B- Grade
November 5th, 2019
Sorry secondary.
Blame the secondary.
Joe’s been harping on this for weeks. And finally, the network suits are starting to catch on.
As much as folks love to throw rocks at America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, the dudes who should have to dig their own pit and be stoned are members of the Bucs secondary.
John Breech of CBS Sports writes it’s too easy to #BlameJameis and he outlined just how horrific the Bucs’ secondary was in Seattle. Breech gave the Bucs an overall grade of a “B-“ in the loss to the Seahawks.
The Buccaneers went toe-to-toe with the Seahawks on Sunday thanks to the play of Jameis Winston, but like all things with Winston, his brilliance came with a price. Although Winston was sharp for most of the game (335 yards, two touchdowns), he made a costly mistake in the fourth quarter when he lost a fumble on a drive where the Bucs were in Seahawks territory with just under 11 minutes to play in a 24-24 game. Weston’s gaffe led to a Seahawks field goal and Tampa would never lead again in a game where they led for most of the first three quarters. Although Winston made a huge mistake, it wasn’t his fault the Bucs lost. Most of the blame should be pinned on a Tampa defense that absolutely couldn’t stop Russell Wilson, who threw five touchdown passes while helped the Seahawks rack up 492 yards of offense. Wilson’s performance marked just the fourth time in the past 25 years that the Bucs have given up five or more TD passes in a game.
Yes, the season is over. Yes, in a perfect world the Bucs focus on setting themselves up for a solid draft spot in next spring’s draft.
As a result, the Bucs should force-feed the young guys. We all know Vernon Hargreaves will not be here next year. So play Jamel Dean. Bucco Bruce Arians said Ryan Smith may be a nickel corner. So put him on the field and let’s see if he can tread water or not.
If the Bucs go down swinging with the young guys in there, so what? Find out who should be brought back and who shouldn’t.
And start birdogging for a veteran safety and a corner (or two) to acquire in free agency or a trade, because it sure as heck doesn’t look like it’s working through the draft.
It’s bad enough the Bucs let their house burn down because someone didn’t want the firetrucks to make a rut in the front yard. In other words, the Bucs refused to go get a veteran defensive back that would have kept this team in a playoff hunt.
Don’t make that same mistake this offseason.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:12 am
This isnt an “either/or” argument. Its an “and/and” argument.
Both the QB and the secondary needs fixing.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:12 am
he just gives really good podium…
#BowlesIsAyePodiumPhenom
November 5th, 2019 at 8:14 am
Yes, the season is over. Yes, in a perfect world the Bucs focus on setting themselves up for a solid draft spot in next spring’s draft.
Nope…..try your best to win…..but I do agree with using this opportunity to develop young players…..
And…..get your DB in FA because we simply haven’t have success with the draft.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:17 am
He was hit in the arm by his left tackle. How exactly was that a huge mistake on his part?
November 5th, 2019 at 8:24 am
VH3 is very, very disappointing. His lack of speed and his persistent lack of knowing where his opponent is horrible at this level. Too often he is caught watching the QB, then has to find his target… reminds me of SO many draft picks we have taken in the past!!!
November 5th, 2019 at 8:26 am
But, But But, the Bucs want to win EVERY game….LMAO!
November 5th, 2019 at 8:26 am
great article Joe……29 IS greater than 28
November 5th, 2019 at 8:40 am
VH3 routinely “accidentally” slips when it’s time to go head up with a downhill runner. This must be the equipment managers fault.
His cleats are too short I guess. Or maybe it’s something else.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:42 am
5-11 season with 5-11 gm that somehow keeps his job
November 5th, 2019 at 8:43 am
When a defender is left unblocked to make a tackle ona runner, the defense worked. But when your free defender bails on the play be fake slipping, bad things follow.
VH3 has a highlight reel of slips and falls this season.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:48 am
They need to draft Okudah Im fairly sure we will be in the top 5 and get a top DB via trade or free agency. If not in the top 5 get Paulson Adebo, Duane Akina DB’s always perform when they get in the league. Hopefully we will stop drafting projects. 2 of the first 3 picks should be a DB and O-linemen and we need to call prioritize both Shaq and JPP.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:53 am
The Bucs….. and Jamal freakin’ Adams
November 5th, 2019 at 8:54 am
And I don’t want to hear how our safeties are good enough, a guy off the street has been taking the majority of snaps in back end….
