Your Move, Defense
August 1st, 2018
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter believes he has two pieces of a football chessboard that just might force a defense into a painful, costly mistake.
Yesterday, Koetter was asked about having an advantage using two supremely talented tight ends like Cam Brate and O.J. Howard. Koetter said it is huge.
“Big advantage,” Koetter said. “If you’re running a two-tight end system, which we do part of the time, having those two guys is huge. That’s the reason why they’re both here.
“It puts the defense in a little bit of a predicament if they’re going to go base defense versus nickel defense. It’s a good problem for us to have.”
With Brate, the guy is almost lethal down the seam. Howard is a walking mismatch. He can block if defenses run a base or he can stretch the field if the defense is bunched up in a base. Or, Howard can go deep on a nickel defense and with his big body, he has a major advantage over a smaller defensive back.
It is almost like Koetter is going to put both of those tight ends on the field at the same time, and smile at his counterpart on the opposite side of the field, winking as if saying, “What’s your move now?”
August 1st, 2018 at 12:13 am
I’m excited about this! The last time I was this excited about 2 tight ends was my bachelor party
August 1st, 2018 at 1:08 am
Should give us a great red zone advantage but let’s see if we stick to toss sweeps. Seems like two good tightends should be really hard to stop from scoring three plays in a row. Throw in Mike Evans and if we fail to score in the red zone we shouldn’t have to wait until black Monday koetter should just resign at the end of the season.
August 1st, 2018 at 1:12 am
Can’t believe we are one day away from nfl preseason starting. So excited to just watch football again. Couldn’t imagine if we actually get to get excited about the bucs also. Could you imagine watching the bucs play on a Saturday in January. I wish hard knocks was this year so we could get some inside info on the Jameis Winston saga. To know what the coaches and gm are thinking about the situation.
August 1st, 2018 at 1:29 am
If we only had a QB to throw to them!!!!
August 1st, 2018 at 3:31 am
I still don’t get it. All these weapons, so much yardage, but so little scoring. Rushing TDs stayed exactly the same last 2 yrs (8 TDs rushing BOTH years) but our passing TDs actually fell last year (from 29 TDs passing in 2016 to 26 TDs passing in 2017). We ADD 3 monster weapons (OJ AND DJax AND Godwin) in 2017 but we end up getting LESS overall production … where it counts (as in ‘Putting the ball across the goal line’?). Something’s wrong in Bucsville.
Koetter has mismatches available to him all over the field with this WR/TE group of receivers. Mike Evans & DJax – mismatches. Brate & OJ – mismatches. Godwin & Humphries are certainly no slouches. More WR/TE weapons in 2017, but fewer points from them. Oh and for those who want to blame Fitz for the dropoff, his ratio of TDs to passing attempts was exactly the same as Jameis (4.3%).
Personally I think we should blame it on the defense. If they’d do a better job of creating turnovers in the opponents’ end zone we wouldn’t have this issue.
August 1st, 2018 at 6:13 am
And how did the having the huge two tight ends work out for us last year? Agreed, I lay our issues more so on the defense and special teams than anything else.
August 1st, 2018 at 6:41 am
Lol, the opposing team’s defense is sitting back and waitin for our defense to give away the lead like they always do. As long as Mike Smith is around that won’t change.
August 1st, 2018 at 7:03 am
The running game helps the passing game and we had no running game…..longest rushing TD….2 yards….
August 1st, 2018 at 7:10 am
@defense
Are you saying it’s jameis’ fault? Lol. We score 8 rushing tds yet give up 17. We give up 22 passing while throwing 26. I agree we need to score more tds in the red zone, less than 50% ain’t gonna cut it. But to not be able to see that the lack of a run game was the culprit is ridiculous. It’s not like teams were loading the box to stop Doug Martin.
August 1st, 2018 at 7:26 am
Howard is the queen piece in all of this. If they are in base, not many LBs can run with him. If they are in nickel, he will toss the extra dB like a rag doll on run plays.
August 1st, 2018 at 7:35 am
Defense Rules- Part of our problem with scoring is Jameis zeroing in on his favorite targets. He has a tendency to look for certain players on 3rd downs and near the end zone. Play-calling is also a factor. Many of Koetter’s plays were as predictable as the rain in summer time: Toss pitch, screen to Hump, etc…
August 1st, 2018 at 9:10 am
I’m shocked the board is setup properly in the picture. Beautiful girl too.
August 1st, 2018 at 9:38 am
If the OLine can run block significantly better and pass protect a bit better – this offense will be one of the highest scoring offenses in the league.
It all starts up front. Pamphile and Sweezy were both pitiful excuses for starting Guards last year. OLine should be better now simply because we released them. Addition by subtraction. Same goes for Doug Martin and the running game its sad to say.
Onward and upward. Benenoch, Cappa, Wester and Cole Gardner need to step up to the plate and show they have what it takes to get the job done and be counted on for the future.
OT should likely be high on the list for a 1st or 2nd rd draft pick selection in 2019.
August 1st, 2018 at 9:55 am
DR
when your 5-11, ranked last in defense and cant score, everyone is to blame…..
you praised smitty and his defensive scheme yesterday and now you want to blame the defensive players for not creating turnovers…lol….GTFOH!!!!!
all 3 phases of the team sucked….don’t blame “the defense”…. blame the HC, DC, OC and ST coach…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
August 1st, 2018 at 10:01 am
D.R.
The lack of rushing TD’s is a significant stat to me. It’s hard to be successful in the NFL with NO rushing attack. We couldn’t take it to the house from outside the 20 because Doug is just too slow…we couldn’t pound it over from short yardage because parts of the OL were not getting push.
If we get a solid rushing attack this offense will be frightening.
August 1st, 2018 at 10:06 am
Joe
Did anyone ask Koetter why he had Howard on the bench last year when they entered the RedZone?
He says it’s a big advantage but then promptly pulls O.J. from the game once they enter the RZ.
Then if he’s not handing the ball off the Barber he’s calling a seam route to Brate. Honestly, if we can accurately predict what’s coming what do you think Luke Kuechley is able to do?
August 1st, 2018 at 12:18 pm
DB55
BINGO!!!!!!!!….kinda like when dirk said, ” we’re close!”
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
August 1st, 2018 at 1:33 pm
@813bucboi … “you praised smitty and his defensive scheme yesterday and now you want to blame the defensive players for not creating turnovers…lol….GTFOH!!!!!”
Apparently you don’t get sarcasm bucboi. And for all those skewering the Bucs’ rushing prowess (as little as it was), my point was that in 2017 we added (1) DJax for $10 mil plus; (2) OJ as a 1st rnd pick; and (3) Godwin as a 3rd rnd pick BUT … added NOTHING to our stable of RBs or to our OLine in 2017. Instead we stuck with a suspended Doug Martin and the same unproductive OLine. And we expected different results why?
I do agree with you on one thing however bucboi … “all 3 phases of the team sucked.” I expect much better production out of the OFFENSE, DEFENSE and SPECIAL TEAMS THIS YEAR. Agree with ya on one more thing too … NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!
August 1st, 2018 at 3:53 pm
Hey Joe!! Man that is one fine Chess player!! Where did you find her at? She can crown me? Is that a chess term? I don’t care if it’s not she can still crown me.!!!