“Eerie” Irony Between Titans And Bucs
March 28th, 2017
Titans head coach Mike Mularkey talks to Joe
Last month, Dirk Koetter opened the eyeballs of Bucs fans by explaining that when he looks to play copycat in the NFL, he turns on Tennessee Titans film for ideas.
Today at the NFL Owners Meetings, Joe cornered Titans head coach Mike Mularkey on the subject.
“When Dirk took over in Atlanta [as offensive coordinator] when I left there, I think the offense remained the same. It’s very similar now, he may have changed the terminology, but a lot of it is very similar,” Mularkey said. “So we watch a lot of [the Bucs] during the season. When we play an opponent they play, we will study them to see how they’re doing things against other defenses.
“It is interesting where we’re at [with Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston] both running the same offenses. I think it’s eerie in that way. But I think a lot of teams do that. What’s the closest to your offense? You’re trying to find similarities that you compare to see how, and see how they’re attacking.”
Mularkey said he also watches the Cowboys a lot during his film study because their offense is similar to the Bucs’ and Titans’.
Interesting that the Titans and Bucs both finished 9-7. The Cowboys were pretty darn impressive, too.
The draft obsessed also will note how the Titans and Cowboys had beastly bellcow running backs. So it’s a safe bet Dirk Koetter yearns for one of those, too.
March 28th, 2017 at 1:10 pm
It is interesting where we’re at [with Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston] both running the same offenses.
———–
That’s interesting! All I saw the Titans do is play dink and dunk. Power running game with 5 yard slants. The Bucs had almost no running game and threw bombs virtually all game.
If that’s the case then it says a lot about the decisions qbs make on the field.
March 28th, 2017 at 1:11 pm
good article…..would we have finished 9-7 with MM?….or DAK?…..idk but I love my QB….GO BUCS!!!!
March 28th, 2017 at 1:21 pm
Mariota does not have a #1 receiver ,played in 1 less game and still was rated one slot higher at end of year them Mr. Winston…Lets hope Winston works on improving his accuracy .
March 28th, 2017 at 1:28 pm
The Titans have played the easiest schedule in football the last two years – look it up. Give the Bucs that schedule and give the Titans the Bucs schedule and the Bucs are coming off their first division title under Winston while the Titans are 5-11 and wondering about the future of their injury prone QB.
March 28th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
They also both have baller O lines, something the Bucs are lacking as well
March 28th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
And I believe that Licht knew Robinson was going to draft Robert the kicker in rd 3. So Licht moved up to draft him.
March 28th, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Robinson > Licht
March 28th, 2017 at 2:11 pm
Bffl
Then go be a titans fan. How quickly people forget that the titans were picking in the top 2 the past 2 years!!! And they then parlayed that 1st overall pick into multiple picks. That is the only reason that he could be mentioned in the same breath as Licht. Get a grip
March 28th, 2017 at 2:12 pm
@bffl shut the hell up..robinson been there for 1 year and inherited most of the talent there jason built this thing from the ashes
March 28th, 2017 at 2:19 pm
“BFFL Says:
March 28th, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Robinson > Licht”
I think you’re in the wrong forum… This is a Bucs fan forum…
And what a stupid comment. Jon Robinson has had what – 1 NFL draft? where he had a sh1t load of draft picks because he lucked into the #1 pick while already having a franchise QB making it obvious & easy decision to trade down? Great trade but any non-idiot GM would have taken that deal.. That trade was entirely luck & timing. It could not have played out any better for him and required little to no creativity at all.
I loved Robinson when he was here and think he’ll do a great job but holy sh1t calm the f*ck down.
Also let’s look at his draft full of premium picks:
1-pick 8 – Conklin – awesome pick
2-pick 33 – Kevin Dodd – per rotoworld “A rookie second-rounder, Dodd played 179 highly-ineffective snaps before going down. His health will be a question mark heading into 2017.” So basically a potential bust already when guys like Noah Spence & Sterling Sheperd were on the board.
2-pick 43 – Austin Johnson – Dude played in 7 games and had 7 solo tackles. Wow this definitely proves that Jon Robinson is greater than Jason Light
2-pick 45 – Derrik Henry – solid pick – future stud at RB
3-pick 64 – Kevin Byard – safety who started 7 games and did OK i guess. Need more time to evaluate
So with his first 5 picks in the top 3 rounds; he nailed 2 starters for 2016; and potentially 2 busts with Kevin Dodd being the worst pick. Byard may evolve into a true starter.
The Bucs with only 3 picks in the top 3 rounds; got 2 starters as well; with Aguayo being the potential bust.
