“You Gotta Get Up In His Face”
October 10th, 2019
Things will change around One Buc Palace later this season.
Bruce Arians says that will happen when the Bucs face all-world Saints receiver Michael Thomas in Tampa on Nov. 17.
Of course, Thomas lit up the Bucs last Sunday, and Arians was asked on his Buccaneers Radio show about how he’s has learned to remedy that situation.
“Well, I think you have to be more physical [with Thomas],” Arians said. “He’s a physical receiver. He’s going to extend his arms. You’ve got to get up in his face. And again, when you’re playing zone, be aware of where he’s at.”
Joe’s got a word for this, “soft,” which was Arians’ word of this week for the secondary.
Joe went to the film and pulled the Michael Thomas 14-yard touchdown early in the 2nd quarter. Vernon Hargreaves was in press coverage and managed to not touch Thomas until he had the ball at the 2 yard line and was powering into the end zone. Meanwhile, Carlton Davis had yet to be ejected in the game, and Davis, per Arians, is the Bucs best corner … yet he wasn’t on Thomas in the red zone.
Despite the press coverage stance by Vernon Hargreaves, Michael Thomas went untouched until he had the ball on the 2 yard line. Touchdown early in the 2nd quarter.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:10 am
I remember when Grimes was our “best” corner and never lined against the number 1. Yet somehow was the coaching staff was never called out because he was a nice guy lol
October 10th, 2019 at 10:11 am
Can’t get in his face when you are eye to belly button. #shortproblems
October 10th, 2019 at 10:13 am
I’d rather any other player score than Thomas
Double him, take away their best and make others beat us. Sick of the inept coaching every year
October 10th, 2019 at 10:14 am
Simply looking at size and physicality, Carlton Davis should have been assigned to Thomas…..
Is he our best corner?…..Maybe….but I’d like to see Ryan Smith in action this year and some more of Dean.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:24 am
Its like the coaching staff has never watched any game tape? Of course werent they supposed to be at one buc palace with licht and the alleged scouting staff were out drinking beers? So michael thomas will set an nfl record that day in tampa come november with brees throwing
October 10th, 2019 at 10:27 am
What Dewey Selmon said….you can’t teach “tall”
October 10th, 2019 at 10:30 am
CD wouldnt have made a difference….lol…
ask yourself, “how did the saints get in the redzone?”
They quickly got into scoring range thanks to a 34-yard pass from Bridgewater to Michael Thomas, who beat Carlton Davis.
GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 10th, 2019 at 10:33 am
Would not be surprised to see them rest people against us. Well on the way to the playoffs. While we get ready for the draft. Then again Payton may just play them to get a few more laughs.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:38 am
Let’s remember that Arians and Bowles are forced to work with the accumulation of “talent” in the secondary that Jason Licht has produced.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:54 am
813 the sainta were 9 for 9 when targeting hargreaves. Stop pretending the dude isnt anything but a nickel corner at best. And probably too slow for even that position. Cant wait till hes off this roster next year. Hell if they could trade him for a box of cracker jax id take it if i were the bucs.
October 10th, 2019 at 11:25 am
This is why you build in the trenches in the draft and you sign proven secondary players.
1. It’s easier to identify athletic freaks that can win on the interior or on the edge than it is to project elite coverage guys out of college.
2. Elite DTs/DEs/OTs make more than CBs & Ss, so it’s easier to buy a secondary than it is a front 7.
Not rocket science. Thank god no one at OBP listens to JBF.
Such a damn shame.
JBF poll based drafts >>>>>> Jason Licht or Mark Dominik.
October 10th, 2019 at 11:34 am
Yes!!! Also 11 out of twelve games that officiating crew has called a saints game the saints have won.
October 10th, 2019 at 11:40 am
Vh3 is garbage
October 10th, 2019 at 11:43 am
cg
and all 9 were TD’s….lol…right…..
how many times was he sacked?….or pressured?…..
the pass rush as a whole needs to step up not just shaq…..when shaq got shut down, we got no pressure and TB had all day to scan the field….
doesnt matter if you have patrick peterson on 1 side and amsey on the other….if their dline aint getting pressure on the QB, they’ll get picked apart too….just ask talib and marcus peters….2 great CB’s who got cooked vs JW, a QB who threw 2 pick 6’s week1……
pass rush and secondary go hand in hand…..
GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 10th, 2019 at 11:43 am
Here’s the upshot, re-signing VHIII isn’t a priority. We can use that dough on someone else.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:03 pm
If Davis is considered the Bucs best corner they are really in big trouble. I often wonder how much Licht had to do with drafting all those Db’s so high or did BA have a lot to say about it. On the other hand maybe its 50/50.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Can’t believe that so many are still peeing & moaning about the Saints game. Although we ‘only’ lost by 7 points, we got whipped. Saints’ defense dominated our OLine, and the Saints’ offense got the job done against our young defense, even without Drew Brees.
But most importantly, Bucs got out-coached — BIG TIME. We had our chances but we blew them. Not by turnovers (which has often been the case in other games), but because we couldn’t sustain drives. Bucs punted SIX times … FOUR times we had only 3 plays, and TWICE we had 5 plays. We started the game off slow with 3 consecutive punts, and ended the game with 3 consecutive punts plus the last-minute TD where the Saints let us run out the clock for them. Overall our game-plan and play-calling was blah.
The Saints’ game-plan on the other hand was a work of art. 31 rushes (for 112 yds), 31 short passes, 23 completed (for 190 yds) and 5 deep passes, all completed (for 155 yds). Folks have raked our young Secondary for not being able to ‘control’ Michael Thomas, but guess what … no one else has been able to either. Thomas is now 45 receptions out of 55 targets on the season for an 81.8% catch percentage. That’s INCREDIBLE. Against us he caught 11 of 13 for 84.6%, roughly in the same ballpark. Kamara is 26 catches out of 31 targets (83.9%) on the season … he was 6 out of 7 against us (85.7%), again, roughly the same as in other games. Teddy Bridgewater was 26-of-34 in the passing department (76.5%), not much above what he is on the season (70.2%).
We got taken to the woodshed by a more talented team that’s better coached. Best we can do now is learn from it and move on.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
LordCornelius, if the consistent posters on here got together and in the past 6 years built the bucs I guarantee, the bucs would be a playoff team. I think the biggest fight would have been over drafting Jameis but Iwas for drafting him then, but I think we at joe bucs would have built in the trenches out; as in go get lael collins that year in the 7th round, the bucs I guarantee would be a playoff team…the super bowl bucs did not put a priority on drafting corners in the first round, i think brian kelley was round 2 maybe?
October 10th, 2019 at 12:23 pm
“What proof is there BA does well in the draft
My dad looked it up. Its horrible
Like poster Mr LC said before it’s not rocket science
NFL is a copycat league but we continuously do the opposite
Which other 31 team has 1 year and rookie secondary
None. There is no other better coaching than to play beside a vet
This team is flawed and the blame is solely the GM
The Team roster foundation is cracked and will crumble soon enough
My Dad has forewarned the masses and his hands are clean
Posters like Lord Cornelius has hands that are drenched with blood”
Son of Kobe Faker
October 10th, 2019 at 1:04 pm
That’s a great point Jow/s. Davis should have been on Thomas in the red zone. His definitely a better route disrupter than VHIII.
October 10th, 2019 at 1:18 pm
“9 receptions given up out of 9 targets, but hey at least they weren’t all touchdowns”
Lolololol 😂😂
October 10th, 2019 at 1:56 pm
Defense–
“Can’t believe that so many are still peeing & moaning …”
Ouch! Sounds like a venereal disease convention.
I believe the more commonly used, far less painful colloquialism is “bitching and moaning.”
Now I can’t exorcise the imagery of your statement.
Thanks!
October 10th, 2019 at 2:23 pm
That’s what I was screaming during the game. Lining up in press coverage doesn’t do anything if you give him a clean release every time. Might as well back off 7 yards (Smitty)
October 10th, 2019 at 2:28 pm
Is it even considered “press” coverage if you don’t actually press the guy?
October 10th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Defense Rules- 👍