Can You Imagine, Adjustments?
October 12th, 2014
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh completely and totally outcoached Lovie Smith
Joe has always believed — the genesis of this philosophy coming from Joe’s old high school coach who played for Tom Landry and John Madden — that a good coach always adjusts his offense/defense to best fit the talents of his players.
We all witnessed an example of this from Crows coach John Harbaugh today.
Since taking over the Crows in 2008, only once has Harbaugh’s Baltimore squad missed the playoffs; that was last year. Two years ago, the Crows hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory.
The past two games, possibly due to injuries on the offensive line, the Crows gave up a lot of sacks and quarterback pressures. With those same backups playing today against the Bucs, Harbaugh adjusted.
In the first half when the Bucs were chain-whipped by the Crows, rarely did Crows quarterback Joe Flacco use more than a three-step drop. There were even two-step drops. This effectively took Michael Johnson and to a lesser degree Gerald McCoy out of the game as pass rushers.
The results? Flacco threw for five touchdowns. In the first half!
Across the field was Bucs coach Lovie Smith, still trying to ram that damned Tampa-2 defense down his players’ throats, as if there is no other defense in the game of football that can be used.
Is Lovie getting the most out of the talent that he largely hand-picked? There is no way one could answer “yes.”
Joe has written this before: Is there some type of federal statute that exists that Lovie simply must run a Tampa-2? Could another defense, hell, even a 34-defense, somehow slow down opponents’ passing attacks better?
Lovie simply is not adjusting to get the most out of what he has on the roster. And that is bad coaching, plain and simple.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
There is only one word I can think of that sums up the beginning of this game for me- infuriating. For me, I am so pissed at the players. They came out completely FLAT on both sides of the ball. It just seemed like they were just going through the motions. Blame Lovie all you want, but he cant play for these players. I hope they are so embarrassed, because these players deserve to be. And if someone is not, I sincerely hope they are not back next season.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:26 pm
Agree Joe. I do believe this is a free year for Lovie and staff. They will claim pieces are missing and they need more time. Mean while we watch and pay for an awful product. This town deserves better.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:26 pm
Biggest thief in tampa – a boy named Leslie: gave up 50 twice and were only 6 games in plus 37 to saints 27 to sorry steelers. But he’s pulling in 7 figures for all that!!!
October 12th, 2014 at 4:28 pm
Full organizational failure…..
October 12th, 2014 at 4:32 pm
I think you guys have let the media fool you into thinking we have talented players. All hype and overrated. The entire team needs to be blown up and traded away.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Yeah, as a Bucs fan I’ve got familiar with being a glutton for punishment, but wow this was murder in the first degree.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Lovie FUKN sux. Bottom line. No one in the NFL should get blown out like that. $hit not even the Jaguars lose like this.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Who hired them? Who bankrolled and presided over coaching searches that yielded Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, and Lovie Smith? Answer these questions and you’ll discover who is really, really, really bad at making adjustments.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Agree 100% Joe!
October 12th, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Lynch-explain to me how you take mostly the same players from last year (actually upgraded a little) that finished 15 in overall defense and now are on pace to be worst in history? That’s talent issue really? Everybody pundits magazines had us as top 10-15 defense this year! Could it be bad scheme or bad coaching? Nah impossible!! Du hee hee hee!!
October 12th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Our secondary is only about 5 players away from being excEllen. Not to say the pass rush is sufficient, it isn’t, but the seconday play is appalling: WRs able to easily get inside the CBs, WRs not being challenged or even touched off the line, safeties that can’t cover ground or hit their mark. The pass rush sucks but even if there was on OL it would make little difference, these receivers are running wide open down the field.
Oh, and the LBs are garbage, David too. 14 tackles from him today despite being blown up against the run and invisible on coverage.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Of course its a talent issue. What happened in 2010? 2011? 2012? Did you hear McCoy name today?
October 12th, 2014 at 4:48 pm
You cannot tell me the Ravens or any of the other teams we have faced this year are that much more talented than us. There is NO WAY. This is bad, ignorant, stubborn, arrogant coaching. If Lovie continues to coach like this, he will be back in that damn basement of his in no time.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Lynch. I agree with you about McCoy
His quick get off is impressive, but if the play doesn’t come into his path, he makes no impact.
Definitely not worth a major cap investment. I wouldnt care if he was allowed to sign elsewhere
October 12th, 2014 at 4:52 pm
Lovie and his crew of flunkies are horrid. Can’t wait for the Lovie apologists to come flooding into the comments to tell us that “it just takes time blah, blah, excuses, blah”. I went to the game, as always, and baked in the sun to watch what exactly? There wasn’t a single second of competitive football played in the first half, and by the end of the half, the game was clearly already over.
The only hope is that he has a come to jesus moment and completely revamps his entire philosophy on football.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:52 pm
The only player, in my opinion who shows up every Sunday is LVD. One man defense two years running
October 12th, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Can everybody stop debating whether Glennon is the answer? Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, none of these guys would be the answer on a team that sucks this badly.