Tajae Sharp went in the 4th to Robinson and while he flashed in preseason and early on he really did not do much for that team. Their biggest need is still WR.. At best he maybe can be a #2/3 one day but more likely a typical 4th round depth WR
Rest of guys I haven’t heard anything about / look like depth guys or eventual cuts
March 28th, 2017 at 2:20 pm
We are lucky the Bucs have Licht.
We have some dumb fans
March 28th, 2017 at 2:23 pm
make or brake year for MM8
He will have all the tools that is needed to go deep in the playoffs with what Robinson is giving him
The better defenses know how to beat him/weaknesses and his body is breaking down
If MM8 cant successfully throw downfield/gets injured again, Robinson and the titans wont be waiting. 2018, they will look for serious competition and another direction/backup plan
In Jaboos game, they is no doubt he has the skillset/body to win superbowls in the modern NFL game. The winning superbowl QBs has skillsets that even the best defenses cant defend and beat.
MM8 without his wheels? Very nice kid, but could get ugly real fast
March 28th, 2017 at 2:32 pm
Both Winston and Mariota have strengths and weakness’ in their game. Both are bright young qb’s. I prefered Winston heading into the draft but Mariota has really impressed. I didn’t expect him to transition into the league as smooth as he did, if at all. One things certain, after being subjected to Josh McCown try to play qb, either one of those kids were a godsend at that point.
March 28th, 2017 at 2:35 pm
@Rod Munch-The Bucs went 1-3 against the AFC South in 2015 2 of those losses to back up QB’s and 1 to a rookie…
Saying both teams play similar offenses just shows how different each qb truly is Jameis likes to swing for the fences and throw deep which he’s shown he is ineffective at since he only completed 26.7% of his passes than went 20 yards or more. While Mariota will keep drives alive and take what the defense gives him although it’s not sexy it limits turnovers and retains possession for your team. I’d like to see Jameis be a bit more selective on when he chooses to go deep and instead choose to keep the drive alive.
While I’m happy we have Jameis he needs to up his game to earn this franchise qb label over eager and desperate fans have given him
March 28th, 2017 at 2:40 pm
I believe the Bucs are closer to being a contender then the Titans. Obvisously last years game proves we are not on same level as Cowboys yet.
One 9-7 season dont mean sh!+ but we have decent young players. This is our year to make a serious playoff run. If not we will y be in for another long decade.
March 28th, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Lets not forget they are 9-7 in the worst division in football
March 28th, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Tampa Tony i hear ya. But i dont think its all on Winston. Vjax laid in bed all year. Humphries was our number 2 and he is average at best………the rest of our recieving core were basically just guys running on the field because they were incapable of getting open.
Winston was a 2nd year QB with one reciever worth a salt and a line that lost a few games for us. He should look much improved if the team around him does.
March 28th, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Tampa tony
Did you forget that the Titans have a top 2 offensive line and a top 3 running game? They kept drives alive because they could run the ball on first and second down to make it a manageable 3rd if it even got to that. The Bucs were regularly in 2nd/3rd and long situations. Cant compare
March 28th, 2017 at 2:59 pm
“Obvisously last years game proves we are not on same level as Cowboys yet.”
That is an interesting comment… Despite the fact that; NONE of our RT’s were able to block the Irving.. That Zeke went off for 160 yards and we had 50 total yards rushing.. That the only weapons JW had aside from Evans was undrafted guys like Brate and Humphries (love them, but they have low ceilings) & in turn, JW threw 3 picks…. We had the ball last, with the opportunity to win the game ON THE ROAD… Maybe we weren’t on their level in week 15, but what Licht is doing, has us getting there.
March 28th, 2017 at 3:00 pm
On your mark…..
Get Set……..
Go……SILLY SEASON….WINS!!!
So true Largo….”after being subjected to Josh McCown try to play qb, either one of those kids were a godsend at that point”
March 28th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Guys, you all know tampa tony is going to talk crap about winston and troll winston. Don’t feed the troll.
March 28th, 2017 at 3:16 pm
@Webster-Is it trolling if you provide facts to validate your criticism? BTW I loved your TV show
March 28th, 2017 at 3:23 pm
Berto- that may be but from our section we were screaming so many times at Winston to take the shorter easier throw who was typically open to get a first rather than throw a 40 yard incompletion
Even without a good run game Jameis takes needless risk with bad down the field accuracy when he has open underneath routes. He has to learn to balance those tendencies to become a better qb
March 28th, 2017 at 3:46 pm
tenn hit the jack pot with robinson. The trade he made with all those picks comming up wow!!!
