Buccaneers Own Tenth-Ranked Defense
December 28th, 2015
Brace for the spin
Prepare yourself to hear a statistic this offseason that will make you take a hammer to your midsection.
Per the standard NFL grading of defenses, aka yards allowed per game, the Buccaneers currently are the tenth-ranked defense in the league.
Yes, the Bucs have a top-10 defense. Be careful what you fantasize.
The lesson here is that many stats (not all) are misleading. The Bucs are in the bottom third of the NFL in points allowed, and opposing quarterbacks complete a stunning 69.5 percent of passes against Tampa Bay. That’s the worst mark in the league in many years.
Joe’s glad to be an anti-stats (most stats) kind of guy. It’s why Joe never believed the 2014 Bucs showed a defensive improvement of significance in their final 10 games. Essentially, the Bucs’ defense last year improved from historically dreadful to below average — exactly what they’ve been this season.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:09 am
Agreed Joe. The Bucs are also at the bottom of the barrel in first downs allowed and opponents third down conversion. So that tells me that all this shortening of the game strategy means nothing, when teams can efficiently move down the field and score on you at will.
Any coach who spins this deserves to be held accountable. Lovie is the play caller and if he’s not fired as HC, he should at the very least be fired as DC.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:11 am
You think the “yards per game” would have been lower!! Most teams had shutdown their offense and were killing the clock in the 4th quarter!!
December 28th, 2015 at 8:16 am
In my opinion, Lovie has not done enough to save his job. Gutting your team in your first year and loading it with “your guys”, then winning half as many games as your predecessor, is not impressive. Winning the first overall pick by your lousy record is not impressive. Getting the number 1 pick correct (one year doesn’t prove anything) may be impressive or may not, winning a top 7 pick in your second year is not impressive, failure to prepare your defense in critical games against below average teams is not impressive. Bragging that you have a top 10 defense on a 6-10 team, (yes they will lose next week), is as impressive as saying your lottery numbers came in but you didn’t buy any tickets this week. Big deal, who cares?
December 28th, 2015 at 8:24 am
Waiting for Loser Lovie’s cousins, sisters and neighbors who defend him to throw up this stat when defending his losing ways.
Qbs complete almost 70% of their passes against this d? Wow, that’s insane and embarrassing!! The funny thing is most of the time the catches are un contested
December 28th, 2015 at 8:24 am
Knowing we’re going to lose the last game, where does that put us in draft position? Is it still around #12-#15?
December 28th, 2015 at 8:26 am
Nvm, just looked at a mock and we’re projected around #9.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:33 am
That mock has Bosa going #6….if so, and we’re #9, somehow someway we better trade up for him. But he’s likely going top 3.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:35 am
It’s the easiest top 10 defense ever. Just let them march down the field from penalties to pad your stats and let them score at will. Pretty sly work there, Lovie!!
December 28th, 2015 at 8:38 am
Ah, so the yards gained on penalties didnt count? Interesting.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:48 am
ahhhh, the 10th ranked Defense and the 7th ranked Offense…. Huh, why do we only have 6 wins?????? WTF!!!!!!
December 28th, 2015 at 8:49 am
I dont think they do in the stat department?
December 28th, 2015 at 8:58 am
The Chargers have the #6 offense and have 4 wins, the Saints have the #2 offense with 6 wins. Baltimore has the #11 defense with 5 wins.
December 28th, 2015 at 9:07 am
And 37th best head coach
December 28th, 2015 at 9:12 am
I believe this falls under: Stats are for losers (and also stats can be misleading). It also needs to be adjusted for deflation from playing a really crappy slate of QBs.
December 28th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Point is, when the refs are killing you with non-calls every week means 6 wins. Shall I list the blatant non-calls that were “missed” by the refs on the Bears? 3:41 1st quarter chop block by Howie Longs kid went uncalled. Ect….
December 28th, 2015 at 9:52 am
Lovie will be with us next year Lovie Haters, So deal with it. But hopefully he sees he’s got some major..gutting to do with this Defense. He has got to get rid of a few of..his guys he brought here with him. And we gotta get pressure..any pressure from our front 4. Draft a DE and pick one up in free agency. Cause what you got…ain’t gettin it done. Think about canning coach Frazier and bringin in a Defensive coordinator. Although I support Lovie? There is no doubt..he is on the hot seat next season. And I do mean..The Hot Seat.
December 28th, 2015 at 9:55 am
This safe scheme played (somewhat) correctly can make you a top 10-15 defense. Smart players working together can make this scheme 6 to 9 ranks defense. HOF players can make this scheme legendary. We have done a lot different things on defense, and it has been mostly ineffective. Lovie should be held accountable, but the players are to blame as well.
