Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen?
December 29th, 2015
Joe doesn’t think the following is outrageous, but some will not believe the following.
Through 31 games — one game shy of a full two-season window — Joe thinks that is a fair sample size (to use a stat-geeky term) to make judgments. In those 31 games, it is clear to Joe that either the Bucs secondary coaches and or Lovie Smith are incapable of developing a decent starting cornerback in whatever scheme they are trying to employ.
After Lovie ran off Darrelle Revis, he has tried former Pro Bowler Alterraun Verner, former second-round pick and 2014 interceptions leader Johnthan Banks, former first-round pick and Pro Bowler Toast Jenkins, former Pro Bowler Loaf Jennings, Leonard Johnson (who later started for Bill Belicheat), Sterling Moore and Hey Jude at cornerback.
All, under Lovie, have been benched and failed with the possible exception of Moore, who is a marginal NFL starter at best.
Folks, the “it is the players” argument doesn’t float here.
So why, with all of these coaches — Joe suspects at one point defensive coordinator-in-name-only Leslie Frazier had a hand in this as well — can’t the Bucs get the most out of some talented players that Lovie hand-picked on his roster?
One former Bucs defensive tackle thinks there are too many voices in the secondary. And that would be Booger McFarland. The current SiriusXM NFL Radio host and SEC Network analyst took to Twitter and thinks there are too many coaches.
#Bucs have 3 db coaches-1 for corners, safeties, & nickel is the biggest reason for secondary struggles, most teams have 1 rarely 2 never 3
— Booger (@SECbooger) December 28, 2015
This is a helluva point. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Maybe. The way these corners are frustrated — and trust Joe, he talks to them — it all fits. There very likely are too many voices in these guys’ heads resulting in mixed messages.
Joe can now understand why some of these players are not on the same page. Joe will never forget when Julio Jones scored a game-tying touchdown at the Georgia Dome earlier this season, Banks expected help from the safety and never got it which allowed Jones to break open in the end zone.
Banks was hopping up and down peeved about it.
And this is why Booger works where he works. Solid insight there, man.
December 29th, 2015 at 7:55 am
All points back to lovie , if this is the case and after 2 years he cannot see the issue or fix the problems on this team!!!
December 29th, 2015 at 8:02 am
Incompetent.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:02 am
I agree totally Joe! Why don’t we sign Giada and and maybe she can simply distract the opposing wide recievers as they run past our DB’s?? 🙂
December 29th, 2015 at 8:05 am
I will agree that coaching is definitely in question here, but don’t try to sell me on the “talent” in our secondary. Except for Banks, everyone of these guys was allowed to walk by their previous teams. They are leftovers and lack the talent to be considered important pieces on other teams. Its not good practice to let good players leave, should I really believe these guys are the exception.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:17 am
I think it was the loafer that said a few weeks ago they problem with focusing. It’s hard to focus when three different people being pulled in three different directions. This is either a case of Lovie putting his kid in crutches, or Lovie cant delegate worth spit. I know. I know. Lovie aint getting fired, but gawd damn is this stuff getting annoying!! Id be very interested in a Glazer/Licht tallied confidence poll. These people have to as frustrated as we are
December 29th, 2015 at 8:20 am
I should say 4/5 people being pulled in 3 different directions.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:29 am
Lovie NEEDS to be re-evaluated after the season. Not saying fired, every coach needs this. But maybe a lack of pass rush makes our cornerbacks look even worse as former coach myself…cover 2 doesn’t work very well w/o pass rush. I mean in zone the windows will eventually come open.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:29 am
There certainly could be something to this….but the talent is certainly weak.
The media needs to continue to press on some of these issues.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:29 am
When a kitchen is serving sloppy food that is inedible, Its the Head chef that gets chopped!!!
December 29th, 2015 at 8:44 am
Quite plausible.
December 29th, 2015 at 8:48 am
I’m so over Lovie….I knew this guy was a bad hired when his name was first mentioned for the position. There is a reason the Bears let him go after a 10-6 season. In my opinion, the guy is a F#@king idiot!!!! Simple as that!!!!
December 29th, 2015 at 8:52 am
When a defense looks as bad as the Bucs have looked this season, then every piece of the puzzle needs to be evaluated: coaches, players and defensive schemes. Without major changes, my guess is that next year’s defense will look pretty much the same as this year’s defense … which looked pretty much the same as last year’s defense.