March 28th, 2017 at 3:58 pm
OK Tampa Tony if you are glad Winston is our QB, how about telling us what he does well as a QB instead of always accenting the negative.
March 28th, 2017 at 4:19 pm
Tampa Tony Says:
“I’m happy we have Jameis”
You are not a very good liar Tony…
March 28th, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Leadership, improvisation (which is a great thing to have with a mediocre line), pocket presence and his scrambling ability are probably his best attributes in my view.
I was on the Winston bandwagon prior to the draft and I still like him but hoping for improvement and demanding excellence instead of being content with mediocrity isn’t a bad thing. You can be critical and still be a fan. I never criticize or bash a player out of spite I always try to support the criticism with facts.
Hard to talk Football logic to those that have a pre determined bias toward a certain player though.
March 28th, 2017 at 4:48 pm
Tampa Tony says:
“I was on the Winston bandwagon prior to the draft and I still like him”
You need to up your bra size a bit. To Double D specifically. Denial and delusional.
Show me ONE of your past posts from the JBF archives that backs up that statement. Good Luck.
March 28th, 2017 at 4:59 pm
TampaTony How about Winston being a winner where ever he’s been. How about being one of the best crossing route QBs in the league. How about being one durable son of a gun, he doesn’t miss games. Tampa Tony his positives far out weigh his negatives. Just my opinion.
March 28th, 2017 at 5:08 pm
Titans n cowgirls definitely have 2 of the top offensive lines in football. Having said that im surprised koetter is content with our offensive line. Im not a basher of our Oline but its an interesting thought from this article. N ole dirk is for sure wanting a running back lime those 2 have. Go bucs.
Oh db55
What bucs games were you watching where they threw bombs all game? I cant find them. I keep seeing 3 yards n a cloud of dust
March 28th, 2017 at 5:22 pm
What DoNUTS said.
March 28th, 2017 at 5:26 pm
Sorry don’t have the time or even know how to do that. If it means that much to you go for it. Sorry you are so thin skinned that you can’t accept criticism. Guess you’ve never been in the military or in a job where you make decisions.
March 28th, 2017 at 5:26 pm
I think our Oline is in good shape. We are led by two young players on the left side who vame into the league together. They should still be showing improvement year to year. Heck, their bodies probably still have room to grow and bulk up. They are both phenomenal at rolling out wide and blocking downfield. Say what you want about Hawley but he is great on those plays too.
Theres a few players we havent seen much of that are heavily invested in. If we get one of our young depth guys to step up and play well or somebody else well be looking real good.
Our line played poorly at times last year but they also played a lot of really good football too. We just need them to grow get better.
March 28th, 2017 at 6:37 pm
I call bull on that one. I saw a lot of dink and dunk with the Titans.
March 28th, 2017 at 7:18 pm
Great rebuttal Guwop. He’s said that a number of times and it makes me scratch my head when he does so. The cowboys were frauds last season and were exposed. Now after losing five staters from last years defense(a defense that sucked mind you) I find it funny to hear we are not on they’re level. We’ll see whats good next time we face them. When the likes of Desean,Dalvin,ME and Fameis are all on the footbal field.
March 28th, 2017 at 7:24 pm
They also have much better olines…..smdh
March 28th, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Tony – Rank of schedule combined 2015-16, the Titans are 32nd out of 32 teams. The Mariota hot streak last year when all the box office watchers thought he was playing amazing – it was against the worst pass defenses you’ll ever see in a row. Ever. Once the schedule got back to normal Mariota was fine, but not amazing – then of course Mariota got injured, which will be his career calling card. To me Mariota looks a ton like Jeff Garcia – and that’s not bad, the guy won games – but Winston is special.
March 28th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
Tony – the point was, you NEVER have anything positive to say about Winston. So thus there are no posts of yours to be found saying anything positive about Jameis Here is a cross section of what you typically post on JBF – none of which indicates you “like” Jameis Winston:
Tampa Tony Says:
October 10th, 2016 at 11:13 am
“A running game isn’t gonna make Jameis more accurate or make better decisions”
Tampa Tony Says:
October 12th, 2016 at 11:17 am
“Winston looks like Freeman – he throws into double coverage, hasn’t shown he is a franchise type qb (yet) and constantly over throws wide open receivers. Instead of getting better he’s getting worse”
Tampa Tony Says:
October 16th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
“Inaccuracy and bad decisions are not reflective of a running game. Too many excuses being thrown about for Freeman 2.0”
Tampa Tony Says:
October 31st, 2016 at 10:46 am
“Jameis could have an all pro group of receivers and would still over throw them”
Tampa Tony Says:
November 1st, 2016 at 8:32 am
“What good would more weapons do when Jameis would just over throw them?”