What a disappointing end to a season.
December 28th, 2015 at 10:31 am
Our defense gives up points at the worst times…..and our offense has let us down in many games this year. Penalties on defense are a huge factor in our losses….
December 28th, 2015 at 10:55 am
Dont Fire Lovie!
December 28th, 2015 at 11:50 am
I would also like to see time of possession stats. These last 3 games we have been killed by time of possession.
December 28th, 2015 at 12:53 pm
I sure as hell won’t argue it’s a top 10 unit based on those stats.
On the whole they were basically mediocre. Great run D, terrible pass D, top of league in yards given up and about mediocre in points given up (top 16 if adjusting for league average of points off offensive turnovers) Pretty much what I thought was a safe projection last offseason. I thought we’d have a top 15-16 D but it’s more like top 20.
The Buc Realist will argue as if it is a bottom 3-4 team defense. It wasn’t good but was far from THAT bad. Anything other than top 12-14 in ALL the important categories (primarily scoring) will be a major disappointment next year.
December 28th, 2015 at 1:39 pm
These stat are driving me freaking crazy…STATS…STATS..STATS!!!
IT’s PLAYS! PLAYS! PLAYS! That are killing us. INDIVIDUAL plays not a conglomerate of plays mushed into stats!
In the 3rd Quarter…two fumbles and an int that certainly took three points off the board!!! One of the fumbles led to six for the Bears. That’s THREE FREAKING PLAYS!!! I don’t care where they come in the stats…those THREE plays sealed our fate. You CAN’T DO THAT IN THE NFL AND WIN!!!
But I’m just frustrated guys perhaps you have an answer for this. When I’m talking about PLAYS making the difference…
How do you account for a turnover..a Ghoston int which set us up in great scoring position…reversed because of yet another stupid hands to the face penalty? or whatever stupid penalty that was.
THINK ABOUT THAT!!! How often does that happen to the Pats..or Broncos..that PLAY cost us a potential 14 point swing. What kind of dumb luck keeps on leading to these kinds of plays and calls. Long runs negated by a block in the back that didn’t really make a difference.
You guys have seen this stuff like me all season..an int sets up great field position and a penalty negates it all and turns the momentum totally the other way.
Are we just stupid? Unlucky? Losers? All of the above?
December 28th, 2015 at 1:41 pm
If that’s a top 10 defense than the NFL is in a lot more trouble than i thought.
December 28th, 2015 at 2:36 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says:
December 28th, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Are we just stupid? Unlucky? Losers? All of the above?
_______________________________________________________________
There’s an old NFL proverb for the Bucs (and the Browns and related horrible franchises)
“Bad teams find a way to lose”
That’s what we continue to see from the Bucs. Doesn’t matter how, they’re going to find a way to lose.
December 28th, 2015 at 5:01 pm
Stats matter…so long as they are accurate and are not limited to promote a particular viewpoint.
December 28th, 2015 at 8:56 pm
This stat doesn’t matter for sh!t.
Yards allowed? Who cares, where are we ranked in points allowed?
December 28th, 2015 at 9:49 pm
Joe’s glad to be an anti-stats (most stats) kind of guy. It’s why Joe never believed the 2014 Bucs showed a defensive improvement of significance in their final 10 games.
Everyone is anti stats when the numbers do not agree with their position. When the numbers support their position, then the persons like the stats. Taken any medicine lately because stats are used to determine the effectiveness and safety of the medicine you took. You can always walking in the woods and get herbs and then let me know how the stats worked for on your walk in the woods.
December 28th, 2015 at 9:51 pm
Tampa Tony Says:
December 28th, 2015 at 8:24 am
Waiting for Loser Lovie’s cousins, sisters and neighbors who defend him to throw up this stat when defending his losing ways.
Example of a human who does not like the stats because they do not support his position.
December 28th, 2015 at 9:52 pm
BuccaneerBonzai Says:
December 28th, 2015 at 5:01 pm
Stats matter…so long as they are accurate and are not limited to promote a particular viewpoint.
Stats matter if they measure what they are intended to measure.
December 29th, 2015 at 7:27 am
What I can’t figure out is why this years defense is so much worse than this years? I thought in the second year of the Tampa2 players are supposed to better understand their responsibilities? The Bucs currently have the 9th pick in the draft but can move up to possibly number 6 depending if the Jaguars, Ravens and Dolphins win? The Fins are not going to beat the Patriots, who are going for the number one seed. The Ravens are playing well and have a shot against the Bengals. Jaguars in tough against a playoff hungry Houston team. Looks like we will end up with the 7th or 8th pick in the draft. We should draft DE Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss or Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida.