Ira Kaufman’s 10 Takeaways From Bucs-49ers
November 25th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
Instead of beating themselves, the Bucs switched gears Sunday and beat up on the 49ers in their most complete game of the year.
The 27-9 victory represents Tampa Bay’s most lopsided triumph since the 2017 season opener, when the Bucs trounced the Bears 29-7 before losing 11 of their next 14 matchups.
The NFL standings suggest the 49ers are not a good football team, but Buc fans don’t care — nor should they. For one sunny day, the Bucs played complementary football and dominated the trenches in improving to 3-2 at home.
Jameis Winston played with poise and purpose and Mike Evans set an early tone, informing the 49ers they were in for a long day. The reeling Panthers are up next and as Demar Dotson noted in a jubilant locker room, an effort like this could spark a strong finish.
On a day when many Buc fans were torn between cheering for victory or a better draft pick, here’s how the home team took care of business.
* Quite a return for Winston under center, where he belongs for the remaining five games. He took a significant step toward securing his future in Tampa in 2019, making smart decisions as the Bucs posted their first turnover-free game since shocking New Orleans in Week 1. “He played awesome,” said Adam Humphries, who caught all six passes directed his way.
* What a weekend for John Lynch. The former Buc icon and current GM of the 49ers was saluted by the Tampa Sports Club at a luncheon on Saturday, only to learn hours later that LB Reuben Foster had been arrested. Foster was jettisoned before the game and then the Bucs went out and took no prisoners.
* One key to the win was a rare good start by Tampa Bay, which had gone four consecutive games without a first-quarter point until Winston found Cameron Brate from 6 yards out. Meanwhile, the 49ers punted on each of their first three possessions, registering only two first downs.
* Vita Vea was determined to make an impact before his rookie season was over, and he played like a first-round pick Sunday with 4 tackles, a sack and 3 tackles for loss. Instead of just occupying blockers, Vea shed them and showed Buc fans why he intrigued Jason Licht heading into the draft.
* Speaking of Licht, no wonder he was smiling after the game. Vea was a force, rookie safety Jordan Whitehead led all players with 11 tackles, Carl Nassib was all over the field and Licht’s prized offseason addition, Jason Pierre-Paul, ended Tampa Bay’s double-digit sack drought that stretched back to 2005. Even Noah Spence got in a few snaps at right DE when Pierre-Paul hobbled off briefly with a knee injury.
* Evans set an aggressive tone from the start with 4 first-half receptions for 75 yards, including a 42-yard grab that set up Brate’s score. On days like these, Evans looks like one of the league’s elite targets, a notch below Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.
* Brate and Winston share a chemistry that dates back to 2016. Don’t try to over-analyze it. Enjoy it. When Winston reaches the red zone, he looks for No. 84 and Brate has a knack for getting open. His circuitous route on the TD reception was a thing of beauty.
* While the Bucs didn’t turn the ball over, they ended a stretch of 7 consecutive games without an interception when Ryan Smith picked off Nick Mullens midway through the fourth quarter. The Buc didn’t stop there as Isaiah Johnson joined the party on San Francisco’s next possession. It was the first career pick for both players on a day Mullens was saddled with a 62.1 passer rating.
* The Bucs dominated time of possession because the defense got off the field on the money down. San Francisco converted only 1-of-8 on third down, with the only success a 2-yard run on third-and-1. The defensive highlight was a goal-line stand on the opening drive of the third quarter, which was followed by Tampa Bay’s 75-yard TD drive for a 20-9 advantage.
* It’s a beautiful thing for Buc fans when the post-game conversation doesn’t include concerns about the kicking situation. Cairo Santos, perfect on 2 FG tries and 8 extra-point attempts, looks like a keeper.
Enter your Bucs question IN THE FORM below for Derrick Brooks and Ira Kaufman, hosts of the new TAMPA TWO show right here twice a week and at The Identity Tampa Bay. (Yes, that Derrick Brooks!) Or send your Bucs question to The Identity on Twitter, @TheIdentityTB.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:05 pm
The Jameis haters are so angry today! Looks like there will be a lot more JW in Tampa for a while. They would rather lose every game then admit JW looked exactly like a franchise QB today. Grrr! To all of you I beg that you take your anger and go support another team. Grrrr!
November 25th, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Great game from Evans today.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:14 pm
Hey Joes: I have loaded several comments today. My computer is not the problem. For some reason, they are not being posted. What gives???
November 25th, 2018 at 8:21 pm
You have some glitches in your tech system. It is costing you guys clicks/$$. Check it out.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:27 pm
To bad all of the Bucs opponents are not 2-8
November 25th, 2018 at 8:37 pm
Hell Ira, Kinda sad. I still cannot beleive we Won. Thats what kind of season its been.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:38 pm
If you take away the 8 targets to djax, Winston is 29/30 passing. That’s 97% completion percentage.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:39 pm
^^^ Haters gonna hate! For myself and the rest of the true fans we will enjoy the win thank you!
