Not Enough Explosives
November 16th, 2017
The Bucs need to be more explosive.
That’s the word from winning head coach Dirk Koetter. What he means by that is explosive plays. Koetter defines an explosive play as any running play of 12 yards or longer or a pass play of 16 yards or longer. And the Bucs aren’t getting enough, Koetter said yesterday.
In the offseason, the Bucs beefed up their offense big time with a goal of getting more explosive. That’s why they signed DeSean Jackson. That’s why they drafted O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin.
And, per Koetter, those moves haven’t resulted in enough explosive plays.
“We are below the number that we need to be at to be a consistent winner,” Koetter said. “You’ve got to get eight explosives in a game. We got six. We had six last week. I think we’ve only had over eight, by our definition, once or twice this year. We’ve been close.
“When you have one on a run, it’s get called back on a penalty. We can talk about all the factors. [The] bottom line [is] you need to get eight in a game – eight clean ones – and we are not where we need to be. We’ve had some opportunities, but we haven’t gotten it done.”
Well, as we are now a week from Thanksgiving — dang, the Bears game seemed like two weeks ago — Joe feels safe typing the following:
1. The Bucs are not going to get an explosive play from the run game. What Charles Sims did last Sunday was the NFL version of witnessing Sasquatch, only without the shaky, out-of-focus camera.
2. Until (if?) America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston returns, the chances of getting many explosives from Ryan Fitzpatrick are, well, limited.
November 16th, 2017 at 5:36 am
Fearless prediction: Fitz throws three TD’s against Miami Sunday. Average Jameis watches from the bench and “learns”.
November 16th, 2017 at 5:38 am
I like the Sasquatch reference, Joe. It reminds me of the late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg. “I think Bigfoot really is blurry, and that’s scary. We’ve got a large, out of focus monster roaming the countryside.”
November 16th, 2017 at 5:53 am
Well we have a coach that’s forgotten how to call plays and a hurt QB that can’t hit the broad side of a barn.
So…………….
November 16th, 2017 at 6:12 am
I understand Koetter’s position on explosive plays (8 minimum per game), and yet I wonder if that’s even close to realistic with this offense. And more importantly, do they NEED that many per game to win. He obviously thinks we do & that I think is why he keeps calling so many slow-developing, intermediate & deep passes.
Koetter also doesn’t strike me as being very patient nor does he seem to trust his run game very much at all. His 4 RBs have a TOTAL of 228 touches (runs & pass) in 9 games (25/game average). Of that we’ve run an average of 20 times each game & the 4 RBs have been targeted 5 times average each game. Rodgers, Barber & Sims pretty much disappeared from the game plans once Martin returned, even though each has certain things they do quite well.
It all gets back to the OLine though IMO … hard for any of them to get explosive plays if the OLine isn’t doing an effective job of blocking. And if that’s the case, seems like it’d be better to de-emphasize the deep pass in favor of the quicker short stuff to move the ball & let the receivers hopefully get better yards after the catch.
November 16th, 2017 at 6:30 am
Fitz throws the deep ball better than Jameis thus far in his career
November 16th, 2017 at 6:37 am
They need to sustain drives, period and not fold in the red zone
November 16th, 2017 at 7:05 am
Jameis is painfully inaccurate deep as we’ve seen all season , Fitz’s arm has seen better days.
November 16th, 2017 at 7:17 am
Losing pubichead coach Dirk Koettter is more likely to produce explosive diarrhea with his water-downed predictable offense.
November 16th, 2017 at 7:20 am
Jameis needs to work on his foot work from what i can tell, he looks to awkward when scrambling this year and he holds onto the ball to long, is that because the receivers aren’t getting separation? i see it from time to time, is it laziness? is it because the opposing defense is jamming them at the line or the small nudge to get them off their route? ( i see that alot too, wish our defense would do that) is it the play calling? i see too many failed plays that don’t work being called over and over. Where is the screens, play action, reverses, and quick slants? I have seen them but they are like college graduated strippers, you see hardly any.
