Out Of Rope
August 3rd, 2018
Final chance?
Long-time readers here know Joe’s biggest gripe with inept Lovie Smith was that he was about as flexible as an I-beam.
To Joe, good coaching requires an open mind and flexibility. Put your players in the best position to succeed based on their talents, not shoehorn a square peg into a round hole.
Lovie, at least on defense, not only didn’t demonstrate either an open mind or flexibility, but he didn’t appear to have any desire. His way or the highway, which is why Lovie hit the road involuntarily after the 2015 season.
And the way Andy Benoit of theMMQB.com describes Lovie’s successor as defensive coordinator, Mike Smith, he isn’t much better.
Despite the fact the Bucs’ pass rush was atrocious last year, Benoit’s film study showed Smith never adjusted and it is one reason why the pass defense got roasted more than a brisket at a family barbeque, 32nd in the NFL in 2017.
Benoit shared this analysis while writing Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry have a chance to be the two most impactful newcomers on any team in the NFL this season.
Bigger names than ex-Giant Jason Pierre-Paul and ex-Eagle Vinny Curry changed teams this offseason. But few, if any, will mean as much to their new clubs. Last year a feckless pass rush left the Bucs with a league-low 22 sacks and the NFL’s 32nd ranked pass defense. Coordinator Mike Smith’s classic two-deep zones simply had no chance. True, Pierre-Paul and Curry are not saviors. In fact, they were available because they didn’t quite have the edge-bending prowess to justify big salaries on their old teams. But as gifted lateral movers and sound technicians, they can be highly effective on designer four-man rush tactics, like stunts, slants and twists, where they attack blockers at angles and create pass rush lanes for others. Smith must employ these more than he did in 2017.
When you factor in the interior, it’s possible Tampa Bay’s D-line will morph from a glaring weakness into this team’s greatest strength. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is still a dynamo. First-round rookie Vita Vea is expected to fortify the nose tackle spot when his injured calf heals. End Noah Spence, back from a shoulder injury, is looking to recapture the speed he developed in the second half of his 2016 rookie season. Ex-Eagle Beau Allen and especially ex-Bear Mitch Unrein provide outstanding run-stuffing depth. The personnel is in place to create more of the 3rd-and-long situations to capitalize on a still-average, but wildly upgraded, pass rush.
You know who needs JPP and Curry to be dominant? Smith. (The Bucs have been without a decent pass rush for so long, nine sacks each from those two might just get their names in the Ring of Honor).
Joe can envision a scenario where the Bucs have a losing season and Dirk Koetter returns. If the Bucs lose, it is a safe bet the defense is awful once again. So yeah, if the defense stinks again, but the offense plays well and America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, has a nice year, Joe can see Koetter returning.
But not Smith.
Joe likes Smith a great deal. But if he cannot figure out a way to turn this defense around with the talent he has to work with, there is no way to defend his position with the Bucs.
August 3rd, 2018 at 5:21 am
The defense has to be better. I’m sure buck will get most of the credit. Koetter better figure out a way to get the ball in the end zone. I have more hope in the defense tbh. Something more threatening than Doug Martin out of the backfield would be nice. Hopefully Rojo and barber can ball out and help keep defenses honest in the red zone.
August 3rd, 2018 at 6:10 am
Smith had a serviceable unit just two years ago with less talent then he has now….He simply had NO TALENT last year. Smith and Spence were gone, we converted LBs to DEs….Hargreaves looked like he wasnt allowed to press, the secondary had a rookie and no chemistry. You then had Winston giving away field position and points….A coach can only mask so many deficiencies before teams simply expose the lesser talent. Barring injury, we’ll be an even better defense then 2 yrs ago.
August 3rd, 2018 at 6:27 am
OK…..I finally arrived at a place I didn’t want to go……high expectations….I had them last year and was bitterly disappointed. I now have them again….for this defense….I expect them to be very, very stout.
This defense may be good enough to overcome poor coaching.
August 3rd, 2018 at 6:31 am
Smith did all he could with what he had last season. Let’s see what he can cook up with a formidable defensive line
August 3rd, 2018 at 6:43 am
This is the scenario I am hoping for worst cast.
August 3rd, 2018 at 7:02 am
With one of the best receiving cores in the NFL our secondary will have some great receivers to compete with to get ready for the regular season, iron sharpens iron hopefully.
D-line should be fine, Get well soon Vita! Haven’t heard much about Spence in practice am I missing something?
