2018 Offense Defined Balance?
February 9th, 2019
Bucs general manager Jason Licht believes the Tampa Bay offense last season was among the very best in the history of NFL football.
Joe remembered that ludicrous take today upon hearing another insider assessment of the offense.
Man, that Bucs attack was balanced last season, if you believe ousted offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The new Browns OC was talking Bucs to the Cleveland media and shared his controversial view.
Despite a weak running game, Monken said what you saw from the Bucs last season was a highly balanced attack.
“I think balance is multiple skill players touching the football, to me it’s not always just run-pass,” Monken said. “It’s do you have enough skill players that they can touch the football. Last year at Tampa we had, almost had six guys guys if O.J. doesn’t get hurt, of 700-plus yards from the line of scrimmage.
“To me, that’s balance. You have a number of guys that can hurt you from a match-up standpoint. Is running the football important? Sure. Because in order to win you’ve got to be explosive and not turn the ball over. How do you become explosive? Space players and throwing it over the [defense’s] head, or throwing intermediate pockets. Running the football adds to that.”
Joe is a big Monken fan, but the numbers obsession is getting a little crazy. The object of the game is to score points. The Bucs averaged just 20.8 points per game through the second half of the season. That’s awful, as well as embarrassing for a team with so much offensive talent and a healthy offensive line.
The notion that the Bucs offense was somehow balanced last year is goofy. In fact, getting the offense to be more balanced this year might be the No. 1 goal of the Tampa Bay offseason.
February 9th, 2019 at 8:08 am
We all know we need to run the ball a LOT better!
If we run the ball it also improves the passing game because JW is great at play action fakes…but if there’s nothing to fake because the running game is a joke the D just plays to stop JW’s passes.
February 9th, 2019 at 8:13 am
Nope. It’s fixing the defense.
February 9th, 2019 at 8:29 am
I agree. No question defense has been pathetic.
But Getting a td vs a field goal is what separates the good teams and the bad teams. The playoff teams vs non playoff teams.
And our kickers stunk on top of that so a fg was no guarantee
February 9th, 2019 at 8:29 am
He’s an OC. He can control only when they have the ball. He’s in a new place and they are only excited about him if he talks about the positives he had here. He is simply controlling the narrative.
They don’t want to hear about how we chose to suck in the red zone, or that he has been unable to cure Jameis and Fitzy if their turnover proneness. He isn’t there to give an honest assessment.
He is just managing the offseason doldrums by defining the narrative of his honeymoon period. When they struggle to run the football, the Sheepland fans will remember that balance means having better #WeaponsForBaker.
Managing the narrative buys you years of service if you have something factual to point to and say, “see? I did it *there*. You just haven’t given me the same tools to reproduce it.”
February 9th, 2019 at 8:31 am
You can’t balance an offense when all you have for RBs are practice squad players
February 9th, 2019 at 8:35 am
Only way to achieve true run/pass balance on offense is to fix the OLine. They were OK pass blockers up front last year – but the run blocking was flat out NOT GOOD!
February 9th, 2019 at 8:41 am
How about balancing the W&L’s for starters…..
February 9th, 2019 at 8:56 am
#signkareemhunt
February 9th, 2019 at 9:19 am
The OL sucked at run blocking & pass blocking. JW seemed to be always running for his life. Bucs need two tackles & a guard.
February 9th, 2019 at 9:22 am
The unintended comedy from Licht Weight is pretty enjoyable actually. I do give him credit for luring his big brother figure Bucco Bruce outta the broadcast booth. I have to believe the “best offense we’ve seen” comment was likely said to take the heat off of him ( he’s good at that ) and his horrible Ronald Jones pick.
February 9th, 2019 at 9:23 am
O.j. staying healthy all year is key. Our offense was humming until him and Djax fell off the wagon.
February 9th, 2019 at 9:37 am
Pick nailed it. Our QB’s threw a lot of picks because they were running for their lives most of the time, or because they were down by 3 scores and had to make miracles happen late in games. Our RBs are better than practice squad material. Look at the stand out RBs in the League and then look how much size and strength they have in front of them. That is the difference.
