first down there (even if it followed from two straight clock-stopping incompletions) that would’ve been enough to run the clock down to 15 seconds or so, basically giving you the game.
The field goal wasn’t a bad decision. At that point he was in a tough spot, with three options: Field goal, go for it, or punt. I’m torn between whether field goal or going for it is the better option, but punt probably would’ve been the worst choice. Would another 20 yards really have made a difference to Brees and the Saints there?
You could get lucky and pin them back inside their own 5 (still only nets you about 25 yards, given the Bucs were at the Saints’ 30) and mess up their offense, but I’d say the odds of successfully going for it on 4th and 2 are at least as good if not better, and of course getting the first down would’ve meant guaranteed win.
In other words, King is right, but for the wrong reason. Unlike last week, when he was simply wrong.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:39 am
Should have gone for it on 4th down… even another run would have probaly done the trick.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:41 am
“we should have rolled Josh out for a very high percentage short pass”
There’s no such thing with JFro!
Derek Dimke Mob!
September 16th, 2013 at 9:41 am
JOE, YOU DUMMY- YOU DONT KNOW IF SCHIANO IS UNDER FIRE? DID YOU REALLY TYPE THAT? OF COURSE HE IS. GO BACK TO WATCHING SKINEMAX OVERNIGHT BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY ARE A MORON.
September 16th, 2013 at 9:42 am
Someone needs to tell free we have more than one WR!!! But yeah bad coaching by Schiano as well
September 16th, 2013 at 9:52 am
The one thing you absolutely do NOT want to do in that situation where you have a 1 point lead against a good team is turn the ball over. Putting the ball in the hands of an ignoramus QB who’s best skill is doing exactly that (turning the ball over) is only a smart idea to the freemanites! Start Glennon! GO BUCS!!
September 16th, 2013 at 10:00 am
PutGlennon in this week. He cannot possibly be any worse. I feel the [players have given up on Freeman. I could be wrong, but they just all seem flat. They need a spark, why not see if Glennon is that spark?
September 16th, 2013 at 10:00 am
1) Rian Lindell
is the goat of the week.
2) Josh Freeman is a joke of a NFL QB
3) Schiano’s defense looks really good.
4) How much more discipline do the players need? When will they learn?
5) The refs are absolutely after us.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:01 am
Reasons we suck:
1. QB play
2. Coaching
In that order, the QB play is slightly more gross than the coaching in our 0-2 start.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:02 am
Jace:
Is your real name Bryan Glazer? Of course Joe doesn’t know if Schiano is under fire. He may be from the fans this morning, but no one but Bryan Glazer knows if Schiano is on thin ice with ownership, the only people who count.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:04 am
I still can’t believe the Freemanites are not seeing how poorly our QB is performing.
It is astonishing, but I guess you ride with your boy until the end…
September 16th, 2013 at 10:06 am
Schiano’s D is looking good.
Where is Freeman at? Where is he? Freeman is being outperformed by several younger/less experienced QBs.
Excuses are dry, and JF5 can only screw the pooch so much longer.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:08 am
There is no Mike Glennon Mob, just a faction of fans that are ABSOLUTELY TIRED of watching Freeman SUCK BALLS out there.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:14 am
Look, here’s some stats from QB’s around the league yesterday.
Tom Brady 18/39 185 yds
Sam Bradford 32/55 352 yds
Matt Ryan 22/43 374 yds
Branden Weeden 21/33 227 yds
Joe Flacco 22/33 211 yds
Cam Newton 21/38 229 yds
E.J. Manuel 27/39 296 yds
C. Ponder 16/30 227 yds
J. Cutler 28/39 290 yds
R. Griffin 26/40 320 yds
A. Rogers 34/42 480 yds
J. Locker 17/30 148 yds
M. Schaub 26/48 298 yds
Russell Wilson 8/19 142 yds.
C. Kaepernick 13/28 127 yds.
Now, Josh Freeman threw the ball 22 times. Only Russell Wilson threw the ball fewer times and he was 8/19 142 yds and 1 TD’s. Not that great huh? Or how about Kaepernick’s mighty 13/28 and 127 yds zero TD’s? Oh but I thought great QB’s just led their team up and down the field and iced every game…no matter how good the defense they played against. Well, when you run the ball most of the time you really don’t put the ball in the hands of the QB. When the Bucs DID put the ball in the hands of Freeman he led them on a good drive at the end of the game only to have them take the ball out of his hands again and give it back to Martin who was having a good second half.
You can only blame Freeman for not doing more if he is given the opportunity to do more. When you only throw the ball 22 times and you have V-Jax drop two on 3rd down, Martin drop 1, Mike Williams fail to drag his feet and stay in bounds on another, and have a long TD called back for illegal formation….it’s just hard for me to lay the blame at the feet of Freeman. He was NOT inaccurate yesterday. On a wet field the receivers were slipping. V-Jax got knocked on his ass within the 5 yard zone just as the ball was thrown on another. Jenkins should have been called for pass interference on V-Jax on another. Mike Williams tries to pull in a nice back shoulder throw on another that the receiver just strips at the last instant. A long pass goes just off the fingertips of Ogletree. You are making Freeman out to be this terrible inaccurate thrower yesterday and that is just NOT true. Like I said, show me another NFL QB who only throws the ball 22 times in a game who shouldered his team and lit it up. The ones who did throw that few of times had similar results to Freeman. It was a defensive battle yesterday between division rivals and personally I thought they should have let Freeman throw a lot more because he was having success with V-Jax when they let him throw. I don’t have a problem with blaming Freeman when they put it on his shoulders and he fails but that was not the case yesterday. When they did put it on him and he had to lead a drive…he did.
We are very close to being a complete team but the offense needs to be start clicking and that means less penalties and less drops and stop throwing picks on stupid throws where you stare down the receiver. Also stop holding the ball so long that you get stripped from behind. Defensively we are just what I said we’d be. I predicted we would have a defense that would rival our super bowl defense and I think we’re seeing that develop.
September 16th, 2013 at 10:36 am
Oh for crying out loud….so now my first post goes through??? What kind of filters are on this site? I just retyped the whole thing and posted again because the first post had disappeared. geeez…..
September 16th, 2013 at 10:54 am
“Brees would have needed maybe 60 yards to get into Garrett Hartley field-goal range.”
” Schiano decided to try the field goal. It was shanked. Brees went 54 yards, sweatlessly, to the winning chip-shot field goal as the clock expired.”
I fail to see where the bad call was. It is only a 6 yard difference. And Brees had no problem moving.
September 16th, 2013 at 11:44 am
The thing that kills me is that running as much clock out on the last drive was exactly the right call. Of course if we could get a first down, the game is over, but if you get the field goal, they have to drive the field and score a touchdown with less than a minute to do it. Face it people, no trust in josh. Oh in case you didn’t notice, josh turned the ball over twice, the fumble where he held on to the ball too long again lead to a saint’s field goal, no fumble=no loss.
September 16th, 2013 at 3:12 pm
@Bobby, you’re not accounting for the rushing yards from some of those QB’s, especially Wilson.
Bottom line, w/o our D, we wouldve laid a goose egg…w/o our d making a goal line stand AND intercepting helping the O, AND intercepting for a pick 6….it wouldve been 21-0
Freeman just plain sucks!!