November 25th, 2018 at 8:43 pm
@Joe… Check out DJax’s Instagram reply to a Falcon fan about him being under utilized. This guy can’t be content with a team win! They need to let this dude walk. They should have traded him when they had a chance.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:51 pm
Let’s focus on the Panthers and build off of some success! Time to put a hurting on Cam and the overrated Panthers
November 25th, 2018 at 8:55 pm
Buc believer
Dont flatter yourself. This true fan who has been to more games than youve probably watched wants a better coach and draft picks. You dont lose 7 of 8 and make the playoffs in this league. We’re all true fans or we wouldnt be here. Some just have a longer term outlook once the team is out of playoff contention.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Let’s see if Jameis can win against a real team..this game doesn’t erase 4 years of travesty..
November 25th, 2018 at 8:58 pm
No turnovers….make kicks….we win….amazing. Its like Koetter has been saying all season.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:59 pm
Nate
Djax was tied for most targets (8) with mike Evans.
Evans 6/8. 116 yards. 0 TDS. 19 yard avg 43 yard long.
DivaJax. 3/8. 19 yards.
November 25th, 2018 at 9:03 pm
You forgot to mention Barbers 2.6 ypc. Are we back to reality? Is it coincidence that the number is always right about 3? Oh, we are just heaping praise when it fits the narrative. My bad.
November 25th, 2018 at 9:08 pm
“On a day when many Buc fans were torn between cheering for victory or a better draft pick”
These fans are delusional. They are NOT cheering for a better draft pick…they think they are but in reality they are cheering for better odds in the annual NFL crapshoot. I only defines a better draft pick as one which outplays the guys picked ahead of him.
Certainly the difference in rounds can be profound…but even that drops off late in the 2nd. Drafting #3 as opposed to #12 doesn’t guarantee a better player…it does guarantee better odds. And again google guys. There is not a lot of difference in the records of GMs when it comes to actual draft results.
Obviously we need to draft well to HELP replenish our talent and most importantly to manage the salary cap with up and coming talent that still on the rookie deals. But we need FA’s like JPP and Nassib…and how many UDFA’s played well for us today?
Brate, Hump, Peyton Barber immediately come to mind and I feel pretty sure there are more.
And so if we want to lose for more draft picks here’s another appealing strategy…trade every player we have making 5 million or more. Think how many draft picks we’d have then and how low our cap number would be? Perhaps 4 #1 picks?
Obviously I do not really advocate this but it makes as much sense as thinking about losing five straight games just to move up a few spots in the draft order.
I think sometimes folks believe the worse your record you not only draft higher but you get extra picks. We’ll get the same number of picks whether we win or lose unless we trade.
We need to get players from all sources not just the draft..and again…it’s not where you get them…where you pick in the draft…it’s WHO you select.
November 25th, 2018 at 9:25 pm
“He took a significant step toward securing his future in Tampa in 2019”
Yes, everyone is convinced. Will we be showered with articles of praise this week in celebration? Freeman had a few good games as well. As his nearly identical W/L record shows. What happens when we play the real teams? Will the excuse train come rolling out again?
November 25th, 2018 at 9:26 pm
A very bad team beat an even worse team.
Nothing to see here or get excited about.
I guess when you are desperate though a win is a win
November 25th, 2018 at 9:28 pm
@Darin I re read my post in which you said I flattered myself and I fail to see where I did. If you would do me a favor and reach down into your obviously very deep bag of football knowledge and point out where I flattered myself I would be most grateful. I would like you to do that so I can offer my deepest apologies to you and bow at the depth of your football knowledge and ask for your forgiveness for expressing some joy at a win finally.
November 25th, 2018 at 9:29 pm
And yes, Jason Licht was smiling after the game. It was a smile of relief. If his Bucs would have lost to the lowly 49ers it would have helped secure his pink slip
November 25th, 2018 at 9:30 pm
If you didn’t read this in your head with Ira’s voice, did you even read it?
November 25th, 2018 at 9:44 pm
Bucs win!!! All is right in the world…until the Bucs lose.
November 25th, 2018 at 10:08 pm
Ok the 9er’s didn’t offer much resistance, so JW’s next big test is against the Panthers who won’t be so kind to our defense. Manage the risk and only take huge risk when we need to. The flow of the game will dictate our urgency to take more risk. More decisive plays to take what the defense gives you… Do that and we’ll notice. Five more games. Don’t be the focal point of any loss.
November 25th, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Felt really good to win, hope we can enjoy a few more this season. Seems like all phases where working together. Glad to see JPP get his 10th, Evans get his catches, a couple of interceptions, Vea play like a 1st rounder, and Winston perform like a Pro-bowler. Looking forward to hosting Panthers.