Booger is right on the coaching part though. The secondary hasn’t played like a cohesive unit all season. Not only have there been multiple breakdowns in coverage between the CBs and Safeties, but also between the LBs and secondary. That’s a coaching issue in my opinion.
December 29th, 2015 at 9:03 am
Hopefully Lovie and Obama have something in common:
Only one more year of their nonsense!!
December 29th, 2015 at 9:22 am
I’m guessing the only change we see is Leslie is finished and Lovie promotes one of the existing coaches to DC. Figurehead position anyway so no real DC would ever come here. I doubt we see much change in the coaching makeup next year.
December 29th, 2015 at 9:32 am
Remember how Tony Dungy had a blind-spot for the Offensive Coordinator position and never got that fixed here in Tampa? Lovie Smith has a similar blind-spot for the Secondary coaches.
I’m surprised the Glazers allowed him to sign his son Mikal to be a secondary coach, that reeks of nepotism and wouldn’t be allowed at most companies these days. Mikal is clearly part of the problem, and there’s no way Lovie’s wife will allow him to fire their son.
December 29th, 2015 at 10:14 am
Mmmmm. Giada
December 29th, 2015 at 11:01 am
She has a great set of mixing beaters.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:25 am
It’s obvious the best move the Bucs can make to improve the defense is to fire Lovie and scrap the Tampa-2. Yeah, I know they don’t run the T-2 100% of the time, but it is the scheme the base defense has built around and the players on the roster are allegedly suited for.
Hey Glazers, want to be in the playoffs next year? Then fire Lovie, scrap the T-2, give Koetter the HC job and go hire any of the Broncos assistant defensive coaches (Joe Woods-DBs, Bill Kollar-DL coach, or even Chris Beake-Asst. Defense Coach).
Do those things and the playoffs won’t be years away, instead it will be months away.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:27 am
I ask you…are these stats good enough for a cornerback???? Would you give up on this guy???
Season 1
1 game – 0 sacks – 0 interceptions
Season 2
16 games – 3 sacks – 2 interceptions
Season 3
16 games – 1 sack – 2 interceptions
Season 4
16 games – 5 sacks – 2 interceptions
The guy got a few sacks, but come on…picks are what matters with a CB and we all know it. So should he be dumped? Or kept for depth? Or start?
Those horrible stats are the first 4 years of Ronde Barber.
Season 5
16 games – 1 sack – 10 interceptions
See how dramatically his production changed in year 5?
I am nowhere near ready to give up on Banks. Especially when you compare his game production to Ronde in the same number of games played. He’s actually ahead. Not starting him this year hurt his development.
I also don’t think you give up on a position just because it hasn’t worked out yet. If that were the case, we would not have an offensive line worth anything.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:31 am
In comparison, Banks has more interceptions in 3 years (and fewer games) than Ronde did in 4 years.
My point is, some CBs take longer to develop. It doesn’t mean they won’t be hall of famers.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:32 am
BuccaneerBonzai Says:
December 29th, 2015 at 11:27 am
I am nowhere near ready to give up on Banks
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That’s cute, too bad Lovie already clearly has given up on Banks. But why have a trio or Revis, Verner and Banks when we can have Jenkins, Adjei-Barimah and Moore?
December 29th, 2015 at 11:34 am
@CalBucsFan
Yeah. That cover 2 is totally failing for the seahawks and the other teams making the playoffs.
The issue isn’t scheme, it’s talent. That will change in this draft.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:37 am
@bucrightoff
Revis????
Waaaah! Move on already! The man is a solid player, but nowhere near the money he demands. If we had him, we would not be able to sign Mankins, GMC, David or Martin…because we’d be in cap hell.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:43 am
BuccaneerBonzai Says:
December 29th, 2015 at 11:37 am
@bucrightoff
Revis????
Waaaah! Move on already! The man is a solid player, but nowhere near the money he demands. If we had him, we would not be able to sign Mankins, GMC, David or Martin…because we’d be in cap hel
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You
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Or a great troll. I tend to think moron though. Yes, the Bucs and their upcoming $50+ million in cap space (even with GMC and David signed) would certainly be in cap hell with Revis. Why do I respond to a retard with ADD? I should know better by now. Oh well, I’m bored at work and someone needs to pay taxes so Bonzai can collect the checks on the 1st and 15th.
December 29th, 2015 at 11:51 am
bucrightoff….OMG that was harsh…
December 29th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Our defense isn’t bringing the wood, someone around here has to lol.