We could bring in Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and have them put up record numbers and still be big losers. Our defense is not just horrible, they are embarrassing and they seem to have lost their “manhood” somewhere along the way.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Ever since Dominick took over and cut Derrick Brooks this team has been trying to figure out what they have at like every position what is it now 7 years and the roster is still being evaluated? McCoy is the only 1st round pick that worked out and he doesn’t make a difference. Still clinging to an era of a team where the players are either in or eligible for the fall of fame. Make your own identity it doesn’t have to be that of the Brooks and sapp era
October 12th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Lovie better not try to throw his players under the bus. L&L gutted this team and signed a butt-load of “their guys”. Pretty much the entire sorry offensive line and half of the defensive line are “their guys”. The scheme on both offense and defense sucks. The only time the offense looks good is when we’re down by 35 points hurrying up and letting it fly. Which is what I thought it was going to be in the first place.
October 12th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
If this team makes McCoy one of the highest paid tackles in the game they are complete morons. The great ones make the ones around them better, he never has. Also, and most importantly he just doesn’t make enough impact plays himself period.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:02 pm
You can’t adjust your “stud” DE not beating out a single blocker, a rookie even! You can’t adjust your “stud” DT to find a 3rd down rush or split a double team like a good DT is supposed to do. You can’t adjust your “stud” safety to run faster. You can’t adjust you linebackers to stop biting on play action, etc… etc… I could go on and on… It’s fundamentally obsolete defense filled with players that can’t play it.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Funny bucs d has 4 pro bowlers on it in prime plus a first round pick and a high 2 nd but no talent mostly added since 2012: golson David banks verner. McCoy a baby in 2012. Plus have 15 ranked d last year. So far this year d is giving up 34 per game! What difference – coaching and scheme. Maybe rex Ryan will get fired and we can hire a true defensive mind at coordinator!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:05 pm
I agree with gotbbucs … Full organizational failure.
I go to all the home games, and usually stay til the bitter end, but today I couldn’t take it anymore. Left at halftime.
The Bucs players played like they were disinterested, and the early scoring reflected that. Ravens 7-0 after 4 plays on the first drive of the game. Then 14-0 Ravens at a tad after the 5 min point. Then 21-0 Raven at the 10 min point, and 28-0 at the 15 min point. 35-0 at the 22 min mark. The Ravens could have blown the Bucs out 100-0 if they’d kept the pressure on, that’s how easily they were scoring and then crushing the Bucs on defense.
No coaching adjustments that I could see on offense or defense in the first half by the Bucs. Ravens kept running the same plays over and over, and the Bucs simply couldn’t stop them. It was like a high school team playing a college team. the Bucs didn’t even belong on the same field.
Loudest cheer that I heard from Bucs fans in the first half was when ‘Jessie’ managed to throw 2 balls through the Publix banner and win $250. Sad, very very sad.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Brent – I will meet you in the middle and say this, the bucs have some good players, but great players. I think local media hyped this team up, kinda like they did with McCown. And you know as well as I do the pro bowl has been a joke the last two or three years anyway with LVD missing it especially.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
“Can everybody stop debating whether Glennon is the answer?”
nope, can’t do it. any of those other qb’s is waaaaaay better and improves their team just by being on it. we need a real qb! the mirage qb is faded.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Blame the coach all you want but he does not play on the field. The player have to be accountable. Problem is we are stuck in the same loosing vacuum the comes with changing coaches and players often like Oakland it is going to take time, some more shaking up of the roster and stable coaching environment for this team to improve.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Lovie won’t change because he is very stubborn. A trait he shares with Tony Dungy. Unfortunately, that same trait is what got Dungy fired.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Yeah agree with that lynch. I’ll say it a million times we shouldn’t have fired gruden and brought in dummy Morris. Doesn’t matter now but that was first domino. Can’t fire Lovie yet. Too soon. But some of you have to stop denying he and Frazier have been awful so far!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:37 pm
gruden ain’t no saint! he ran himself outta town.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Gruden fired after back to back 9-7 seasons! We had sell outs every week. Not perfect but compared to these last 3 coaches “forget about it” not even close!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Lovie is not going to adjust he is a stubborn s.o.b. and he will not change. Coaches should never have the type of power he has over personnel, they sign their players and when things don’t work out they won’t move on from those players because they will never ever admit they made a mistake. unfortunately that is human nature, most of us are like that, but when a coach has that kind of power and he is wrong on players it hurts the organization badly. That is why we have personnel men in football, let them do their jobs. Step aside Lovie!
October 12th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
I can’t believe anyone would be stupid enough to waster their time and money attending a game….Oh, let me guess…It’s because you are “real” fans…Yeah, real smart to sit in the hot sun, wasting time and wasting money on overpriced, sub-par food…You your’re real fans…Real stupid fans.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:48 pm
@Schlomie Bupkes-MohelSteinSchlep
seriously?!? calling out fans who go to games for a good time and support the team? really? wow, you are a moron.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:01 pm
This is what happens we u go from a hArdass to a players coach
October 12th, 2014 at 7:14 pm
Can we please get rid of this coach
NOW
October 12th, 2014 at 9:01 pm
You just had 5 drafts and 3 FA seasons in which you drafted or signed defensive players for man/press with two gap line play, now you bring in a coach who plays a completely different system, there is no way the guys you have drafted or signed are a fit for his system, and your new head coach is such a f-ing moron he won’t adjust his system, no he’s going to to try and force square pegs into round holes, and also sign guys who were one year wonders. He’s a complete and utter fool who just needs to realize the game has passed him by, and it wasn’t just the year he spent in the basement, it had passed him by while he was still cos hung the Bears, that’s why he got fired.
October 12th, 2014 at 9:02 pm
Cos hung = coaching