PS: Absolutely NO Tanking for draft picks!!!!!!!
November 25th, 2018 at 10:35 pm
If you have hate in your heart, let it out. Majority of comments are small troll ppl.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:34 pm
Negative posts are ridiculous. So called fans are like sharks. They smell blood in the water. A win stops the bleading which seems to piss of the sharks. You guys suck. Obviously we aren’t good enough yet. But the team is still fighting with a good outcome today. Player evaluation, experience and development along with a win is a positive outcome. Cheers for the win.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:57 am
Great game. No turnovers and voila, you have a chance to win. I’m glad somebody finally invited Vea to the party. He was a wrecking ball.
Jameis played a really clean game. “Good Jameis!”
What I really enjoyed was watching a bunch of “scrubs” on defense play hard. I mean that as an endearing term.
100% kicking?!!! Wow!
A win is a win.
November 26th, 2018 at 7:53 am
TouchdownTampabay
I agree that Jameis played a good game. I like Jameis too. But I don’t agree with you telling Bucs fans to root for another team. Just because they may not like Jameis or McCoy or anyone else, doesn’t mean they’ll not loyal bucs fan. They don’t have to like every player the Bucs put out there. If you would have said you wanted Anthony Collins or Micheal (ghost) Johnson gone, would that have made you not a Bucs fan. We need to stay united as fans and respect each other’s opinions, even though we may disagree.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:21 am
I would venture to guess that about 1% of Bucs fans “hate” Jameis Winston. The rest of them think that he is the QB of the future or that he is not the QB of the future.
I don’t hate Jameis Winston but I don’t think he’s the QB of the future. While this one game was nice, it’s not enough to change my mind. My mind can be changed if he doesn’t fumble the football the rest of the year and if he doesn’t pass the ball to the other team. I’m not talking about if the other team makes a great play on the ball and gets an INT. I’m talking about literally passing it to the other team, which he has done many times in his career.
November 26th, 2018 at 10:08 am
D-Rome- We can only HOPE that he plays this well the rest of the way. History tells us that this is “Good Jameis”. The quandary that is the Bucs QB position is that he plays like this, a good clean game, then follows it with a 3 interception outing.
I hope he finishes out well and the TEAM plays well.
November 26th, 2018 at 11:02 am
DRome
Very well thought out. People who disagree about JW’s “potential” are not haters. I think you’re correct…1% may be haters/racists whatever…there are idiots everywhere.
BTW My sympathies for all FSU fans…not just on your season but because some moron tried to detract from your school’s class and success by suggesting Taggart get lynched. Lynching has a special meaning for black folks…if I really need to explain that you’re hopeless.
One of the FSU faithful immediately challenged this guy asking if he was serious and he said YES…he would do anything to get rid of Taggart.
I understand the frustration but I’m not betting against Taggart yet. He has a great reputation as a recruiter…he made his bones in Florida and knows all the HS coaches and is wired in.
And how effective is it when he comes to your house and says…yeah you could go to Bama or Clemson and wait a couple of years to play…or you could come to Tallahassee and get an immediate chance. Not saying that’s true but it certainly could be made to look that way to a high school stud athlete with a large ego.
November 26th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Great to win yesterday…
You can’t overlook who we were playing, a team with no Starting WR’s, a third string QB, and a star defensive player who is released hours before the game.
So while we didn’t beat the Saints yesterday, we did play like we actually game planned, which is refreshing.
It is the first and only game this year where we actually looked like an NFL team…granted , again the level of competition.
A lot of things happened, all in one game, that we’ve been looking for.
Here are my takes:
Jameis played well enough to win, and not just well enough to get you beat… He made some really good decisions, and made some throws that just leave you scratching your head(but at least none to the other team). His ball placement is still curious 50% of the time. All in all he had a good game.
Barber had less than 50 yds, but it just seems like more doesn’t it? He did have his usual hiatus after halftime..gotta believe that is ankle injury related..every week. Love that guys heart though, I think he’s a keeper.
Alex Cappa? Playing Time? No way…
Vita Vea was the highlight for me, He got some things done, and seemed to enjoy doing it. Not sure how SF’s Oline is ranked, but really glad to see Vea do something, anything…
Defense played like they actually understood their assignments, at least in the secondary..They weren’t perfect, and were playing against, well, you know… But for the most part they were in the vicinity–a huge improvement.
Not one INT but two? Ryan Smith comes off the bench to get one? It was like every player who gets ripped here @ JBF got some…
As stated above, it appeared as if there actually was a game plan on both sides of the ball…amazing how that works.
A kicker that made every kick..unheard of in these parts.
Like SPBF said, it wasn’t a win over a top flight team, and it wasn’t perfect still..but it was a win and the team can feel good about it, there is nothing wrong with that, our season being what it is.
The next two weeks may not be so enjoyable…
The reckoning is still coming.