August 3rd, 2018 at 7:07 am
All coaches believe their game plan is fantastic. This isn’t just a Lovie thing. How flexible has Dirk Koetter been in his play calling? Not very. He was 100% inflexible to start Peyton Barber ahead of Drug Shamster until he absolutely had to.
August 3rd, 2018 at 7:35 am
Horsecrap, anyone that thinks Mike Zimmer wouldn’t have had an average ranked defense at worst with this roster is an idiot.
don’t worry proof will be in the pudding soon until the REAL FANS continue to shell out excuses.
August 3rd, 2018 at 8:16 am
We had no trouble running out coaches for less. And, I disagree with Joe. If the Bucs have a losing season, EVERYONE must go.
I hope Smitty turns it around, I really do.
August 3rd, 2018 at 9:39 am
damn right…..losing season=house cleaning!!!!!!!!
and D-Rome is exactly right!!!!…..coaches all over the NFL prefer to stick to their system and their way of doing things…..
with that said, good coaches adjust….simple as that…..
prepare to be showered with excuses…..que the smitty nut huggers…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
August 3rd, 2018 at 9:44 am
No matter how flexible a coordinator you are, there was simply no pieces to develop an outside pass rush. After Spence went down, forget about it.
This year we have SOMETHING at defensive end. Better than what we hsd last year. Plus some decent interior linemen to help stop the run to keep our defense in 3rd and long. The more pieces there are, the smarter the coordinator looks.
August 3rd, 2018 at 9:51 am
bobby
you cant say we had no talent when the year before in 2016 we looked like at an average defense(at least for 5games)….then, in that offseason we added pieces to the defense, it was their second year in the defense and that unit(as well as the offense) regressed….
the no talent excuses in BS…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
August 3rd, 2018 at 10:00 am
As D.R. and others like to post it’s still a team game. If the Buc’s can close the deal on a good OL…the jury is still out for me…and Barber and ROJO play up to expectations that is going to be good news not just for the offense but the defense as well.
Imagine we start hitting open receivers and simply move the chains. Again if the OL is adequate there is no reason this offense cannot move the chains and eat up clock to keep the D off the field.
August 3rd, 2018 at 10:01 am
Bobby M … That’s the perfect recap to what I saw last year too. A team with the same defensive coaching staff simply doesn’t go from being ranked #1 in stopping 3rd-down conversions to being ranked #32 in that same category UNLESS something major changes. And that something major was the talent level IMO, largely but not solely due to injuries. Bucs simply didn’t have the depth to compensate.
But this year they appear to. Excellent depth on the DLine AND in the LB corps. Secondary is still suspect IMO, but only because we haven’t seen what the rookies can contribute. IF they shine, Bucs defense will improve considerably (even against a harder schedule than last year). And Joe, I agree with you … If Smitty can’t “figure out a way to turn this defense around with the talent he has to work with, there is no way to defend his position with the Bucs.” But I still think Smitty is a solid coach and will git ‘er done. I just hope fans & media hold the Bucs’ offense & STs to the same level of accountability when it comes to improvement this year. Still cautiously optimistic about 10-6 and possible playoffs …
August 3rd, 2018 at 10:48 am
Smith will do just fine and his defense will feast. Smith would be a better choice for head coach than Koetter as well. Dirk has problem wearing two hats. He needs to let Monken do his job and run the whole team. Slow down a little to speed up.
August 3rd, 2018 at 12:08 pm
I saw the picture of Smith and thought the title read, “Out of Hope”.
“…he made NO adjustments…” Anyone think that changes? Pressure is the only hope.
August 3rd, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Like Mike Tyson says, Everybody got a game plan…until they get HIT!!
DC Smith? You don’t have many hits left before you are in your beloved pressbox…permanently.
August 3rd, 2018 at 2:45 pm
It seems the so-called fans cannot tell the difference between no adjustments and the fact that nothing was working due to the stars of the defense being injured!!!!! With just a little bit from DE, Coach Smitty covered up so much!!!!! after injuries and sub par play of the DE left over and injuries to the secondary!!!!!! So many have been wrong about Coach Smitty!!!!! Joe, the sheep and the so-called fans have tried everything this past offseason to run off this very good coach!!!!! Thankfully smarter and more knowledgeable football personal saw thru the farce and slander!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2018 at 4:22 pm
So many have been wrong about Coach Smitty!!!!!
LOL….no, we were right!!!!!!…..outside of 5(fluky)games he has been flat out horrible….embarrassing…..lousy…..
luckily, pressures on and we just saw how dirk and smitty performed under pressure and adversity last year!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!