Bucs Not Ready For 3-Step Drop
October 12th, 2014
Not only were the Bucs not ready for Joe Flacco’s three-step drops, they couldn’t adjust.
Joe spoke with several Bucs defensive linemen today about the baseball bat-to-the-nuts loss to the Crows, where the Bucs were outsmarted, out-hustled, and curb-stomped in the first half en-route to a 48-17 loss.
In short, the Bucs were not ready for Crows quarterback Joe Flacco’s three-step drops and had no answers for it.
Joe has a hard time swallowing this because it sounded from the players as if the Bucs had never practiced defending a three-stop drop. Again, Joe doesn’t know that to be true, but it sure sounded like it.
Akeem Spence said flat out the Bucs were not prepared for Flacco to use three-step drops.
In the past two weeks, in part due to injuries to the Crows offensive line, Flacco was getting sacked a lot and pressured even more. Crows coach John Harbaugh figured out not only how to stop that, but effectively take both defensive end Michael Johnson and tackle Gerald McCoy out of the game as a result.
GMC and Spence noted that Flacco was so quick unloading the ball, defensive linemen could only look behind them and hope the receivers were covered. They rarely were.
Flacco did serious surgery all day long on the Bucs defense with slant routes. For whatever reason, the Bucs reacted as if they never saw a slant pass before. Flacco had five touchdown passes — in the first half!
“Nah,” Spence said when Joe asked him if the defense was prepared for Flacco’s three-step drops. “We weren’t able to adjust to it. We tried rushing him and to get to him but the ball was coming out on our third step. So, all we could do was turn around and hope our guys in the secondary were holding up well and get guys on the ground.”
Flacco’s three-step drop, Spence said, “was definitely a change-up.”
October 12th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
And that’s a lack of coaching…..
October 12th, 2014 at 5:21 pm
maybe our offense can adjust and get glennon to do the 3-step flop.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:21 pm
Coaches did not adjust CBs to bump n run.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:21 pm
Lmao. Now I know I lovely needed a mobile quarterback because you only get a half a second in the pocket.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Maybe Glenning can play defense
October 12th, 2014 at 5:24 pm
Slant routes were open all day long. LBs and CBs couldn’t cover, and safeties were too deep to prevent substantial gains after each catch.
Gee, I wonder if any of our future opponents will try the same thing.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:24 pm
Lovie Smith was thoroughly out-coached again today.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Sounds like Spence has been puff-puff-passing with Coach Smith.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:26 pm
So in all these players lives they have never played a QB with a 3 step drop?
October 12th, 2014 at 5:26 pm
That article. That’s pitiful. Hardbags is not the only coach to make McCoy and Johnson disappear. Again I thought they were out with injury I thought they were still nursing in dini’s den. Who knew?
October 12th, 2014 at 5:28 pm
Weren’t prepared?!? OH BROTHER!!!!!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:28 pm
I need to apologize to Buckstop and Hawaii at some point lovy got this defense clicking on all heels
October 12th, 2014 at 5:29 pm
Headline stated “Bucs not ready for a 3 step drop”. Should have read “Bucs not ready to play football period! An embarrassment!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Hey Joe I’m changing my screen name to “it takes time”
October 12th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Does Lovie know football? Yes, without question. Has the game passed Lovie by? Maybe…
October 12th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
@BucFan20 And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you kids and your pesky 3 step drop!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
LM a O how about my three-year-old daughter was like aww come on catch the ball #hilarious
October 12th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
HOW THE HELL ARE YOU UNPREPARED FOR A THREE STEP DROP IN TODAYS NFL!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Poor coaching- no adjustments!!!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Good lord, how sad is that.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
This team was so unprepared for today I’m shocked they found their way to the stadium!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
I’m pretty positive Florida State could beat the bucs right now. Lmao rotf
October 12th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
I know the real buc fans are happy because today probably took them back to the 1976 season, o the memories.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:46 pm
That better be a damned joke joe.
If they haven’t been shown how to defend a 3 step drop and wasn’t ready for it then the entire thing should be blown up. Fire everyone for that reason alone.
Absolutely no excuses.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:47 pm
Nope. cold, hard truth. Joe doesn’t make up quotes.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:48 pm
I have a better excuse. How about they snap the ball faster than we thought they would so we reacted slower.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:52 pm
@joe
Sheesh I don’t even know what to say.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:55 pm
How can some of you come on this site and show your level of intelligence by blaming glennon lmao.