February 9th, 2019 at 9:40 am
Fix the OL first. That will improve the run and the pass along with time of possession, which will automatically take some pressure off the defense.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:02 am
Same thing every year it seems. O and D line. Do it. Draft some good ones so we dont have to keep talking about it every year. When you’re a younger fan you want the skill position flashy picks. It appears its the same as a young GM. I hope Licht is maturing cause its time to draft O and D line, then again. Imo this team is fine as long as it can control the lines. If we go RB early I’m gona hurt the television. Please No I’m down to one good tv.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:09 am
The run gane wasnt only wad from the iline it was bad from always playing from behind. Good defense equates to a better run game
February 9th, 2019 at 10:14 am
Cut ties with big money guys and others to get money for a Pro Bowl LT. Trade back twice in the first round and get RT Cody Ford. Use your first second round pick on OG. BOOM! SOEbuc for president 2020.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:16 am
@Joe … ” Jason Licht believes the Tampa Bay offense last season was among the very best in the history of NFL football.” Oh wow Joe, that explains a LOT about Jason. Obviously he’s delusional AND knows very little about NFL history. (For his info, the 2013 Denver Broncos coached by John Fox went 13-3 and scored 606 points, the most ever in a regular season … of course he did have Peyton Manning as his QB, and he threw 55 TDs). The 2018 Bucs scored 396 points & went 5-11 … not really in the same ballpark. Nice try though Jason.
Didn’t know that Monken had been selected as the Browns’ OC. He should do well there (Browns’ offense has a decent core & their defense is on the rise IMO).
February 9th, 2019 at 10:55 am
Whoever wrote this article not sure how you heard the guy talk and still didn’t listen but let me help you out. Running the ball is important but his idea of balance is getting the ball into many different players that can hurt you a variety of ways not just run vs pass. I know it gets hard to understand basic concepts on this site but whether I agree or not doesn’t matter because at least I can understand his point. I don’t agree and please feel free to use his quotes and write another article about how this stupid coaching staff used Humphries more than Howard, Jackson and Godwin. I know BA would have never let a chemistry issue fester and carry over from one season to the next. Basically any competent coach would not have waited until they were in the midst of another losing season to sit those two guys down
February 9th, 2019 at 11:49 am
True that Todd. Of course running is important and if you got Zeke or Gurley it’s gonna be extremely helpful. But it is a passing league now a days. It’d be awesome to get an All-Star RB like Hunt or Bell but that’s gonna break the bank. If we can get just another good RB to go with PB and fix the oline correctly, that’s a solid running game. Try to get multiple third round picks and get Darrell Henderson.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:00 pm
SOE get your mitts off my draft picks. I’ll let you sign your LT and you can get a guard in round 2 but don’t you dare touch that #5 pick.
That pick is reserved for defense. Which is also the biggest need. In fact the hope is that Allen is sitting on the board at #4 and we will be trading up to get him. Forget that trade down nonsense.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:14 pm
@Joe – you need an app to take JBF to the next level. Thoughts?
February 9th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Fix the o line and watch this offense take off.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:47 pm
Draft LJ SCOTT and we’ll have our 3 down back. I’ve been beating the drum for Murray as a bridge back until next years draft, I just found out Scott decleared for the draft back in December. The dude is a beast, Excellent vision, strength, size and hands, yes he lacks breakaway speed (I’m more concerned about a back that can consistently get 5-10 then a back who accidentally breaks a long one).
February 9th, 2019 at 2:25 pm
PROVEN and NFL READY studs are what we need on defense , and you do not HOPE you get that in the draft. Dee Ford and Trey Flowers are UFA’s , go and freaking get them LICHT BRAIN before they are GONE.
February 9th, 2019 at 7:28 pm
“The very best in NFL HISTORY”. Thats funny!! If that were the case you should have won more games than 5. Don’t care how bad the Defense was !!! Sometimes I worry about that man !!
February 9th, 2019 at 9:24 pm
JP,
Corey Grant, UFA, Jac. 4.2 speed has hands and he’s cheaper, healthier and a complimentary piece to Barber.
February 9th, 2019 at 9:51 pm
Now, I’m a true believer in running the football, especially in the first half. Olineman have the advantage of knowing the snap count and should be able to make contact first and Impose their will on a defense early and soften them like butter going into the second half. A dominate run team with a smart passing attack. Kind of sounds like every team than won their division this year.