Point is they can be better at every position on offense, (and defense) and they should have been way better, game 3, should have never been as bad as it was in Minnesota!!!!! why it’s not working is beyond me, but to me it all points out to work work work!!!!! We have some laziness spreading this year like MRSA. i hope we get it cured fast.
November 16th, 2017 at 7:28 am
This is madness. The reason we don’t have enough explosives is on you the damn psycho of a coach. How about you stop calling cowardly plays and be more aggressive. It’s nobody’s fault but yours the your first round draft pick isn’t getting touches. Stupid to have all these weapons, all this speed but have less explosive plays. That’s on you sorry coach I hope they can see how unfit you are to lead a team and get you out of here
And to the Joe’s….fits had played one full game so Winston and Dirk are the main culprits for not having explosives. We didn’t have them while he was playing so don’t use Fitz as an excuse, at least djack over 70 yards for a change
November 16th, 2017 at 7:38 am
I just don’t think Koetter does a good job of setting up his explosive plays. If you don’t have a run game that demands respect, you need to have a consistent short passing game. That’s what Manning and Brady do so well. They take the quick pass slant and soft coverage underneath and hope for some YAC. Those high percentage throws also build up confidence and rhythm that make the defense play tighter and opens up the down field opportunities. When you just try to make an explosive with the hope that completing it opens up the short game, it deflates the offense when you miss. And that happens too often.
Focus on the short game before you break out your driver.
November 16th, 2017 at 7:40 am
Sure its hard to get explosive plays with our line ,but when the blocking is adequate its still up to our players to take advantage. We have had chances to make big plays and left them on the table. Our problem isn’t that we are throwing
too many deep passes it is that we are not completing enough of them. It would also help the running game if the safety actually had to be in coverage.
Most defenses try to shut down the run first and force the QB to beat them.
Slow starts and inaccurate passes play right into the hands of the defense.
In my opinion , inspired play from our Qb will spread to the rest of the team.
November 16th, 2017 at 8:02 am
Warrenfb12 Says:
November 16th, 2017 at 6:30 am
Fitz throws the deep ball better than Jameis thus far in his career
————–
That is simply not true. Both of them can’t hit a deep ball.
November 16th, 2017 at 8:17 am
Dirk Koetter’s offense was 20th in scoring in 2015, 18th last year, 22nd this year.
Dirk Koetter led offenses have been 24th of worse in rushing in 5 of his last 6 seasons as an offensive playcaller.
The Falcons decided Dirk Koetter wasn’t good enough to get Matt Ryan to the next level. They were rewarded with an MVP and a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl.
Dirk Koetter is 3-9 against winning teams as coach here. And seems to be subpar at math.
November 16th, 2017 at 8:26 am
I like Dirk.
He’s the head coach, so his emphasizing explosives when the opposing defense seems to know exactly when a run is coming and where it’s going — you could have the 1980s Hogs from Washington on the O-line and not get many explosives. And defensively when you can’t rush the passer or cover anyone, or stop the run, you are going to lose.
When you aren’t consistent game to game, or within a game, play to play, you are going to lose.
If that’s Koetter’s explanation for losing, he’ll not be a head coach much longer.
November 16th, 2017 at 8:29 am
Marpet and Dot are playing well – but as a whole, the Oline is not getting the job done.
Smith is still quite inconsistent. Pamphile has regressed big time this year (bad look in a contract year) and Sweezy is just not good at all when it comes to run blocking.
Grades and metrics bear all this out. And perhaps the most damning stat of all is that Martin, Quizz and Barber have all had more yards after contact than their total net yards in multiple games this year. Meaning the RBs are getting hit in the backfield at an alarming rate – just like last year.
Joes can play ostrich by sticking their heads in the sand all they want on this poor play by the Oline issue – but it doesn’t change the facts.
Bad run blocking is hampering this Buccaneer offense BIG TIME!!