December 29th, 2015 at 1:36 pm
Bucs 1st order of business is to fire Frazier and hire a DC with serious swagger. Wish we could’ve gotten marinelli. My second choice, may not be liked but what about Raheem? he wasn’t ready to be hc when he was given that post but, he did good things with the defense when that was his responsibility as I recall.
December 29th, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Great tweet by Booger and something I did not know. I agree it sounds insane to coach dbs this way. Replace the Three Stooges with one good coach for a start. The dbs seem to never know where they are supposed to be. Wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a Safety standing around like a statue while a Corner was handing off to him. The Cover 2 is not the problem, just Lovie’s outdated version of it. The Seahawks play a much more agressive version that is more in tune with today’s schemes. It was obvious after the Titans game with nobody quality WRs saying they watched film of Lovie doing the same thing over and over scheme-wise. Should have been a huge red flag. Tampa 2 is very personnel dependent and we ain’t got the personnel except for McCoy (3 tech tackle) and David (weak-side LB) and maybe Kwon at MLB. We are missing a Strong Safety and pass rushing DE to make the scheme work properly.
December 29th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
Effin A, Tnew.
Get a REAL DC in 2016.
Maybe. Just maybe Lovie will learn how to HEAD coach.
December 29th, 2015 at 2:02 pm
Lovie just stands on the sideline emotionless, the way the team plays.
December 29th, 2015 at 5:45 pm
I’d be willing to bet if you took away all of Lovie’s responsibility as a HC and demoted him to DB coach, the DB’s would STILL suck.
December 29th, 2015 at 7:01 pm
I just think it’s wonderful to hear the opinion of the best afternoon sports show host we’ve had in the area. Far better than the other guy.
December 29th, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Just did some research. Raheem wouldn’t be available Dan Quinn thought enough to make him assistant head coach.
December 29th, 2015 at 9:17 pm
Bonzai, I think the Interceptions came when the Dline put pressure on the QBs
December 29th, 2015 at 9:33 pm
His names is Everett Withers. He is currently the head coach for the James Madison Dukes. He’s one of the best defensive back coaches in the country. So open up the check book, and forward over the quitclaim deed.
For one of your many, Lake Front Properties.
He’ll right the ship.
December 29th, 2015 at 9:39 pm
I’m not sure it’s to many cooks in the kitchen as much as it is a terrible head chef!
December 29th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Love is essentially the child of Greg Schiano’s stubbornness & Raheem’s lack of coaching ability.
December 29th, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Why is Snuffy Smith’s son in the payroll and why is he coaching DBs?
I know there’s one in every family, but god damn, make him a quality control film watcher, not a damn DB coach
December 30th, 2015 at 1:21 am
@BucBonzai
Absolutely agree with you, it is a talent issue. But Lovie insists on staying rigid to his system rather than adjust to the talent. With that approach it will take years to build a decent defense & there is no guarantee Koetter will stay around long enough for that.
The defense will improve a lot faster with a new DC who is capable of adjusting the scheme to the talent, rather than putting talented athletes in a scheme they are not ideally suited for. The list of Lovie’s defensive “rejects” who are now integral parts of play-off bound teams says it all.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:23 am
It’s “never done” and one of them is his son. That’s explicitly setting personal agenda over performance agenda. That, Joe, is the most damning point of the whole thing.
I wonder if his Mikal would be employed by another NFL team?
December 30th, 2015 at 10:27 am
Having a “nickel cornerbacks coach” and having your SON as the safeties coach should be enough to get you fired if your secondary is bottom 3 in the league. It’s a scandal that Lovie’s son is in charge of the worst part of the team. Ridic.
December 30th, 2015 at 3:07 pm
I don’t know if there are to many cooks in the Bucs Defensive Kitchen. But I do know one of them..Mr. Smiley..DC Frazier has got to go. If..Lovie wants his Defense to start changing. And doesn’t Lovie have his son/nephew as a D backs coach? Come on Lovie..Cut it out and knock it off. If YOU want to stay past 2016 YOU had better wise up. Fire frazier and a couple of your Defensive back coaches. Get somebody in here who is gonna get in these players A..! And thats WORD UP! On the other hand, Lovie might like the cool fishing waters off of Clearwater Bay casting his reel, drinkin a cold one while tradin war stories with Schiano. I hope Lovie can right the ship..For his sake.