November 5th, 2019 at 8:57 am
The Bucs have finished last in the division 8 out of the last 11 seasons.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:59 am
5 seasons and no playoff with this QB Bucs are stupid if they resign JW, better take a page out of the Tennessee Titans playbook and move on from this clown. A loss game is never his fault in the eyes of the coaching staff its always someones else fault, yea right.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:05 am
With licht as Gm, he will probably want to bring Vernon back next year to try and prove he was right all along…
November 5th, 2019 at 9:11 am
That same logic applies to Griffin. Winston’s not coming back, so let’s see if we need to find one quarterback or two.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:15 am
Put the youngsters out there. Let Hargreaves return punts or something. He’s out after this year. Here’s a thought, make some adjustment in coverage. Any adjustment. Stop the insane blitzes! We get burned every time and they don’t get to the QB. If Dean is struggling (and he was), give him some safety help over the top. With JPP and Barrett we can rush the passer with the front 4. Give the young guys friggin help for crying out loud! Leaving them out on a limb ain’t working. You’re seasoned, veteran NFL coaches and you’re telling me you don’t have a better answer? If I sound angry, it’s cause I am. Just like everyone else that has to watch every single enemy QB walk in and look like Dan Marino. It’s like watching “Old Yeller” over and over hoping they change the ending. Unfortunately every time Old Yeller eats a bullet and tears begin to flow.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:25 am
This is such a joke talking about the score. Their kicker missed. Ours missed. The turn over. The TD that was Called Back because of Dotson does not get talked about. It came down to who called heads or tails and got the ball in overtime. The defense let them drive down the field and score. Had we won the toss nobody knows for sure. Both teams had bad defense. Everything elese is what could have been only IF!
November 5th, 2019 at 9:30 am
How about the Stat for D time on the field
November 5th, 2019 at 9:38 am
Dont go Get any corner or safety that will cost a first round pick. I’d rather depend on justin Evans for that price. And having just drafted mike Edwards and looking at the improvement of whitehead in year 2 I think Edwards can make the same type jump. They will need a corner because VH3 wont be worth a penny
November 5th, 2019 at 9:40 am
this is not a team i would want a rookie to suffer through. keep jameis until we can support his replacement.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:46 am
hopefully evans and jameis earn their parole from the black hole that is tampa bay buccaneer football. they have earned their right to leave this circus to taste success…. the bucs season was over before it started rolling with this secondary and offensive line anyone says any different is a fool.
the sad part is you fools actually believe the glazers are trying to field a winner…. you have to try extremely hard to be as bad as bucs have been for as long as they have been bad…
H8JWLVEBUCS
hey numb-nuts it’s been over decade since this organization sniffed a playoff game and 17 years since their last meaningful win… this team sucked long before jameis and will suck long after he is gone.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:47 am
Honestly Joe, I think you are part of the problem. You have made everyone on this site hate hearing how great America’s QB is. America’s QB, America’s QB-I love…The truth is he has tons of potential and has always had great receivers, but the team hasn’t won. I know Seattle wasn’t his fault, but if the TD by Perriman would have been picked off and if the fumble on the goal line on the next drive would have been recovered by the defense, every one would be blaming Jameis. He has 3-4 of those plays every week.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:47 am
it takes a special kind of hypocrite loser to be a successful buccaneer man.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:50 am
This is our year!!!
hey pal jameis may have 3 or 4 bad plays a game but you can guarantee the defense will have 20 to 30 bad plays a game…. short sighted narrow-minded bucsfan are adorable yet so uneducated
bucs had no hope before season started rolling with a washed up coach and a high school roster is recipe for failure.
November 5th, 2019 at 10:47 am
Don’t blame the secondary, blame the tool who put this roster together the last six years. That would be the worst GM with a new contract in the league Jason Licht. We’re doomed as long as he’s in charge.
November 5th, 2019 at 11:29 am
@thisisouryear im tires of people playing the what if game. What if jameis had a td on one of 3 screw ups by scotty miller, hudson, or dotson? What if pir left tackle didnt hit jameis’ arm? Again enough with the hypotheyicals.
November 5th, 2019 at 11:44 am
It’s not hating or bashing JW to simply point out what a really good QB looks like…Russell Wilson.
Wilson has 20 TD’s against just 1 int and he doesn’t play the Buc secondary every week!
We saw our incredible WR ME just ball out totally. JW wasn’t bad in completing those passes to him but Wilson has touch and he placed the ball where Lockett could not only catch it but it floated right into his arms without causing his to break a single step. It was thing of beauty.
Wilson was playing behind an OL that is actually slightly inferior to the Buc’s OL.
November 5th, 2019 at 11:47 am
Besides QB, the hardest position to come in as a rookie is cornerback. Rhonde only played one game his rookie year, and that was with more defense friendly rules. It’s madness to expect better when playing all these rookies in the secondary. Now will the Bucs with these coaches let the rookies develop? Or are we drafting 5 more secondary players next year?
November 5th, 2019 at 11:50 am
TMAXCON,
Absolutely correct on all accounts.
November 5th, 2019 at 12:35 pm
@Joe … ” the dudes who should have to dig their own pit and be stoned are members of the Bucs secondary.”