Some blame the QB, many blame the play calling – but it all starts up front. 60% of our starting Oline (Smith, Pamphile and Sweezy) are not getting the job done – run blocking in particular – and that more than any other reason is responsible for the lack of “explosives” and for Dirk’s offense looking “out of sync” a good bit of this 2017 season despite all the skill position talent.
November 16th, 2017 at 8:48 am
the big plays are there, Jameis just can connect. And it’s not just the deep ball… it the 10 yard slant or cross that gets completed but the WR has to stop and adjust where as if you hit the guy in stride, its a 40 yard play. That why Jameis and djax cant get on the same page… he’s not evans, with evans you just put the ball somewhere close and he can stop and leap and its a catch
November 16th, 2017 at 8:57 am
Djax plays have been there all year…Why can’t JameMISS or Fitz put the ball in front of him instead of behind him AND hit those good damn sure TDs with Djax wide open down the field…frustrating to watch EVERY week…
November 16th, 2017 at 8:58 am
This perfectly exposes Koetter’s delusional approach to offense. He doesn’t understand what an offense has to EARN before explosive plays become readily available. He’s done.
November 16th, 2017 at 9:00 am
hard to have explosive plays when the play calling is predictable…..GO BUCS!!!!
November 16th, 2017 at 9:01 am
Rads Says:
November 16th, 2017 at 8:58 am
This perfectly exposes Koetter’s delusional approach to offense. He doesn’t understand what an offense has to EARN before explosive plays become readily available. He’s done.
^^BINGO^^
GO BUCS!!!!
November 16th, 2017 at 9:22 am
Awesome Mitch Hedberg reference ’79Defense
November 16th, 2017 at 10:05 am
Pickgrin
As always nice analysis. I agree and you cannot perform if 60% of your Oline is not doing their job. Last year it was the RT and a smallish Center playing through injuries…
Here is where the usual draft talk comes up. LMAO. BTW are we celebrating today. We just got a 2nd round draft pick at CB an area lacking depth….great eh…a 2nd round pick selected by the vaunted Pittsburgh management. How did the Steelers mess that one up….duh because there’s a 50-50 chance than ANY GM is going to strike out on a draft pick.
November 16th, 2017 at 10:51 am
One thing I enjoy a lot here at JBF is we have a significant number of posters willing to do the research to back up their takes.
Can one of you research whizzes help me out? It’s just anecdotal, a gut feeling…but I would like to know how many “explosives”…indeed actual TD’s we’ve lost due to stupid penalties? Feels like a decent sized number. If we eliminated the penalities and the drops what would our number of explosives look like.
IE Is it really all about talent or the fact that our “talent” has performed erratically and very inconsistently. Sometimes I think we are still a stooopid team.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:01 am
Why don’t you try to write up some more explosive receiving plays that don’t necessarily have to be 40 yard bombs. And there’s obviously something wrong with the Oline, and Dirk playing the most obvious times when they’re going to run it . I don’t care what people say about Doug but he is very good at finding the small holes and getting through and that aint happening. Could be his fault but I just don’t think it’s all on him doing the Carlton so much in the backfield.
November 16th, 2017 at 11:10 am
SPBF – Just a guess – not a stat – but I’d guess we’ve had at least 8 or 9 plays that Koetter classifies as “explosive” called back due to penalties this year.
Probably averages out to 1 a game. It just seems like they always happen at the worst times for the Bucs this year so probably SEEMS like more total than there have actually been.
It happened the ONE time Winston and DJax hooked up on a long ball. I remember that one for sure – LOL. Smith alone has had at least 3 good plays called back due to penalty that I can think of…
November 16th, 2017 at 11:20 am
@mike n
You are right about Jameis not always being able to connect in perfect stride, but there are also so many stop-and-go plays in Koetter’s magical book of sh!t. Lots of curl routes. That’s why Mike Evans has very little YAC. He ain’t slow in stride.