It was 28 TO ZIP IN THE FIRST QUARTER!!!!!!
Lmao 5 sacks. Maybe 15 hits? Countless hurries? Lol yea glennon is the problem lol.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:00 pm
“Patience”
is not going to be a good word for Lovie to use this week
October 12th, 2014 at 6:14 pm
Maybe players and coaches need to stop saying how close they are to “getting it”, and just say look we are not prepared mentally to play and coach big boy football. This is basic stuff in the nfl we are not prepared for. No other team looks this bad consistently than the bucs. Oakland is bad but the dont look this bad. Jacksonville is bad but they don look this bad. When players start saying things like this that means they either are starting or already do not have faith in coaching.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:16 pm
2014 era coaches (Harbaugh/Kubiak) vs. 2000 era coaches (Lovie/Frazier)
The game has changed.
You have to adjust quicker than ever.
Enough said.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:23 pm
Can we join the ACC and come back when we’re ready?
October 12th, 2014 at 6:24 pm
Joe,
that first picture you posted on Instagram today, was that before the game or at halftime?
October 12th, 2014 at 6:29 pm
I think you should re-phrase it to the COACHES were not ready for the 3 step drop.
Players just did what the coaches told them
October 12th, 2014 at 6:29 pm
DB55,
ACC? We’d be lucky to qualify for the NAIA at this point.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Looks like “patience” is the new “we just need to execute better” excuse.
Overrated players and pure unadulterated crap players is what 1-5 looks like.
I’m remorseful I was excited to have Lovie as the new HC. And Leslie Frasier may be THE WORST DC in the history of the NFL.
The real question is when the players will begin quitting on this incompetent staff.
I don’t buy ANY of the excuses anymore.
And Lovie has a 5 year contract. We are soooooooo screwed…
October 12th, 2014 at 6:32 pm
No one should EVER question Mike Glennon’s toughness ever again. He took a serious beating and STILL hung in there to the end. McCown would have thrown 7 picks.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:58 pm
@cobra
314 2tds/1int
That int gets him benched after the buy. In lovely’s eyes that’s cause to put mccown back in. Just listened to the PC, lol. Lack of talent, really? There’s 4-6 probowlers on this roster.
Joe write something about this “0% chance we change the scheme”. Can lovely do the honorable thing and go hang out with tedford in somebody’s basement. My bad bucstop but there’s a reason lovely spent a year in the basement.
#onmywaytoschianospostgameafterparty
October 12th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
@gramar nazis
*bye
October 12th, 2014 at 7:42 pm
As my name suggests, I’ve been here from the beginning, and I can tell you that while the level of stench today does not compare to the 1976 team, and the 1977 offense (even that year you could see the D becoming elite) this group is really, really, bad. The two losses to Atlanta and Baltimore were as awful as I can remember. Honestly, if the Ravens had kept their foot on the gas, like some colleges do when they play inferior lower division teams, they would’ve scored 80 and given up zip.
It’s really a bizarre situation. If the Boys won’t sell, then they need to hire a real football CEO/President type to restructure this thing, top to bottom. But they should NOT be involved in that process. Rather, they need to retain a major firm with executive search experience to manage it. That is exactly what the NFL did in hiring Goodell. Otherwise, we are looking at another Culverhouse-like era of futility. I’m too old to go through that again.
October 12th, 2014 at 9:08 pm
They were also unprepared to stop the run. Those crafty Ravens!! Fooled again!
October 12th, 2014 at 9:08 pm
So, let me get this straight. The once vaunted Tampa 2 has now become the comical Tampa Turn-and-Hope? Wow, how the mighty hath fallen. Thanks for participating guys.
October 12th, 2014 at 9:26 pm
No DB55, big difference. We all knew ’76-’77 Bucs had no talent but at least they played hard and never QUIT! These bums couldn’t/wouldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag!
October 12th, 2014 at 10:52 pm
If they’re doing 3 step drops and getting rid of the ball as a defensive lineman you make a quick surge towards the QB and get your arms in the the air to bat the ball down. At the pro level you shouldn’t need a coach to go over that with you during the week.