Tampa Tony Says:
December 24th, 2016 at 11:08 pm
“as a pro he is wildly inconsistent… Dude has a lot to improve upon to be anything other than an average qb”
Tampa Tony Says:
March 11th, 2017 at 3:13 pm
“he’s a inconsistent turnover prone qb those are the facts until he proves otherwise. If he went to UCLA or Texas or another school maybe the FSU nuthuggers would be a bit more open minded and unbiased about his sloppy inconsistent play”
March 28th, 2017 at 8:48 pm
I saw Mariota go 6 for 20 for 88 yds and win. Let Winston come out of a game with those numbers and I’ll guarantee the Bucs wouldn’t win. That shows a clear difference in the help Mariota has.
March 28th, 2017 at 9:25 pm
If we are on the cowboys level then why did they manhandle us? Im not saying we are light years away or that teams cant improve/regress drastically in a year. But all we got to go on is last year in which they gave us a thorough smackdown which ended our chances.
March 28th, 2017 at 9:27 pm
They were a playoff team and prooved why to us why we played em. We werent and prooved why as well……..playoffs/no playoffs…….different levels IMO
March 28th, 2017 at 9:42 pm
@Pickgrin-you might want to look back at the game day threads where I praise his throws and TD’s. I’m hard on Jameis as a #1 over all pick and being pimped as a franchise qb as I have high expectations after seeing his college games
March 28th, 2017 at 10:28 pm
Tony – You bashed Winston on every bad throw he has in every game and said Glennon should be starting. Give it a rest – you’re a Winston hater, at least own what you are.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:40 pm
It is weird that if you watch a titans game the offense looks very different compared to the bucs. It comes down to execution.
Winston rarely checks down (if ever) so he constantly taking his shots further down field. In that same offense mariota is more conservative and will use his check downs a lot more often. and the titans obviously can dial up some QB run type plays and get mariota using his legs more. titans have different strengths and weaknesse than the bucs so their plays will go to their strengths and the bucs will do what works for their strengths.
I do hope winston starts to use his checkdowns more now that defenses have to respect a deep threat. Should be a fun season. And im going to try and pay closer attention to the titans and cowboys to see how those offenses are doing things different but in the same style offense.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:48 pm
If the Titans had Jameis they probably would have been playing in the AFC title game last year …
March 29th, 2017 at 12:15 am
NFLNut Says:
March 28th, 2017 at 10:48 pm
If the Titans had Jameis they probably would have been playing in the AFC title game last year …
True that
March 29th, 2017 at 12:33 am
Tony – threads where you “praise” Jameis don’t exist – which is why I challenged you to post even ONE.
Hint -(paraphrased). “I like Jameis but he is not a franchise QB and basically sucks because of a,b,c and x,y,z…” is NOT “praise”…
Your apparent stance of (again paraphrased) “I’m only hard on Jameis and constantly talk sh!t about any little non perfection in his game I can think of because I want him to be better” is BS dude.
Do you really think that your constant criticism of Winston on the internet is somehow going to make him a better QB – eager to live up to Tony’s “high expectations”? LOL
If this is truly your way of “supporting” the best QB to ever wear a Bucs uniform at only 23 years old – then your ideas of “support” and being a “fan” of an NFL team are whacked out.
You must be the dad who berates and punishes his child for bringing home a report card with 4 “A”s, an “A-” and a “B+” at 8 years of age….
March 29th, 2017 at 2:00 am
Children fighting back and forth trying to get the last word.
March 29th, 2017 at 6:12 am
@Rod- you have no idea what you are talking about I hated Glennon if anyone thought he should be starting over Jameis they need their eyes checked
Sorry my expectations for a #1 overall pick are higher than others especially when scouts and writers pimp him to have a high football IQ and other wild praise that we’ve yet to see on the field. I’ll continue to point out the flaws since every other poster ignores them and just wants to circle jerk each other for silly stats and ignore facts
March 29th, 2017 at 11:25 am
Tampa Tony i give up no matter what Winston does there’s always that underlying negative BS comment. The drafted #1 crap is getting old. Winston has far exceeded most #1 overall picks first 2 seasons. Lets face it Winston came to a bad team, and all he’s done in 2 years is lead them to the brink of the playoffs. Sure he has things to improve on, but damm give him some credit once in a while he deserves it. Your just a hater admit it you’ll feel better. It’s like being a alcoholic you can’t get help until you admit you have a problem. PS i know the nuthugger comment is coming so i’ll beat you to it. Kind of predictable.