Back-Seven Spit The Bit Big Time
October 12th, 2014
Lack of pass coverage, like on this catch by Crows WR Steve Smith, was a big reason for the beatdown this afternoon.
A guy walking around with a white cane could see what the problem was today. The back-seven of the Bucs’ defense couldn’t cover themselves with a blanket they were so terrible in pass coverage.
No, the defensive front didn’t pressure Crows quarterback Joe Flacco. That was mainly because Crows coach John Harbaugh employed a three-step drop for his signal-caller, often having him float to the right, to avoid Michael Johnson and Gerald McCoy.
By taking out the pass rush, it was up to the linebackers and secondary to cover the Crows receivers. And the back-seven yakked all over the field at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.
Both GMC and Akeem Spence told Joe that Flacco was so quick in unloading the ball, all they could do was turn around and hope the receivers were covered.
They weren’t.
All day long Flacco fried the Bucs with slant passes for big gains. Did the Bucs defensive braintrust adjust to take away the slants? If they did, it was a mystery to the peeved Bucs fans who paid good money to watch that slop.
Joe asked GMC if he had faced a quarterback in recent times that was as quick in getting rid of the ball as Flacco was today. GMC said, yes, in fact. His name was Drew Brees and it happened a week ago.
“You know, Drew Brees is one who can do it,” GMC said “He actually did do it last week but we put him in positions where he had to hold the ball and that is when we got pressure on him. This week, when you drop back and a guy is open — boom — you just pass it. All I know is when we rushed, we took a couple of steps, and the ball was out.”
And why did Brees hold the ball and Flacco didn’t? Because Brees didn’t have open receivers and Flacco did. As Lovie Smith would say, “Simple as that.”
October 12th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
Ha GMC throwing the back 7 under the bus. This dood is a class act.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:50 pm
*Spit the Bed*?
October 12th, 2014 at 5:53 pm
The Patriots already found a way to solve this problem during their first superbowl against the Rams.
Drop an extra DB into the Mix or fast linebacker.
That will take away a 3 step drop.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
Yea, on that deep ball to Steve Smith, Flacco escaped the rush and rolled left, waited…waited….waited….then threw the ball. The defensive line is pathetic and the pass coverage is even worse. GMC was visibly pouting on the bench after drives late in the game, what a great face of the franchise.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Can I get a yea Bucs. No? Simple as that.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Yea….McCoy is one of our problems… this is called sarcasm for the average Buc fan.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:37 pm
The self proclaimed defensive leader had and has NO GAME. Watched he at the game. No double team most of the time. Just ineffective. L David is the only gamer. By the way why did the Bucs pay so much for Verner. He couldn’t cover a bed with a blanket. Fire Leslie Frazer. He hasn’t a freaking clue. DUH
October 12th, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Rob Marinelli for our coach
October 12th, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Sitting here watching a Dallas Cowboys football team that runs a freaking cover 2 defense make it hard on Seattle and Marshawn Lynch with a bunch of no name guys on its defense but we spent a ton of money and get embarrassed every week with all kind of records bein set on our team…..are you seeing this Joe?
October 12th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Buc-O’s 82 Says:
October 12th, 2014 at 6:39 pm
1. It’s RoD
2. As a head coach with the Lions, he put up an 0-16 record. The only man to accomplish such a feat.
3. If you mean as D-coordinator, I’d take that.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Maybe it won’t take you guys another 4-5 weeks to figure out that lovely’s legendary def doesn’t belong to lovely but to marinelli and Rivera. Uhm
@bucO
I’ve been saying this about Geraldine since the ATL game. Does anyone listen to me? No they say I’m stupid and crazy and that we the fans are the problem.
#itsabucslife
October 12th, 2014 at 7:48 pm
Do we pay McCoy??
October 12th, 2014 at 9:01 pm
This defense needs a wake up call. They do nothing well. Tackle cover …All of it terrible. I wish I could get onto one of these player shows and just rip lovie a new ass for his stubbornness. Dude keeps putting our defense on a short field 90 percent of the time. Kick the damn ball as far as u can kick it and cover your kick. Jesus#! Why Is that even a freaking discussion at this point
October 12th, 2014 at 9:47 pm
kicking the ball is Lovie’s fault, om@
October 12th, 2014 at 9:49 pm
Now some scrub on this site is proclaiming the defensive scheme that Lovie runs is actually Rivera and Rods. Ridiculous
October 12th, 2014 at 9:59 pm
you all chirped all week about Lovie taking the reigns off of Glennon and let him throw on 1st down to keep the defense honest. Well, he let that qb throw and look what happened but you folks blame the head coach, defense, running game, asst. coach’s, the grass field, sunshine, sweat, uniforms, etc. But you all will not or should I say refuse to blame that qb mike glennon.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:03 pm
Glennon and flacco were supposed to be similar in style well it did not look like it but blame the off. line. Look all I have to say is: Winston! Winston!……….
October 12th, 2014 at 10:32 pm
For the first time ever, I left a game at halftime.
I have seen this team play a lot of bad football, but this ranks right up in the top 5 in bad games.
All of our LB’s except for Lavonte David stink. And I mean all of them. The absolute worst is Mason Foster, who is completely befuddled by this scheme. He has no idea where he is supposed to be after 6 weeks and 4 preseason games.
On the long ball to Steve Smith there wasn’t a safety in sight, even though the primary focus of this scheme is to keep such plays from occurring.
When it is 3rd and more than 3 yards this team needs to move to a dime package in coverage and get Foster off the field. He is an absolute detriment to the team.
I have waited for this guy to develop into a serviceable MLB for four years and it just isn’t going to happen. If they cut him tomorrow no one would pick him up.
I watched the team walk off the field at half time and they all looked like they had been knocked down and didn’t want to get back up. I’d have felt better if they all looked angry, mad and pissed off but they almost all looked defeated.
Time to clean house on anyone on defense left over from the Morris/Schiano fiasco except for McCoy and David.
Also, for anyone who doesn’t think the Cover2 defensive scheme can still work should have watched the Cowboys/Seahawks game.
Dallas played it to perfection. They also kept Russell in the pocket for most of the game which revealed a number of his shortcomings.
Marinelli is a great defensive coordinator but not a head coach.
BTW, one way to defense against a 3 step drop if to get your hands up because the ball is usually going to come out on a low trajectory. Didn’t see many hands up in the rush though.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:39 pm
NewBucsFan are you saying this fiasco was Glennon’s fault. Are you a disciple of Steve Duemig?
No doubt Glennon didn’t have a good game, but I attribute that to the poor play calling that was going on.
This offense also looked woefully unprepared as to what to expect or see from the Ravens defense.
Sorry, but one of the reasons this offense is having problems is we have a second tier coach running the offense. The job is to big for him.
October 12th, 2014 at 11:17 pm
You have to have the proper players to play the T2 we’ve been drafting and signing guys for the last 5 years to play man/press it’s that square peg round hole thing, then this year, we bring back the T2 and expect guys like Banks who is built to play m/p to be able to play zone. This whole let’s bring back Lovie crap was a marketing idea to try and salvage so good will from the fan base, well, so far he’s s miserable failure, don’t forget, the Bears team that went to the SB was built by Jerry Angelo, not Love, once Lovie was given veto power over personnel that’s when the bears started their slide…he can’t evaluate talent, he might be a great coach, but he just doesn’t have the mental horse power to be anything else….
October 13th, 2014 at 8:31 am
Perhaps the Bucs will now be a in a battle with the University of Florida to see which institution can steal Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State.
Just joking of course. The Glazers will not fire Lovie this year. And so is Gainesville more inviting than Starkville?