Love how you pimp on the Bucs’ Secondary to deflect from the OTHER issues with this team Joe. TWO rookies … SMB & Jamel Dean … played virtually the entire game as our outside CBs against an elite QB. And oh ya, had ‘Slip & Fall’ (sorry, VHIII) in the middle at Nickel to ‘help’ them. Between them, SMB & Dean had a grand TOTAL of 272 defensive snaps in the NFL. That’s HALF of what VHIII already has this year by himself. And THEY were our TWO STARTING OUTSIDE CORNERS.
Jameis on the other hand has a total of 4,262 offensive snaps in the NFL, over 15 times as many snaps as the TWO ROOKIE CORNERS who started Sunday. Now in his 5th year, we’re STILL debating if he should be re-signed based on his past performances and future POTENTIAL.
But ya Joe, let’s make th discussion about the 2 ROOKIE CORNERS “who should have to dig their own pit and be stoned are members of the Bucs secondary.” YGBSM
November 5th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
And BTW Joe, that 272 TOTAL defensive snaps for BOTH SMB & Dean together was AFTER the Seattle game. BEFORE that game, SMB & Dean had a grand TOTAL of 139 defensive snaps in the NFL. And SMB had 136 snaps. Jamel Dean had a TOTAL of THREE defensive snaps. What could possibly go wrong in a scenario like that? But it doesn’t matter, just make sure they each have a shovel “dig their own pit”. Might as well send this one to moderation too since it’s critical of silly statements like that.
November 5th, 2019 at 12:55 pm
What makes me laugh is these idiots exercised VH3 option for 9 plus million. What a bunch of morons. Anyone can see, ever since he’s been in the league he’s been a below average DB. And Jason Licht and Bruce “BS” Arians are suppose to be the experts. I guess BA didn’t watch much football the last couple of years.
November 5th, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Yes we’re 2-6 but the season is far from over. This team has 8 more games to (1) gain experience; (2) learn how to win; and (3) determine who’ll be offered a chance to come back next year.
Yes we’ve given up a ton of points on defense, 252 total in 8 games to be exact … 31.5 PPG average. But 23 of those points (3 Pick-6 TDs & 1 safety) can be DIRECTLY tagged to the offense, bringing the number down to 229 … now 28.6 PPG average. I also counted several Bucs’ TOs that resulted in short fields for our opponents & led directly to 34 points being tagged against the defense in just this first half-season. Take those 34 pts away from the 229 & that’s 195 points allowed by the Bucs defense IF the Bucs’ offense hadn’t turned the ball over & either allowed the bad guys to score OR set up a short field that made it very very difficult for the Bucs’ defense to defend … now down to 24.4 PPG average. Wow, picture’s looking quite a bit different if you look at BOTH SIDES of the equation.
And let’s certainly not talk about the number of times the Bucs’ offense turned it over BUT our defense held the opposition scoreless (yes, there are several of those). And surely we shouldn’t talk about the number of points our offense scored because of our defense generating 13 TOs of their own & either scoring directly FOR the offense (2 TDs) or setting the Bucs’ offense up to score (multiple times).
Nah, we’ll just go with the tired old story of Bucs offense good; Bucs defense bad. Yup, that’s the ticket.
November 5th, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Nah, we’ll just go with the tired old story of Bucs offense good; Bucs defense bad. Yup, that’s the ticket.
no sir the entire organization is bad from top to bottom
November 5th, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Until Licht is gone it doesn’t matter what we do. I know there is a belief that Licht was retained because of Arians. If they are tied at the hip then Arians has got to go as well.
November 5th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
t-maxi
I don’t disagree with you about the defense. The secondary sucks!!! The defensive line and the linebackers are good to great. People talk about the interception ratio, but that doesn’t include the 15 fumbles per season. That’s the problem. The other thing Jameis doesn’t do very well is spread the ball around. It’s either Godwin or Evans all day. Maybe that’s why Howard’s not involved in the offense this season. All I want to do is win.
November 5th, 2019 at 2:45 pm
Sorry I meant tmaxcon
November 5th, 2019 at 7:30 pm
THE GM AND OWNERS SUCK!!!
November 5th, 2019 at 8:04 pm
I don’t give a Damn if it is a short field or not. The defense is paid to do a job. Stop the other other team from scoring or hold them to a field goal. Just like their team. Quit making excuses and trying to make it look like the defense is not as bad as it is.
November 5th, 2019 at 9:08 pm
DBS … You’re right, the defense is paid to do a job. And if our illustrious Gm had spent just a few shekels on signing a quality veteran CB this past off-season instead of pumping out $4 mil for Perriman we MIGHT have a better Secondary AND a few more wins. But I’m sure that’s just another excuse to you so I don’t know why I’m bothering.